A garage that damages instead of fixing

forwise

Yes, it's R55 (2008 to be exact) with 170000 miles made by 2013 and since then we had another car in the business thus the mileage didn't go up by much.

Maintenance was always done at main dealer and always on time so I'm not sure about where the assertion on the maintenance comes from.

The chain (yes a chain) has been done @125K ahead of what is stated by BMW. Belt wouldn't last that long.

m0bov

I think the other poster was alluding to the leaking injector. I would guess the fluid leak as corroded or maybe rotted the seals and allowed the injector to seize it place. You really need to find out what's happened to the car. Maybe go there and look and see for yourself. How much damage to the head? Why have they not offered a specialist to fix it.

forwise

m0bov wrote: »

I think the other poster was alluding to the leaking injector. I would guess the fluid leak as corroded or maybe rotted the seals and allowed the injector to seize it place. You really need to find out what's happened to the car. Maybe go there and look and see for yourself. How much damage to the head? Why have they not offered a specialist to fix it.

@m0bov That certainly seems like the most sensible course of action to me.
I've also discovered recently that the other car they have done MOT for recently, doesn't have break pads anymore (discovered when ABS started kicking in and that was only 10 days from MOT) so I will refrain from guessing about why they haven't suggested or even used (again without consent) a specialist for it. :mad:

AdrianC

forwise wrote: »

The chain (yes a chain) has been done @125K ahead of what is stated by BMW. Belt wouldn't last that long.

The official interval for the belt is 150k. A more sensible interval is 60k or so.
http://www.mister-auto.co.uk/en/timing-belt-kit-with-water-pump/mini-mini-clubman-r55-1-6-d-109hp_v23447_g3096.html

EdGasket

So why can't you take the head off? Maybe the garage meant that as the mileage was so high, a replacement engine might work out better than overhauling your existing one; probably less labour and if it goes wrong they can blame the engine and not their workmanship! I never head of an engine where you can't get the cylinder head off except for some strange air-cooled models.

AdrianC

EdGasket wrote: »

So why can't you take the head off? Maybe the garage meant that as the mileage was so high, a replacement engine might work out better than overhauling your existing one; probably less labour and if it goes wrong they can blame the engine and not their workmanship!

Given this engine's reputation, I'm not surprised they're reluctant to go inside it.

I never head of an engine where you can't get the cylinder head off except for some strange air-cooled models.

Even on those (1920s and earlier, mostly) engines where block and head are a single casting, that casting can be removed from the crankcase for maintenance.

It's not a question of "can't". It's a question of "don't want to" with a side order of "it's simply not worth it".

EdGasket

AdrianC wrote: »

Even on those (1920s and earlier, mostly) engines where block and head are a single casting, that casting can be removed from the crankcase for maintenance.

Yeah old enough to remember those ...well not quite. Do remember the original Beetle engine and the NSU which was also air-cooled. No pesky 'Ed gaskets' to worry about.

forwise

EdGasket wrote: »

So why can't you take the head off? Maybe the garage meant that as the mileage was so high, a replacement engine might work out better than overhauling your existing one; probably less labour and if it goes wrong they can blame the engine and not their workmanship! I never head of an engine where you can't get the cylinder head off except for some strange air-cooled models.

It is not that. They have apparently damaged the casing of the engine as they were trying to force pull out the injector. If it cracked or deformed then in order to fix it (assuming it is fixable) you would have to dismantle the engine completely together with cam chain and other surrounding items (sorry that's certainly not my speciality but that's what I've been told) there is not much that can be done with THIS engine as the costs would spiral to thousands and certainly above the value of the car.
I agree that if you really want to fix something you have done wrong, there is always a way. The question is who will pay for it.

AdrianC

EdGasket wrote: »

Yeah old enough to remember those ...well not quite. Do remember the original Beetle engine and the NSU which was also air-cooled. No pesky 'Ed gaskets' to worry about.

The VW flat four doesn't have HGs, but the heads certainly remove. A quick google suggests the Prinz lump does, too.

AdrianC

forwise wrote: »

It is not that. They have apparently damaged the casing of the engine as they were trying to force pull out the injector. If it cracked or deformed then in order to fix it (assuming it is fixable) you would have to dismantle the engine completely together with cam chain and other surrounding items

Yes, the head would need to come off to replace the head... And, yes, removing the head would mean the cambelt needs to be renewed (and renewing it while major work is going on would be a wise precaution anyway).

there is not much that can be done with THIS engine as the costs would spiral to thousands and certainly above the value of the car.

Indeed. And this engine's reputation means that there are very few used engines available, and very few people who will undertake major work.

I agree that if you really want to fix something you have done wrong, there is always a way. The question is who will pay for it.

If you can demonstrate that the damage is due to their negligence, and not unavoidably arising from the age and general condition of the engine, then a court should order in your favour, if it ever gets that far.

Otherwise, it's your 170k engine that's died a death...