Dealer did not replace timing belt at correct interval causing engine to cut out and a large bill

HippyAndy

Looking for advice...
The (wet) timing belt on my Citroen C4 Grand Picasso failed after 72,000 miles requiring the garage (Main dealer) to replace the belt and drop the sump and clean out all the rubber pieces, resulting in a bill of approx £2000. At my last service the mileage was 62,900 which is only 1100 short of the belt replacement interval of 64000 miles. I always have it serviced by the main dealer. When I questioned the aftersales manager as to why it hadn't been replaced he said they have had a change of management and he couldn't comment on why the belt hadn't been replaced at the correct interval. Is there anything I can do to recover part or all of the cost?

Tucosalamanca

Did the garage advise you that it was nearly due for replacement, if not that's certainly an oversight on their part (and a missed opportunity to upsell).

What did you ask them to do? Asking for a service isn't the same as asking them to carry out all recommended maintenance and advisories (which would be an extremely high bill).
They wouldn't have changed the belts without authorisation from you, it must be around £1000 to do, if not more at the main dealer.
When paying the bill, you would have been aware that the belt hadn't been changed, as the bill would have been far lower than expected.
The garage have made a mistake by not advising you, but ultimately it's your responsibility to get it changed on time.

It's bad luck but at least you had a lucky escape by not needing a new engine.

Some would advise you to sell the car now, as trapped debris might still be in the engine and cause an engine failure in a few months time. Maybe look at some of the Peugeot Citroen groups to see how others are getting on?

GrumpyDil

To be honest the prices I've seen for changing a wet belt are normally in excess of £1000 anyway and dropping the sump and cleaning the filters is pretty much par for the course although there have been revisions to the belts which means later belts do seem to perform better. 

If it has had full dealer servicing from new you could ask the dealer for a contribution, particularly if it was over by age and should have been raised earlier due to age. 

Nobbie1967

I think I’d ask for the difference in cost between what you paid and the cost of just changing the belt as they were at fault for not advising the belt change. It might not be that much, maybe settle for a free next service?

HippyAndy

Thanks everyone for your advice. I've raised a complaint with the garage and I'll let you know how it goes.

Alfrescodave

Did you ask the garage as to whether the timing belt should be changed at the service ?

If not then surely the responsibility is yours as to when the belt change is done. Does the garage ring you up to tell you that the MOT is due - don't think so.

Nobbie1967

Alfrescodave said:

Did you ask the garage as to whether the timing belt should be changed at the service ?

If not then surely the responsibility is yours as to when the belt change is done. Does the garage ring you up to tell you that the MOT is due - don't think so.

The main dealer is the expert on the servicing requirements and I would expect them to carry out all scheduled service items commensurate with the age/mileage of the vehicle. It isn’t the job of the customer to parse the service schedule to work out what might be needed.

In their defence, it may be the policy that you don’t do the belt until the mileage is exceeded, but this would seem a little odd if it’s only a few hundred miles off.

LightFlare

Alfrescodave said:

Did you ask the garage as to whether the timing belt should be changed at the service ?

If not then surely the responsibility is yours as to when the belt change is done. Does the garage ring you up to tell you that the MOT is due - don't think so.

My local one that weve been using for years actually do.

Main dealer that we bought the car from also send us email reminders.

But, I agree the question should have been asked 

Grumpy_chap

HippyAndy said:

Looking for advice...
The (wet) timing belt on my Citroen C4 Grand Picasso failed after 72,000 miles requiring the garage (Main dealer) to replace the belt and drop the sump and clean out all the rubber pieces, resulting in a bill of approx £2000. 

A bill of £2k to fix the car after the belt failed is not extortionate.
What would the price have been had the belt been changed at the scheduled interval?

Alfrescodave said:

Does the garage ring you up to tell you that the MOT is due - don't think so.

We get MOT reminders from the garages we have used in the past.  

ThisIsWeird

HippyAndy said:

Looking for advice...
The (wet) timing belt on my Citroen C4 Grand Picasso failed after 72,000 miles requiring the garage (Main dealer) to replace the belt and drop the sump and clean out all the rubber pieces, resulting in a bill of approx £2000. At my last service the mileage was 62,900 which is only 1100 short of the belt replacement interval of 64000 miles. I always have it serviced by the main dealer. When I questioned the aftersales manager as to why it hadn't been replaced he said they have had a change of management and he couldn't comment on why the belt hadn't been replaced at the correct interval. Is there anything I can do to recover part or all of the cost?

Blimey - some folk seem to think this is acceptable. It just cannot be.
Ok, a sizeable element of this is whether the main Citroen dealer was asked to carry out a 'full' service each time? As pointed out, that means it follows the full servicing guidelines in the record book, which would include things like brake fluid changes, lub'ing of parts, pollen filter, and - absolutely - the cam belt change at the required intervals. 
So, that's the first point; was it always a 'full' service, Andy? If so, pursue this via Citroen central, as you can almost certainly oblige them to cover this repair. And I don't just mean the 'balance' of payment between the £2k and the usual cam belt swap price, but considerably more, because your car is now tainted, and has a fair chance of further issues developing as a result of these wee rubber particles in your oil delivery channels. So, £2k, or near-as.
If you haven't had 'full' servicing carried out, but only the main aspects such as the oil and filter changes, then you are on weaker ground, but still the belt should not have failed at 72k, because the oil was presumably the correct grade, and replaced at the required intervals. A sizeable aspect here, tho', is whether the dealer, as part of your 'small' services, also tended to advise you of the other significant requirements, such as brake fluid changes?
Ok, your case would be weaker in this scenario, but a main dealer surely cannot absolve themselves of any culpability here; they are the 'experts', and part of their remit should be to 'advise'. "Hmm, these wheel nuts are a bit loose - should I tell the customer? Let's see - nope, he's only asked for a small service..." Ok, I'm justing making a point. At 64k, only 1k short of the recommended cam belt change, should the dealer have said anything - recommended the belt change? Of course they should.
So, did they?
And a quite sizeable issue is whether the belt should have disintegrated and snapped at 72k miles, only 7k beyond the recommended mileage? No, it shouldn't have.
These recommended intervals have/should have sizeable safety margins built in; they should still be fully secure at the time 65k is reached, with zero visible deterioration. '65k' shouldn't be a 'gamble' - it is effectively guaranteed. But, somehow, a further 7k miles, on fresh oil, was too much?! Pah!
Andy, do you have LegPol on your insurance, car or house?
Did you always have a full service?
Did the dealer mention the cam belt?
Has the dealer mentioned things like brake fluid changes in the past?

born_again

Re above.

How would you feel if you got charges for a new belt before it was due to be changed?
Manufactures set limits for a reason. 
If OP wanted it changing they should have asked for it to be done. Especially given they knew it was due soon.

Many people would not pay main dealer prices for such work & take it to a trusted independent, when it was actually due.