cambelt problem,HELP

27th April 2011, 13:38

hi all,
need a bit of info if you don't mind please.just had new cambelt kit and water pump fitted last week (thursday)on my vts.car parked up all weekend due to moving house,gave the car a good run on monday night and it started to cut out a couple of times when idling but started straight up after.on the way to work yesterday the car just cut out as i was about to pull away at a roundabout and wouldn't start again.so called AA out and apparently 1 off the bolts on the idler pully has snapped clean off they also said that the altenator belt has been cutting into the cam covers.

has this been the garage that has caused this to happen and why??? or have i just been really unlucky.

WHAT would you do??????.

cheers if you can help as im really gutted.

27th April 2011, 14:03

Idler pulley on which belt? Cam or Aux? If its anything to do with the cam belt, it's 99% the garages' work for over tightening the bolt. It should only be tightened to around 30Nm. If its the aux belt then that still has to be taken off to fit the cam belt so again, 99% sure its the garages' poor work over tightening bolts. Either way you need to take it back to the garage with your AA job sheet which will say whats happened. They may (and most probably will) try and say hard luck - your problem, but it's down to their shit work and most independent mechanics will back you up on that, and the garage should know it and get your car sorted. If they kick up a fuss you may have to go down the lines of trading standards.

Is it a garage where youve used for years and have been embedded as part of the family, or just a one off place?

27th April 2011, 14:42

cheers for the reply mate.

it was the idler pully of the cambelt that broke off,it was a mate of my uncle that owns his own local garage,never used him before as i usually do all my own work on the car, but i've just been rather busy with work and that the now and moving house,i supplied the kit which cost me about £120 it was a dayco kit so it wasn't a cheap 1.

so you recon it's his fault then???.just give's me abit of ammo to go on when i go see him.