Citroen xsara - Xsara - cambelt shredding, any leg to stand on

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Wed 26 Mar 2014 18:18
Citroen xsara - Xsara - cambelt shredding, any leg to stand on - baywood
Hi all, just asking for a bit of advice, if any of you can help. My 19 yr old daughter gas a 53 plate xsara 2.0 hdi. She had a gates belt kit water pump etc fitted 12,000 miles ago, 18 months ago at her local garage. Engine was making a funny noise so she took it to someone she knew who is also a mechanic, who, to cut a long story short, discovered that the edge of the belt has shredded, and on further inspection found out that the tensioner had been fitted incorrectly. We contacted the garage who did it and finally he recovered the vehicle back to his garage monday and said he would put right anything that he had done wrong. When he was contacted today he said he hadnt looked at it but he said he hadnt realised it was so long ago, and i think is trying to wriggle out of doing it. The mechanic who discovered the problem said that the belt was guaranteed for 80,000 if fitted correctly, so where do we stand. Get it done somewhere else and try and recover cost via small claims, etc etc. all i know is she is without a car and she paid alot of money in good faith and either the belt has let her down or workmanship?
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Wed 26 Mar 2014 22:19
Citroen xsara - Xsara - cambelt shredding, any leg to stand on - Peter.N.

If its still running OK and hasn't broken anything, although it was fitted 18 months ago if it can be demonstrated that the mechanic had definitly fitted it incorrectly I don't think you will have any legal clout after all this time, but as Its not going to cost him much to replace the belt so he may do it out of good will but you will have to prove it was his fault.

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Fri 28 Mar 2014 12:16
Citroen xsara - Xsara - cambelt shredding, any leg to stand on - MrEckerslikefromRamsbottom

Personally, I wouldn't take it back to the chap who did the job wrong! Take it to a local garage with a good reputation.

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Fri 28 Mar 2014 17:59
Citroen xsara - Xsara - cambelt shredding, any leg to stand on - injection doc

I would second that !

A it sounds like the garage is incompetent

B it sounds like they have attitude

C could you really trust them to do it right a second time.

The garage should of been grateful that the belt hadnt failed & just got on and fixed it !

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