failed replacement timing belt - Megane

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Sun 30 Jul 2006 11:14
failed replacement timing belt - Megane - jajosul
Had head gasket replaced on car, including timing belt replacement. Car a 1.4 R reg megane with over 100,000 miles on clock. This the second gasket to be replaced in under three years. ( now of course stupid decision to have gasket replaced)
16 miles after picking up car, the car stopped working. I have been told one of the pulleys has failed (something to do with a key? something or other). This was not part of the work that the garage completed and whilst the garage are sorting the car out for me ( so far) they are claiming to be doing this as a goodwill gesture. Asking me to pay for parts but supplying labour for free. The garage have so far replaced all of the valves on the car but on retesting there is no compression on one of the chambers. Engine misfiring. Now they are stripping car once more to look at pistons/rings.

Should the garage have been able to spot that the pulley was liable to fail within 20 miles of affixing new cambelt?
Should they have changed the pulley as a matter of course as part of a replacement kit?
Should they have noticed something was amiss when the car was "roadtested" before being given back to me?
When the head gasket was replaced the first time would they have done a compression test at this time. ( they are now querying whether the compression was absent before the damage caused by the pulley failing).

All help gratefully recieved.
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Sun 30 Jul 2006 11:24
failed replacement timing belt - Stuartli
My son had a similar experience with a Triumph Acclaim with the 1.3 Honda engine some years ago.

The timing belt was replaced by a local independent garage but, the next day, on his 15 mile journey to work, it packed up on the main dual carriageway.

He quickly discovered the timing belt was the problem and the AA removed it to a garage I nominated near my home whilst I took him to work.

An inspection revealed that the timing belt's bottom pulley had been incorrectly replaced and had worked loose. The original garage vehemently disputed that it was at fault, so I requested a report from the second garage.

This was supplied and detailed the poor workmanship involved. Faced with such evidence the original £65 cost was begrudgingly returned.

It also backfired on the original garage's trade. The owner was a member of the same political party social club I regularly visit and the tale of the poor workmanship very quickly spread around the area...:-)


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