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I have a Vauxhall Corsa on which the timing belt has started to disintegrate though thankfully not snapped. I understand from my garage that Vauxhall are aware that there is a design fault with the timing belt, but are not prepared to pay for the extra work required because of this fault. Has anyone successfully got anything out of Vauxhall for this problem?
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Susan
I don't have acomplete answer to your question, but seeing as no one else has replied I'll tell you what I know. Recent Vectras and Astras are notorious for cam belt failures due to failure of the tensioner pulley which runs against the slack side of the belt to hold it in tension. Vauxhall know about this and the last I heard were replacing them free of charge if you took your car to a dealer for just a belt change. I think they have done this to avoid a costly recall exercise. I imagine your engine has a similar belt system
Regards
Don Cox
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Susan/Don
Yes, recently Vauxhall carried out a recall on Vectras with the ecotec engines to check the cambelt tensioner pulleys. Faulty units were replaced. I assume there was either a faulty batch of pulleys or redesigned units are now being used. I'm fairly sure a tensioner pulley change is part of the Vectra belt change at Vauxhall dealers. I'm not aware of a recall for Corsas, many of which have the older 8valve engines, and a different cambelt system. (Susan, you may have one of these). I've just checked and my Vauxhall dealer didn't charge for a tensioner pulley when he changed the cam belt on my 8 valve Corsa a few months back, but I don't know whether he changed the pulley 'free'.
The big problem with Vauxhalls is that a couple of years back ('97/98?)they doubled the cambelt change interval to 80k miles. This is very risky (A friend even had one snap before 40k, although in that case Vauxhall picked up the bill), and this extended change interval should be ignored. Change the belt at 40k whatever the book says, and certainly soon after purchase if you've bought the car 2nd hand and you're not 100% sure of the history.
I doubt if you'll get much from Vauxhall if the belt didn't actually snap - just count yourself extremely fortunate that you found the problem before it did!
Regards
john
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I agree with JS - if in any doubt change the cam belt ! - my Vectra's (May 97) chassis number is the 80th into the batch that does not need its Cambelt changed at 40k - it is going in for its 50k service on the 18th and will be having its cambelt changed (53 quid at my local Vauxhall delaer) it seems a good investment for mine which I have owned from new and intend to keep for 12 to 24 months (depending on when my current job finishes) - when it will be sold p[rivately for a fraction of what I paid for it (end of rant) and I will go to my local Audi dealer for a nice shiny new A3 - cannot wait !
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Gwyn
£53 sounds a good price. From memory my last Vectra belt cost £40 or so for labour alone, plus £25 for the belt plus £X for the pulley! Sounds more like an 8 valve Corsa price to me (£14 belt)
Regards
John
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This is the old GF50 plastic timing belt pulley problem. Check it out in the car by car breakdown at www.honestjohn.co.uk What happens is that as the bearing in the centre of the pullye starts to wear it heats up. Instead of dissipating this heat through a settl orr cas iron pully it simply cracks the plastic, which flies off, shredding the timing belt. In your case it's likely that the plastic has separated from the metal bearing and is chafing the belt. The whole thing was on BBC Watchdog years ago in the Anne Robinson days and she was eating Vauxhall executives for breakfast.
HJ
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