Some relatives use a trusted local garages to all their servicing. Today they were driving on the motorway and the car stuttered to a halt you can probably guess by now the purpose of this thread. The cambelt has snapped, quoted £1k minimum to repair :(. I don't know the first thing about these engines but £1k does seem a little cheap considering as far as I understand it the head has not even been removed yet.
It is a Skoda Superb 1.9 TD which will have a lot of milleage on the clock. My 'relative' not knowing that much about cars didn't think to get the cambelt checked and probably assumed the garage would mention it.
So if you don't; know when your belt needs to be replaced don't rely ony our garage to tell you get it done if its due. This is now the third person who I know very well who have had their belt snap.
I remember in 2002 telling my dad to get his belt done on his Escort and I think at the time he thought it was me being paranoid but he now knows it wasn't :).
Edited by rtj70 on 01/04/2009 at 00:47
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tell relative that all the details about servicing are in the handbook if they care to read it
why would a local garage tell them it might need a cambelt,some people would take offence and think they were tarting for business
warning beware local supermarket,i bought 10 pies over 2 weeks and now my trousers dont fit
i think the manager should have warned me
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warning.
I took my car in for a service and they told me I need to spend a lot of money on top of the normal service to get my cambelt done. Are they ripping me off?
Poor old garages cant win can they.
Warning, read your car handbook and specify what you want done and when!
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Or take your service book in and tell them you want the specific service for that mileage. I wonder what most peoples reaction would be if they went to collect their car after a routine service and were told, "By the way, it's an extra £250 because we did the timing belt too".
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Sound like the "blame anyone exept me" syndrome. Anyone who can afford to neglect the care and maintenance of thousands of pounds worth of their property has more money than sense.
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But its the way of modern cars they hide so much from us (I can't even see the spark plug on mine and it dosn't even have any HT leads its all contained in a coil unit).
My title is poor but my point is exaclty don't rely on garages to tell you what needs doing, make sure you know yourself :).
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But its the way of modern cars they hide so much from us
By putting the requirement in the service book?
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We all know that but Joe Bloggs dosn't and Joe Bloggs dosn't really visit this site very often.
I am not blaming the garage here despite what my title will seem like, I am just warning perhaps visitors to make sure you know whats in your service schedule.
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I am struggling to see the point being made to be honest. As others say the need to change the cam-belt is in the car's handbook. Failure to adhere to that is the owner's fault.
If they didn't want so much responsibility, then I am sure if they used a Skoda dealer for the services they would have been informed of the camblet change. But opting to save some money by going to an independent and assuming they know the service requirements of all cars is a little naive.
The relative sounds like they tried to save a bit of money by using an independent and did not ask for the necessary camblet change in time.
Are we missing something?
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Rattle.
Does your car documentation tell you how often to check your engine oil level/ tyre pressures/ windscreen washer fluid/ brake & clutch fluid/ fuel gauge?
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Mine does, except fuel guage.
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Its cable clutch no clutch fluid I check them all weekly anyway always have on all my cars :).
I did read my manual earlier today just for a laugh really. There is a full page telling you how do your seat belt!
On the subject of that one MOT failure I really lack sympathy for is tyre or bulb failures. I can understand how a car may fail on hidden rust as the owner cannot really spot it but to take a car in for an MOT with a blown bulb or dodgy tyre is just laughable.
Too many people rely on their trusted garages to tell them what needs doing, they think its been serviced there is nothing to worry about.
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Too many people rely on their trusted garages to tell them what needs doing
Then they deserve what happens. The garage does what you ask don't they. A cambelt change is not part of a service - it is a cambelt change. The handbook says when all these things need doing.
This is a bit of a non-thread.
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This is a bit of a non-thread. >>
Yet the hook at the end of that invisible thread was very obvious [at least to me, and yes, now I too have got caught!].
Lock it man, before any other "Joe Bloggs" fall for it.
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Quite agree with this blame anyone stuff. Servicing is the responsibility of the car owner, not any garage. You ask them to do whatever you like and they do it - it is not up to them to offer suggestions of more ways to spend your money.
When I used to work as a collection driver for an MG Rover dealer in the service department, my collegue and I always did check whether the service booked was correct, but that was because we had alot of time on our hands and we liked helping the soon to be fleeced old folk whos cars we were often collecting.
At no time were we ever obliged to do this however and if someone was rude to us, we did them no favours.
I know when my car needs every service item. Because due to an initially low mileage car suddenly becoming a 18k per year motor, it messed up the schedule somewhat.
So I sat down and worked out when each item was due as some were on age and some mileage and I have a chart of when each item is due. It really isnt difficult, its in the handbook.
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It really isnt difficult, its in the handbook.
Snag is, quite a few cars have 'lost' their handbooks, and quite a few owners only think about what is under their car's bonnet when it stops working.
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Rattle, you have been having a few scoops, haven't you? You are giving us the advice we have all been giving you.
Leave it aht...
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The title is wrong and it should perhaps say make sure you know the service schedule. The car was second hand. I would say most people only take their car to the garage when something goes wrong and its shocking how many cars have had their servicing schedule neglected - probably most of them.
The title is unfair and should be edited perhaps.
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The title is unfair and should be edited perhaps.
No locked :-) You selected the thread title when you posted it originally. It's not unfair.
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Agree Andrew-T and that proves a point. They should know and if they do not that is their problem. Cars need to be properly maintained.
As for only thinking about what is under the bonnet - they don't even think about that. That's where the cambelt is, is it not?
I cannot see the point in debating on this thread. So locked as read only. Even though I have a Mazda I know it will need a future major service (£700 or thereabouts) because cambelts also need changing.
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