I wonder if anyone can help me out. Eight months ago, I had my cambelt changed on my Vectra Sri V6. Last week, the tensioner disintegrated leaving me with a massive bill for new valves and work on the head.
Basically, what I'm trying to find out is when the dealer changed the cambelt ? should they also have changed the tensioner? If not, would it have been reasonable for them to inspect the associated parts?
Thanks in advance for any replies!
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We need a bit more info about your car. What are the respective milages of all the changes? Have you ever had the tensioner changed before? Etc.
Billy
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Billy,
I've never had the tensioner changed - in my mechanical ignorance it's not something I was aware of. The car has done 106k and the cambelt was changed at 99k.
There was no service history of the previous owner having the cambelt changed so I guess I was luck for the cambelt not to have snapped before I had it changed.
There is a full service history on the car and I have it serviced every 6k miles. In fact, it was booked in for a service a couple of days after the tensioner broke.
Thanks
Glen
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IIRC, Vauxhall now recommend, or even insist that the tensioner pulley is changed when the cambelt is changed. I believe it is part of the cambelt service kit.
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Interesting Dave - thanks. Basically what I am trying to establish is if the dealer has any responsibility to meeting the cost of repairing the car.
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GMC, I would phone Vauxhall themselves and see what they say. A post a while ago on here relating to a failed belt on a Zafira (I think) managed to seek some compensation. IIRC, Vauxhall's phone number for customer services is on their website somewhere.
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I am assuming that by 'dealer' you mean a Main Vauxhall dealership.The tensioner and guides should have been replaced at the same time. Given the known history of these ghastly engines and cambelts the dealer should have made you aware that these items needed changing. If these items were replaced then surely you have a case for defective parts?
Andrew
Happiness is a T70 at full chat!
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Check out the Car by Car breakdown on this site for the infamous GF50 pulley.
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So the GF50 should have been changed as an 'in service mod' when the Vauxhall dealer changed the cambelt last year. Just had the dealer fax through the itemised bill and the technician's assesment of what went wrong:
"No compression due to timing jumped. Remove heads, strip and check for damage (tensioner collapse)"
I'm waiting for our accountants to fax over invoice from dealer for the cambelt change (end of year) and when I have that I shall be giving Vauxhall a call.
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The new guidelines only came in mid Dec '01. I had the cambelt (only) changed on my MV6 Omega by Vx dealer in early December '01 @ 60,000 miles and then played merry hell with them for not telling me when the rules changed a few weeks later.
I then had the belt + tensioner changed again @ 70,000 miles. But this time I paid for the tensioners + belt with Vx picking up the tab for the labour - which was by far the biggest cost element.
Point is I wouldn't have got this unless I complained - in writing as when I called Vauxhall the answer was no!
Regards ...... Robert
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My worry is that if I only had the cambelt changed and not the tensioner, where do I stand? The onus is on me to prove the garage were negligent.
Who did you complain too in writing ? Vx or the dealer?
Thanks
Glen
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Vauxhall - the dealer was only following procedure. The change interval was also reduced from 80,000 to 40,000 same time - so if you had the belt changed @ anything over 80,000 miles then you will get zero from Vauxhall - in my view.
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Thanks Robert - It was changed at 97k. I guess I'll have to take it up with the Dealer.
Cheers
Glen
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GMC
Similar thing happened to me. Please click on the link to get a summary of what happened in the end:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=7860&m...e
HTH
Charles
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Charles,
How did you go about getting the discount? Did you negotiate with the dealer or did you go through Vx? I'm assuming that Vx have some influence over the dealer!
I must admit that if I did my research properly, I doubt that I would have bought the car in the first place. Mind you, I don't think the information I'm finding out now was as freely available when I bought the car.
Glen
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According to Vx, the tensioner is not part of the schedule and it is down to the dealer's descretion to change it.
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GMC
I got the repairs under way as the car was towed to independent garage I use.
I then contacted the Vauxhall Customer Assistance Centre and told them all the background to the failure. After some deliberation and supply of proof of maintenance an offer was made. I think I was lucky though based on other peoples experience.
Good luck
Charles
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I thought the GF50 issue was related to 4 cylinder DOHC Ecotec engines only?
MG-Rover Problems? forums.mg-rover.org
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from the cavalier mk3 entry in CBC: '1999: possibility of failure of plastic cambelt idler pulley GF50 on 16v and V6 engines 1993-96, which can snap cambelt. Changed as an 'in service mod' when cambelts are changed at 35,000-40,000 mile intervals. (Vauxhall Recall Helpline: 01189 458500 or 01582 427200)'
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Ouch! Don't fancy sorting out the aftermath of a V6 cambelt failure......
MG-Rover Problems? forums.mg-rover.org
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