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My 156 V6has only done 17,500 since new (98). I took the precaution of having the cam belt changed by a local Garage/Engineering firm who apart from generalservicing have a good reputation for engine rebuilds etc. The belt was changed and shortly after a noise from the cam belt area started to occur on start up. It sounded similer to a lolly stick rattleing round a bike wheel! The noise disapeared after about 1-2mins. This soon became 3-4mins and at this point returned it to the garage where they decided to change the tensioner which had not been changed before. This cured the start up rattle and all was well until last Saturday (1400 miles since the tensioner change) when the belt snapped and 23 out of 24 valves are now useless. Question, do Alfa recommend or insist changeing the tensioner when changing the belt. The garage by the way have stripped it down and checked the damage and found the tensioner in perfect working order and are at a loss to know why it snapped. I've seen the belt and there was no damage to the belt apart from where it tore itself apart. Do I have a case against the garage and if so how can I prove it. Any help appreciated. Thanks
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I had not dissimilar with a Focus earlier in the year. I asked my mech to do a cambelt change, he didn't change the tensioner. A few thou later the tensioner collapsed, leaving 8 bent valves.
When I sugegsted to him that he should have automatically changed the tensioner he agreed to repair at a special price - something over £600! Advice here then was that the tensioner should always be changed at the same time. (The belt was fine btw).
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sorry to hear your woe its a difficult one and all depends on your garage,dont all the latest alfa"s just have cogs with no belts and no chains?i personally would have changed the belt again when it had the new tensioner seing as it sounds like it was seizing up,but maybe thats just me being over cautious?
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Cambelt failure on 156 engines, both V6 and 4 cylinder, is not unknown. I understand that Alfa now reccommend that its changed at 36000 miles or 4 years. The time element is certainly just as critical as the mileage.
Was the replacement belt an Alfa part or an equivalent? It sounds to me that someone misaligned the belt which I understand is not difficult. How you can prove this is another issue as I suspect that any evidence is now removed when it was dismantled!
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You do not mention how many miles it has done since the belt change.
I would have thought your case is fairly watertight
1/ THe garage were instructed to change the belt. This they did.
2/ The tensioner was changed by the same garage.
3/ The belt has snapped well prematurely.
Therefore the last people who had responsibility of care to that area of the engine was the garage. It is reasonbable therefore to assume the workmanship was not of the required standard. You have paid money for a service and it was not to the required standard.
Take out a summons against the garage, they in turn have to:
Recover the costs from the belt manufacturer if it was defective.
or
*PROVE* it was not their fault
--
RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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They do not have to prove it was not their fault. The customer hs to prove that it was. However, there are strong grounds for assuming it was the garage's fault. If there was a defect in the belt, the garage are liable as they sold it. If they can get something back from the maunufacturers, then great, but this need not concern the customer.If the garage didn't fit it properly, then they are liable. In order to have an argument, the garage will have to establish at least that there is some other possible cause for the failure (for which they cannot be blamed). Can anyone think of anything?
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how about the valves seized in their guides due to low mileage,inferior petrol,age of car not being used enough,over revving by missing a gear,the cold weather and the antifreeze in the engine is not up to approved strength and it caused the pump to drag
There must be more...........sorry..............see what garage has to say on a decent footing before you turn to any legal help as its the quickest way to end up with nowt if garage gets stroppy and you do as well,hope that helps
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Doesn,t this engine have the camshaft variators that are a known problem?
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Doesn,t this engine have the camshaft variators that are a known problem?
Thats normally the 2.0 ts.
The v6's IIRC are normally very reliable in this regard, I wasn't aware they had cambelt issues?
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V Rare for V6s to break cambelts, T Sparks yes but not JTDs or V6s.
99% sure that none of the V6 have variators (it would be 2)
BUt Tensioner is normally changed on a cambelt change. Sounds like your garage screwed it up big time!
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Mike, since your in Chiselhurst It'd be worth having a chat with Medway Alfa in Rainham 01634 388887 Ask for Dan Childs the Alfa service manager & tell him Jim Hearnden sent you. They were brilliant when I had my 156 & on an Alfa I wouldn't use anyone else in the South East. Richard their cheif tech is excellent on all Alfas.
Jim
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