Timing belt guarantee

Bowma · 30-01-10, 12:19 PM

Last August I had a new timing belt etc fitted ( Gates ) I have only driven about 1200 miles now I have a metalic noise coming from the timing belt cover, the garage told me it is guaranteed for 2 years, I took it back to the garage last Wednesday and they said that they had fixed it, it was the alternator belt they said, but I still have the noise so does the guarantee cover the parts and labor or just parts?
Thanks for your help!

Emjay · 30-01-10, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowma

Last August I had a new timing belt etc fitted ( Gates ) I have only driven about 1200 miles now I have a metalic noise coming from the timing belt cover, the garage told me it is guaranteed for 2 years, I took it back to the garage last Wednesday and they said that they had fixed it, it was the alternator belt they said, but I still have the noise so does the guarantee cover the parts and labor or just parts?
Thanks for your help!

the only person who can answer that is the garage who supplied the parts and service.

TBH you would be better talking to the garage and if your not happy have a chat with Trading Standards who are very helpful in my experience.

dubmeister · 30-01-10, 01:54 PM

I replaced a cambelt on a Zafira recently with a Gates kit.
The customer came back a week later with a noisy engine, the tensioner bolt supplied in the kit had failed and the engine jumped a tooth

I contacted my supplier who called gates who sent out an engineer to assess the damage.
He agreed that the bolt had not been over tightened and that it was component failure, all i had to do was invoice Gates for the parts and labour on the job and send them the old broken parts.
They paid the whole lot, new valves, gaskets, etc but the customer was without the car for a fortnight while it was all sorted.

I would take it back to the garage and get them to check out the noise as soon as poss, and if you could be there when it is stripped then that would be better.They need to remove and check the tensioners for any play, or damaged bolts (maybe they reused the old bolts......

)

As far as i know gates don't sell cambelts on their own just in a kit with tensioners/bolts etc.
I know garages including main stealers!!! that don't replace the tensioners/water pumps(when they are driven by the cambelt)and this is when the fookups occur.

BW2309 · 30-01-10, 01:57 PM

If the parts used were genuine there is a full warrenty for parts and labour - but usually this warrenty work would be carried out by the parts supplying dealer rather than the wprkshop that fitted the bits.
However it happens though, you should incur no cost if indeed a new parts has suffered some sort of failure.
Your workshop has a duty of care to rectify the issue, whether that means they do it or Audi does it is not important but you should be paying nothing.
If you are told "another" part has failed instead, be sure to ask to see proof of the failing.

One thing to mention, if it IS a noise from the timing belt drive get it checked quickly - if the belt fails and you were aware of an issue but continued to use it, you may struggle to get the damage costs covered

TheTwelveQuidKid · 01-02-10, 05:15 AM

I'm cautious about saying this without seeing the car, so please bear in mind it's just an idea. I changed the timing belt on my BMW last year, and not long after, I noticed a noise. I checked it out, by taking off the alternator and PAS belts and briefly running the engine. Noise went away. It turned out to be the alternator bearings that were noisy.

gabriel.oconnell · 01-02-10, 11:08 AM

better to be safe not sorry change the cambelt and everything arioud it eg tensionser water pumps gaskets etc etc etc

20vcqdriver · 01-02-10, 12:55 PM

Was this on a 5 cylinder engine as the water pump should also get changed at the same time on these as it is used as the tensioner, if it is it sounds like they may have overtensioned the belt and wrecked the water pump bearing. If its a 4 cylinder ignore everything I've said

Bowma · 12-02-10, 11:28 AM

Following on about this timing belt, I went back to the garage they said it was the alternator belt too tight but after this noise was still there, so took the car back yesterday and asked them to check while I was there so the mechanic started to take off the timing belt cover but the top cover would not come off because he said the bottom cover had moved and it was touching the top cover so stopping it from coming off. They were the last to touch it when they replaced the belt, so I couldn't wait so left and am waiting for them to call me now, they keep saying the noise is normal! Anyone have any idea's about this?

NorrS2 · 12-02-10, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bowma

Following on about this timing belt, I went back to the garage they said it was the alternator belt too tight but after this noise was still there, so took the car back yesterday and asked them to check while I was there so the mechanic started to take off the timing belt cover but the top cover would not come off because he said the bottom cover had moved and it was touching the top cover so stopping it from coming off. They were the last to touch it when they replaced the belt, so I couldn't wait so left and am waiting for them to call me now, they keep saying the noise is normal! Anyone have any idea's about this?

Obviously, I have not heard the noise, but if it's something that you know wasn't there before,then it's not right, and don't accept it back until they fix it!

Anything that's regarded as a "noise" is NOT normal. Some garages just talk a lot of B*llocks!

30-01-10, 01:54 PM	#3
dubmeister Grown up member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: swansea Posts: 218	I replaced a cambelt on a Zafira recently with a Gates kit. The customer came back a week later with a noisy engine, the tensioner bolt supplied in the kit had failed and the engine jumped a tooth I contacted my supplier who called gates who sent out an engineer to assess the damage. He agreed that the bolt had not been over tightened and that it was component failure, all i had to do was invoice Gates for the parts and labour on the job and send them the old broken parts. They paid the whole lot, new valves, gaskets, etc but the customer was without the car for a fortnight while it was all sorted. I would take it back to the garage and get them to check out the noise as soon as poss, and if you could be there when it is stripped then that would be better.They need to remove and check the tensioners for any play, or damaged bolts (maybe they reused the old bolts......) As far as i know gates don't sell cambelts on their own just in a kit with tensioners/bolts etc. I know garages including main stealers!!! that don't replace the tensioners/water pumps(when they are driven by the cambelt)and this is when the fookups occur.

01-02-10, 12:55 PM	#7
20vcqdriver 4 ring whore! Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Wirral Posts: 3,910	Was this on a 5 cylinder engine as the water pump should also get changed at the same time on these as it is used as the tensioner, if it is it sounds like they may have overtensioned the belt and wrecked the water pump bearing. If its a 4 cylinder ignore everything I've said __________________ Coupe quattro 1986:-~450bhp + loooong list of mods! Audi A7 Bi-TDI SLine Black edition 2015 mapped to produce 600lb/ft torque! Audi S4 4.2 V8 cabriolet 2004:-

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30-01-10, 01:57 PM	#4
BW2309 Banned Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Derby Posts: 1,245	If the parts used were genuine there is a full warrenty for parts and labour - but usually this warrenty work would be carried out by the parts supplying dealer rather than the wprkshop that fitted the bits. However it happens though, you should incur no cost if indeed a new parts has suffered some sort of failure. Your workshop has a duty of care to rectify the issue, whether that means they do it or Audi does it is not important but you should be paying nothing. If you are told "another" part has failed instead, be sure to ask to see proof of the failing. One thing to mention, if it IS a noise from the timing belt drive get it checked quickly - if the belt fails and you were aware of an issue but continued to use it, you may struggle to get the damage costs covered

01-02-10, 05:15 AM	#5
TheTwelveQuidKid Grown up member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 422	I'm cautious about saying this without seeing the car, so please bear in mind it's just an idea. I changed the timing belt on my BMW last year, and not long after, I noticed a noise. I checked it out, by taking off the alternator and PAS belts and briefly running the engine. Noise went away. It turned out to be the alternator bearings that were noisy.

01-02-10, 11:08 AM	#6
gabriel.oconnell 4 ring whore! Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: brynmawr Posts: 3,243	better to be safe not sorry change the cambelt and everything arioud it eg tensionser water pumps gaskets etc etc etc

12-02-10, 11:28 AM	#8
Bowma Grown up member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 120	Following on about this timing belt, I went back to the garage they said it was the alternator belt too tight but after this noise was still there, so took the car back yesterday and asked them to check while I was there so the mechanic started to take off the timing belt cover but the top cover would not come off because he said the bottom cover had moved and it was touching the top cover so stopping it from coming off. They were the last to touch it when they replaced the belt, so I couldn't wait so left and am waiting for them to call me now, they keep saying the noise is normal! Anyone have any idea's about this?