Garage doesn't want to do my cambelt?
Discussion
Strange thing, and unexpected.
Booked in for a cambelt change. On the phone the garage muttered something about making sure they had all the right tools ... (it's a large independent workshop, I've used them a few times).
Then the day before it's due in, garage calls, along the lines of: "having trouble getting the cambelt kit from our usual suppliers. And still not sure we have the right tools for it, can we please delay."
So I re-booked for a week later, but then I started to think - maybe they just don't want to do it?
It's a common Japanese car, not a rare or specialist vehicle. They must have the tools. I googled the kit and it's easily available for about £100.
Any thoughts? What would you do now?
Booked in for a cambelt change. On the phone the garage muttered something about making sure they had all the right tools ... (it's a large independent workshop, I've used them a few times).
Then the day before it's due in, garage calls, along the lines of: "having trouble getting the cambelt kit from our usual suppliers. And still not sure we have the right tools for it, can we please delay."
So I re-booked for a week later, but then I started to think - maybe they just don't want to do it?
It's a common Japanese car, not a rare or specialist vehicle. They must have the tools. I googled the kit and it's easily available for about £100.
Any thoughts? What would you do now?
M4cruiser said:
Strange thing, and unexpected.
Booked in for a cambelt change. On the phone the garage muttered something about making sure they had all the right tools ... (it's a large independent workshop, I've used them a few times).
Then the day before it's due in, garage calls, along the lines of: "having trouble getting the cambelt kit from our usual suppliers. And still not sure we have the right tools for it, can we please delay."
So I re-booked for a week later, but then I started to think - maybe they just don't want to do it?
It's a common Japanese car, not a rare or specialist vehicle. They must have the tools. I googled the kit and it's easily available for about £100.
Any thoughts? What would you do now?
I would go somewhere else, far and away the easiest thing to do.Booked in for a cambelt change. On the phone the garage muttered something about making sure they had all the right tools ... (it's a large independent workshop, I've used them a few times).
Then the day before it's due in, garage calls, along the lines of: "having trouble getting the cambelt kit from our usual suppliers. And still not sure we have the right tools for it, can we please delay."
So I re-booked for a week later, but then I started to think - maybe they just don't want to do it?
It's a common Japanese car, not a rare or specialist vehicle. They must have the tools. I googled the kit and it's easily available for about £100.
Any thoughts? What would you do now?
richhead said:
MustangGT said:
I would go somewhere else, far and away the easiest thing to do.
Maybe the locking pin kit costs more than they can charge for a one off job, only worth it if they see a few of the same carAny one remember that TV show about the Scottish mechanic with the garage in Marbella or somewhere? Distinctly remember one episode of that where that big lad from Doncaster was doing the belt on and Audi S8 and marked it with tippex instead of using the correct locking kit.
I have owned a few Alfa Romeos and often had garages um and ahh over doing cambelt/water pump/idler jobs so i learned to do it myself and with Alfas having to have it done every 3 years or 30k miles it became quite often.
I haven't owned a car with a belt since those days but my son does own a car that does and he had to take it to a main dealer as local garages didn't want to know.
I haven't owned a car with a belt since those days but my son does own a car that does and he had to take it to a main dealer as local garages didn't want to know.
Scabutz said:
richhead said:
MustangGT said:
I would go somewhere else, far and away the easiest thing to do.
Maybe the locking pin kit costs more than they can charge for a one off job, only worth it if they see a few of the same carAny one remember that TV show about the Scottish mechanic with the garage in Marbella or somewhere? Distinctly remember one episode of that where that big lad from Doncaster was doing the belt on and Audi S8 and marked it with tippex instead of using the correct locking kit.
richhead said:
markymarkthree said:
richhead said:
Alot of cars dont need special tools, remember the old days, pinto etc, but it seems alot do now
At the age of 19 i done a Mk3 Cortina by the side of the road when the belt snapped. Happy days.
paulwirral said:
I remember transit 2 ltr pintos cleared the valves , I also did one roadside . To be fair I had a few pinto engined tippers and pick ups , cortina and sierra pick ups anyone ? They were almost like a service item and I had it down to little more than an hours work without a Haynes manual they snapped so many times !
Absolutely Paul my Dad had a 2 litre Sierra Estate and the rubber snapped and we just put a new belt onNo engine damage now what a clever idea that was
I had a cambelt snap on a Cavalier GLS 2-litre (130hp?) as I was pulling onto a roundabout. It was a non-interference pistons/valves engine so no damage.
The garage that fitted the new cambelt was also working on a 2L Renault 25 with a snapped belt that had caused major engine damage as the car had been travelling at 70mph at the time.
The garage that fitted the new cambelt was also working on a 2L Renault 25 with a snapped belt that had caused major engine damage as the car had been travelling at 70mph at the time.
stevemcs said:
Panamax said:
...which is why I would never use an "all makes" garage. Ever. For anything.
We seem to do better than most specialists thanks. My lad recently had an all-makes garage attempt lifting his wallet. Needed a new wheel bearing; it was getting noisy despite a recent MOT pass. They hit him with, "the hub looks rusty so do you want us to change that as well?"
No thanks.
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