mechanical question, car help needed please!
Discussion
Hello everyone I know someone here will be able to help me.
Apologies, I don't understand the details of how cars exactly work so please bear with me.
What causes a valve to drop from a cylinder head please? How is this repaired and is it invasive work on the engine? Could there be any more damage that I'm unaware of!
I have a 7 day old (yes 7 DAY) Kia Carens which I have driven only 3 times. I received the car with 22 miles on the clock directly from the dealer and there is now a grand total of 114 miles on the clock!
I bought a new car for trust and reliability and this is what I've now been confronted with! I'm thinking of refusing the car back, I think I'm legally allowed to do that under serious failure, unfit for purpose, substandard quality. I just don't feel I can trust it! I could have broken down anywhere with my baby but I was just lucky I got to work before it broke down.
I've refused the hire car as they wanted a £500 excess if something went wrong. I've lost two working days already and it's unlikely I'll get my car back for a few more days at least as they already have other customers booked in and I'm not considered a priority! Thanks Kia!
Any advice greatly received.
Apologies, I don't understand the details of how cars exactly work so please bear with me.
What causes a valve to drop from a cylinder head please? How is this repaired and is it invasive work on the engine? Could there be any more damage that I'm unaware of!
I have a 7 day old (yes 7 DAY) Kia Carens which I have driven only 3 times. I received the car with 22 miles on the clock directly from the dealer and there is now a grand total of 114 miles on the clock!
I bought a new car for trust and reliability and this is what I've now been confronted with! I'm thinking of refusing the car back, I think I'm legally allowed to do that under serious failure, unfit for purpose, substandard quality. I just don't feel I can trust it! I could have broken down anywhere with my baby but I was just lucky I got to work before it broke down.
I've refused the hire car as they wanted a £500 excess if something went wrong. I've lost two working days already and it's unlikely I'll get my car back for a few more days at least as they already have other customers booked in and I'm not considered a priority! Thanks Kia!
Any advice greatly received.
If it's dropped a valve then it's almost certainly new engine time. The remainder of the valve will have scoured the piston, the bore, the head and wreaked general chaos inside the cylinder.
As for what caused it I would presume a manufacturing defect on a brand new car. I would accept nothing less than a new engine myself.
As for what caused it I would presume a manufacturing defect on a brand new car. I would accept nothing less than a new engine myself.
Could need a new engine.
The valves are in the cylinders, so it's a minimum of taking the head off to get to them. Then it depends on the damage the bits have done to the bores etc.
As to why, the only car I've known do it was running very lean due to cam timing being set wrong.
I think I'd be rejecting it too, I wouldn't trust it afterwards.
The valves are in the cylinders, so it's a minimum of taking the head off to get to them. Then it depends on the damage the bits have done to the bores etc.
As to why, the only car I've known do it was running very lean due to cam timing being set wrong.
I think I'd be rejecting it too, I wouldn't trust it afterwards.
TurboHatchback said:
If it's dropped a valve then it's almost certainly new engine time. The remainder of the valve will have scoured the piston, the bore, the head and wreaked general chaos inside the cylinder.
As for what caused it I would presume a manufacturing defect on a brand new car. I would accept nothing less than a new engine myself.
This.As for what caused it I would presume a manufacturing defect on a brand new car. I would accept nothing less than a new engine myself.
Although on a 7 day old car I would refuse it. A new engine on a new car and it's instantly worth a substantial amount less than the equivalent car with original engine.
On a new car I would want a new engine.
In reality: A dropped valve can mean a snapped valve, odd for no good reason at all (such as timing mishaps), or the valve collets for some reason were not installed properly and the valve literally dropped onto the piston.
What this means: The valve generally embeds itself in the piston. If not too bad an engine will run perfectly with the indentation on the piston top. This is the normal outcome, remove head, inspect, replace valve, assemble, and done.
What is possible but much less likely: The bore is scored. New cylinder block time in most cases, if the block (as is most common nowadays) is made of aluminium. If cast iron then it's less likely to be damaged and if it is the block can be rebored and new larger pistons put in. Expensive of course.
In reality: A dropped valve can mean a snapped valve, odd for no good reason at all (such as timing mishaps), or the valve collets for some reason were not installed properly and the valve literally dropped onto the piston.
What this means: The valve generally embeds itself in the piston. If not too bad an engine will run perfectly with the indentation on the piston top. This is the normal outcome, remove head, inspect, replace valve, assemble, and done.
What is possible but much less likely: The bore is scored. New cylinder block time in most cases, if the block (as is most common nowadays) is made of aluminium. If cast iron then it's less likely to be damaged and if it is the block can be rebored and new larger pistons put in. Expensive of course.
Lil Miss Shy said:
What causes a valve to drop from a cylinder head please?
Various means are used to secure the valves in the head - whatever it uses, the most likely cause of this is that a piece of metal in the engine has failed (broken). As others have said, for this to happen so soon suggests faulty manufacture although there's a small chance it's faulty assembly - whichever this is a straightforward defect that is very clearly down to the manufacturer.Lil Miss Shy said:
How is this repaired and is it invasive work on the engine?
Not sure what you mean by invasive. The engine will need to be dismantled, but it's not invasive in the same way as, say, heart surgery since engines are designed so they can be taken apart. What is done to repair it will depend on what is found, but it won't usually be as simple as putting in a new valve.
Lil Miss Shy said:
Could there be any more damage that I'm unaware of!
As others have said, there will be further internal damage, but the extent of it won't be clear until the engine is apart.I would reject the car personally, but accept nothing less than a new engine. People are talking about stripping engines and re-boring cylinders etc but realistically KIA will just get a complete long engine in a crate from Korea and scrap your old one or send it off for investigative work.
The valve may have snapped. The collets that hold it in may have failed. A valve spring may have snapped. Any of these will cause a valve drop.
I imagine it sounded bad when it happened? I'm sure this is safe ground to reject the car and start again. As mentioned, value may be hit by having a new engine so soon and also that's a big job and lots of other bits need to be pulled apart to get it out. Do you want that on a brand new car? I wouldn't.
I imagine it sounded bad when it happened? I'm sure this is safe ground to reject the car and start again. As mentioned, value may be hit by having a new engine so soon and also that's a big job and lots of other bits need to be pulled apart to get it out. Do you want that on a brand new car? I wouldn't.
The usual thing which works wonders these days is to post on their Facebook page, but Kia doesn't seem to allow that. Hmmm...wonder why?
It's not straightforward to reject a car and it's especially awkward if you've already asked to fix it. Taking what you said at face value, it's pretty outrageous that they're not at least pretending getting it sorted is a priority and I'd be dismayed not to have been put into a courtesy car.
Try emailing WhatCar's helpline: wchelpline@haynet.com (Haymarket own this site too) although that may not be quick enough.
It's not straightforward to reject a car and it's especially awkward if you've already asked to fix it. Taking what you said at face value, it's pretty outrageous that they're not at least pretending getting it sorted is a priority and I'd be dismayed not to have been put into a courtesy car.
Try emailing WhatCar's helpline: wchelpline@haynet.com (Haymarket own this site too) although that may not be quick enough.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff