Here to rant! Three and a bit years ago I bought a Skoda Superb. As it was 5,000 miles short of a cambelt change I got the supplying garage to fit one as part of the deal, and all the bits - tensioners, water pump etc. “Of course, they’re all part of it.”
A couple of weeks ago, 20,000 miles later, returning to London from holiday I got a ‘coolant low’ warning at 3.30pm on a Friday afternoon. With water spewing from the water pump it looked like a very expensive series of train journeys. (Life is too short to be recovered by AA these days.)
Happily I was literally on the doorstep of a garage. You’ve got to be lucky sometimes.
At 4pm he started dismantling the car. At 5pm I arrived with the bits from a local motor factor, and at 7pm I was on my way back to London.
Absolutely praise beyond praise for the nicest and most helpful garage in the world, Mike Hope of Wooler.
The guys I bought it from however, their name is mud. The cambelt was new but the water pump was almost certainly the original. Good luck proving that though.
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This is the fourth time in my motoring life I have been let down by a cambelt. None of these occasions my fault.
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I pre-emptively had a cam belt renewed SWMBOs car some years back. A few weeks later she ground to a halt on the motorway. The tensioner had collapsed - hadn't been changed!! 4 bent valves IIRC, quite costly. The one-man-band garage didn't accept full responsibility. even though the tensioner was apparently part of the fanbelt kit.
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>> This is the fourth time in my motoring life I have been let down by
>> a cambelt. None of these occasions my fault.
>>
Your comment reminded me of the oft said "I've never been in an accident but have seen loads of them in my rear view mirror".
:-D
Fully sympathise, breaking down is always a pain in the arris, even if it's on the drive at home, let-alone on the road.
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None of my, now 4, cars has a cambelt...I wouldn't have one in the house !
Triumph delivered by my old employers on a very nice little Mercedes slideback yesterday ! Just insured it.
Ted
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I'm guessing you won't want the latest bit of devil's work then Ted, the timing belt that runs in oil.
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No very thanks ! Just had a new resin drive, swm's paranoid about oil stains and I can see that causing a few in future !
Ted
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Probably no fewer than the Jowett and LE!
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>>Your comment reminded me of the oft said "I've never been in an accident but have seen loads of them in my rear view mirror".
Yes. I've had four garages that have failed to look after my cambelts properly. No idea what that means.
>>Breaking down is always a pain in the arris, even if it's on the drive at home, let-alone on the road.
Yes. Though I had a flat tyre on Friday, and fixing that was MUCH more problematic than the waterpump, and not that much cheaper either. Kwik Fit took two hours to change two front tyres and do the tracking. Plus I lost an hour changing the tyre (I was supposed to be on (listening to) a conference call which I could have done from the car, but instead I was staring at a flat tyre so the call was taken from a stationary position). And an hour trying to track down a tyre.
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Well, smug me has a space saver and a Jack and wrench etc.
However…
When the spring breaks and shreds the tyre and the wheel is basically touching the road, the car is too low to get the jack under!!!
And could not find anything at side of road to try driving the wheel up to lift the car.
Time to make a wedge to keep in the boot!!
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>Absolutely praise beyond praise for the nicest and most helpful garage in the world,..
My car was booked in at the local dealer today. Dealer mucked up and didn't add the collect and return service so I ended up driving there and waiting (15 minute job). By way of apology they gave me some company merchandise.
I am now the smug owner of an official BMW baseball cap and I shall wear it every time I put the roof down.
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HaHa, when I go out in my new roadster with the hood down, I shall wear my tweed flat cap back to front with goggles on the front ! Plus George Formby on the wireless.
Ted
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>>when I go out in my new roadster with the hood down, I shall wear my tweed flat cap back to front with goggles on the front ! Plus George Formby on the wireless.
I have a pair of genuine WW2 mark 8 goggles in their original box I bought 27 years ago, never worn 'em though, but they look nice.
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Waterpump leak - Mapmaker
