how long should a cam belt last?

[jansus]

Over a 2 years ago my son bought a fiat stilo . Before he completed the purchase he insisted on a new Cam belt - because of the milage etc.

 

this week he broke down- the AA said it was the starter motor ( there was no engine noise or anything drastic happened when he stopped or tried to restart) Now the garage have looked at and say it is the Cam belt - which has only done about 20000 miles

 

Surely they should last longer than that?

 

the car has been well looked after and regularly serviced etc.

 

I suppose there is not a hope in hell that we can have any hope of claiming it is not fit for purpose.

 

grasping at straws I know but he could be looking at a £1000 bill.

[cab1ne]

Stilo 1.2

72,000 mile service **

with pollen filter

 

£374.54

£397.51

Stilo 1.6

72,000 mile service **

with pollen filter

 

£422.44

£438.08

Stilo 1.8

 

72,000 mile service **

with pollen filter

 

£495.64

£511.28

Stilo 2.4

 

72,000 mile service **

with pollen filter

£511.99

£527.62

Stilo 1.9JTD

72,000 mile service **

with pollen filter

 

£448.13

£463.77

** includes cam belt change

[heliosuk]

No chance. 2 years and 20K miles.

 

Bit worried about the AA claiming the fault is a starter motor though.

[kowalski72]

When a cam belt snaps or strips teeth,the starter turns with no resistance so can sound like its faulty. Have you got reciepts for the cam belt change,as many places just change the belt when selling a car for maximum profit. The water pump which is driven by the cambelt may have siezed,or possibly a tensioner which can cause the belt to fail. Fiat engines can be tricky to do a belt on as they need special tools to lock the cams and crank in place when fitting a new belt. If these are not used it can also cause problems with the belt tension,which can also lead to failure.

Edited November 9, 2009 by kowalski72
spelling

[cab1ne]

No chance. 2 years and 20K miles.

 

Bit worried about the AA claiming the fault is a starter motor though.

 

NOT like a 1909 GLADIATOR:grin:

 

CAB

[kowalski72]

Bah, new fangled things anyway...

 

[

[jansus]

it was a 1.9 and it had only done 45000 miles when he bought it. So he was being extra cautious asking for a new belt to be fitted. So does seem unfortunate that he has done everything right and is now landed with a huge bill.

 

down to experience I suppose.

[jansus]

yes wish it was like the old days - we could not even find the starter motor!

[MilkTrayMan]

Probs not much help, but my Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi has a recommended 100k before a need to change the cam belt janus.

 

 

[heliosuk]

Kowalski is correct, could be something else caused it. I think for experience, as I insist on my vehicles I run, anything in contact with the belt is changed at the same time. Tensioner and water pump. For the cost of the potential damage on an unsafe engine it just aint worth the risk but then recommended change interval on mine are some 70K if I remember rightly.

[jansus]

So he did it early - we know it was changed as they put the old one in the car - and it has only done 20000 miles and has been regularly serviced - but now he has a huge bill.

 

Normally would it not give some signs of going or make a loud noise?

[kowalski72]

Possibly, but not always. Don't automatically blame the belt!

[heliosuk]

Er.......... something gone wrong with the thread here? Think we got a bug!!!

[JimmySpangle]

Cambelts do not normally go. It is the tensioner that usually fails. It is quite possible the cambelt was replaced but not the tensioner. The old tensioner fails and then the belt gets stripped.

 

unless you insisted on a new tensioner, then you are up swanny creek.

[jansus]

thanks for that info. learn something every day

[Mr lex]

I have to ask, was this a genuine Fiat part, or a 'after market' job ??

 

I'm afaird to say, I don't see a way out of this, there's just to many 'escape holes'

 

Lex

[jansus]

apparently it is the belt thats gone not the tensioner.

I guess we wont know whether its a genuine Fiat part until its given back to us.

We do have a receipt for the replacement work - the cam belt was bought by the garage who did the work. I just feel peeved that a part that is not supposed to be changed for 70000 miles appears to have failed after 20000.

 

We asked for it to be changed as a precaution only when we bought the car.

[nigel_bytes]

He has had the car for 2 years so may i ask, has the car been serviced in those 2 years ?

anyone doing a service on a car would check the cambelt after a certain mileage as per the service guide.

Theres many reasons why a cambelt would snap i.e. the way its driven, or maybe moisture on the belt, lots of factors involved thats why its important to service a car regularly.

Not what you want to hear but sometimes these things happen.

[jansus]

No thats ok- we are resigning ourselves to the fact there is nothing we can do.

 

But yes he has had the car serviced at the correct times.

 

He had the belt changed early so it was not due to be changed.

 

Our only question is if the garage really did change the belt or whether it is really the original one on there.

[heliosuk]

OK, lets get some clarity here.

When you bought the car you asked for the belt to be changed. They supplied the replaced belt. You don't say that you asked for the tensioner to be changed at the same time.

 

As not a manufacturer dealer, they could well have carried out the belt change as per your instructions but now the tensioner is over mileage. Most belt instructions and manufacturer guidelines dictate a tensioner at the same time. Then we have the issue about any other engine parts driven by the belt.

 

The way forward is to get the car repaired, keep all parts changed and ask the repairing garage for an opinion as to the cause of the failure.

 

When this happens then you will be in a better position to make an informed decision as to what is possible and what is not.

 

There is too much supposition at the moment to make a reasoned decision.

[Lula]

Whatever the position 1k is far too much for changing a cam belt, £120 perhaps, I would ring around and get a few quotes.

[heliosuk]

Lordy.........

 

Please read the thread. Cam belt has failed so pistons have hit the head thus rendering engine useless. To get away with a grand is opptomistic but it can be brought down. It depends on the consequential damage. Some engines are "safe" others can be destroyed.

[sailor sam]

Hi,

 

I use to work in aftersales at a Fiat dealership. First of all depending on the model, most cam belt changes are scheduled at around between 50 and 60,000 miles or every 5 years which ever is sooner. No garage in their right mind would not replace the tensioner at the same time as replacing the actual belt. It is also recommended on some models that the water pump is also changed (such as the Coupe/Punto HGT or anything with a 1.6 litre engine and above. It is very unusual (but not unknown) for a belt failure at around 20,000 miles so I suspect the belt was not changed correctly or not changed at all. I would suggest you contact the selling garage and see what they have to say. If it was a Fiat dealer you may get some help on this.

[sailor sam]

Whatever the position 1k is far too much for changing a cam belt, £120 perhaps, I would ring around and get a few quotes.

 

If you find somewhere that will do a cam belt change on a Stilo 1.9 TD for £120 please let me know! The reason £1k has been mentioned because it has most likely damaged the cam shaft. However, Fiat engines are pretty robust so it is unlikely that there is any serious damage.

[MilkTrayMan]

Whatever the position 1k is far too much for changing a cam belt, £120 perhaps, I would ring around and get a few quotes.

 

Lordy.........

 

Please read the thread...

When I had mine changed at it's recommended service mileage (...@ a main Ford dealership), it cost in excess of £500, but that included all the bits-n-bobs like a new tensioner etc + there wasn't any payment for damage caused by it's failure, cos there hadn't been any.