Are they nuts?

 I can't find an auto tech newsgroup. VW wants $800 to change a $36
timing belt on the 1.9 Turbodiesel. Are they nuts? I guess i'll be doing
that myself. Pushing 100k miles prolly should be changed. But a belt for
timing? Why not a chain? Seems like the weak link in this engine that
would have no problem going 300k miles. Have to tear it apart for a
stinking belt. It IS an interference engine so when the belt breaks the
pistons crush all the open valves.
--
Blattus Slafaly  ? 3     :)  7/8

 Blattus Slafaly £ ¥ 0/00 :) wrote:

The problem seems to be; a good student can master any professional
training at any school but they may not be specifically suited for the
career they chose. You may end up with a PhD in mechanical design who
doesn't know how to change their own oil.

There is also a convergence of methods and techniques that are working
against you. For example most front wheel drive cars have their
engine/drive train assembled separately from the chassis. When they are
mated the factory drops the body over the engine/drive train. As far as
they are concerned, they don't even need to use a hood other then for
checking the oil and water levels.

I have a Honda Civic, same type of problems with timing belts and engine
access with similar prices. I've heard the timing belts on a Ferrari run
just under $3,000 to replace. I've seen pictures of people who pull
their Hondas under beams in barns to hoist the body off the engine/drive
train to work on them.

Some of the stuff Honda does is asinine. IIRC they have a single piece
cover over the timing belt and water pump that requires you pull the
crank shaft pulley to remove. It was a simple modification to cut it in
half. Why some engineer didn't think of it, well they probably saved a
nickel by doing it the way they did and they are incompetent.

Another example was related to me by my brother who worked in a Ford
assembly plant before becoming a Ford Mechanic before going into
vocational teaching. Ford had a MAP sensor made out of brass that cost a
couple of bucks, they redesigned it so it was made out of plastic. The
engine temps were hot enough to melt the now $1.25 sensor and send the
engine performance south. At the time mechanic time was being charged
~$75/hour at the dealerships. My brother thought it was funny that in
order to save $2 on a sensor they replaced it with one that melted and
charged $75/hour for him to replace it. The real irony is the customers
probably spend more on gas due to performance driving to the dealership
then the brass gauge cost.

So yes, they are nuts.

Rick

 

Yep I am that man. Much talking and argy bargy later the car has been
sent to Renault UK for independent assessment, the up shot is Renault
UK say that whilst the work is not technically incorrect something
must be wrong for the belt to fail at 11500 miles and 18 months later.
The work only had a 12 month warranty so they say the local garage
must do the work and cover their own labour costs and I should pay for
the parts but I should only pay wholesale price for them, ie what the
garage pays for them when they buy them from Renault UK. Not a good
result but much better than the FOAD stance the local garage
originally took. Nobody is owning up to a crap job and Renault Uk are
watching the dealers back.

The car will be sold as soon as I have it back as it is turning in to
a money pit. I will not be Nigeing it out on this site or selling it
to anybody who could turn up on my doorstep two weeks later as the
clutch looks like  being near the end of its life and the compressor
for the aircon is very noisey.

We are looking at two cams, 16 valves , two pistons and a couple of
cam followers, god forbid it only went at tickover. I did however make
the radio two traffic announcements  I could not have picked a better
place for it to happen.

Boxerboy
Developing an allergy to Renault

Therefore folks I need a list of new cars under £15k that have cam
chains rather than belts.

 boxerboy wrote:



Shame you want new, I would have sold you my 1995 Nissan Micra Boston
1.0 litre for £15K

--
Lozzo
Suzuki SV650S K5
Honda CBR600 FW trackbike
Yamaha SR250 Spazz-Trakka
Suzuki GSXR750 L
Suzuki TS50X
Suzuki TS50X

 
Nice try son but I couldn't get enough gear and people in to it for
the day job, plus there are enough people in the village where I live
trying to get me to buy their shagged cage without me coming down to
the peoples free republick of Flitwick

Boxer