Advice/help required. 09 Renault Laguna

LP64 · 12-01-2019 8:29pm #1

Hi everyone. First of all apologies if this question don't belong here. Mods feel free to move it if necessary.

Ok. So i own an 09 Renault Laguna 1.5 Diesel Estate. I was driving the other day when the altenator belt broke. Got the car to my local garage where i get my service done to get the belt replaced. Got a call from them asking if i got the timing belt done has they have no record if it being done. i wasnt sure so i told them to get it done. Got a call 2 days later saying that i have a problem with the car. i go to the garage and the mechanic tells me that when the alternator belt broke. a piece of it must have gone into the cover of the timing belt or bend a pulley which made the timing belt to jump and bend some of the pistons. Now the car starts but its super sluggish and smokes likes crazy. the mechanics said to me is because the melange in the chamber is imbalanced or something and is causing the car to only run on 2 or 3 cylinders.

Now i'm not a mechanic or car enthusiast. I know nothing about car but i found it a bit suspicious.

Can anyone tell me if any of it is possible. i thought that in my car the timing belt was under a cover so i dont really know if its possible.

My neighbour told me that if they missed a teeth while putting the timing belt back its would creates similar results like a sluggish start and a lot of smoke has the fuel mix wouldnt be ok in the engine.

Would anyone be able to shed a bit of light on my predicament. the garage now tells me i need a new engine and i dont understand how i went from having a car that was working to have the fan/alternator belt broke and need replacing and replaced to needing a new engine.

All help or advice welcomed. thanks for your time. LP64

colm_mcm · 12-01-2019 9:58pm

Was the car running perfectly when you dropped it in?

It is a known problem of the aux belt damaging the timing belt on that engine though.

It does sound like they made a balls of fitting the new belt.

Like did they change the belt?

LP64 · 12-01-2019 10:33pm

Thanks for getting back to me Colm.
The car was working fine prior to the fan/alternator belt braking. They changed it and the timing belt. Just lost for words i understand the timing belt braking the engine if it snaps but i dont see how the fan belt could cause this? I don't know anything about cars even less thats its a known issue.

colm_mcm · 12-01-2019 10:37pm

Sounds very suspect. If none of those symptoms were there before the work was done, and if they fitted a new belt to an engine with obvious damage, then something isn’t adding up.

Lefty Bicek · 12-01-2019 10:39pm

The mechanic is giving you a story, which may or may not be true.

When I hear 'bent piston,' rather than 'bent valves', I'm wondering did you pick him up wrong ?

Also, 'melange' is the French word for 'mix'. Is he French ? Because I've never, ever heard a mechanic use that term for the air/fuel mix.

There are other reasons why that failure could have occurred due to human error in the fitting of a replacement belt.

Was everything tightened up properly ? Timing marks aligned ok after engine turned over manually ? Were tensioners checked, and replaced if necessary ? Belt on right way around ?

If I felt strongly enough about it, I'd get a second opinion.

dense · 12-01-2019 10:41pm

LP64 wrote: »

Thanks for getting back to me Colm.
The car was working fine prior to the fan/alternator belt braking. They changed it and the timing belt. Just lost for words i understand the timing belt braking the engine if it snaps but i dont see how the fan belt could cause this? I don't know anything about cars even less thats its a known issue.

How was it running on the way TO the garage?
With just the broken alternator belt?

colm_mcm · 12-01-2019 10:45pm

. Got a call from them asking if i got the timing belt done has they have no record if it being done. i

This bit is the most suspect. If the damage was there, this question wouldn’t even need to be asked.

Lefty Bicek · 12-01-2019 10:54pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

This bit is the most suspect. If the damage was there, this question wouldn’t even need to be asked.

Especially if that kind of possible damage is a known problem, would it not make sense to double-check a new belt by rotating the engine, checking the pulleys and timing marks ?

LP64 · 14-01-2019 4:31pm

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

The mechanic is giving you a story, which may or may not be true.

When I hear 'bent piston,' rather than 'bent valves', I'm wondering did you pick him up wrong ?

Also, 'melange' is the French word for 'mix'. Is he French ? Because I've never, ever heard a mechanic use that term for the air/fuel mix.

There are other reasons why that failure could have occurred due to human error in the fitting of a replacement belt.

Was everything tightened up properly ? Timing marks aligned ok after engine turned over manually ? Were tensioners checked, and replaced if necessary ? Belt on right way around ?

If I felt strongly enough about it, I'd get a second opinion.

Thanks for your input. i'm french so thats me using melange term. it could be bent valve i might have picked it up wrong to be honest.

defo thinking about getting a second opinion. the car was working fine when i dropped it

LP64 · 14-01-2019 4:32pm

How was it running on the way TO the garage?
With just the broken alternator belt?[/quote]

the car was driving fine when the belt broke i didnt drive it over 30 and kept it at low rev.

LP64 · 14-01-2019 4:36pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

. Got a call from them asking if i got the timing belt done has they have no record if it being done. i

This bit is the most suspect. If the damage was there, this question wouldn’t even need to be asked.

in your opinion would they have spotted the damage before changing the timing belt if it had been there? if the problem was there would they still have changed the timimg belt? also whats the chance of the mechanic creating the problem by changing the belt?. thanks for your help

Gravelly · 14-01-2019 4:38pm

LP64 wrote: »

How was it running on the way TO the garage?
With just the broken alternator belt?

LP64 wrote: »

the car was driving fine when the belt broke i didnt drive it over 30 and kept it at low rev.

There's your answer - if the timing belt was damaged when the alternator belt broke, it would have began to run badly (or not at all) immediately. If the car was running fine until it got to the garage, then it sounds like they either mistimed it when fitting the belt, or the belt got damaged in the garage after being fitted.

LP64 · 14-01-2019 4:52pm

Gravelly wrote: »

LP64 wrote: »

How was it running on the way TO the garage?
With just the broken alternator belt?

LP64 wrote: »

the car was driving fine when the belt broke i didnt drive it over 30 and kept it at low rev.

There's your answer - if the timing belt was damaged when the alternator belt broke, it would have began to run badly (or not at all) immediately. If the car was running fine until it got to the garage, then it sounds like they either mistimed it when fitting the belt, or the belt got damaged in the garage after being fitted.

the car was running fine so i dont know where to go from there. should i pay them and get a second opinion?

Gravelly · 14-01-2019 4:55pm

LP64 wrote: »

the car was running fine so i dont know where to go from there. should i pay them and get a second opinion?

I wouldn't be paying them until I'm clear they didn't do the damage, and it sounds to me like they could have. I'd have a talk, and ask how come the car was running fine when it was left at their premises. If possible, bring someone that knows cars with you.

LP64 · 14-01-2019 5:42pm

Gravelly wrote: »

LP64 wrote: »

the car was running fine so i dont know where to go from there. should i pay them and get a second opinion?

I wouldn't be paying them until I'm clear they didn't do the damage, and it sounds to me like they could have. I'd have a talk, and ask how come the car was running fine when it was left at their premises. If possible, bring someone that knows cars with you.

thanks for your help. the thing is they are not gonna admit they made any damage and i cant take it away to get a second opinion without paying. i am reluctant to give them any money.

i'm 100% sure the car was fine when i dropped it. except the broken laternator belt. so my question if the problem was there qould they have changed the timing belt? if the problem wasnt there and they changed the belt how do i found out if they messed it up? again thanks for the help

Gravelly · 14-01-2019 5:54pm

LP64 wrote: »

thanks for your help. the thing is they are not gonna admit they made any damage and i cant take it away to get a second opinion without paying. i am reluctant to give them any money.

i'm 100% sure the car was fine when i dropped it. except the broken laternator belt. so my question if the problem was there qould they have changed the timing belt? if the problem wasnt there and they changed the belt how do i found out if they messed it up? again thanks for the help

I don't know is the answer I'm afraid. It is essentially your word against theirs, unless you have a witness to the car having been driven to their premises. If you pay them and take it away, you can forget about getting your money back. I'd talk to them, explain that you do not believe the timing belt could have been damaged as you drove to their garage, and ask that the problem be rectified. If they flat-out refuse, I would be contacting a solicitor.

Lefty Bicek · 14-01-2019 7:30pm

LP64 wrote: »

thanks for your help. the thing is they are not gonna admit they made any damage and i cant take it away to get a second opinion without paying. i am reluctant to give them any money.

i'm 100% sure the car was fine when i dropped it. except the broken laternator belt. so my question if the problem was there qould they have changed the timing belt? if the problem wasnt there and they changed the belt how do i found out if they messed it up? again thanks for the help

If I were 100% sure, I would talk to a solicitor first.

Find out whether or not you can actually take it away for a second opinion without paying them first. It's still your car !

Find out whether or not, even if you have to pay them, can you claim it back afterwards through eg the Small Claims process if a second opinion reveals that the fault is theirs.

Then I would go back to the garage.

How far did you have to drive the car, to get to the garage ? If it was driven any distance, damage to the timing would be obvious immediately.

Ask them how it was possible for you to drive it back in that condition ? If you didn't tow it back, and they didn't tow it back, who did ?

I'm not a mechanic, but I would have thought that serious damage would have thrown up fault codes as you were going along the road to the garage - air mass sensors, CO2 sensors or whatever.

All those fault codes can be seen by connecting a device to a special socket in your car (might be in the pouch under the armrest between the two front seats). You can get handheld devices now, plenty non-mechanics who are into their cars have them.

If those problems were not there when the car went into the garage, then...

Agree with Gravelly, bring someone with you.

LP64 · 15-01-2019 8:55am

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

LP64 wrote: »

thanks for your help. the thing is they are not gonna admit they made any damage and i cant take it away to get a second opinion without paying. i am reluctant to give them any money.

i'm 100% sure the car was fine when i dropped it. except the broken laternator belt. so my question if the problem was there qould they have changed the timing belt? if the problem wasnt there and they changed the belt how do i found out if they messed it up? again thanks for the help

If I were 100% sure, I would talk to a solicitor first.

Find out whether or not you can actually take it away for a second opinion without paying them first. It's still your car !

Find out whether or not, even if you have to pay them, can you claim it back afterwards through eg the Small Claims process if a second opinion reveals that the fault is theirs.

Then I would go back to the garage.

How far did you have to drive the car, to get to the garage ? If it was driven any distance, damage to the timing would be obvious immediately.

Ask them how it was possible for you to drive it back in that condition ? If you didn't tow it back, and they didn't tow it back, who did ?

I'm not a mechanic, but I would have thought that serious damage would have thrown up fault codes as you were going along the road to the garage - air mass sensors, CO2 sensors or whatever.

All those fault codes can be seen by connecting a device to a special socket in your car (might be in the pouch under the armrest between the two front seats). You can get handheld devices now, plenty non-mechanics who are into their cars have them.

If those problems were not there when the car went into the garage, then...

Agree with Gravelly, bring someone with you.

i drove it about 6 miles all under 30 at low rev. thats my problem why would they replace the timing belt if there was damage already! it doesnt really makes sense

Lefty Bicek · 15-01-2019 3:27pm

LP64 wrote: »

i drove it about 6 miles all under 30 at low rev. thats my problem why would they replace the timing belt if there was damage already! it doesnt really makes sense

It doesn't make any sense. Especially if you got no warning lights as you drove the car to them.

They should definitely have explained that it was a good reason to change the timing belt too, if they thought damage was a possibility.

If that was the reason for changing it, they should have been ultra-careful to manually crank it over before starting it up.

Sounds from what you've said that they added that timing belt job in since they were doing the other belt anyway, the timing belt was then put on incorrectly, and here we are.

LP64 · 15-01-2019 3:56pm

Thats the thing. the car was fine when i dropped it short if the broken alternator belt. and that is what i wanted them to fix. just replace the broken alternator belt. but then they rang asking about the timing belt because they had no records of it being done. so i told them to get it done as well. now i might have damaged the car myself driving it but got no warning and the car was fine when i dropped it. when they rang to ask about thr timing belt and i tild them i didnt really had the money to get it done and they said i would have to sign a paper saying they advised me to change the timing belt and not doing it could results in problem down the line. thats when i told them to change it while they were doing the broken belt then.

i still come back to when i dropped the car it was ok. i might still have damaged it but shouldnt they have spotted that before replacing the belt? wouldnt the car have ahown problems when they started it driving it to the lift? and if there was a problem shouldnt they have told me before doing the timing belt?

if the car was ok then they changed the belt and might have damaged the engine while doing the belt?

am i paranoid or what?

Lefty Bicek · 15-01-2019 5:16pm

Thats the thing. the car was fine when i dropped it short if the broken alternator belt. and that is what i wanted them to fix. just replace the broken alternator belt. but then they rang asking about the timing belt because they had no records of it being done. so i told them to get it done as well. now i might have damaged the car myself driving it but got no warning and the car was fine when i dropped it. when they rang to ask about thr timing belt and i tild them i didnt really had the money to get it done and they said i would have to sign a paper saying they advised me to change the timing belt and not doing it could results in problem down the line. thats when i told them to change it while they were doing the broken belt then.

Well, doing it certainly didn't prevent problems down the line.

But 'problems down the line' is only stating the obvious. If you don't change it, you will have problems. That's why the timing belt is a scheduled maintenance item. It has nothing necessarily to do with the alternator belt breaking.

Unless they told you 'this is a known possible problem with the Laguna - if the alt. belt goes, it can throw the timing out'. But changing the belt won't fix the timing by itself.

I think if you had damaged the car (and don't even concede to them that you might have) but if you had, you would have known about it straight away. And the garage would have seen it there and then.

Like I said, faults would have thrown up warning lights on the dash. And faults are stored on the car's computer. You can see them on a laptop or hand-held device.

i still come back to when i dropped the car it was ok. i might still have damaged it but shouldnt they have spotted that before replacing the belt? wouldnt the car have ahown problems when they started it driving it to the lift? and if there was a problem shouldnt they have told me before doing the timing belt?

Yes, yes, and yes.

if the car was ok then they changed the belt and might have damaged the engine while doing the belt?

Yes.

rex-x · 15-01-2019 5:57pm

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

Unless they told you 'this is a known possible problem with the Laguna - if the alt. belt goes, it can throw the timing out'. But changing the belt won't fix the timing by itself.

Like I said, faults would have thrown up warning lights on the dash. And faults are stored on the car's computer. You can see them on a laptop or hand-held device.

To be fair on every car with a aux & timing belt setup there is a high risk of jumping the timing if the aux belt breaks. They only break from severe neglect or contamination (power steering fluid leaks are a major culprit).

Replacing the belt would fix the timing as you would be lining up the cam and crank and not just fitting the new belt where the old one was, wouldn't fix any existing damage though obviously.

The timing system is entirely mechanical as would any damage done. This means its very unlikely to throw or store any form of fault code unless miles out and then you may get a cam/crank sync code but its unlikely the engine would even run at this point.

Having said that something doesn't add up in this story. The garage may indeed have messed up the fitting of the new belt.

Lefty Bicek · 15-01-2019 6:09pm

To be fair on every car with a aux & timing belt setup there is a high risk of jumping the timing if the aux belt breaks. They only break from severe neglect or contamination (power steering fluid leaks are a major culprit).[quote/]

Good info, thanks.

Replacing the belt would fix the timing as you would be lining up the cam and crank and not just fitting the new belt where the old one was, wouldn't fix any existing damage though obviously.

That's what I meant by saying 'changing the belt won't fix the timing by itself'. Replacing the belt will fix the timing if it's done properly. Plenty scope for a mechanic or an apprentice to get it wrong.

The timing system is entirely mechanical as would any damage done. This means is very unlikely to throw or store any form of fault code unless miles out and then you may get a cam/crank sync code but its unlikely the engine would even run at this point.

The OP said...

the mechanics said to me is because the (mix) in the chamber is imbalanced or something and is causing the car to only run on 2 or 3 cylinders.

Would that not throw up eg MAF or CO2 faults ?

And, do those scanners store time/date info ?

(I'm not a mechanic, as you can see:D worked on my own motorbikes for years though)

Having said that something doesn't add up in this story. The garage may indeed have messed up the fitting of the new belt.

rex-x · 15-01-2019 6:12pm

You wont get MAF or CO2 codes no, maybe a misfire code but that will take time and driving to appear and it would have to be bad

Lefty Bicek · 15-01-2019 6:15pm

Questions for mechanics out there -

If the aux belt goes bang, and if there is a strong chance of upsetting the timing by doing so, would a garage not -

- do a compression test ?
- manually turn the engine over ?

before anything else ?

galwaytt · 15-01-2019 6:18pm

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

If I were 100% sure, I would talk to a solicitor first.

Find out whether or not you can actually take it away for a second opinion without paying them first. It's still your car !

Find out whether or not, even if you have to pay them, can you claim it back afterwards through eg the Small Claims process if a second opinion reveals that the fault is theirs.

Then I would go back to the garage.

How far did you have to drive the car, to get to the garage ? If it was driven any distance, damage to the timing would be obvious immediately.

Ask them how it was possible for you to drive it back in that condition ? If you didn't tow it back, and they didn't tow it back, who did ?

I'm not a mechanic, but I would have thought that serious damage would have thrown up fault codes as you were going along the road to the garage - air mass sensors, CO2 sensors or whatever.

All those fault codes can be seen by connecting a device to a special socket in your car (might be in the pouch under the armrest between the two front seats). You can get handheld devices now, plenty non-mechanics who are into their cars have them.

If those problems were not there when the car went into the garage, then...

Agree with Gravelly, bring someone with you.

If you find yourself having to pay to get the car back, I'd be marking the payment to them us 'under protest/duress' - that way you are giving clear notice you are paying them under dissatisfaction and may seek to recover some or all of the monies. That is, you are paying them simply to recover your property (car) without any acceptance as to the quality of their work. Write the phrase clearly on their copy of the receipt they give you, so there is no way they can dispute your dissatisfaction in the future. Keep a copy, take a pic of it even.

rex-x · 15-01-2019 6:21pm

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

Questions for mechanics out there -

If the aux belt goes bang, and if there is a strong chance of upsetting the timing by doing so, would a garage not -

- do a compression test ?
- manually turn the engine over ?

before anything else ?

A compression test on a diesel is more difficult than on a petrol often involving removing the injectors, fitting a timing belt is often faster. Also compression may not drop very much depending on the severity of the problem.

Turning over by hand will not tell you much if the valves are already bent out of the way

Lefty Bicek · 15-01-2019 6:38pm

rex-x wrote: »

A compression test on a diesel is more difficult than on a petrol often involving removing the injectors, fitting a timing belt is often faster. Also compression may not drop very much depending on the severity of the problem.

Turning over by hand will not tell you much if the valves are already bent out of the way

They would just change the timing belt, and hope there's no valve damage ?

Jaysus.

Not much good to the owner now to say 'it was quicker to just change the belt'.

Interesting info though, thanks. I'm more used to petrol motorbikes, where even reseating the valves can have a big improvement in compression.

Sorry OP, if I've been leading you astray. Hope you get a good result, bonne chance.

rex-x · 15-01-2019 6:42pm

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

They would just change the timing belt, and hope there's no valve damage ?

Jaysus.

Not much good to the owner now to say 'it was quicker to just change the belt'.

Interesting info though, thanks. I'm more used to petrol motorbikes, where even reseating the valves can have a big improvement in compression.

Sorry OP, if I've been leading you astray. Hope you get a good result, bonne chance.

Not in every case no, but to get an accurate reading you need to time the engine correctly. The timing may have jumped but depending on the engine no damage done.

If you just launched in did a compression test and it was low that may be due to the fact the timing is out rather than bent valves so either way the belt is coming off

Gravelly · 15-01-2019 7:20pm

In our garage they would do a leak down test in the case of a broken or slipped timing belt on a diesel. They would never just chance changing the belt.

rex-x · 15-01-2019 7:32pm

Gravelly wrote: »

In our garage they would do a leak down test in the case of a broken or slipped timing belt on a diesel. They would never just chance changing the belt.

The problem with that is if the timing is off then the valves may be open at tdc skewing the test results. Timing should always be reset first and then leakdown/ compression after

martyc5674 · 15-01-2019 7:43pm

rex-x wrote: »

The problem with that is if the timing is off then the valves may be open at tdc skewing the test results. Timing should always be reset first and then leakdown/ compression after

Surely you’d only ever get a false negative though in that situation, which would lead to more investigation - not a false positive which would tell you to plough on.
Marty.

rex-x · 15-01-2019 7:59pm

martyc5674 wrote: »

Surely you’d only ever get a false negative though in that situation, which would lead to more investigation - not a false positive which would tell you to plough on.
Marty.

Yes but the next step is head off, who pays for that if all that was wrong is incorrect timing?

martyc5674 · 15-01-2019 8:29pm

rex-x wrote: »

Yes but the next step is head off, who pays for that if all that was wrong is incorrect timing?

That would be jumping the gun surely... who’d take the head off an engine without checking the timing hadn’t skipped a tooth or 2.

Edit - I see you’d basically said the same. But yeah... get the timing in the right place using the old belt for now if it’s ok... before doing the leakdown test.

Gravelly · 15-01-2019 10:14pm

rex-x wrote: »

The problem with that is if the timing is off then the valves may be open at tdc skewing the test results. Timing should always be reset first and then leakdown/ compression after

Thought that went without saying, yes.

LP64 · 21-01-2019 8:39pm

Sorry about the late update. Got swamped with other problems so i havent talked to the garage yet. i talked to other garages in the area. 4 different mechanics to be exact and they all told me. if the car wasnt running well, they would have seen it before changing the timing belt. if they changed the timing belt the car was ok. if the car as problems now it's more likely they messed up the timing belt. i've been advised to go there and tell them i'm not accepting to take the car back and pay until they fix it. so wish me luck

Lefty Bicek · 21-01-2019 9:08pm

Good luck, and bonne chance !

w211 · 21-01-2019 9:28pm

It looks like your workshop screwed you. Like I understand the car did not stop after the alternator belt trouble. They could read the wrong timing marks. Not every single marking are for timing belt/chain. 1 tip for you too. If you order the timing belt/chain replacement, then please ask to replace the tensioner and/or idler pulley too. Yes it cost money but you do not need to worry about these bearings.

PukkaStukka · 21-01-2019 9:40pm

I wonder did they mis-time the engibe swapping the belt. If they bent valves, it wouldn't run at all. There's no keyway on the crank so it's supposed to be locking tools to do the belt on that engine. If it was retimed, it might be ok....

w211 · 21-01-2019 10:26pm

PukkaStukka wrote: »

I wonder did they mis-time the engibe swapping the belt. If they bent valves, it wouldn't run at all. There's no keyway on the crank so it's supposed to be locking tools to do the belt on that engine. If it was retimed, it might be ok....

Not sure there are interference or not. Some engine timing belt/chain can break without any damage for valves, some not.

I think it is time to reveal the workshop/mechanic name. If they do not fix their mistakes, everyone should avoid them and put out from the business. We living on the internet age and we share and communicate the information. If I screw something accidentally (expect the old fragile plastic parts) then I repair my mistakes. The information moves so fast to social media, it is incredible (or nightmare). No fix - no money, you brake it - you fix it should be the standard on that industry.

PukkaStukka · 22-01-2019 12:11am

w211 wrote: »

Not sure there are interference or not. Some engine timing belt/chain can break without any damage for valves, some not.

I think it is time to reveal the workshop/mechanic name. If they do not fix their mistakes, everyone should avoid them and put out from the business. We living on the internet age and we share and communicate the information. If I screw something accidentally (expect the old fragile plastic parts) then I repair my mistakes. The information moves so fast to social media, it is incredible (or nightmare). No fix - no money, you brake it - you fix it should be the standard on that industry.

That Renault 1.5 diesel engine is most definitely an interference engine and an aux belt becoming entangled around the crank is a known method of distruction with them. That has already been said previously in this thread.

My point is that it is possible to mis-time some engines when doing a timing belt and end up with poor / rough running as a result,but critically, without suffering internal damage. I have seen this happen. The cam and crank can be out fractionally resulting in this. The engine needs to be rechecked by someone familiar with it. If I'm right, it could result in a straightforward fix.

As for naming and shaming, the court of popular opinion sometimes operates without hard fact. Nobody here for certain knows whether the mechanic / garage have a case to answer or not. We don't know if the car was damaged by the belt, or if the garage did indeed screw up. I'm sure the mods will step in if names are mentioned.....

PukkaStukka · 22-01-2019 12:20am

Here's a video of a belt swap on that engine fitted to a Qashqai

https://youtu.be/H8941kD0nuo

w211 · 22-01-2019 6:57am

Here yes modes can stop to telling the truth about bad workshop, but on facebook it is 100% allowed. They really likes there the drama, unfortunately. I do not want to see the blood, just the clear result.

rex-x · 22-01-2019 7:04am

PukkaStukka wrote: »

I wonder did they mis-time the engibe swapping the belt. If they bent valves, it wouldn't run at all. There's no keyway on the crank so it's supposed to be locking tools to do the belt on that engine. If it was retimed, it might be ok....

The engine will run with bent valves no problem unless its well and truly mangled inside

gctest50 · 22-01-2019 7:30am

The bottom timing belt wheel may not be "keyed" to the crank on your car

If they undertightened it or overtightened it, it will slip

.

corks finest · 22-01-2019 11:41am

LP64 wrote: »

Sorry about the late update. Got swamped with other problems so i havent talked to the garage yet. i talked to other garages in the area. 4 different mechanics to be exact and they all told me. if the car wasnt running well, they would have seen it before changing the timing belt. if they changed the timing belt the car was ok. if the car as problems now it's more likely they messed up the timing belt. i've been advised to go there and tell them i'm not accepting to take the car back and pay until they fix it. so wish me luck

Good luck boy

corks finest · 22-01-2019 11:43am

gctest50 wrote: »

The bottom timing belt wheel may not be "keyed" to the crank on your car

If they undertightened it or overtightened it, it will slip

.

Minefield

chicorytip · 22-01-2019 11:12pm

How was he able to drive the thing at all with a broken belt? There would be a complete loss of electrical power so the car would just stop dead in the middle of the road. He is obviously mistaken with regard to what the actual problem is here.

Gravelly · 23-01-2019 12:10am

chicorytip wrote: »

How was he able to drive the thing at all with a broken belt? There would be a complete loss of electrical power so the car would just stop dead in the middle of the road.

Not until the battery died, which could be quite a while.

Lefty Bicek · 23-01-2019 1:47am

chicorytip wrote: »

How was he able to drive the thing at all with a broken belt? There would be a complete loss of electrical power so the car would just stop dead in the middle of the road. He is obviously mistaken with regard to what the actual problem is here.

Advice/help required. 09 Renault Laguna

Comments