Citroen BERLINGO Cam/timing belt snapped

[Bustup15]

Not motorhome related but wondering if anyone has had this issue.

3 years old 110k miles. All servicing via Citroen dealer (last at 98k) just been through 1st not.

Looks like cam or timing belt snapped and mangled the engine innerds.

Dealer doesn't want to know but interval.for.change is 110/112k. As they did last service and would have been past mileage change at next service should they not have done it then?

Quoting £2100 plus vat to rebuild.

Any thoughts/advice, apart from the usual sarcasm ?

 

[dave newell]

Realistically the onus is on you to ask for the belt to be replaced, not the dealer and certainly not a job that would be done as a matter of course. Check the due mileage as 110,000 in three years is higher than average and you may well find that the recommended change interval is earlier for higher average yearly mileages.

D.

 

[chaser]

Who says the engine is mangled, have they looked, is it petrol or diesel, Julie got a Citroen c3 petrol, and garage said it would be buggered , we brought it home and found it hadn't broke but stripped a load of teeth off it, anyway put another on and it's fine, no other damage at all.

 

[Macca1954]

The condition of the damaged engine can largely demand of the failure details. For example was it doing 70 on the motorway or just happened pulling away from a stop both will have a different impact on the damage

 

[chaser]

The condition of the damaged engine can largely demand of the failure details. For example was it doing 70 on the motorway or just happened pulling away from a stop both will have a different impact on the damage

Julie's was on a car park, reversing in.

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[Snowbird]

Who says the engine is mangled, have they looked, is it petrol or diesel, Julie got a Citroen c3 petrol, and garage said it would be buggered , we brought it home and found it hadn't broke but stripped a load of teeth off it, anyway put another on and it's fine, no other damage at all.

Have agree, many engines do not mangle the innards when the cambelt lets go.

 

[HandyAndy]

MOT has no bearing on the case at all and it is up to you to determine what service you are both getting AND paying for, if you discover that it required a cambelt because it is over mileage / time it is up to you to bring this up at service time and get an estimate. The garage would not just do a cambelt on pricipal as it is a large expense which they would be on the hook for if not specifically asked to do so.
And yes it will have likely lunched the engine. Sometimes you think you got away with it because it starts after replacement but what usually happens 10k down the road is the head of the valve falls off because it was ever so slightly bent when it hit the top of the piston, every subsequent valve opening / closing sequence stresses the bend and eventually it fractures there and drops into the combustion chamber. Que magic smoke and a big repair bill incoming ?

 

[Gellyneck]

If the servicing has all been done by a main Citroen dealer I would have expected their system \ servicing schedule to have flagged up that a cam belt change was imminent. Not like them to miss a trick in getting more work!
Might be worth a call to Citroen themselves explaining service work always carried out by main dealer, etc, etc,..... and see if they would offer a contribution.
If not, would be seeking elsewhere for alternative quotes.

 

[tonyidle]

If it appears to be OK and spins with no noise with a new belt fitted have a compression or leak-down test done before stripping the engine. Either of those tests will give you a definitive answer as to any damage.

 

[Bustup15]

My feeling and experience with main dealers is they don't miss a trick for additional revenue to flag up anything from pad replacements, discs, to tyres that 'wont last till next service'. But this time they omitted to ask about cam timing belt.
How many owners are even aware of the time interval for things like this, as strangely we rang 3 different branches.of main dealer and got 3 different replies!
We spoke.to Citroen for clarification and then explained the issue over the breakdown. Their response was get it to main dealer, they will investigate and refer to.us for potential support.
The dealer now says Citroen issue a chart for parts failures and nothing over 90k will be even considered!
Back to Citroen on Tuesday I guess.

Anyone a feeling.for.the.cost of a complete engine? Don't feel enamoured with the thought of a £2k+ rebuild and then find other problems.

Cheers

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[MikeD]

£2k would not buy a new modern engine.

I suspect it may have just snapped the cam shaft into a quite a few smaller lengths.

New valves as needed, new camshaft and the labour would probably be around £2k.

But be aware as they strip the top end of the engine they may well find other problems.

If you have a full Citroen dealership service history they may well be sympathetic to a warranty claim but at 110k miles I would not hold my breath.

 

[scotzsue]

How many owners are even aware of the time interval for things like this,

Well it's been in the owners manual and service book for all the cars i've had. When I bought the doblo knew it had not had the cambelt done, I asked, checked the service book and all the receipts which i was given. negotiated a price I was happy with to allow me to have that job done.
I am assured by a certain someone, that very few people read all the documentation though.
Hope it proves to be an easier job, but would be looking at a competent independant garage rather than a main dealer.