4.2 timing belt question
11-09-2009, 01:19 PM
#1
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4.2 timing belt question
Hi all, my local indie shop did the timing belt service on my 2003 A6 4.2. Day after paying for job I took a closer look at he parts list and saw that they didn't replace the 2 tensioner rollers and lever, let along the tensioner. When I asked them about it they said they couldn't find a complete kit so they just inspected those parts and deemed they were in good shape. Not sure what tio do at this point and starting to think that it was a less expensive but incomplete job. I did tell them that I planned on keeping the car for a while. I trusted they would replace all the necessary parts. Any thoughts or ideas on what I can expest down the road? thanks
11-09-2009, 02:07 PM
#2
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Not much you can do about it unless you specifically told them to replace all those parts.
OTOH, if you DID tell them you can probably make them open it up again and replace those parts when they get them. Generally a court would have expected you to give the vendor an opportunity to make good on the contract (such as would exist if you had specifically told them to replace...) before taking the car to another vendor to have the parts replaced and attempting to bill the first vendor. Just because you've lost faith might not be enough to win.
NOW you must ask yourself what kind of a job they are likely to do for a disgruntled customer who forces them to reopen a job like this...the mechanic is going to eat several hours of time and you can bet he'll write '*******' on the inside of your timing cover!
The most you can reasonably do is avoid this indy in the future and let the board know what they did....indy's that work this way don't usually stay in business as long as others that do the work correctly.
OTOH, if you DID tell them you can probably make them open it up again and replace those parts when they get them. Generally a court would have expected you to give the vendor an opportunity to make good on the contract (such as would exist if you had specifically told them to replace...) before taking the car to another vendor to have the parts replaced and attempting to bill the first vendor. Just because you've lost faith might not be enough to win.
NOW you must ask yourself what kind of a job they are likely to do for a disgruntled customer who forces them to reopen a job like this...the mechanic is going to eat several hours of time and you can bet he'll write '*******' on the inside of your timing cover!
The most you can reasonably do is avoid this indy in the future and let the board know what they did....indy's that work this way don't usually stay in business as long as others that do the work correctly.
11-11-2009, 10:26 AM
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Its an object lesson. Always be as specific in the order as you can be. Any good mechanic knows those parts should be replaced while the engine open for a TB. He wants you back in a year so he can charge you all over again. Find a different mechanic; this guy is milking you. And its a good idea to stipulate that you want the old parts. Trust but verify!
11-12-2009, 05:35 AM
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an update
just an update - the owner called me back and said that they don't usually replace those parts on the first timing belt change. Then after talking to the mechanic he said that they did change the tensioner roller but they didn't put it on the bill. I don't think they are going to be interested in opening up the job again. What could happen at this point....when/if the rollers go, will they make some warning sounds first? I don't want to chance ruining the engine but also am not sure if I can afford to pay someoneelse to do the job over again.
11-12-2009, 01:50 PM
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This happend to me, i did not know till my A6 2.8 started overheating...I could not figure why it was oveheating, had it towed to my current shop where the Tech. found that a TB roller/tensioner was "stickin" i had TB sevice about 15,000 miles before.Redid everything plus seals and more and runs better than ever.I was lucky I did not damage motor becasuse of this failed roller. Ask for old parts on jobs like this, might save ya some trouble.
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11-13-2009, 06:09 AM
#8
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thansk for the response. So in 15K it started having problems...hmmm Do you remeber what mileage you had when the TB was originally done? Was it at the same shop that eventually redid the job? thanks
11-13-2009, 06:22 AM
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how much effort to redo?
For you guys that actually have doen these jobs....is it less effort now to open it up and put in the new rollers, tensioner, lever, etc. or is it just as much of a job as doing it right the first time? ie, can the parts be put in with the belt in place? Sorry, If this sounds like a dumb question as I obviously don't work on cars for a living....just trying to keep my own maintained.