Cam belt and pump replacement yet again !

[osman]

So I’ve just had my van in after breaking down due to a problem with the clutch diagnosed by The AA as a leaking pump / fluid situation and it’s been diagnosed by the garage
…….no problem with clutch it’s a rattling fly wheel causing it to over heat !

And whilst they were diagnosing this little inconvenience they have come up with a cracked catalytic converter.. needing replacement . New brake disks front and back new clutch recommended ….
a host of other jolly problems and to my total amazement another pump and cam belt replacement required .. they are saying the fluid is from the water pump leaking …this is three years after it was last done .
take away a year for Covid and the fact I’ve hardly used the van in the last three years for little more than the odd trip .. I’m amazed that they are suggesting it’s in need of replacing again .

 

[DXX]

So I’ve just had my van in after breaking down due to a problem with the clutch diagnosed by The AA as a leaking pump / fluid situation and it’s been diagnosed by the garage
…….no problem with clutch it’s a rattling fly wheel causing it to over heat .
however whilst they were diagnosing this little inconvenience they have come up with cracked catalytic converter.. needing replacement . New brake disks front and back new clutch recommended ….
a host of other jolly problems and to my total amazement another pump and cam belt replacement required .. this is three years after it was last done .
take away a year for Covid and the fact I’ve hardly used the van in the last three years for little more than the odd trip .. I’m amazed ….

I’m assuming the diagnosis is for a leaking power steering pump causing fluid loss, not sure how this is linked to the clutch though???
A rattling flywheel won’t cause anything to overheat.
Get a second opinion unless you are sure it is correct.
The timing belt kit replacement in the UK is no longer 4 years, it has increased substantially to match the rest of the planet. Even if it was still 4 years the 3 years interval they are suggesting is BS.
I smell a large rat.
My advise is to get the van elsewhere even if it means a tow truck

 

[Paynewright]

do a forum search - VW Group UK seem to have changed interval in line with the rest of Europe across the range of vehicles - my van, daughters Up and SWMBOs Octavia all changed to longer intervals

 

[osman]

I’m assuming the diagnosis is for a leaking power steering pump causing fluid loss, not sure how this is linked to the clutch though???
A rattling flywheel won’t cause anything to overheat.
Get a second opinion unless you are sure it is correct.
The timing belt kit replacement in the UK is no longer 4 years, it has increased substantially to match the rest of the planet. Even if it was still 4 years the 3 years interval they are suggesting is BS.
I smell a large rat.
My advise is to get the van elsewhere even if it means a tow truck

They are suggesting the leaking fluid is from the water pump . The power steering had a new belt and tensioner fitted recently so no mention of any other problems there .
The AA immediately diagnosed a fluid leak as the cause of the clutch issue however the garage say differently They say the clutch mechanism overheated on the motorway Hense I could not change gear and the pedal would not return to position . They suggest a rattling fly wheel caused overheating .
It’s a vw garage I’ve used for all work since buying the van . I do trust them however this is a lot of work and about £5098 in costs to me … so I would really like to understand what’s going on .
The cracked catalytic converter is due to a missing bolt .. that they didn’t warn me about during the last service .. they casually said a bolts missing but never told me where … just gave me a price of around £50 to replace it but never stressed any importance . .. I find this particularly annoying as we are now taking about a cost of £2098…that presumably would have been prevented by simply replacing the bolt at the time it was noticed…

 

[jimc91]

£50 to fit a bolt when they are actually under the van looking at it!!!

 

[roadtripper]

For the bolt issue alone I'd be looking for that to be done by the garage or going via small claims court, so long as you have the paperwork trail to show you were not warned of the implications of not fixing it.

I'd certainly not use the garage again if it wasn't resolved in my favour.

 

[DaveD]

I'm trying to understand this but it's not easy.
Three years after they last fitted a water pump, it's leaking. That's not normal. A water pump can only leak coolant. Have you had to top up the coolant in the last 3 years?
I can understand why they want to fit a new cam belt, the "old" one has to come off to fit the new water pump and it's not a great idea to refit that one.
They noticed a bolt missing from the catalytic converter and mentioned it to you but didn't suggest fitting a new bolt, now it's become a very big and expensive problem. I've never heard of a catalytic converter bolt becoming loose on it's own, but of course it's possible, I've also never heard of fifty quid to replace a missing bolt. That's madness.
I still can't see how any of this is linked to the clutch problem, but the garage say that a rattling flywheel caused the clutch to overheat to the extent that you couldn't even change gear. Have you ever had to top up the brake fluid reservoir? (The clutch hydraulic system uses the brake fluid.)
The most difficult bit to understand is that you still trust that garage.

 

[DXX]

They are taking the piss, don’t give it.

 

[osman]

I'm trying to understand this but it's not easy.
Three years after they last fitted a water pump, it's leaking. That's not normal. A water pump can only leak coolant. Have you had to top up the coolant in the last 3 years?
I can understand why they want to fit a new cam belt, the "old" one has to come off to fit the new water pump and it's not a great idea to refit that one.
They noticed a bolt missing from the catalytic converter and mentioned it to you but didn't suggest fitting a new bolt, now it's become a very big and expensive problem. I've never heard of a catalytic converter bolt becoming loose on it's own, but of course it's possible, I've also never heard of fifty quid to replace a missing bolt. That's madness.
I still can't see how any of this is linked to the clutch problem, but the garage say that a rattling flywheel caused the clutch to overheat to the extent that you couldn't even change gear. Have you ever had to top up the brake fluid reservoir? (The clutch hydraulic system uses the brake fluid.)
The most difficult bit to understand is that you still trust that garage.

Yes I’m also staggeringly confused !
I’ve never topped up any fluid reservoir I’ve had the van under what’s called “ all in with vw” they do two services two mots and insure parts other than wear and tear as well as provide road side break down assistance hire vehicles etc etc for around £34 per month .
Now what gets me is how can my van end up in a state like this during that kind of situation ? It’s crazy . If my van had not seen a garage in two years I could understand it ! But it’s crazy to be facing a £5098 estimate . And yes the damn bolt thing is driving me nuts . I must have access to the video where the bolt was mentioned and I’m damn sure there was very little emphasis on it being this important it was mentioned like an afterthought . Why in earth it was not just replaced whilst the van was in the air during that last service ? Seems very neglectful for a company claiming to be keeping my van in top condition to me .

 

[Snowy22]

£50 to fit a bolt when they are actually under the van looking at it!!!

Agreed absolutely with @jimc91, that is ludicrous!!
I feel for you mate and hope you get it sorted but if you’re dealing with people with that mentality it’s gonna be tricky.

 

[osman]

I'm trying to understand this but it's not easy.
Three years after they last fitted a water pump, it's leaking. That's not normal. A water pump can only leak coolant. Have you had to top up the coolant in the last 3 years?
I can understand why they want to fit a new cam belt, the "old" one has to come off to fit the new water pump and it's not a great idea to refit that one.
They noticed a bolt missing from the catalytic converter and mentioned it to you but didn't suggest fitting a new bolt, now it's become a very big and expensive problem. I've never heard of a catalytic converter bolt becoming loose on it's own, but of course it's possible, I've also never heard of fifty quid to replace a missing bolt. That's madness.
I still can't see how any of this is linked to the clutch problem, but the garage say that a rattling flywheel caused the clutch to overheat to the extent that you couldn't even change gear. Have you ever had to top up the brake fluid reservoir? (The clutch hydraulic system uses the brake fluid.)
The most difficult bit to understand is that you still trust that garage.

Yes I’m also staggeringly confused !
I’ve never topped up any fluid reservoir I’ve had the van under what’s called “ all in with vw” they do two services two mots and insure parts other than wear and tear as well as provide road side break down assistance hire vehicles etc etc for around £34 per month .
Now what gets me is how can my van end up in a state like this during that kind of situation ? It’s crazy . If my van had not seen a garage in two years I could understand it ! But it’s crazy to be facing a £5098 estimate . And yes the damn bolt thing is driving me nuts . I must have access to the video where the bolt was mentioned and I’m damn sure there was very little emphasis on it being this important it was mentioned like an afterthought . Why in earth it was not just replaced whilst the van was in the air during that last service ? Seems very neglectful for a company claiming to be keeping my van in top condition to me .

 

[osman]

£50 to fit a bolt when they are actually under the van looking at it!!!

I have to admit I got that wrong I’ve re checked and it was £30 however I’ve watched the service video and it is just mentioned very lightly as a suggestion rather than pointing it out as serious. So as a result of it not being replaced I now have a cracked catalytic converter that my extended warranty with vw wont cover as they say it was not supported properly and an estimate of £2098 to fix it

 

[roadtripper]

If a VW representative says it's not a warranty issue as it should have been supported and another VW representative did not stress that that would be the consequence - then that would appear to be a VW issue to resolve.

Do some reading here, you may choose not to go all the way but being up to date with what you could do is a good way to press an argument for a resolution you are happy with.

Small claims court

Complaints got you nowhere? At the end of your tether? If you've been genuinely wronged, use the small claims court to get money back - Money Saving Expert

www.moneysavingexpert.com

 

[osman]

If a VW representative says it's not a warranty issue as it should have been supported and another VW representative did not stress that that would be the consequence - then that would appear to be a VW issue to resolve.

Do some reading here, you may choose not to go all the way but being up to date with what you could do is a good way to press an argument for a resolution you are happy with.

Small claims court

Complaints got you nowhere? At the end of your tether? If you've been genuinely wronged, use the small claims court to get money back - Money Saving Expert

www.moneysavingexpert.com

I’ll have a read … I’m certainly not too happy with the vw garage I also noticed that the rep actually said several bolts were missing when he left a message on my phone to say why they won’t cover it .. one bolt suddenly became several . He then denied saying that when I asked him about it

 

[Scottish Scrutineer]

@osman, I'd be taking the van to another garage. However there may be validity in some of their points:

• Water pump leak - I'd have expected the water pump to be replaced the last time the cam belt was changed. They can develop a leak over time, but its false economy not to change with the cambelt. To change the water pump, the cambelt needs to be removed, so it would be foolish not to just replace the belt whilst it is off.
• Clutch - sounds like the concentric slave cylinder may be leaking, which results in the pedal sticking down and the clutch not operating. Often this is linked to the clutch nearing the end of its wear life, and the dual mass flywheel may well be worn out too (causing a rattle). Has the clutch been slipping and how many miles has the clutch done?
• Brakes - these are just consumable wear and tear. Dealership garages will often recommend that both are changed, often when there is still considerable wear remaining, where as independents would only replace the pads
• Catalytic converter - the missing bolt(s) may well have contributed to the cracking. Poor service that the garage didn't sort that out or at least warn of the potential consequences. VW garage will simply fit a new (VW) part. Independents would possibly weld the bracket or what ever was cracked.

Too many garage just employ parts fitters, not mechanical engineers who would understand the cause and how to repair.

 

[osman]

@osman, I'd be taking the van to another garage. However there may be validity in some of their points:

• Water pump leak - I'd have expected the water pump to be replaced the last time the cam belt was changed. They can develop a leak over time, but its false economy not to change with the cambelt. To change the water pump, the cambelt needs to be removed, so it would be foolish not to just replace the belt whilst it is off.
• Clutch - sounds like the concentric slave cylinder may be leaking, which results in the pedal sticking down and the clutch not operating. Often this is linked to the clutch nearing the end of its wear life, and the dual mass flywheel may well be worn out too (causing a rattle). Has the clutch been slipping and how many miles has the clutch done?
• Brakes - these are just consumable wear and tear. Dealership garages will often recommend that both are changed, often when there is still considerable wear remaining, where as independents would only replace the pads
• Catalytic converter - the missing bolt(s) may well have contributed to the cracking. Poor service that the garage didn't sort that out or at least warn of the potential consequences. VW garage will simply fit a new (VW) part. Independents would possibly weld the bracket or what ever was cracked.

Too many garage just employ parts fitters, not mechanical engineers who would understand the cause and how to repair.

Yep water pump was replaced with cam belt three years ago . So again I’m surprised they are saying it needs to be replaced again … I’ve only done 6000 miles in two years ! Take a year off for covid too at least . They want £720 to do this .
No slipping from clutch . The AA suggested it was slave cylinder but garage say it’s not and it’s overheating caused by fly wheel ( this is the part that they agreed to replace under warranty … so is going ahead ) Clutch as far as I know is original so 100680 miles. I’m paying £398 to have new clutch fitted .

Brakes I’ve been being warned about now for some time so no surprise . However I see quick fit will replace them all for £ 300 cheaper than this vw garage !

 

[Johny]

Christ, don't go to kwik- fit.

 

[osman]

Christ, don't go to kwik- fit.

lol why not it’s only brake disks and pads surely they can fit them just as well as anyone else ?

 

[Johny]

Find yourself a local garage you can trust and stick with them.

 

[osman]

I think I’ve found the place for future however they didn’t want to charge much less than vw to do the brakes … I’ll get them to give me a quote but if I can save £300 by using quick fit for just the brakes .. surely that’s not that bad an idea ?