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Cam belt failed last night. How much for a rebuild?
Closest guess wins the holiday that we were driving to.
I'll open the bidding with £1,000.
Depends on speed and revs of engine when it goes... sometimes you get lucky.
Other times its £1365
Can we get a clue what we're bidding on? Going to be a hell of a difference between a nearly new car and a 10yo banger.
£830 + VAT
Dealer or independant price?
1760+vat
(Write off)
I'm going write off...
assuming its some sort of VW/Skoda/Audi - about £4k
What make of car? Not all engines are designed to destroy themselves when this happens.
My MX5 would be the price of a new belt and labour, although I have never needed to verify this.
I had a belt go on a Rover 414. I sold the car for £150.
Shitter about the belt and your lost holibobs.
It's a savings raider job. I'll guess £1150 plus VAT.
2010 1.8 tdi S-max?
I used to have one of those but punted it when it started making some strange noises.
When I bought this current bangernomics stop gap get the daughter driving motor off a dealer mate I was given two options on price, one was with a new belt and waterpump the other was without. I took the with option.
SMax 1.8 TDCi
Doing about 2200rpm when it went.
Has to be fixed. Can't afford a new one for a couple of years.
Independent garage.
600 quid for a bare engine and head from a breaker
600 to swap the parts over and fit it
600 to diagnose why the ECU won't speak to the immobiliser.
£750+vat
And a week before it’s in the garage.
What a shit time to go, hope you manage to salvage something out of the time you have with your family.
🥴🤒
SMax 1.8 TDCi
Diesel (19+ to 1 compression ratio) - hence almost all valves will be destroyed. Valve seats, Valve guides and engine bores damaged potentially. Rebuild cost £2000 - £3000
Replacement engine - about the same.
OP; Good Luck
Seems cruel to guess, because its going to be expensive. ☹️ Is the holiday really screwed? That'd be worse than the knackered car for me.
HOliday? ditch the car back home and hire a car. Holidays are important
Hire car ? Travel insurance ?
It was a long weekend away on the south coast staying with friends. Have already rescheduled.
RAC didn't cover themselves in glory. Over an hour on hold and 5 hours stood by the side of the motorway with the family. Topography was such that we couldn't escape anywhere.
If it's an interference engine then it's probably going to cost a lot 😕
Sorry to hear about your holiday.
Our old XC90 decided to dump a load of oil out of the core plug 3 days before driving 3 hours to the airport for a big holiday. Lucky escape as if it had gone on the way there we'd have lost the holiday.
Sold the car after that and now warranty the replacement every year. Costs me £1k/year but covers everything plus a replacement car.
Ooof, I'm going to or for £1801, just to be different to TR.
But it depends on how cheap the garage are going to be on parts, and how badly smashed the engine is.
When I did this to a renault megane, we decided that the dented pistons would be "fine" and just stuffed a recon top end on. Then ignored the new knock from the bottom end. For another 30k miles before it got traded in.
...aslo I had two new tyres on it (fitted yesterday, done 80 miles) and had just replaced the pads and discs to get it through the MOT on Tuesday, so it had already cost me £350 this week.
If it’s an interference engine then it’s probably going to cost a lot 😕
Fortunantly for fuel economy.and emmisions it's not the 1990s any more.
Ohc and variable valve timing are common place with multiple things wishing to occupy the combustion chamber at the same time to minimise dead space.
Set of valves guides and followers. Head set skim cam belt kit with out knowing Labour rates 1345 plus vat
1789
2.5k
Was belt overdue replacement?
Engine from breakers costing a fortune anyway. Followed a few months later by "turbo failed: nearest the bull quiz time" when the oil lines in the replacement engine turn out to be full of crap.
I think this will be painful. A friend had this on landrover and it was a full set of valves.
£2000 assuming you can use the old head
My sympathies.
I had an old Vauxall 1.9 cdti and it had rockers which were designed to break to prevent an engine rebuild being necessary I think. Not sure how well they'd work tho. Same engine also used in Fiat, ALfas and Saab amongst others i think.
Additional info... When it went we heard the belt strip its teeth, but there was no metal-to-metal sound from the engine. Note sure if this is significant.
May mean the valves are ok. Had an old Corsa diesel where the garage replaced the cam belt. Snapped within a week and could hear the valves hitting the pistons. Fortunately the garage replaced it all, no problems.
That is a complete shitter, sorry HTS! I going for £1500 inc VAT.
Been in similar scenarios myself driving through Switzerland en route to Bordeaux in boiling hot summer, when the car (bangernomics 9-5 estate) developed a major coolant leak, then basically everything major decided to shit itself at the same time (the brain, the turbo, exhaust, the ****ing air con). 3 kids under 6 and stressed wife.
That was fun. Not.
Feel. Your. Pain.
North of £2500 I suspect, maybe a child's kidney?
Just found a rather smart Galaxy locally for £12,600. Wife says no. As it stands the Smax is worthless. Fix it and it will be worth more than the cost of the repair.
It has to be fixed. Bugger, I did like this Galaxy.
Fix the S-Max and trade it against the Galaxy.
Galaxy £12.6k. Say S-max costs £2.5k to repair, but is worth £6k trade in. You’d only be into the Galaxy for £9k not £12.6k
If the car Tdci is anything like the van Tdci then the valves & pistons will be okay but it will have damaged the cam carrier which IIRC is line bored with the head so it's still expensive. I reckon just under £2k if new parts otherwise few hundred for used cam carrier fitted and get rid pdq
Realistically, recon head plus labour and sundries £1800? Worst case, a valve damaged a piston/bore. Recon engine time.
4k +
No new bike this year then...
Bike#1 has to last 6 more years. Car 2 years.
Part of teh 10 year plan.
If that's the same 1.8 tdci as the Mondeo? and others had it was definitely an interference engine at least until 2012 ish.
So £1000 to replace belt. £400 to check for damage to pistons valves, guides etc. More than the car is worth to repair if any of those are damaged
As an aside, according to dayco, a lot repair shops are unaware of the existence of 2 can belt systems on the lynx engines
£2340
£1000 to change a cam belt? Wow, is it an engine out job? I’ve never been unfortunate enough to work on the car in question.
It's not £1k for a planned replacement of a cam belt, that's a couple of hundred probably, depending on what else is changed at the same time. This bill is to repair all the collateral damage from one breaking unexpectedly when the engine is running. Definitely an engine out job, and a lot more besides.
Sell S-max on Ebay to highest bidder .
Someoen always thinks they can fix the unfixable for 12p ( what they actualy do is steal a donor vehicle and swap the head over )
Then with your £479 buy a proper shed to see you through 3mths of motoring and save like hell for a PCP deposit.
Sorry for your loss
Is it the Wet belt ?
If so, new engine time.
Probably £5k it thereabouts, double that from Ford.
It’s not £1k for a planned replacement of a cam belt, that’s a couple of hundred probably, depending on what else is changed at the same time. This bill is to repair all the collateral damage from one breaking unexpectedly when the engine is running. Definitely an engine out job, and a lot more besides.
It was the previous poster that suggested 1k to just change the belt.
On my car it’s close to that if you change the £300 water pump (due every other belt change) and rollers/tensioner, I couldn’t imagine that on a mainstream Ford unless access is a problem.
3.45k. I still have the valve from my old polo which was a petrol and went in Congleton on the A34 years ago. Think I paid £400 which was about 30% of the car value. I’d expect about the same.
Why fix the nackered engine?
Just drop a new motor in it. When I hydrolocked the engine on that daft Golf GTI I had I just bought a new motor. The breakers yards will be full of them. Cost me 200 quid. Took a morning and 400 quid to fit it at a local garage. While the new engine was out it seemed daft not to put a new cam belt on it while they were at it.
So 600 quid, all in
Just had a look on fleabay motors and you’re looking at 375-600 for an engine. I know a good local garage who can fit it for you
It was the previous poster that suggested 1k to just change the belt.
Yeah, I used 'replace' when I meant 'restore belt and belt related accoutrements. As in pick out bits of old belt, replace bent broken and leaking tensioners, driven accessories etc, which tend not to like the sudden change in tension.
Then do the rest of the engine.
Have a STW car repair morning .
Buy bare engine from Ebay , Breakeryard.net , gumtree etc
Get new cambelt , waterpump , tensioners , clutch , dual mass
Organise a group of internet weirdos with a box of spanners each to come round and "help" remove old engine , strip all ancilary parts , rebuid as neccessary and drop it back in.
If you use the old injectors they wont need coding , if they even do on a Ford.
Aircon could be a challenge , but hiring a hoist , or buying one and reselling straight after could work out really cheap
Otherwise its a clutch alignment tool , and maybe some dowel pins to hold all the timing parts in place , oh and biscuits . lots of biscuits
Single-track mind.
WWE royal rumble will ensue.
There will be bits of car from here to Preston
Be lots of bits left over and lots of arguing about who didn't tighten that bolt that's just shot off into orbit at first start.
Thats if the bonnet even gets opened after someone spots a bike or 2 in the garage , then it gets abit humblr braggy about niche riding steeds , burr grinders , and obscure coffee beans
Got a contact with a local engine specialist. Will discuss repair or replace option, but it'll have to wait until Tuesday so I'm in limbo, which is doing my swede in. I just want to get it sorted. NOW!
In the meantime, can you get a full sized person in the third row of seats on a Galaxy? My spotty pre-teen has grown out of the SMax.
In the meantime, can you get a full sized person in the third row of seats on a Galaxy?
Yes, you can... as long as they’re not especially tall.
Yes, you can… as long as they’re not especially tall.
Hmmm... he'll be a six footer in a couple of years. Will have to cram his sister or the MiL in the boot for family trips.
Chain engines ftw.
Chain engines ftw
You mean service interval of Ignorance for the win.
Tensioner still wears out And the chain does have a change interval.
I bet all the BMW and vauxhall chain drive engine owners are not loving their chain drives
Except you're wrong.
They dont have service intervals, you just keep an eye on them for stretch etc, just as you should for any part on a car.
Ignorance is indeed bliss.
Repair costs?
More than the price of an On One but less than a Santa Cruz.
Best of luck.
They dont have service intervals, you just keep an eye on them for stretch etc, just as you should for any part on a car.
yep, beacause they are really accessable in their clear polycarboate housings with those millimeter markings on them in a really well lit, easily readable areas
They dont have service intervals, you just keep an eye on them for stretch etc, just as you should for any part on a car.
Afair, the 1.8 tdci Ford engine has come in both chain and belt variations and the service interval was the same for both.
Just sayin', because I read something badly informed about timing chains.
£3k. Engine stuffed. Written Off. Bollocks.
Tow it somewhere quiet and torch it.
Shitbag, what's the actual damage?
As the garages description of stuffed, and actually properly stuffed might be two slightly different things.
Spoke to a few engine people over the last couple of days. Repair costs are £1000 absolute minumum rising to £3000 if damage extends beyond the head and valves. Got a PX value of the car as a runner from a mate in the motor trade and the finances don't add up.
I'd also have the faff of getting it moved.
Paid a depostit on another SMax that I'll look at tonight. Newer, higher spec, reasonable miles etc.
Ouch 🥴🤐
out of interest, what was the mileage and when was the belt changed?
any reason a new engine can't just be swapped in? bit of a gamble, but they appear to be <£1500 second hand
If you want a 2nd pair of eyes Andy let me know.
Happy to have a gander at it for you.
"Paid a deposit on another SMax that I’ll look at tonight. Newer, higher spec, reasonable miles etc."
Has the cam belt been serviced?
I thought Smax had a chain? My Mondeo did (2L TDCI)
If you want a 2nd pair of eyes Andy let me know.
Happy to have a gander at it for you.
Cheers mate. Evans Halshaw in Chorley. I'm going up at 6:00pm ish. Will WhatsApp you.
I thought Smax had a chain? My Mondeo did (2L TDCI)
This was a 1.8.
So they've given you the ballpark figures without tearing it down.
The way I see it is you've got two choices, slap it on ebay with an honest description, and get shot of it. Or if you're in any way mechanically minded and have the time, pull the top end off and assess the damage, then either fix with the minimum and sell as a runner with a recent cambelt change/drive into the floor, or put it on ebay with an honest description!
£500 if you got lucky or £2000 for either a rebuild or a recon engine and fitting.
