QuestionWell, have I got a tale to tell.
Any feedback is welcome.
I'm a gal, aged 27 who just recently got a Art Teaching job offer so I relocated from Providence, RI to Middleburg VA. When I accepted the job, I took a little loan out and bought a 2000 Hyundai Elantra
Wagon with 108,000. Spent $2,300 on it and then had it inspected: new tires, new fluids, new timing belt (scheduled according to the manual for 120,000 . . . but I didn't want to chance it) and some other basic maintenece. Everything looked good and I put in $700 worth of repairs about 3 weeks ago. Before my trip I checked my oil, tire pressure etc. Loaded up the wagon and prepared for the voyage.
I traveled with my boyfriend and his sister, and we planned the trip to coincide with a wedding (i shoot weddings too) in New Jersey, spend the night in a hotel and divide the trip up into two legs. We left with plenty of time to make the wedding, but something went wrong as we headed into NYC. My engine just died on 95 South with no warning. There was no overheating, no clunking noises. Just the death of my engine, loss of power steering etc . . . Thankfully we were near an exit, thankfully i was able to roll into a service station.
My car died on me in the Bronx, of course we still had to make the wedding, we were the hired photograpers.
When the mechanics told me it was my timing belt I really couldn't believe them. I thought they might have been scamming me. Hector pried open the engine compartment a little and there it was, I saw it with my own eyes. It was shredded. I knew then, my engine was a goner and that this was not going to be a jumpstart special. I was shocked because I had had the timing belt replaced only 3 weeks prior.
Please tell me what you know of timing belt failure. The belt was made by Gates Company. I am currently talking to a rep there after I spoke with my original mechanic that did the job. I now know that my engine was an interference engine, the valves and pistons got jammed. The camshaft still turned apparently and water pump (not replaced) did not cause the failure. The Bronx mechanics worked on my car for over 4 hours. I saved all the components, including the timing belt. Literally shredded.
All said and done, it was quite a nightmare and I am out of $4,200 (ironically the kelly blue book value for the car in average condition) after all the extra expenses plus repair. I had decided after price shopping in Virginia for repair/replacement engines to bring the wagon down. I was due to start the new teaching job and to look for a new car, reregister it etc . . . I just didn't have the physical time.
We made the wedding, though delayed by 4 hours. Had to take a cab to the JFK airport to get a rental. My poor cat was being shuttled all over, and we had to leave my car in the Bronx. After the wedding, we got a UHaul with and auto transporter, my boyfriend's sister missed her bus back to Providence 4 times and my boyfriend and I spent the night in Brookyln. Driving a UHaul with an auto transporter through the streets of NYC is scary.
The Bronx guys were awesome I must say. They helped for 45 minutes to put the car on the transporter. They only charged me for 1 hour of labor if you can believe that. We made it down to Virginia after driving for 12 hours at 45mph the whole way, stopping to let my cat roam the back of the UHaul.
As I said, it has been pretty hairy and frustrating considering that I had the timing belt replaced 3 weeks prior. I am now safely here in Virginia, my cat is happy, my car is in the shop awaiting it's new engine (with a lifetime warrenty plus labor), and my new job is keeping my fully occupied. I have saved all of my receipts uand have the original work receipt from my original mechanic. I have already called him to let him know the situation and he put me in touch with the Gates Company rep.
Please tell me what you can about timing belt failure, incorrect installment, and/or settlements. I am hoping to recoup some, hopefully all, of my damages.
Thank you
Jill
AnswerHello Jill,
I am sorry about your bad experience But I am glad you are safely back. Your problem occured after the timing belt replacement. That means it is either installation or faulty part. I used that Gates brand timing belt before a lot of times and never had any problem with it. Of course this does not prove anything but I am trying to give you my idea about the situation. As far as incorrect -or faulty - installation, there are a lot of possibilities. If it was installed loose, then maybe it jumped one or more teeth. Or maybe timing belt cover was rubbing on it and caused it to shred. It is really hard to prove. I think you should tell them that it is definitely not your fault. Either bad part or wrong installation. You are in no position to decide which one. Let them argue and debate. Tell them to settle this and reimburse you.Please keep me informed.
