Now, what I know about cars, you could write on the back of a stamp with a crayon, hence the reson why Im posting.


My engine is wrecked....literally. It wont start.



Rang up my local garage and they suggested I took it to a Fiat dealer if there was a problem with the engine because it could be something to do with the engine management system.

So I took it to Fiat on Friday and got a phonecall Friday afternoon saying that they think its the Cam Timing. Not knowing what this was i googled it and thought that maybe it wasn't such a big job.

Then on saturday afternoon they rang me and told me there was more damage than they first thought and that my cam shaft had ceased, and my cylinder head was wrecked.....

They've quoted me £1069, but that's just an estimate as he needs to strip the engine to see the full extent of the damage. It could be more!

I rang a few mates who are mechanics, and they said that the job was too big for them, or another said they'd be able to do it, if i got the parts from Fiat, or one even suggested a reconditioned engine, fitted, for £750.

I've told the guy at fiat to strip the engine to see the damage.......


Am i being shafted?


Opinions please?

Re: Fiat Punto 1.2 ELX Year 02

get a head from a scrapyard (£75)
get it fitted at a local independant garage (£150)
drive away laughing

Re: Fiat Punto 1.2 ELX Year 02

jug said:

get a head from a scrapyard (£75)
get it fitted at a local independant garage (£150)
drive away laughing

Click to expand...

Would taking it to an independant garage make any difference?

Is that all that would need changing is the cylinder head? What other possible damage could it have done?

How much do they cost new?


I've been running the thing on low oil as well ( i know i know, but see above post about the stamp and crayon)

What damamge does that do?

Re: Fiat Punto 1.2 ELX Year 02

an independant garage will always be a lot cheaper.

i only assumed the cylinder head would need replacing because you said it was the opinion of the fiat tech. i cant say what other possible damage has occured, i dont even know what caused the problem in the first place, or even what the problem was. all you said is it didnt start. what actually happened? i know head gasket failure is fairly common on these engines. did you notice it overheated at all?

i would not consider using new parts. buying a brand new head will probably end up costing more than the car is worth. a scrapyard head is perfectly adequate, far cheaper, and will usually come with a warranty, so i couldn't ever recommend buying a new head.

running on very low oil will mean the oil pump can not pump any oil, so the whole engine will suffer from oil starvation. the excess friction a lack of oil creates will wear down surfaces and bearings far more quickly, there will be a build up of heat further worsening the effect. eventually the engine will fail or become so rough and noisey it cannot be driven. either way the engine will have suffered far more wear than it should have for the milage. it all depends on how low the oil got, and how many miles the car did with low oil.

I know what you're saying......but the car is there now and the guy is stripping it down to check the engine.....


will he charge me for doing that anyway?


If the damage is worse than first thought, is it worth getting a reconditioned engine?

They come with warranty now dont they?