No need to worry about those bits!

[Paolo]

Not right now anyway as the cambelt failed this morning @ 46,000 miles!! [yes, the specified interval is 63,000 miles!] & no, its not under Fiats wonderful warranty [yes, I am looking at the legal side], it was registered in April 97` , sooooo, a bill of around £1000 could be in the pipeline!!!
The AA guy who came out took the timing belt cover off & showed me the belt, NO signs of wear at all, no cracks, no rounding of teeth etc, just a neat tear across the belt & a sickly feeling in my belly, he thinks it was a faulty belt. What do you think the chances of getting a Fiat dealer to admit the belt was faulty is? virtually nil if past experiences on cars within warranty time are anything to go by. NOT happy.
SOOOOO people, give your belts a good checking over, especially if your car was registered around early 97`
Has anyone else experienced cam belt failiure on a Bravo/Brava?
A very pissed off Paolo.

 

[Anonymous]

cam belt

I would think that if the belt has snapped prematurely it will be honoured by Fiat as they are very good as long as the car has been properly serviced. As im paranoid about cam belts I always change mine as soon as I get a car that hasnt been reg serviced.

 

[Paolo]

cam belt

Yes, most people would think that too, but anyone who has had dealings with Fiats `customer services` or warranty dept knows better!! My immediate family & myself have owned around 15 Fiats over the years & yet despite our loyalty, have always been treated like s**t. Is it any wonder Fiat group always feature in the lower echelons of the J.D. Power surveys!! I once brought a brand new 126 Bis, which, within 6000 miles & 10 months needed a new gearbox, head gasket, front shocks, a driveshaft & 2 front tyres, do you think it was a straightforward claim?? oh no!, months of wrangling with warranty resulted in 60% of the claim being honored! & bearing in mind this Bravo is 4 years old, was brought privately [2 weeks ago] & doesn't have a Fiat service history, my chances of Fiat being `honorable` is realistically, nil.
Despite my absolute love of ALL Italian cars [except the Alfa Arna obviously!]& the passion I have for them, I could NEVER recommend them to anyone who is thinking about buying a new one privately with a clear conscience, purely on aftersales customer service.
I was concerned about the timing belt, but, as I said, the cars done 46,000 miles & therefore, in theory, it still had at least EIGHTEEN THOUSAND safe miles left, which I stupidly assumed would be enough of a margin. Silly me!
Anyway, enough of my ranting!
Paolo.

 

[Dave]

Cam Belt

My independent Fiat specialist recommends a cam belt change every 30k any more and you're on borrowed time.

I've followed that advice for the last 13 years and touch wood never had a problem.

Thing is a belt is only on average £10 so why put yourself through the worry and expense if it goes, get it changed now ! & if you have it done as part of a service it won't cost that much more.

Go to an independent specialist where its not necessary to get the old gold card out everytime the bonnet is lifted !!

 

[Phil Lee]

trouble is...

that you need a gold card if it is an HGT, you cant tell if the belt is about to go, and by the time you get someone to check, they have dropped the engine out and that costs at least £400 labour....

 

[Andi]

how much?

All this cam belt talk is making me paranoid, i have a 98 sx (1.4) its done 31K, sounds fine etc but when should i get the belt changed and how much can i expect to pay (not Fiat garage.)
Thanks

 

[CM]

Timing belt

I read in What Car? this month that you should change the belt every 3 years without fail. The problem is not with the belt but with the plastic tensioner that is prone to shattering. The newer models have the modified tensioner fitted but i'm not sure from which year onwards. If anyone is unsure they should check with their dealer they are well aware of this problem.

I had my belt done 2 years ago under warranty I just bought the car used from a dealer and there was a starange noise coming from the belt. So I took it back and they replace the belt.

I'm planning to get mine done next service. Halfords quoted me £120 in labour for changing the belt and the belt will be another £10 - £20 I would think.

Fiat are well aware of this and if you ask me they should done a product recall on it and replaced all the faulty tensioners. Lets face it if your belt snaps causing £1,000 damage you will never buy another Fiat and tell everyone the same, so it may be worth it to Fiat in the long run. My partner's Corsa is 8 years old and Vauxhall sent her a letter telling her to take it to the dealer for a recall. I'm pretty impressed after 8 years they bothered to do it.

Cheers

CM

 

[Dave]

Cam Belt - Message 4 Andi

I'd personally get it done now - probably expect to pay about £100. At least you'll have peace of mind then !

 

[Lumpy]

cost...

I recently bottled it & had the belt/tensioner changed on my '97 1.4 SX at 40,000 miles.

Fiat charged £90 for the tensioner (fitted) + the cost of the belt (which was fitted free as I refused to pay for fitting as they obviously had to take the old one off to get at the tensioner).

Lumpy.

 

[Andi]

Thankyou....

Thankyou all for your imput, i'm due a service in about a thousand miles, i'll get it done then. At least then my mind will be at rest, and my money safe in the bank, not in my dealers pocket.
THANKS AGAIN.

 

[PaulK]

How much?

Lumpy,

I've just paid Fiat £390 to have the belt replaced on my 1.8! This did include new covers as they had to break the old one off (about £15) and tensioner, but why the big difference in price I wonder.

How many hours did they charge you for? I thought menu servicing was meant to stop this sort of thing happening?

Cheers

Paul

 

[Lumpy]

Cost...

Hi Paul

The work was done at a local Fiat/Lancia specialist.

The total price (£90) included the cost of the tensioner from Fiat & their charge for fitting the thing (+ another £60 or so extra for the new belt).

I got the feeling from the engineer that the part didn't cost a great deal & most of the price was labour costs.

L.

 

[steve]

DIY

any one know if diy is a practical option for the
reasonably capable home mechanic.

 

[Philh]

Untitled

I got quoted £300+ from a fiat dealer for my 1.8 though he insisted they didn't need doing on the 1.8's until 72k.

Anyone else with a 1.8?

 

[Paul K]

Interesting...

Hi Phil,

The dealer said the same to me at the 36k service, until I insisted that they inspect the belt. Guess what 'we have noticed more wear than expected at that mileage and recommend that you change the cambelt. And we always recommend you change the tensioner at the same time.' When i argued it should be covered under warrenty because they were recommending change at half the service life, the dealer said 'You have exceed the performance specification for the car'.

What a joke, a different exhaust and wheels does not prematurely wear the cambelt.

What a bunch of tossers.

Sad to say my third and last Fiat unless the dealers improve their customer service!