Do I stand a chance

[Mattzilla]

Hi i'm new here and thought someone might be able to answer my question.

I was recently driving down my street and my timing belt snaped causing some pretty serious damage to my engine ( $2K+). I drive a 2001 holden astra cd. the scheduled timing belt change is at 8 yrs or 120,000km. I have only done 90,000km.

Can i contact Holden and get some sort of compensation?

Has anyone had any experience with this?

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

matt

[Jac001]

Have you had your car regularly serviced? And was it thru a holden dealer?

I had heard that on some models the timing belt replacement was reduced to 60,000 kms. Not sure which models this applies to though.

[planetdavo]

You could try contacting Customer Assistance, but the reduction in the advertised timing belt interval was pretty well advertised, all the trade know it was reduced, and if the car saw a dealer for regular servicing earlier in it's life, it should have had a modified page stuck over the top of the old one correcting it. Even if it didn't, whoever does the servicing should have known the time was halved.

[payaya]

Thats bullcrap. If there was a reduction in the timing belt change there should have been a recall.

I dont understand how your vehicle had only done 2/3 of the recommended interval and snapped now your paying for it. So you either change your timing belt every 60000kms or do 2k damange. So pay 2k to keep the belt on or 2k to have the valves fixed. So either way thats very expensive servicing for bascially a econobox. Maybe the Korean replacements are better altrenatives afterall :)

I dont think just because something obviously was faulty during the design process to begin with you have to fork out massive bucks to get it fixed.

I dont know of any vehicle having so many timing belt issues, also the euro Barina is another one. I mean I changed my timing belt at 140000kms and it was a 10 year old car.

[Sonnymad]

Hi i'm new here and thought someone might be able to answer my question.

I was recently driving down my street and my timing belt snaped causing some pretty serious damage to my engine ( $2K+). I drive a 2001 holden astra cd. the scheduled timing belt change is at 8 yrs or 120,000km. I have only done 90,000km.

Can i contact Holden and get some sort of compensation?

Has anyone had any experience with this?

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

matt

Matt,

Not sure what model astra you have,though they are notorious for timing belt breakages,if you have any issues with the dealers regarding the interval and belt breakage,let us know as we have some good contacts.

regards sonny

[Wonky]

So pay 2k to keep the belt on or 2k to have the valves fixed.

I believe from previous discussions on here (in which I have taken an interest given we have two Astras in the family) that belt replacement cost on them is only a fraction of the 2k figure you mention. Different story with one of the Vectras!

To the OP - I would think if you have had regular dealer servicing and not ignored their requests to change the belt you would have a very good case. If not, I'd say you have Buckleys!! :(

[LS1HVN]

From memory the water pump is recommended to be changed along with the belt.

Did you change the pump or were you advised of this?

[German Statesman]

Thats bullcrap. If there was a reduction in the timing belt change there should have been a recall.

I dont understand how your vehicle had only done 2/3 of the recommended interval and snapped now your paying for it. So you either change your timing belt every 60000kms or do 2k damange. So pay 2k to keep the belt on or 2k to have the valves fixed. So either way thats very expensive servicing for bascially a econobox. Maybe the Korean replacements are better altrenatives afterall :)

I dont think just because something obviously was faulty during the design process to begin with you have to fork out massive bucks to get it fixed.

I dont know of any vehicle having so many timing belt issues, also the euro Barina is another one. I mean I changed my timing belt at 140000kms and it was a 10 year old car.

A recall is a consumer rectification campaign for a faulty product, not a change in servicing requirements.

When the timing belt interval was shortened, letters were sent to current owners who had maintained the contact details with Holden advising of the change. As Davo said, the amended details were then placed on the page as a stickered insert replacement, and it became well-known throughout the trade for Vectras as well as Barinas and Astras.

If the vehicle has been serviced correctly, the belt would have been replaced in 2004 then again in 2007 (3 year or 60,000km intervals, whichever comes first) regardless of the mileage. As the car is now 7 years old, it should be coming on for its 7 year or 135,000km service - you must service them by whatever comes first and in the case of a timing belt, it is rubberised construction that breaks down with age like most perishable organic items in motor vehicles, e.g. gaskets, seals, door rubbers etc

It is good practice to replace the idler pulleys with the timing belt because Murphy's law dictates that they squeak like buggery after you've re-assembled everything and the customer will complain about the 2+hrs to remove and replace them, at the age of the car it is also a good idea to replace the water pump while the front of the engine is disassembled.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - i hope you find a sympathetic dealer that has a positive attitude and will help you out. Sony's offered to give you a hand, and I'd take it :)

Best of luck

[Marco]

I was recently driving down my street and my timing belt snaped causing some pretty serious damage to my engine ( $2K+). I drive a 2001 holden astra cd. the scheduled timing belt change is at 8 yrs or 120,000km. I have only done 90,000km.

Did the car already have a belt changed at 60,000km? It's a 60k interval for timing belts on the 2001 Astra (I should know, I had one and had the timing belt changed twice during my ownership). If it didn't have a 60k belt change then you've only got yourself to blame...or the previous owner if you bought it after 60k.

[planetdavo]

Thats bullcrap. If there was a reduction in the timing belt change there should have been a recall.

Might be bullcrap to you, but everyone else that replied so far seems to know about it and understand it...
There wouldn't be one single person in Australia that could HONESTLY claim they bought an early TS astra based on it's long 120,000km belt service interval!
Not one.