cambelt snapped on new car

[eillek]

hi i purchased a land rover freelander a couple of weeks ago with 74k miles on when i purchased it the salesman gave us a warranty after 10 days the car broke down and the aa said the cambelt had snapped got a mechanic to look at it and he said it has broke 8 valves it is now going to cost us 600 after paying nearly 3k for the car the salesman who i purchased the car from said it is wear and tear its down to us to fix it surely thats not right and it should be covered under the warranty.
thanks martin

[bednobs]

well i have t say i agree with the salesman - cambelts wear out, and it just so happened to do so after 10 days. It could have been 10 months or 10 years. They need doing about every 60 thousand miles i think, so in my opinion it would have been up to you to check it had been done. Similar to if the engine blew up because of no oil - up to you to maintain it

[sara3]

I don't have a full answer, but did you get a service history? the cambelt should have been changed at an earlier service, and may be guaranteed for so many miles, so you may have some comeback with whoever did an earlier service.

[chas2008]

most reputable dealers change belts before selling the vehicle regardless of wether its due or not as a guarantee against a dispute with customers...

[bigboots]

I thought there was a law regarding fit for use or fit for sale, and any problems in the first 30 days and the dealer was resposible for this, but i may be wrong, and a phone call to citizens advice or the dealers head office may help
PS at the worst case i have a cylinde head complete with valves for sale for one of these for �100

[logic]

that sounds a very good option bigboots, but with so much valve damage, I would be very suprised if all pistons escaped.

[heretohelp]

i would suggest finding out the name of the company who covers the warranty,i doubt the garrage you bought it from covers the warranty themselves but pay into an insurance scheme of some sought & then cantact them to see how you stand,but it is a servicable item & may not be covered,the only other way is say you will pay for any parts & ask them to cover labour.

[david1702198]

cant say ive ever seen a damaged piston in all the snapped timing belt repairs ive done, the valves are designed to bend when contact is made so that no damage is done to either the piston crown or the cylinder head itself