Should they have known?

[creedy]

Recently the camshaft on our car snapped totally while my partner was on the motorway. The RAC towed it to a garage and my partner told them we needed it fixing and probably asked for it as cheap as possible. When I went to pick it up they told me it was running very badly and they thought the valves had been damaged and it would cost another �250 to fix. At this point I asked if it would run without them and they said it would but not as well. I said I couldn't afford it so took the car and paid the �250 for the camshaft. My question is, would they have known that the valves probably would have been busted and the car wouldn't run properly when they first found out it was the camshaft? I feel as if they misinformed us as if we had of known it was going to be a �500 job beforehand, we would have scrapped the car. Our car has now completely stopped four days after picking it up and the RAC says it doesn't even have enough pressure to start let alone drive.

Any advice would be helpful as I'm not sure how to tackle this with the garage!

[bednobs]

I had a cam belt go on my car once. Luckilt it was stationary in traffic at the time so did not damamge at all to the valves

[jake-the-peg]

It sounds to me as if there was a miscommunication.

When the garage said it would run but not as well they probably thought you were asking if it would get you home - which it clearly did.

You seem to have understood from their answer that it would run indefinately but maybe not as fast or as efficiently.

With most engines damage to the cam belt or cam shaft is highly likely to cause the valves to strike the pistons and get damaged and they will have known this.

I wouldn't be surprised if they even noted possible valve damage unrepaired on the receipt?

Sorry but I think that if you asked them to fix it as cheaply as possible and they told you that there was likely to be additional damage and you told them not to fix it you're going to be very lucky to get anywhere with this.

[Dave-Sandra]

I would have thought that the garage would have done a compresion test first before they replaced the camshaft unless your partner told them not too? If he did not then ask them why they did not check this in the first place as it is logical if a camshaft breaks it can effect the valves bending the shafts as well as damaging the cylinder head. Also check to see if you have legal cover on your car or house insurance and then use it to see if you can take matters further.

[Bazza2764]

any decent mechanic would know that valve damage could occur if the camshaft breaks and i reckon they should have at least warned you this could have happened and how much it would be to replace, replacing the valves is a timely job, as they have to be ground in (my sons a mechanic and he did his own when his timing belt snapped and damaged some but not all of the valves on his clio) took him 3 days to do the job at home as he was working full time and then doing it after work.
as you say you feel misinformed about the situation, im really surprised they would rebuild the head and camshaft knowing the valves were damaged, im not sure that you have recourse to blame the garage you say had they done that you would have scrapped the car, but for them to really know if any damage has occured to the vales they would have to strip it down anyhow, with no compression in the piston chambers the car is never going to fire, unless the valves are changed and re ground in. i think if they had told you you would have had the option to scrap the car before being handed a bill for �250

[Toureman]

First of all it is very unlikely your camshaft broke.

Your camshaft belt broke because the car was never serviced properly.

When this happens your cylinder head would need overhauling, there is no way to do this cheaply, after this is done a new cambelt would be fitted and the car would run OK.

The garage should never have fitted a new cambelt without checking what damage was caused to the cylinder head components first.

[tufty7]

depending on what car it is, when a cam belt snaps/ cam shaft breaks it all depends on how quick the engine is stopped, this will decipher if the valves are bent with contact from the pistons etc etc etc , if you were trying to start it for a few minutes afterwards then damage could have been done ,
Unfortunately it is an expensive repair to have, looking on the bright side you are fortunate to have been in the RAC else it would have cost you another �250 to get towed off the motorway as well.....
I would ask the garage what they exactly did for �250, did they replace the cam belt or cam shaft?? and if you feel that you have been ripped off dicuss this with the rac as they may have some power over the garage and may be able to asssist you in getting it resolved

[matt1e]

its not only the cylinder head that can get damaged but also the pistons too especially if the car is moving
I would have thought that as your husband was on the moterway when it happened the garage should have known that the chance of there being no engine damage would have been virtually nil