peugeot 406 1900 diesel turbo cam belt

[pal]

after approx 70000 miles i had my cam belt changed at the local garage. 600 miles later the belt shreds/breaks, snaping the cam shaft and who knows what else.
the mechanic swears he checked everything, bearings ect... and felt that none of them needed replacing.
he wont accept any responsibility and says it was the outer liner bearing that went.
he says the cam belt has self adjusting on it so he couldnt have over tightened it.
anybody out there help me?
i feel he is responsible but what can i do?

[KebabMeister]

The automatic self-adjuster only takes up the slack; I would never trust it because it's not accurate enough.  The ones I were familiar with had a spring loaded pulley that acted against the belt.  That would take the slack up and then you'd tighten the pulley so it's fixed (no longer adjustable).  The engine should then be turned over a few times and rechecked.  I used to then start the engine, rev it at a few different ranges and then recheck the tension.

Was the belt making a noise after fitting?  Like a howling/whistling sound?  That's normally the sound of it being over tensioned.

What does he mean by outer liner bearing?

Is it a Peugeot garage?

You say 600 miles after the belt change, but how long in days/months?  Is there any warranty/guarantee mentioned on the invoice?

The same engine used to be used in Rovers and I've never come across that problem.

I would seriously consider going to your Citizens Advice Bureau and asking for their advice.

Also have a look at http://www.rmif.co.uk/

[pal]

thanks for the info
the belt guide bearing is what he meant i think.
not a peugeot garage but a garage i have been going to for years(never again though).
went 2 months after fitting.
im checking the invoice now.

[AllYourBase]

I think there is a strong case here. I would get a report from another garage (might cost a few quid, but worth it) and then take the case up with local trading standards. A couple of headed letters should do the trick,