True cost of a cambelt failure

Dobbs · Post by **Dobbs** » Tue Jun 11, 2013 8:52 am

NafemanNathan wrote:
vtectom wrote:My local Honda garage just quoted me £594 for a cambelt & waterpump change!!!
Rich charged me less than that when he replaced all the belts including alternator/aircon and PAS, water pump and a variety of seals, so I'm sure the additional cost was justified

Maybe @Dobbs should show the itemised list

Great minds think alike (and fools seldom differ) which is why I brought the list in today - here's the works & breakdown:

Investigate non-running - install new timing belt etc. & check compression.

Found cylinders 3 & 4 to be down on compression (leaking past valves). Remove cylinder head assembly, remove 8 valves from head, replace valves inc. lapping valves and seats to mate each other.

Refit cylinder head assembly with new head gasket, timing belts, tensioner and balance shaft belt. Reset valve clearances. Renew oil and filter and coolant.

Test run = OK.

Parts supplied:

Timing belt £38.45
Balance shaft belt £28.28
Tensioner £103.91
Retainer Kit £3.24
Oil seal £16.90
Cylinder head gasket kit £76.00
Antifreeze £11.85
Oil filter (Honda) £5.95
Oil £33.00
Power steering fluid £6.82
Valves £40.00

Total parts supplied £384.40

The rest of the bill was labor and VAT.

Replacing valves etc. in a twin-cam head assembly is not a quick process and the extras like oil, antifreeze etc. do add up. Specialists like PAW have the tools and experience to carry out these works as quickly and efficiently as possible and we know that they do a very good job. True, a local garage might save you a few £££'s in labor costs but I'd rather have my Lude worked on by the professionals.

Hope his helps,

Dobbs.

Post by **lewd lude lover** » Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:45 am

I dont think a local garage would save you any time at all when you consider they would not have an indepth knowledge of the engine, each nuts torque value or the fastest way to get something apart.

IMHO VAT is always the killer. £220 of that bill went right to the 'government' for doing jack jobby. when you consider that the job cost what, £450 in labour? thats what, 6 hours? I would like to see any other garage that charges less than 100£ per hour (and rich does by quite a bit) get the job done in that time and I still think they would take longer and with no peace of mind you didnt have a monkey pocking about in your engine.

This is what it costs to work on cars.

bennyboy · Post by **bennyboy** » Tue Jun 11, 2013 11:12 am

^^ Pretty much agree.
PAW is about 2 hours from me, I leave at 6 am and it probably costs me about £30 there and back in motion lotion, BUT as LLL says, what's that to a local garage? If I'm lucky half an hour for some monkey to poke it and suck air through his teeth before saying 'gonna be expensive mate'

The only 'downside' therefore is the 2 hour journey...all through the lovely Cotswolds...yeah, terrible.
Especially on the way back...

Post by **NafemanNathan** » Tue Jun 11, 2013 11:47 am

Exactly. I consider it a day out and a treat for both me and the car

Post by **lewd lude lover** » Tue Jun 11, 2013 1:39 pm

^^^

yes, this.

vtectom · Post by **vtectom** » Tue Jun 11, 2013 5:13 pm

When I bought my bb1 for £600 there was a plastic bag in the boot.

It contained new genuine Honda cambelt, balancer shaft belt & tensioners for both.
About £220's worth!

I got them fitted straightway

Dobbs · Post by **Dobbs** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 8:22 am

vtectom wrote:When I bought my bb1 for £600 there was a plastic bag in the boot.

It contained new genuine Honda cambelt, balancer shaft belt & tensioners for both.
About £220's worth!

I got them fitted straightway

We've never met, but I hate you already!

Dobbs.

Post by **Merlin** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 8:54 am

Wow that is a lot. A new engine may have worked out cheaper? Im doing my timing belt, water pump etc.. this weekend

Post by **NafemanNathan** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:36 am

Merlin wrote:Wow that is a lot.

Although not for what was carried out

I feel I need to keep jumping in here and defending Rich's invoice, and yes it is a lot of money, but for the work carried out and for the piece of mind knowing it was done right certainly not over the odds.

Please don't read that ^^^ as me getting knarky or think I'm simply trying to kiss Rich's ass

I just want those that don't know Rich and his services at PAW to know that he is in fact not a rip off merchant lol, and that sadly that is the kind of price you'd be looking to pay for such a job as the one he carried out for Dobbs (Which also was Dobbs's wish

)

Post by **Merlin** » Wed Jun 12, 2013 9:54 am

I am in no doubt that is the true cost, it is just that is a lot of money just to get back to square 1.