Astra G Timing Belt Kit

[tuzinski]

I had my car serviced not to long ago for the timing belt at holden

ive now taken it back as there is a clicking noise coming from the timing belt region which has been diagnosed to be the tensioner, which im sure that that it is included with the timing belt kit and should of been changed.

am i right to say that its included with the timing belt kit and should of been changed on the service of the timing belt?

or am i missing something....

[CNBLU]

Holden probably never changed it. You sure they did the water pump too?

[tuzinski]

Holden probably never changed it. You sure they did the water pump too?
yea i have no idea
i paid for it to be replaced...

the wanks think they can slug me $320 more for the tensioner, they will get a nice ear full from me and my dad tomorrow.

ill get him to ask for them to prove that the water pump is new as my car was running quite hot on a 38*C day here in sydney
it was sitting just before the red bit on the temp guage (just a bit after the 100 marker)

is there anyway to see if the water pump is new or old from just looking at it?

cheers for your help Gav

[poita]

ring autovaux and get pricing on it ;)
you will pleasently surprised

[Ice]

F**ken Holden ! I mean seriously who does the work for them ? they suck BIG STYLE

[tuzinski]

ring autovaux and get pricing on it ;)
you will pleasently surprised
its going to free with holden as there is warranty on the parts they replace
so they need to fix it free :D

[poita]

fair enough :)

[J]

When I was ringing around to price up the timing belt kit, all the Holden dealerships say they don't come in a kit. But according to Autovaux, they CAN supply a kit, and it should include the belt, the tensioner, and 2 idler pulleys. (someone please correct me if I am wrong!) Autovaux also won't warrant the timing belt kit unless the water pump is changed at the same time. And why not? Save on labour, and peace of mind for only a few more bucks, especially with Autovaux pricing!


ill get him to ask for them to prove that the water pump is new as my car was running quite hot on a 38*C day here in sydney it was sitting just before the red bit on the temp guage (just a bit after the 100 marker)

is there anyway to see if the water pump is new or old from just looking at it?

My goodness, past 100? That's insane! If it's due to a dud thermostat, you'd think a decent mechanic would spot that and let you know how much it'd cost before they fix it for you! Then again, a "decent mechanic" is probably unheard of in most dealerships. I hope they haven't done anything stupid, such as disconnecting the electric thermal fan!

I had my 120,000 km service done recently with a private mechanic. Timing belt kit, water pump, coolant, spark plugs, gearbox oil, 82-degree thermostat etc. During those same 38-degree days, with the air con on, I haven't seen the needle past 90!

As for differentiating old water pump from new, I can't give you a definitive answer! But common sense would tell me that an old water pump won't turn as easily as a new one. In my case, my old one had a 6- to 7-fin beige plastic impeller that actually has deeper fins than my new one from Autovaux. But the impeller from Autovaux has more fins (about 10? I can't remember), and is made of metal. My mechanic says my old water pump still turns fine. Perhaps I can call him and see if he still has it?

EDIT: Of course, you can always ask them to give you the old parts post-service, as proof that they have actually replaced the required items, couldn't you?

[tuzinski]

haha of the phone with holden they are telling its the drive belt tensioner, which leads me to believe that the timing belt and drive belt are two differnt things
WTF they think im stupid

btw this is the part number 90871758
can anyone look it up...?

[CNBLU]

my bet would be that they changed the belt only and not the tensionors or water pump, all that strain from your new belt is being put on old pump and tensioners...somethings gotta give. You are dealing with some dodgy people.

[SKM_87]

ask for your old parts back with dealerships. even if you throw them out on your way out the door. then you know its been replaced.

timing belt - cams, crank water pump
drive belt - a/c, alt, crank

there are two kit for timimg belts. with the tensioners and pulleys and without. get them to replace the bearing, ask for the old one back and seen it its the same as one on your drive belt if not it'll be a timing belt one which you should of had done i take and the you have permission to cut nuts at them

[poita]

is that the tensioner part no tuz?

[tuzinski]

yes poita that is the part number.
Are you able to check it?

[poita]

im having a look now.
what motor you have again?

[lithium]

haha of the phone with holden they are telling its the drive belt tensioner, which leads me to believe that the timing belt and drive belt are two differnt things
WTF they think im stupid

btw this is the part number 90871758
can anyone look it up...?

the drive belt and timing belt are two different belts

the timing belt is behind the black cover on the drivers side of your engine - you can't see it unless you open up the cover
the drive belt is the black rubber belt also on the drivers side of your engine. you can see it when you lift the bonnet. it runs the auxillary systems such as the air con and alternator by connecting them to the engine crankshaft

both belts have tensioners to keep them taut - the drive belt tensioner is a spring-loaded arm, the timing belt tensioner is something else under the black cover. Holden are saying that the spring loaded arm is starting to fail. unfortunately this arm is quite independent from the work you've ask them to do, so its going to be hard to argue that this repair is related to the other one

if the ticking started happening immediately after they worked on the car, you could try to argue that they messed up the drive belt tensioner when they did the timing belt change, as the drive belt does needs to come off when the change is done. its possible they did but its a bit of a long shot unfortunately

if they insist on not coming to a good resolution, buy the tensioner from autovaux and do it yourself, or ask an independent mechanic - for a mech it's literally a 20 minute job

i'd be more worried about the overheating you've seen to be honest! good luck and i hope you get a good resolution

[tuzinski]

im having a look now.
what motor you have again?
i have the newer electric throttle (z18 i think it is) one

[ROCCO]

my bet would be that they changed the belt only and not the tensionors or water pump, all that strain from your new belt is being put on old pump and tensioners...somethings gotta give. You are dealing with some dodgy people.


I agree with CNBLU...I just did my wifes change on her G (I own a H) you can buy the timing belt kit from holden I did this from Preston Motors here in Vic. I definitly comes with the tensioner, belt, 2 pullys plus all the bolts...also did the thermo housing and thermo, water pump and hoses as well...all up cost me $700 there abouts...all work I did my self took me all up roughly 5 hours work on a saturday....I would be very surprised if they didn't change the tensior etc and only the belt.

[ASTRAY]

I agree with CNBLU...I just did my wifes change on her G (I own a H) you can buy the timing belt kit from holden I did this from Preston Motors here in Vic. I definitly comes with the tensioner, belt, 2 pullys plus all the bolts...also did the thermo housing and thermo, water pump and hoses as well...all up cost me $700 there abouts...all work I did my self took me all up roughly 5 hours work on a saturday....I would be very surprised if they didn't change the tensior etc and only the belt.

just a thought, maybe when holden orders for themselves they order the belt only.
and when a customer orders they order the whole kit so as to create more profit for themselves. being a higher priced kit it would have a larger profit.
the below are just examples, not actual pricing
eg, belt only, costs holden $50 and they sell for $70 = $20 profit.
complete kit costs holden $500 and they sell for $700 +$200 profit.

though what id say they do, is buy complete kits even if only belt is needed, and keep all the extra bits for themselves for future repairs on other cars. this would lead to even better profits.

these are only suggestions...

[Jerram]

IMHO it's silly to get anything other than a service or a mystery fault done at a Holden Dealer. They charge ridiculous prices and don't do the job properly. Eg. when they replaced my Cam sensor they didn't put a clip back on. When they replaced my washer jets (poorly), they pocketed the rubber covers. When they did something, they broke the cover on my Washer tank. It's pretty crap really.

Btw I just did a timing belt change - used a kit I imported from the UK with Idler etc, got a local mechanic to fit it for me - cost my $350 (would've been just 120 if I'd fit it myself). That's half the price Holden were gonna charge. And, while they were doing the belt change, they noticed a small worn gasket and replaced it FREE! You'd never get that with Holden.

atm I'm in the process of changing my engine mounts and gearbox mount - all up holden wants $1100.....so far I've got the parts and it's only cost me $150.

[ROCCO]

from the O.Ps point of view its all very well and good telling him what he should have done...honestly mate what you should do...take your car back to holden tell them whats happened i'm sure push come to shove they will repair it free. If not theres always places like ACA or todaytonight that i'm sure will take up your story...there always looking for dodgy mechanics and Holden would be one of the biggest.