Autovaux

[brc]

Hi guys,

The adjusting pulleys(timing belt) collapsed and has buggered my car. This was fitted by L.A Smalls as recommended by guy27. The car has travelled no more than 12,000km since the new belt and has been less than 3 months also

What should I do?

[stbishop]

Most garages will give a 12 month warrantee on all workmanship and most products have a 12 month warantee if installed professionally.

I assume that you have recipts for everything?

If so, find them get ahold of L.A. Smalls and tell them you want them to do something about it, if they say it's not their problem (or similar just different wording) get ahold of the part manufacturer.

[brc]

It is at the garage now. They have informed me that it's a bodgy part and that the manufacturer / autovaux should be paying for this.

I take it either way this is not my concern?

EDIT: *shouldn't be my concern

[sooty]

It is at the garage now. They have informed me that it's a bodgy part and that the manufacturer / autovaux should be paying for this.

I take it either way this is not my concern?

EDIT: *shouldn't be my concern
You supplied the part, not L.A. Smalls, so i'm guessing you'll have to be the one to chase it up.
When you say it "buggered your car", what's the damage like?

[brc]

Bent pistons and cracked head (i think)

[guy 27]

if its the part then yes autovaux should be held liable.
i am not sure what the legalities of it is as they are not in the same country. I'm sure they will do the right thing though.

really sorry to hear this has happend. i feel really bad recommending someone and it doesn't work out 100%.

[glider]

Its going to be very difficult to get this covered by an overseas company, if they say they wont do anything, I dare say there is nothing you can do

[lithium]

ah, shit. i hope you get a good result, unfortunately because you sourced the parts from an overseas supplier it may get very complicated to get someone to take responsibility.

out of curiosity was the autovaux timing belt kit a GM one? if not, what brand was it?

[brc]

Its going to be very difficult to get this covered by an overseas company, if they say they wont do anything, I dare say there is nothing you can do

This is what I am scared of.

To think it's only 3 months before I drive my Astra Turbo,

What bullshit is this!

[glider]

hopefully they do help tho, you may have to send the part back for inspection so they can help

[brc]

if its the part then yes autovaux should be held liable.
i am not sure what the legalities of it is as they are not in the same country. I'm sure they will do the right thing though.

really sorry to hear this has happend. i feel really bad recommending someone and it doesn't work out 100%.

Guy not your fault, the people at L.A are excellent, Chris is a top bloke. I will chase this up with autovaux and see what I can do. I have the receipts and the receipt from L.A. But as stated, they are overseas and this may be messy.

How do I dial out to call them from AUS?

[guy 27]

0011 44 1924 376003

[CNBLU]

Thats bad luck buddy, plenty of people getting timing belt kits from autovaux with no issues. Good luck trying to prove that it was the part and not the labour that cause the engine to go kaka. Surely the garage would have to take on some of the responsibilty?

[Wraith]

Hmmm, interesting one...

Autovaux is the supplier, not the manufacturer of any of the parts they sell/distribute...

If somehow someone is able to prove it was a faulty part, then you would have to claim against the manufacturer of the part, perhaps through Autovaux to get to them...??

Parts and labour 'are usually' warranted through a garage shop/other professional registered works that does the full job, ie. order/recieve parts and install them, if you order on your own and then get it installed through another party, then it's hard for them the installer to warrant any parts you supplied, only the labour or worksmanship...

Sounds correct above about becoming messy, as IMO it looks to me like no one will want to take resposibility, seperate parties claiming that both supplied parts and install was all good - how are they going to prove it one way or another...??

I hope something good does come out of it though...

[delemonte]

Hi guys,

The adjusting pulleys(timing belt) collapsed and has buggered my car. This was fitted by L.A Smalls as recommended by guy27. The car has travelled no more than 12,000km since the new belt and has been less than 3 months also

What should I do?

Is it safe to assume that you got the entire timing belt kit including a new tensioner? I only ask because of the way you've described it above - it sounds a bit like you just replaced the belt... which would explain why the tensioner collapsed.

[gman]

Mate I feel for you I really do....But you're seriously between a rock and a hard place...

Your mechanic isn't liable unless you can prove faulty installation or negligence on their part that caused the part to fail as you supplied the parts.

Autovaux is going to claim that is the responsibility of the part manufacturer as they are just a part supplier. They may offer a new part at a reduced price or free if your lucky but i would be surprised if they went past that. As for sueing for damages from here to the UK, I hope you have a big bank balance as you'll need to establish that the part was at fault and then pursue them through UK courts or legal process.

I'm sorry to say mate I think your going to be mostly on your own excepting what hrlp the local guys might be prepared to offer considering your really unfortunate position..

Again, I'm really sorry to hear what happened mate....

[brc]

So far autovaux seem very keen to help, asking for my car details etc. The TB was a full kit, not just the belt itself. I guess I will just wait and see what happens.

Meh :)

[delemonte]

Well, all the best then mate! I sincerely hope it works out for you as it's pretty damn unlucky...

[Orion_996]

I'm very sorry to hear this, when I had my trubo my water pump failed and f***ed my engine, snapped belt, bent 8 out of 16 valves but luckily didn't crack the head though. Cost me a pretty penny and I really hope that you manage to work this out....

[brc]

Realistically if I can prove it was a faulty part I shouldn't have a problem with the manufacturer covering the costs as they are at fault.. But if the belt appears fine and it was just put together incorrectly then I can't honestly argue my case. I just have to hope there is sufficient evidence to show the pulleys were faulty or poorly designed.

UPDATE: cost is roughly $2.5k

[JohnBu]

Hope it works out well for you, as there are 4 separate parties it can get complicated.

Having said that Autovaux are the resellers and sell geniune parts. It could happen to any holden dealer.

[droodles]

holy crap! now i'm really nervous about buying a timing belt kit from them. awww man that sucks.

[brc]

UPDATE: the tensioner gave way, it competently lost all tension.

How can the mechanic **** this up?

The car has run for 3 months and 13,000km on this belt and I have had no issues, no noises and it has been an absolute dream.

Does this point more at the part or? I'm not very tech savvy, I'm looking for someone with some knowledge!

More information I can get the better.

[lithium]

i imagine if the tensioner gave way it's either:

1) the tensioner bolt wasn't torqued correctly when the mechanic put the belt back on. it's the mechanics fault.
2) the tensioner failed mechanically. it's the manufacturers fault.

unless you look at the tensioner itself i don't think you can say which one happened.

can you drop by the mechanic (i assume your car is still with them) and ask to see the tensioner, and ask them to explain how it failed? if the tensioner has obviously shat itself then it does sound like a part failure. if the tensioner looks like it's in good condition there is a possibility the bolt wasn't tightened properly, and it's worked itself loose.

you are pretty unlucky either way. hope you get a good result and don't end up too much out of pocket.

[brc]

i imagine if the tensioner gave way it's either:

1) the tensioner bolt wasn't torqued correctly when the mechanic put the belt back on. it's the mechanics fault.
2) the tensioner failed mechanically. it's the manufacturers fault.

unless you look at the tensioner itself i don't think you can say which one happened.

can you drop by the mechanic (i assume your car is still with them) and ask to see the tensioner, and ask them to explain how it failed? if the tensioner has obviously shat itself then it does sound like a part failure. if the tensioner looks like it's in good condition there is a possibility the bolt wasn't tightened properly, and it's worked itself loose.

you are pretty unlucky either way. hope you get a good result and don't end up too much out of pocket.

Hey lithium,

The mechanic said it was obvious the tensioner had failed. He said the bolt was still on at correct torque when inspected. He said there is no doubt after looking at the part it is manufacturing fault. He is also going to give me the part to get investigated and sent back to autovaux.

Bryce

[brc]

Hi guys,

I have the tensioner in front of me. Should I be able to spin it with ABSOLUTE ease, as in, hang it upside down and it spins itself?

It would appear ****ed?

[brc]

User fail, sorry I didn't realise exactly how the part worked. Should I be able to adjust the spring with my fingures?

[brc]

Just been to Holden and confirmed that the tensioner is not as tight as it should be, I have confirmed this with a new tensioner.

GG?

[droodles]

So that means that it's the mechanics fault.

[brc]

No,

The parts are different, it's the manufacturers fault.

[droodles]

Could you link us to the specific kit you bought? Just for curiosities sake.

[MAD-16V]

I only recently purchased a whole kit from Autovaux including the water pump - Hard to see how the tensioner would actually fail or even be a faulty - They are such a simple mechanical part.

Are you 100 percent sure you ordered the correct kit for your engine?

[glider]

No,

The parts are different, it's the manufacturers fault.

as in you were not supplied the correct part? if so that's supplier not manufacturer

[brc]

Hi guys,

The kit is definitely the correct kit for my car.

As I stated, I went to holden and looked at a genuine GM tensioner and there was more tension on the GM part.

Autovaux part #AS93185845

MAD-16V, I would suggest you do the same before you fit this to your car.. this mistake cost me over 2.5k in damages

Note: I am not doubting the mechanic could have been at fault either. I would just suggest you are on the safe side if you know what I mean

[MAD-16V]

I had the entire kit installed along with the waterpump by my local mechanic a little over 2 and a half months ago - He inspected all of the parts before installation ( he was dubious as they were not genuine ) He was more than happy with the parts ( as are thousands of other clients from autovaux )

Whatever happens mate - I feel for you - As it seems that you have been extremely unlucky.

[brc]

I had the entire kit installed along with the waterpump by my local mechanic a little over 2 and a half months ago - He inspected all of the parts before installation ( he was dubious as they were not genuine ) He was more than happy with the parts ( as are thousands of other clients from autovaux )

Whatever happens mate - I feel for you - As it seems that you have been extremely unlucky.

Thanks mate,

tbh I'm just over it, haha. I don't really care any-more, shit happens and I guess you just have to deal with it. I definatley don't question the quality of autovaux products, I have purchased a lot off them and I'm a very happy customer. I'm just stating that sometimes you can get a dud, heh.

Glad everything is going great for you mate. Your car looks great btw.

[OldF@rt]

Looking to order parts from Autovaux for the 180,000km service on my TS, but this story has scared me sh!tless. Was the original poster just extremely unlucky? Is there any particular kit or brand for the tensioner/water pump I should look for?

ta!

[guy 27]

Op was just unlucky.
just ask for genuine parts from them and they should be able to supply no issues.

[MAD-16V]

2 years on and I am still running the Autovaux aftermarket pump and timing belt kit with no problems.
Like Guy said, This guy was extremely unlucky.

[hazrd]

+1
30,000kms and over a year no dramas

[Wraith]

I've used a total of 3 Autovaux timing kits so far, 2 on my previous Calibra and 1 on a friends TS Astra and all worked/have worked fine with no issues, so definitely a rare case of bad luck consisting of component failure which unfortunately can and does happen...

AFAIK all the Autovaux kits are OEM replacement components and not other aftermarket brands ??

I have a 4th kit put aside for use in my TS turbo vert when the time comes, hopefully it's a good one with no faulty components - fingers crossed...

[OldF@rt]

Thanks for all your replies. I've decided to play safe and get our (non-Holden) mechanic to supply the parts, particularly as my wife will pay half of this service as she ran up the mileage. It's not so much a question of parts quality, but of having only direction to point the finger if anything goes wrong.

I'll probably order some non-critical components I need from Autovaux (eg gearshift gaiter) and get a relationship going that way.

[guy 27]

Gaitors get off ebay ;-)
As for Autovaux you have nothing to worry about. I order around $1k a month through them and never had any issues with the parts.