I Might Have Been Stitched Up

[mudinuri]

Hi All,

I supposedly had my Cambelt changed 2 months ago by whom I thought was a genuine Mobile Mechanic(Not a regulated garage), but talking to a friend of mine yesterday, he told me there were questions marks over this particular Mechanic. I am no mechanic myself, but I can handle a socket set etc, so what I need to know is?

Is there anyway I can check that he replaced the old belt with the new one I supplied him with?

Can I get under the car and somehow check the belt condition without having to take anything off?

I now know that I should have gone to the garage which has always serviced my previous cars, but money was tight and I thought I could cut a few corners by getting it changed on the cheap.

I have probably only covered approx 400 miles since the work was carried out.

Any advice, please.

thanks

[redlew]

It is quite a job http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/110862-renew-timing-belt/ .

Did he have the car on ramps?

How much did he charge and how long did he take?

Did you pay for a kit and not just the belt?

Did you get the old belt and bits and bobs?

[gjnorthall]

You obviously have good knowledge of motor mechanics. Being a mobile operator presumably at your home - what did you observe? Not concrete proof of course but after only a short time there should be plenty of evidence of disturbance of items like the crankshaft pulley bolt, top engine mount and timing belt cover fasteners. This particular model has a fixed tensioner so the belt does loosen slightly over time - with a new belt, the timing gear is usually smoother / quieter - at least for a fair while. If the coolant pump was replaced as part of the job (as it should be) then it's not to difficult to pull the timing cover forward and observe if the pump is obviously new (the belt would have needed to be removed to change the pump).

You wouldn't be the first to be conned in connection with a timing belt renewal job. It's not foolproof but it's a good idea to ask for old parts to be retained - it would be difficult to magic up an old timing belt of the correct type.