Tensioner failure after garage messed with timing - advice please

[Zac]

Had the car mapped by Darkside 4 weeks ago, who played with the timing... and now the timing belt tensioner has failed. It looks like they've overtightened it because the stud for the tensioner has chewed into the head, elongating the hole; I now need a mobile engineer to helicoil, a new tensioner stud and replacement cam belt kit to get the car running. No problems prior at all, belt was last changed 50k ago.

I'll be speaking with them as soon as they're open, but expect them to palm me off. What advice do people have with proceeding with this? Absolutely gutted as they're supposed to be a VAG specialist with good rep'.

Thanks

 

[Sayam]

I'd say that if they do offer anything get it in writing. if you send anything send it recorded delivery so that there is proof of postage and proof they received it

Don't these belts last around 60k anyway? I know Audi come up with stupid intervals between cambelt change but I don't buy into that at all

 

[Lewis583]

My question would be why have they played with the cam/crank timing when it only had a remap? I've never heard of a simple remap requiring physical cam/crank timing adjustment.

Unless the timing was incorrectly set when the belt was changed "50k miles" ago.
In which case if the previous repairer can't set timing right what's to say they used a torque wrench to tighten the tensioner and Darkside are just unfortunate enough to try and correct someone elses **** up for it to bite them in the ****.

Either way wait until they are open and speak to them.

 

[Zac]

Yeah they said that the timing was out, hence adjustment. Last belt change was performed at an Audi dealer with genuine parts, unsure how they could get it too far wrong with the correct cam locking pins/locking tool for the crank?

They did seem very rushed, and he'd admitted to overbooking on that day. You raise a valid point, but the car never ran poorly; never down on power, never idled badly and is efficient. I wouldn't have expected a timing tissue had they not said anything. Plus they'd surely have mentioned it if they noticed a problem with the tensioner at the time? The stud would have been starting to work its way loose if the problem was 50k miles old, which they'd have noticed upon adjustment...find it odd that's it's fine for 50k miles then within a month of their adjustment it pings off. I dunno, I'm no engineer or solicitor; hence asking for opinions on how best to approach the situation.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[phil miller]

Its common for the stud to strip the threads in the Cylinder head when tightening up the tensioner, ive seen this happen many many times, the mechanic that done it would have felt it wasnt right and should have sorted it there and then, whenever we do belts we always make sure its torques up correctly and if in any doubt we helicoil it, id contact them and tell them whats happened and see what they say

 

[Rick @ Unicorn Motor Dev.]

See if they offer you any help, but there isn't really anyway you can be certain it was their fault.

Rick