Cambelt snapped on van today....what to do?!

[edrobbo8]

So I finished at lunchtime today as had a chiropractor appointment this afternoon, left home to go to appointment and 400 yards down road...BANG...cambelt snapped. Brilliant end to the week.

Van is a Vivaro on a 53 plate, 165000 miles. A second hand engine is £400-£700. Plus labour to fit. And being without a van for a week or two, which I really can't afford at the moment.

This year alone I have spent about £1500 on it having a new starter, new alternator and air flow sensor, so I would like to get something back for it! Sell on ebay as spares or repairs??

Does anybody have any knowledge of the best lease hire or finance deals? Is that the way to go?

Business has been busy for last few months, I am a one man band at the moment, but really need a van for next week and the week after!!

 

[dan86]

Not so good mate! what area are you in?
Outa curiousity-why have you spent money on it and just ignored the timing belt? It's the Most important thing to get done! From memory on your van, it's every 5 years or 72k whichever is sooner. May be wrong on that but don't have my technical data to hand.
Also, why would you be without a van for a week or two? It's only 2 days work max to fit a replacement engine. Go to a decent independent garage.
And ffs- if you go down the road of a replacement engine, unless you can verify 100% the belt had been changed, have it done before its fitted!

 

[dingledong]

I can remember my fan belt snapping many years ago about 2 in the morning up the road in the distance was a 24 hour service station . So walked up there only me and I bloke behind me
I asked do you sell fan belts
No he said
That's me flicked when the man behind said what motor I told him and he said I have one of those walked to his house and he gave the the fan belt for nothing
Now that was a coincidence ( and it was a rare motor at the time about 25 years old )
Any one else had coincidences like that

 

[edrobbo8]

The belt was done at 60000 and then just after I bought it at 110000 miles. When it was serviced last in April the garage said should be ok until next year! Just one of those things. Am in Cheltenham.

The main problem is it is only worth £1500-£2000 running, and if its £1000 to replace the engine, plus the £1200 spent on it in April, it also needs 4 new tyres fairly soon and new brakes all round....that's another £600-£800, total this year of £3000!!!

To me its come to the end of its useful life!

 

[Octopus]

The belt was done at 60000 and then just after I bought it at 110000 miles. When it was serviced last in April the garage said should be ok until next year! Just one of those things. Am in Cheltenham.

The main problem is it is only worth £1500-£2000 running, and if its £1000 to replace the engine, plus the £1200 spent on it in April, it also needs 4 new tyres fairly soon and new brakes all round....that's another £600-£800, total this year of £3000!!!

To me its come to the end of its useful life!

So £250 per month - what could you get on a loan for a decent set of wheels using that as your budget?

I'd avoid leasing etc - you won't own the thing.

 

[davesparks]

And the moral of the story is:
Never trust the manufacturers stated interval for can belt changes, I do mine at half of that. All the mechanically inclined types I know agree that half the stated lifetime is about right (not from commercial interest but with regards their own vehicles)

Also recommended oil change intervals are not good for the life of your engine, the whole point of the extended service intervals they claim is to make sure that they sell more cars as the others die early!

 

[Brightspark2]

We had a timing belt snap on an old transit and all it needed was a new belt!...good as new again, served us for a few more years..

That thing was built like a tank...drove like a tank too, you needed be on steroids to turn the wheel!! (No power steering back then)

 

[davesparks]

It all depends on the engine, if it's an old school diesel with the cam in the block rather than overhead then it's more than likely the only damage will be a few bent pushrods.
One of these modern overhead cam jobbies is pretty much guaranteed to be an engine rebuild or replacement.