dealer bent engine valves

[2cents]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? MD

My car is out of warranty but it was repaired in a dealer through an extended warranty specific for the intake camshaft. After the repair, they told me I needed an extra $1500 camshaft timing chain and double dip on the same warranty labor. I declined the repair as the engine was initially running good and the car had low millage. When I picked up the car, it run really bad and I took it to a different shop that specializes on those cars to find out what they did. Remember, the dealer claimed the car run bad because it now needed $1500 chain.

The second shop found the camshaft timing wrong and the $1500 chain/parts good.

I went back to the dealer and showed then the video and pictures. They told me to bring the car back. However, I told the other shop to adjust the timing as I didn't want to go back there. Unfortunately, after adjusting the timing, they also found the intake valves bent (engine with close tolerance cylinder-valves). Bad camshaft timing can damage the valves in these engines. When I took the car back to the dealer, they denied responsibility because the other shop did the timing, not them. They said I cannot prove they damaged the valves.

But if I had brought back the car to the dealer without knowing anything, they would ask for $1500 first and then create another story about the valves later. So I would lose any way.

Then I wrote to the customer service parent company to report my story. The customer service agreed with the dealer because the other shop did the timing, making the dealer not responsible for the valves (even if I have videos). Remember, the dealer firts installed the camshaft with incorrect timing, which bent the valves. Then the second shop corrected the timing, making the engine run better, but found the valves bent.

Where to go from here?

 

[single317dad]

In my admittedly limited experience with engines with bent valves (amateur race mechanic for stock/thunder cars on local dirt tracks for about 12 years), engines with bent intake valves will always run terribly - if at all - and no amount of cam timing adjustment will make them "run better". In my opinion that damage probably lies with the second shop. If you want to pin it on the first shop, you'll probably need an unbiased expert witness that will disagree with me.

I don't think you should have taken the vehicle to the second shop; that complicated things quite a bit. I think you're going to need a lawyer to get anything sorted between the two shops, the warranty provider, and your damaged wallet. Even then, I'm not sure you can prove any specific party owes you.

 

[HighwayMan]

What kind of car is this that has a timing chain that costs $1500?

 

[racer72]

What kind of car is this that has a timing chain that costs $1500?

Due to the complexity of many new cars, timing chain or belt replacement can cost this much or more. Along with replacement of the timing chain or gears, it is often suggested and rightly so, that other parts be replaced at the same time such as timing gears, water pumps, timing sensors and hoses. My daughter just spent about this much for this service on an 8 year old Acura. I have heard Volkswagens cost much more.

 

[justalayman]

Agreed with racer

My kids car requires about $1000 for a timing BELT which generally requires less labor and parts than a timing chain.

If you toss in the suggested water pump (it's buried such that it requires about the same labor to do a water pump by itself) and it is near $1400


To the OP;

If you have that video you alluded to and it clearly shows the camshaft timing to be incorrect I would look into pushing the issue, including suing if necessary for the costs to repair the engine.

Without the video I suspect it will be a tough case to prove but not insurmountable necessarily.

 

[HighwayMan]

My impression from reading the post was that the OP was saying that the part cost that much, not the job.