Timing Belt Saga, formerly Timing belt SHREDING plastic cover Options

[devilsden97]

So i brought my car to the shop to replace the water pump specificly, but i also had them do the timing belt. Long story short, they have had it a week....makes me laugh but it really doesnt matter cuz im away at school.

I called today, and the mechanic was like:

Mechanic:"uh yeah we had to order a new timing belt cover....the timing belt was coming off at the bottom and shreding the plastic cover...actually the only thing keeping the timing belt on, was the plastic housing. Were still waiting on the part from toyota."

me: "U ordered it from toyota?"

Mechanic: "yeah i called all over, no one has it"


SOOOOO i find this hard to believe considering it is a 5sfe super comon in like EVERY toyota. And has anyone seen this, where the timing belt is coming off, but the plaster cover keeps it on?

And Hi to everyone, i know ive been away a LONG time.

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Oct 22, 2009 - 4:15 PM

[Giel-celica]

Before u put the plastic cover on you have to make sure you put the metal ring to the crankshaft sprocket.
This metal rings prevents the timing belt fromm coming off.

If u forget to put this ring back the timing belt want's to come off and starts shreding the plastic cover.

[presure2]

yea migga, they forgot the washer that goes on the crank pully.

[devilsden97]

so probably will happen again unless I tell them to get that part eh?

edit: PN# Please. Im gonna call the shop tomrow, ask if the crank has it... if not, ill have them order it and add it onto my tab.

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Oct 12, 2009 - 8:07 PM

[devilsden97]

Called the shop. Spoke to the actual mechanic that worked on my car...different story.

guy says "looks like the original timing belt" (my car has 107k miles on it)

me: "believe it was done 2x b4 this"

guy: "with the number of cracks in it, and the size, id say its original. Also 2 tensioners went out, and your timing belt actually skiped a tooth....so thats about 18degrees of timing. if u skipped another tooth or 2 you might have had serious issues"

me: "WTF?!"

guy: "yeah but the crack retainer is there, and the parts should be in today."


?!!! like wow....i hate this car.

[Nartanian]

It's not the car. Those mechanics sound shadey to me man. Seems that they can't get their facts straight.

[Dr_Tweak]

Obviously they're not aware that the engine is non-interference. Also there is a thick washer behind the tensioner pulley that must be in place, if it is missing the timing belt will shred itself.

-Doc

[cardshark525]

I'm having some similar issues.

Do you have any idea what you're total is going to be $$$ wise?

I need my timing belt done, water pump and a new alternator and was quoted at just under a grand...

[presure2]

Called the shop. Spoke to the actual mechanic that worked on my car...different story.

guy says "looks like the original timing belt" (my car has 107k miles on it)

me: "believe it was done 2x b4 this"

guy: "with the number of cracks in it, and the size, id say its original. Also 2 tensioners went out, and your timing belt actually skiped a tooth....so thats about 18degrees of timing. if u skipped another tooth or 2 you might have had serious issues"

me: "WTF?!"

guy: "yeah but the crack retainer is there, and the parts should be in today."


?!!! like wow....i hate this car.

wow, sounds like you got yourself a guy who is either trying to rip you off migga, or whos not at all familiar with the 5s.
there is only one tensioner, and an idler, and like tweak said, the 5s is non interference, and the washer behind the tensioner.

[soulshadow]

You went to a ****ty mechanic who obviously either doesn't know what they are doing or is trying to shave your head bald.
They prob lost that washer in the process and didn't know what the F' they were doing so now the belt is coming off. I would make them pay for it, its mostly neglect.
This is why you go to somebody who specializes in certain types of cars and not something domestic and all around.

[devilsden97]

ive had issue b4 with this guy saying my serpentine belt was forming cracks, and it probally should be replaced. This was about 3 years ago. im just replacing the belt now, cuz its actually making noise. I went back to them because a buddy said that they are really stand up guys, so i figured maybe it was bad luck.

I assume when he said "tensioners" plural he ment idler and tensioner. i dont see anyreason for a I4 to have more then one tensioner.

And to answer your question, i was quoted 750 to 800, for:

waterpump
thermostat
radiator
upper rad hose
lower rad hose
timing belt
serp belt

they have added:(assumed)

idler
tensioner
5sfe timing belt cover

I assume the new price will be $1k or a little more

edit: The mechanic is a "general" mechanic , he doesnt specialize in anything. I prpbally will not be going back to him. I assumed that being the 5sfe is used in pretty much every toyota under the sun, that its a pretty general motor.... oh well lol

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Oct 13, 2009 - 8:25 PM

[hurley97]

wow, did you hear the belt hitting the cover?? Because if you didn't (and you would have heard it if it was bad enough to need to replace it) I'm going to guess they did something wrong the first time they did the timing belt (i.e. not putting the washer on the crank pulley) and are re-doing it now or half-ass re-doing it. And there is absolutely no reason it should be taking them this long to do. Waiting on parts my arse, for a 5S, the local dealer should either have it in stock or be able to get it next day (worse case scenario the cover takes 2-3 days). I would be ripped at them if I were you.

[Stambo]

I think where i work we charged i think 400-500 for new timing belt, pullys, and water pump. That all seems pretty good priced to me.

I know from experience nothing ever works out as planned. Sometimes you can luck out and use the old parts, and sometimes you gotta get new ones because its broken.

[devilsden97]

called the shop today. Should be done tomorrow. lol

[devilsden97]

update: FML

2 weeks its been at the shop. I just called (10 minutes ago) cuz they said it would be done yesturday, and the mechanic asks

Mechanic: "is this the stock motor for this car?"
me: "yes ofcourse, its the original as well, from the factory"
Mech: "well we use the vin # to order parts and everything we have ordered has been incorrect so far. The most recent being the crank seal...we got it yesturday and tried to put it on but it wasnt the right size"


...like seriously, i told u it was the was the 2.2L 5sfe engine when i dropped it off......

my real question is, Are the crank seal (on Timing Belt end) the same on the 7afe and 5sfe? (i assume they are different, i just wanna find out if im getting the run around)

Gracias to all.

[Nartanian]

Ur getting screwed man. 2 weeks? It took me and a friend that long to do a head swap, timing belt, and water pump dude.

[azian_advanced]

it's common for autobody shops to keep the car longer than the expected time of completion.. but this just shows their optimism and in reality (especially when working on cars) the 1-2 day job can really take 4-5 days taking into account the wait for parts and misc mishaps. but in this case something sounds fishy to me as 2 weeks is far too long of a job. if the timing belt wasn't shredding before you brought the car in and it is doing it now, it's probably due to incorrect installation. of course the repair shop is likely gonna deny it's their fault. i wouldn't be surprised if you recheck their work after getting the car back that misc bolts are put in to hold the timing belt covers, splash guards, etc etc. just to quickly get the job done and over with and get you your car back asap.

i've had my hood replaced and minor body work and paint done this summer and it took them 6 f*ckin weeks when it was only supposed to be 2 weeks. never going back to that place again as I know they quickly wanted my business then put the car on the back burner and gave me excuses that their only painter was on holidays. BS because for a shop that big they cannot have 1 painter and 10+ cars waiting for paint. /rant

anyway personally i would just accept the wait instead of having them rush it (not saying that you are, but i'm just saying).. and tell your buddy that you've had a bad experience with them TWICE and will not recommend the guy to others. your buddy is probably buddies with the mechanic maybe?

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Oct 20, 2009 - 12:16 PM

[devilsden97]

Life gets better.....


Cars done. Mechanic just wants to take it for a test drive, make sure its all squared away. Awesome right? I show up at 4:30 to pick up the car, assuming he has done all of it, still hasn't...


oh yeah, and there was a storm with some hardcore wind... branch fell and ownd my car..... Couple hundred bucks worth of damage to the front hood and bumper..he said hell pay for it. (get it back to how it was) just ugh, im tired of it, i just want my car back.

The Saga Continues.... till next time

[presure2]

wow, migga, it REALLY sounds like you need to find a new mechanic.

you should have come up here, with the parts, and we could have done the work you needed in an afternoon.

sorry bout your luck, just make sure they fix the car PROPERLY.
if you need a hand down the road, just gimme a buzz. if you dont have the # anymore just PM me.

[devilsden97]

update:

mechanic finally called. Cars done and fixed. "better then when it was new..but..."

u see where this is going?


wants me to split the body shop cost with him.


IT WAS HIS TREE THAT HE DIDNT FREAKING TRIM!

(when he told me about the damage, he offerd to pay for it right away, so i said "its no big deal" (thats his defense) so he wants me to pay half)


Any legal issues with me TOTALLY refusing to pay? (for the body damage portion, its $125 additional)

edit: btw it goes without saying, i wont be going back to this shop EVER

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Nov 5, 2009 - 6:03 PM

[laff09]

Yeah, he can't do that. Theres this little box on a work order, where people sign... yeah thats not you signature on the body shop work order. It would be thrown out in court.


*edit* I still think it would be appropriate to compensate the mechanic for the timing belt job however; Yeah it took him 2 or 3 weeks, but he did do the job right?

This post has been edited by laff09: Nov 6, 2009 - 7:46 AM

[devilsden97]

Yeah, he can't do that. Theres this little box on a work order, where people sign... yeah thats not you signature on the body shop work order. It would be thrown out in court.


*edit* I still think it would be appropriate to compensate the mechanic for the timing belt job however; Yeah it took him 2 or 3 weeks, but he did do the job right?

absolutly. i plan to pay him (what he quoted me, or very close to it) for the timing belt and such. Im just going to go to the shop in the next few days, say im here to pick up my car and then if he tries to pull something, just call the cops. wish me luck! lol

[benzo]

very interesting story.. so how did it go?? did you car turn out ok?

[erahman85]

Yeah don't pay him for that body work that's BS like someone said its his f-in tree. I don't think you could get in trouble for that. You could probably even get away with paying him just for what you had initially asked him to do. all the extra stuff that happened because of bad installation , tell him to f off, HE caused it. If he has a problem with it then let him find you and take you to small claims court. But did you go already?

[devilsden97]

i havnt picked the car up yet, i go to school in NYC and i live there part time. i spent the weekend in NYC cuz i had alot of work to do. Probally pick it up....thursday? yikes right. but ive waited a month already whats a few more days right?

[richee3]

A few more days.. Isn't that what he told you to begin with? I understand that you don't live there, but sheesh... I'd get that car away from this guy before he can do anything else to it!

[devilsden97]

one month update:

picked up the car today! yeah!......NOT


Quoted me $800. Made me pay $1124.60 for arbitrary replaced items (like idler tensioner/spring <---keep this in mind)

He didnt say anything about the damage to the car. SOOOOO i looked the cars damaged spot over, paid, and left. Straight to my house to see if he replaced everything else.....he did. I head to my girls place. Hang with her, in a really good mood... etc etc.

go to leave. I drive down her road, get to a "T" intersection with a stop sign........~*CEL*~ car dies.....oil pressure light comes on.......

FML!

Try to start it back up....cranks...no fire....anyone wanna guess what happend? (remember hint from b4)

BINGO! timing belt fell off (so i assume) Oh... and that ****ty body shop, took my bumper off, and for some reason took off the clips that keep the Black Rubber retainer onto my lights, and now....they are gone...no longer there... i had them ALL....now the retainers dont stay in. THIS F*CKER is getting a piece of my mind tomorow when he goes to tow the car.



so the SAGA continues...........

[Nartanian]

This is just outright wrong. Time to escalate it to court man.

[devilsden97]

NEED THE PARTNUMBER for the CLIPS that hold the rubber rings for the head lights to the headlamp housing....

mechanic says they dont exist....i can pull my rubber seals out by hand...thanks in advance.

[95CelicaST]

I can't find a part number on 1sttoyotaparts.com for the clips, but you'll need the clips and the seal. If toyota can't find a part number, then make him buy you new lowbeams.

This entire situation is fubar. Tell him to reimburse you for the timing belt and labor and take it somewhere else.

[devilsden97]

Final update: They put the belt back on this morning after they towed it. had it done by 1230. Cuz i flipped on their tow truck driver.


so final tally:

$1124.60 gets you:

timing belt.....needed to be done 2x
radiator
upper and lower rad hoses
tensioner
tensioner spring
idler pully
5sfe timing belt cover
serp belt

37 days without a car....1 trip the body shop.....1 scratch down to the bare metal.....missing interior bolt covers......missing 2x low beam rubber seal retaining clips....and a massive thread that finally can be put to a close.....



For now. lol really hope i never bump this thread again. Thanks for Reading all.

This post has been edited by devilsden97: Nov 13, 2009 - 11:57 PM