I have a Vectra 1.9TDCi registered in June 2006 with 71,205 on the clock. Last Monday, whilst driving home, the temperature shot up and the engine started making rattling noises without warning. The car was recovered to the local Vauxhall garage where they identified that one of the cam belt rollers had failed causing the cam belt to snap. During this failure, the water pump got damaged as did the head and valve system. The dealer approached Vauxhall who declined to pay for the repairs on the grounds that the car is out of its 3 year 60,000 mile warranty. The dealer advises me that there is a service advisory for replacing the cambelt and tensioners at 90,000 and the auxiliary rollers if noisy. My argument is that Vauxhall should pay for the repairs, irrespective of the fact that the mileage is greater than the specified warranty mileage, because:
- the car is within the timescale of the warranty
- the car has a full Vauxhall service history
- I've never been instructed by a dealer that the affected parts should be replaced
As the auxiliary roller has failed there can be only two causes: it is not a robust design. Do you know if this is a frequently occurring failure in this engine? How can I find out who the supplier is / if they are located in a low cost (low quality) country / what their quality accreditation status. In either case, I believe that nothing I have done would have changed the circumstances of failure. Do you think this is a valid argument? Do you have any suggestions as to how else I can address this with Vauxhall as there is no way I can afford the repair bill of £1,781.64 as quoted by the dealer. I'd very much appreciate your comments.