Broken cam belt - is the garage to blame? | Ask Honest John

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Broken cam belt - is the garage to blame?

I have a 10 year old Ford Focus. It broke down recently and the AA came out and said the cam belt was broken. The car was towed to my local dealership/garage where I have the car serviced. The garage has estimated repair costs far above the value of the car, which means I have no option but to buy a new car.

However it has been suggested to me that the cam belt should have been changed at around six years or 60,000 miles. Despite having the car serviced every year for at the same Ford garage, I have never been advised to change the cam belt. Has the Ford garage been negligent?

Asked on 6 December 2013 by LE74

Answered by Honest John

They should have reminded you and I think the service book does anyway. But it is actually rare for these belts to break.

Tags: legal and consumer advice cam belt failure technical issues

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