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00 800 Jumped timing belt? - john50
10,000 miles only, serviced every year. After not using the car for about ten days it wouldn't start so I called the AA - they diagnosed a faulty battery (only one year old) and started the car so I could take it back to Quick Fit under guarantee. After about one mile the engine died as I slowed for a junction and wouldn't re-start so I called the AA again. A different patrolman arrived and connected his battery but it wouldn't start so he sprayed Easy Start everywhere and then revved the engine right up causing loud "whoofing" mis-fires to come out of the exhaust. He got me to turn the engine over while he fiddled under the bonnet until it made a loud bang and he quickly withdrew his hand. It still wouldn't start properly so he towed me to my garage and told the owner that he thought that "the timing belt is jumping a tooth" and also that he had "tried Easy Start and it locks". The garage was too busy to take the car so he towed me back home but my question now is: if I had only had a faulty battery and had driven perfectly normally for about a mile, did this second AA man cause the jumped belt (not a common fault, surely?) by over revving a mis-firing engine or some other misdemeanour on his part, and if so what is the likely cost of repair and what are my chances of getting this back from the AA? Many thanks for any advice you can give me, Regards John.
00 800 Jumped timing belt? - WorkshopTech
If the timing belt has jumped there is a possibility of serious damage to the engine, this would be expensive to fix (enything from £500 for very minor damage up to well into four figures). Cant say say how you cold get the AA to pay up, a starting point would be a damage assessment from a repairer and then a letter to AA perhaps.