My car went in to have a cam belt change and now needs a new engine - should I have to pay?
I was advised by my local Audi dealer to change the cam belt on my five-year-old Audi A3 with 32,000 miles on the clock, so I booked it in for this and a major service. Instead of having the car returned I was told they needed it for longer as it was not yet running properly. After three days they phoned to say that the new cam belt tensioner had failed resulting in a (beyond repair) damaged engine. They needed to order a new engine (1.4 TFSI) from Germany. What is my legal position? I am reluctant to pay for any of the work they have done (they have told me that I will not need to pay for the new engine).
Your legal position is that the dealer is wholly responsible and must replace the engine at no cost to you, charging only what it would have charged for the timing belt replacement: about £500 - £600.
Answered by Honest John on
