Expensive timing chain failure on my BMW 118d - who is liable?
The timing belt on my BMW 118d, 07 reg, with 59,000 miles on the clock broke last week and I am told by my local dealer that it cost £800 to strip down the engine and identify the fault. They then told me yesterday that it would cost £5000 to repair the damage done to the engine. I have a BMWFSH. Is it reasonable for the timing belt to go at this mileage and in a car that I thought was a top of the range marque?
This 2.0-litre diesel engine does not have a timing belt. It has a timing chain. The timing chain should have lasted the life of the car. So this calls into question the service regime the car has been subjected to. If the poor condition of the oil caused the chain to fail, it's down to the servicing and I think you have a small claims track case against the dealer to demand that he repairs the engine FOC. If it's down to the oil pump failing, then this is a different reason and more difficult to argue.
Answered by Honest John on
