Hi All,

I'm a newbie here.......first post.

The water pump on my 7.5 yr old 1.9 TDi failed on Friday and the cam belt was shredded - basically I need a complete rebuild of the engine. The independent local garage is quoting appx £1,300 for the job. The car itself (assuming it was working) is worth around the same amount. The car is a 2001/Y Elegance with 102k on the clock and in good-ish condition.

Its the first real problem I've had with the car since brand new.

I'd be very grateful if I get some feedback as to whether:

1. Getting the repairs done is sensible financially compared to scrapping the car and buying something else (perhaps a used VRS)?

2. What are the risks of getting the repairs done at an independent dealer(should I go to a Skoda dealer and how much is that likely to cost)?

3. Is £1,300 roughly correct as to how much I should be paying for this job?

4. What length of warranty should I be looking for on this kind of job?

Any thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated.

Many thanks for your time.

SA

probably £500 for a spare 2nd hand engine, and the same again for fitting. perhaps 6 months warranty at best. Was the water pump changed on the last cambelt change? Should have been done at 60,000 miles / 4 years (whichever came first)

I'd scrap the car mate, changing engines etc. in cars is always a hard job to explain to whoever you eventually try and sell it to. People are willing to buy these cars if they can save a buck fitting a replacement engine themselves. I'd settle for a ogod price and sell it.

Maybe it's time to install a 130bhp 1.9?

Easier to explain maybe? "I put it in cuz it's faster!"

Maybe it's time to install a 130bhp 1.9?

Easier to explain maybe? "I put it in cuz it's faster!"

That is easyer to explain.

I'd personally bin the car dude.

Not much point spending that kind of money on the car if its only worth that.Strip the parts, sell them and try to get some money back.

Was the water pump changed on the last cambelt change? Should have been done at 60,000 miles / 4 years (whichever came first)

I'm not sure how to read that.

If you mean that the water pump should have been changed with the cambelt then I don't think that's actually a Skoda recommendation.

However, personally, I would ALWAYS change it during a cambelt change as any item that comes into contact with the cambelt has the potential to fail & I'll always take my chances with a new water pump rather than one that's done 60,000 miles plus thanks !

For the cost of another £30 odd it seems silly not to IMHO.