Hi all, i have paid the deposit on a fabia 1.9 SDI, it's done 114k miles and has had four owners, it's being bought from 'mexborough' garage, they don't have the full service history but they do have a load of reciepts and the old mot's which i have gone through, there is no mention of cambelt/tensioner/pump being done so i asked them to do all three, he has done the belt but when i asked about the tensioner he said he hadn't as there was no play in it, should i just believe him or does it seem like they just didn't want to spend the money? he did say that the old belt was pretty clean so could it be the belt and tensioner were done not all that long ago? should i be looking at changing the tensioner myself? or should i just trust the dealer? i've only paid a deposit so i can walk away from the deal what do people think?

They arnt going to want to sink money into the car if they can sell as is, they have done a favour with doing the belt, but in the end if you back out someone else will take it as is,

it will have a warrenty with it if its a garage i would have thought so you can get them to sort issues with it if stuff goes wrong,

in the end iv found if you are unsure about a car you should just leave it, i am sure you will find another 1.9 sdi that you feel more comfortable with that has history

i'm happy with the car, it drove very well when i test drove it, it's more i don't know weather i should be concerned about them not doing the tensioner of it i should take their word on it

and yes it comes with a 3 month warranty

At least they have been honest by stating they did not change the tensioner, have they stamped the service book to say they have changed the belt ?

DB.

yes they have, the cambelt has been marked in the book as done. Tbh they have been straight with me throughout, they said it's got one stamp from the good garage scheme but that they have a load of reciepts and all of the MOT's

If you don't have evidence of a cambelt, you don't have evidence ot the tensioner and idler pulleys either. I'd walk because failed tensioner -> scrap car.

he is providing me with the old cambelt

Not what I meant; you have no history to say that the one this guy's taken off isn't the original, and therefore no evidence that the tensioner and idler pulleys aren't on 110K+ as well.

I've only scan read this but...

Him showing you the old belt means nothing, I can go show you the old turbo off it

It's very strange to only just change the belt, a very cheap and nasty way to go about it.

Providing it has 12 month tax and 12 month mot, you should budget in getting the full belt kit fitted and a full service so you know the cars going to be trouble free for at least 1 year...

if its its bought from a garage by law it has to have 12 months warrenty ..

to make sure pay atleast some of the money on a credit card... then you are covered on your 12 months insurance on all credit cards.

if it brakes it 'is not fit for purposes' .... the garage will have too fix it if not, inform card company and they will take too court, they will loose the case

I would probably walk away from this one. Your rights when buying a used car are explained below.

http://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/business/tradingstandards/detail.aspx?ref=122489&class=Eng%3BCons%3BAdv%3Bpwc&date=21/07/2012%2001:00:14

If all used motors with 100,000 miles plus came with a 12 month warranty the used car trade would cease overnight unless prices went up by 50% overnight

If you like it and the price is right buy it and spend a few quid having the belt etc done to your satisfaction, otherwise find one that meets your requirements.

Don't bet on help with problems 6 month down the line, IMHO you would have no chance

Regards all

Juan

Sent from my iPhone using my thumbs

honest opinion by someone who spends his time changing vw timing belts. (thats me btw)

The tensioner will almost certainly be fine I have only ever seen 1 actually fail and that was because it was fitted by a monkey.

chances are it had a new 1 at some point in its life so wouldn't worry too much and better to have a proper VW one with 100k on than a spurious chinese made copy that could fail in 10 k time.

there is a date on the tensioner when it was made and you may be able to see it with the timing cover off if you are worried about it.

seen a few water pumps fail but they do usually give warning before they break the belt.

If the car is what you want and the price you want to pay then I would buy it and if it still worries you just get the tensioner swapped at some point as it is not a big job to do on the sdi, The genuine tensioner is quite expensive compared to just a belt.

I did an octavia auto 2002 2 weeks ago that had 165K on the origional belt, it stripped its teeth and smashed the cam followers but didn't bend any valves luckily , tensioner on that would have gone again if it had to tho.

if its its bought from a garage by law it has to have 12 months warrenty ..

to make sure pay atleast some of the money on a credit card... then you are covered on your 12 months insurance on all credit cards.

if it brakes it 'is not fit for purposes' .... the garage will have too fix it if not, inform card company and they will take too court, they will loose the case

No. Please read the actual SOGA before ever posting on this sort of thread again, your advice is not only wrong but even the bits that are factual are misapplied. The car needs to be fit for purpose relative to its age, condition, and the price paid. Nothing in that requires it to have 12 months warranty. Joint liability also isn't just for credit cards, it is applied to debit cards in some cases and finance. You'll find while useful in some circumstances its less than ideal in others. Need a new engine within a month or two and dealer says no? It'll help. Need a new clutch after a month on a car you purchased with 120k on the clock? Expect a percentage contribution as it's a consumable on a car that's high mileage and could reasonably be expected.

As to this car, trust your instincts

Do a Craig David, walk away.

I've actually bought the car, thank you for all the advice. I am going to get the tensioner done for my piece of mind. The price was good it drove beautifully and tbh almost all the sdi's for my budget are due a cambelt tensioner and water pump. I suppose that's why there for sale I have a garage near me who will do everything all in for £295

If it's a classic and you want to upgrade to 6J wheels and 185/60-14 tyres get in touch. I've got at least a full set going free with reasonable tread on. Free if you pick up from Desborough.