• Guest would you be interested in CUPRA or SEAT valve caps? let us know in the poll

  • Welcome to our new sponsor Lecatona, a brand dedicated to enhancing performance for VAG group sports cars, including SEAT, Audi, Volkswagen and Škoda. Specializing in High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) upgrades.

New cambelt fitted, tensioner fails within 24hrs!!!

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,076
Would agree you have paid £810 towards an engine that now no longer exists

Surely get that £810 back
 

Fishbowlhead

Mk3 CupraST 280
Nov 20, 2020
148
80
UK
Anyone know if seat offer extended warranty’s on cars older than 3 years? I got one with Marshal group until end of Nov after purchasing last year and would like something in place as peice of mind in case anything major goes.
 

jdubya

Active Member
May 30, 2017
53
19
South West
Hi Fishbowlhead - have a look on the Seat UK website in the “owners” area and they outline extended warranties there or contact your local dealer 👍
 

Fishbowlhead

Mk3 CupraST 280
Nov 20, 2020
148
80
UK
I should add that its a 2015 reg. Is this something Seat would offer, seems by the wording only for 3 year old cars then extending that warranty straight away.
 

matthab

Active Member
Jun 16, 2010
840
29
West Midlands
My wife is giving me grief however and she thinks I should be due some sort of compensation seeing as the original job (service, timing belt and sundries) set me back to the tune of £810. Should I be pushing for something or should I be grateful everything was sorted out amicably? What are your thoughts on this.
I like your misses thinking. I would be asking for a refund and maybe a years warranty as an engine swap isnt a small job. Plus the car has now lost some value due to having the engine swap, some people get nervous about engine swaps. I would contact Seat and explain the situation as they are normally good with this kind of stuff.

Ultimately its a good outcome at present that they have acknowledged the issue and agreed to replace the engine.
 

jdubya

Active Member
May 30, 2017
53
19
South West
I should add that its a 2015 reg. Is this something Seat would offer, seems by the wording only for 3 year old cars then extending that warranty straight away.
Hi Fishbowlhead - as long as the car is over 3 years old (which it is) but has less than 100000 miles on it (not sure) you should be able to get an extended warranty from Seat - speak to your local dealer or VWFS directly as it is administered by them 👍 If not go aftermarket - Warrantywise get good reviews (feefo gold trusted award/Auto Express recommended) 🤔
 

mcspook

Active Member
Feb 11, 2020
81
29
My wife is giving me grief however and she thinks I should be due some sort of compensation seeing as the original job (service, timing belt and sundries) set me back to the tune of £810. Should I be pushing for something or should I be grateful everything was sorted out amicably? What are your thoughts on this.

No doubt, in the coming days I'll get a letter or email about customer satisfaction.
It happens, if it's faulty parts, it's not the fault of the mechanics, if it's the fault of the mechanic, he is human and things happens. I think they did what a shop can do in these situations. New engine from factory (plus the service and timing belt). Meanwhile they gave you a car. If I were you, I'll ask for an "extended" warranty for the engine (and other parts they changed) and a oil change or two as a gesture of goodwill for this bad Seat service experience. So if you sell the car, it still has warranty to the engine, and perhaps adding more value to it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Walone

CupraGeezer

Active Member
May 11, 2018
357
163
I must say that this has been dealt with quickly and professionally with no expense to myself. Both SEAT and the dealership have been true to their word and I now have my car back albeit with a new engine installed.

My wife is giving me grief however and she thinks I should be due some sort of compensation seeing as the original job (service, timing belt and sundries) set me back to the tune of £810. Should I be pushing for something or should I be grateful everything was sorted out amicably? What are your thoughts on this.
I'm glad you've got this sorted. Every business has problems occasionally. It's how they respond that matters. It sounds like they've done everything they can to rectify matters. Some dealers would have fought you all the way.

At the end of the day, you've paid £810 for a new engine. Bargain. [Half joking]. I think it would be churlish to go too hard on them but I would feel within my rights to ask for a warranty and a free service or two.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr Pig and Walone

SteveGSXR600K1

Active Member
May 6, 2017
588
193
It happens, if it's faulty parts, it's not the fault of the mechanics, if it's the fault of the mechanic, he is human and things happens. I think they did what a shop can do in these situations. New engine from factory (plus the service and timing belt). Meanwhile they gave you a car. If I were you, I'll ask for an "extended" warranty for the engine (and other parts they changed) and a oil change or two as a gesture of goodwill for this bad Seat service experience. So if you sell the car, it still has warranty to the engine, and perhaps adding more value to it.
Exactly what I've been thinking. I'd be pleased that they didn't try wriggling out of it, and they gave the use of a courtesy car, etc. I think the dealer has been pretty good. Imagine what situation you'd more likely be in if it had been with an independent dealer..... I'm having my cambelt/waterpump done on Tuesday, and I'm pleased I booked it in with a SEAT dealer.
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,966
1,059
South Scotland
I think that what has been offered and completed will be the only version of what is on offer, the £810 of work was carried out.

So I'd just get some form of official warranty cleared up for that engine change and possibly a first service in a year's time FOC as good will.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
2,705
953
I'm having my cambelt/waterpump done on Tuesday, and I'm pleased I booked it in with a SEAT dealer.
To be fair, the OP has dealt with a good dealer who has done the right thing but I know of plenty of cases where main dealers have behaved just as badly as any back-street garage could.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BigJase88

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,076
To be fair, the OP has dealt with a good dealer who has done the right thing but I know of plenty of cases where main dealers have behaved just as badly as any back-street garage could.
Never seen that fault before mate 🤔

(to every common fault)
 

RUM4MO

Active Member
Jun 4, 2008
7,966
1,059
South Scotland
I remember being laughed at by 2 Vauxhall techs in 2 dealerships over my strange tale of "air bubbles rising through the power steering fluid and dumping the power steering fluid out of the open reservoir while pumping the brake pedal to exhaust the servo - that was on a VX Cav GSI 4X4, these cars used the power steering fluid as a control medium for the 4WD engagement - a month later I got a letter from DVLA(?) advising me of this problem and to book the car in for essential rework. No laughing the second time I went to one of these dealerships, and that why any 1991 Calibra or Cav GSI 2000 16V 4X4 have a white band round the 4X4 vacuum accumulator, to prove that it has been replaced.
That was the best car that I ever owned up until I bought a slightly used 2011 Audi S4!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Peller

james.milroy

Active Member
Mar 18, 2007
121
8
Sunny Saltcoats, Scotland
Ok, car still behaving fine but I've not had a chance to take it out anywhere yet where I can legally do more than 30mph. Hopefully go a wee run tomorrow after work to see how she goes. I've drafted a letter and sent it to Seat Customer Services in Milton Keynes. I decided to do it the old fashioned way and not email them. Just a question of waiting now and see what their reply is. I haven't went in all guns blazing but I am looking for them to clarify exactly what warranty I have (if any) on the new engine that was fitted. I'll post a reply when I get one from them, with the outcome.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yern and Mr Pig

martin j.

Active Member
Feb 11, 2007
1,997
894
Fife
Chatting to a service manager today about this -non Seat- his take was that you payed for the job and received a warranty, parts failed and warranty honoured, end of, if it had happened months or even years down the line would you be still looking for some sort of compensation or as suggested the £810 back? He thinks the engine should have the standard parts warranty that Seat offer (12 or 24 months? )and the cambelt etc should still have 5 years as it will be a new unit fitted to the engine when built up. Seemed reasonable to me when we thought about it.
 
Last edited:

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,076
Chatting to service manager today about this -non Seat- his take was that you payed for the job and received a warranty, part failed and warranty honoured, end of, if it had happened months or even years down the line would you be still looking for some sort of compensation or as suggested the £810 back? He thinks the engine should have the standard parts warranty that Seat offer (12 or 24 months? )and the cambelt etc should still have 5 years as it will be a new unit fitted to the engine when built up. Seemed reasonable to me when we thought about it.
Yeah fair enough

but on the other hand you have the personal worry, i know my mother would probably have a melt down if she broke down in that way.

also you have the time off work possibly due to breakdown recovery, having to collect courtesy cars etc, quite a lot of inconvenience and then the knock on costs or devaluation of the car.

Cause you know when you watch them yank car tv shows they have to be numbers matching chassis and motor 🤣
 
Lecatona HPFP (High-pressure Fuel Pump Upgrades)