Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[terry paget]

This morning I was sitting in my new Omega passenger seat watching the Vauxhall dealer programming my new key with his Tech2 when a mechanic opening the workshop door shouted 'Mr. Paget!' and waved vigorously. I joined him in the workshop. He clearly recognised me, I realised he had worked in a local Citroen garage when I ran a Citroen CX25 GTI Turbo2. I explained my Senators were all gone and now I ran 6 Omegas.
 I mentioned cam belt changes every 4 years were the rule. He told me no-one there liked doing cam belt changes on the Omega V6, or indeed was very confident of getting it right. I retorted that Forum members did them all the time, and I had done a few in my time. He shouted 'Hey Charlie, here's a man who knows how to change an Omega cam belt!' They threatened to call me in next they get stuck changing one.
Which explains why we occasionally find cam belts mistimed when we change them.

[Broomies Mate]

Name and shame the dealer. 

[Terbs]

That is so strange....even more so from a dealer!!!
People who I have shown my cars too, mention the 'V6 cambelt is a nightmare'.  As Terry says, I almost quote him word for word.
Do they kick up problems....I must say, watching James do my belt was, to me' no more difficult than, say changing the ABS/TC ecu, etc.
I have had belts on other cars done by my son in law, and he has done my 2.5 a while back. Just seemed to take it all in his stride, and everything just fitted into place.
Is it myth....or not

[Nick W]

It's not difficult, and any competent mechanic should be able to do it. As the members here prove.

The only part that requires care is to dial in each adjuster in order, and then check that everything still lines up. This just means turning the engine through a few more times than is necessary on other, simpler engines.

[deviator]

I've found in the past sometimes you start to put the belt on and it just doesn't want to play ball, you get half way round and it's out a tooth, or too tight. You take the belt off, start again and hey presto it works.

[Diamond Black Geezer]

I was worried as hell, had a good mate round who knows what he's doing, who did it for me, but also didn't make me feel like a monkey just watching, I did a few bits, and to be honest, it's a case of following the instructions, if you do, then you'll be fine.

No harder that that, really.  If you don't, then you kill the engine, but perhaps it's just a case of society always has an 'undo' button that leave people complacent. Such a sad state of affairs that the Dealers don't have a clue themselves!

[Varche]

Terry- you run SIX omegas? Are you an oil sheik?

Comments like that from garages make you wonder. I have often jokingly said that you get a monkey to work on your car at a dealer and you only get a trained mechanic if it is a complicated job or the monkey runs into problems.  Things like opening the bonnet some time after it was garage serviced and finding part of the air induction system just resting where it was taken off to change the air filter doesn't help. Maybe they are failed surgeons (struck off for leaving scalpels/moble phones even inside patients once stitched up)

[Marks DTM Calib]

To be honest I find them one of the easiest cam belts to change as although the timing is a bit more involved, once the bagpipes are removed and the aux belt and ancillaries taken off, access is bloody fantastic!

Cant quite do one in my sleep though but suspect I have done close to 100.

[steve6367]

This morning I was sitting in my new Omega passenger seat watching the Vauxhall dealer programming my new key with his Tech2 when a mechanic opening the workshop door shouted 'Mr. Paget!' and waved vigorously. I joined him in the workshop. He clearly recognised me, I realised he had worked in a local Citroen garage when I ran a Citroen CX25 GTI Turbo2. I explained my Senators were all gone and now I ran 6 Omegas.
 I mentioned cam belt changes every 4 years were the rule. He told me no-one there liked doing cam belt changes on the Omega V6, or indeed was very confident of getting it right. I retorted that Forum members did them all the time, and I had done a few in my time. He shouted 'Hey Charlie, here's a man who knows how to change an Omega cam belt!' They threatened to call me in next they get stuck changing one.
Which explains why we occasionally find cam belts mistimed when we change them.

With the correct tools, I was presently surprised how easy mine was to do on the 2.5 

I can see that with time pressure however its not something to rush.

[Webby the Bear]

Forum members that aren't full time mechanics have the luxury of only having to be concerned with one type of belt. An awesome forum where they get replies within two secs when they cock up. And they have a dvd to boot!

It's really easy to say 'yeah it's a piece of piss' etc. but to be fair to the dealer there may be some young lads in there that have never even worked on a 'v' engine let alone worked on an omega. If I hadn't got the omega I wouldn't have even now.

For me personally (I'm beginning to think I'm a bit slow!) I have been studying all sorts of timing belts for a few weeks now following my first live customer timing belt. And I have to say I don't find it easy at all. Although I am starting to get it now.

[Varche]

But that is exactly the issue Webby.

Most people take their car to a garage and expect it to be worked on by people who know what they are doing (you could use words like experienced, trained, expert, done it many times). After all, especially at Main dealers you certainly pay enough - £80 ph.?

I class myself as someone who "if others can do it then so can I " and I did my own Omega having researched it and got the locking tool, DVD and big pulley spanner. True it was a bit daunting but having done one , I would do it again and much quicker.

I have a lot of respect for you and other folk learning the trade but it has to be in an environment where someone has previous experience. Over here in Spain, I asked around a lot before trusting my Peugeot diesel engine to a garage to have the cambelt changed as it is our only vehicle and I needed it back same day. I have been bitten before by garages saying one day and then saying got wrong part, ran into difficulties come back in two days time etc. One took a week to change an oil cooler.

[Webby the Bear]

Couldn't agree more varche that of course they need an old hand looking at their work / helping them when a customer is paying a lot of money and sorry I didn't include that in my post...if the head mechanic wasn't there to watch me there's plenty of shit I would have buggered up. 

But it equally doesn't surprise me that the mechs. In Terry's garage feared it cis they prob don't come across them every day and it is daunting.nbut obviously as said you do expect someone to be there that does know. Hopefully the chap terry spoke to was being tongue in cheek and that at least one knew cod that's all it needs 

[Andy B]

...
After all, especially at Main dealers you certainly pay enough - £80 ph.?
 ...

I think it's more like £110 at Mercedes 

[The Sheriff]

I think it's purely a commercial decision. Why pay a good mechanic decent a decent rate of pay to work on these complicated and somewhat rare engines when you can service much easier engines all day long with much less training and, therefore, much less pay?
There are some 'garages' that make a perfectly good living out of oil changes, mot's and the like. There aren't that many places that will fit you in there and then. The world and their mate are always in a hurry for that mot or oil change.
Less hassle, quicker turnover.

[Varche]

I think it's purely a commercial decision. Why pay a good mechanic decent a decent rate of pay to work on these complicated and somewhat rare engines when you can service much easier engines all day long with much less training and, therefore, much less pay?
There are some 'garages' that make a perfectly good living out of oil changes, mot's and the like. There aren't that many places that will fit you in there and then. The world and their mate are always in a hurry for that mot or oil change.
Less hassle, quicker turnover.

Spot on. Huge site, huge rates, huge electric bill, huge staff bill *(reception, cleaners, valeters etc etc) so the portion available to pay the mechanic(s) actually working on your car out of that £100 an hour will be a small fraction. Far better to find an independent that specialises in a marque. they also have more experience of problems with older cars e.g. blocked breathers, failing crank sensors, HBVs 
BUT if they take the job they should offer a price commensurate with the difficulty factor and be able to do it.