99 OB nightmare car or mechanic?

[lookie]

At 95K miles I smelled burning oil or rubber. The mechanic said it was
cam seals and replaced 3 of the four and the timing belt at the same
time.. About 4K miles later it happend again and he replaced the crank
seal. 40, yes forty, miles later the engine stopped at 60MPH and blew
a lot of stuff including, of course, all of the valves. He said that
the tensioner had failed, and the belt, tensioner, and all, went
through that plastic cover. He wants to charge me thousands.

I only have a day or so to decide whether it is my car or him before I
pickup the car or go to court.

Thank you.

 

[TG]

I wonder if the hydraulics failed or the bearing. I always check the bearing
and I have never seen the hydraulics fail. I also don't see how a tensioner
could come thru the cover unless the bolts were not tightened. The procedure
is to install the tensioner with the bolts loose so it can move after the
belt is installed, then after everything checks out it is torqued
down....easy to forget.
Again, never seen a tensioner "Break" and go thru the cover, bolts must
have come out.
If someone offers to replace the valves and everything outward don't
forget that the valves are bent because they hit the pistons. This put a lot
of force on the pistons, rods, bearings...I wouldn't settle for less than a
used engine. TG

 

[Rob Munach]

I wonder if the hydraulics failed or the bearing. I always check the bearing
and I have never seen the hydraulics fail. I also don't see how a tensioner
could come thru the cover unless the bolts were not tightened. The procedure
is to install the tensioner with the bolts loose so it can move after the
belt is installed, then after everything checks out it is torqued
down....easy to forget.
Again, never seen a tensioner "Break" and go thru the cover, bolts must
have come out.
If someone offers to replace the valves and everything outward don't
forget that the valves are bent because they hit the pistons. This put a lot
of force on the pistons, rods, bearings...I wouldn't settle for less than a
used engine. TG

No question the mechanic missed the tensioner the first (and second) time.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I only have a day or so to decide whether it is my car or him before I
pickup the car or go to court.

Regardless of whether you proceed further w/ legal remedies, I'd think
this guy shouldn't be allowed to touch your car ever again! I'd be
getting it out of there ASAP if it were mine.

3 of 4 cam seals replaced, but not the fourth (four seals sounds like
DOHC?) Didn't do the crank seal at the same time? Does this guy brush
his teeth one per day (if he HAS teeth?) Tensioner causing blown engine
40 miles after last time he "played" with it? Different people have
different tolerance levels for "incompetence" but this guy would max MY
meter. Don't blame the car.

Rick

 

[lookie]

Regardless of whether you proceed further w/ legal remedies,
I'd think
this guy shouldn't be allowed to touch your car ever again!
I'd be
getting it out of there ASAP if it were mine.

3 of 4 cam seals replaced, but not the fourth (four seals
sounds like
DOHC?) Didn't do the crank seal at the same time? Does this
guy brush
his teeth one per day (if he HAS teeth?) Tensioner causing
blown engine
40 miles after last time he "played" with it? Different people
have
different tolerance levels for "incompetence" but this guy
would max MY
meter. Don't blame the car.

Rick

thank you all who replied. i have purchased a new outback sports and,
of course, love it. it really bites into my modest rr pension but what
the hey.

i have consulted -- better late than never -- with a subi expert
mechanic and he has assured me that the guy really did screw up and
that the problem probably was the oil pump anyhow. so i have taken the
guy to court. any expert testimony would also be welcomed.

i guess these outbacks are addictive because i would go without bread
to keep mine.