Hi all,
I'm very p*ssed off with my Subaru garage. Not only have they taken ages to repair my car, but they ran out of petrol when they 'test' drove the car.

This is roughly what they said, "We ran out of petrol when we test drove your car. As a result of this we could not restart the car. The ECU settings rely on petrol and need to be re-programmed. We are trying to solve this problem."

Is there any truth in these statements? Would the car need need to be 're-programmed' or are they telling me little porkies?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

Can pigs fly?

I might buy it if they claimed the battery fell out of the car and caused a backflow power surge throughout the car's elec. system by supernatural forces.Isnt the ECU an electronic thingamagic feeding on electrical whatchamacallit?

Oink.

[This message has been edited by malique (edited 02-03-99).]

 

Sonu
Mine's a UK MY97. The only time I ran out(first day having only driven half a mile! - I know but it's a bit complicated)I had to make two trips to the petrol station but had no problems when there was enough fuel in the tank.
Hope it's sorted quickly.

 

Don't wish to sound too pessimistic but could they have been hanging onto the car to do the bodywork repairs following their test drive?

 

I'd have to agree with abetts here! Why don't you ask to see it? How long has it been? It seems highly suspicious to me - all they would need to do is reset (or if damaged, replace) the ECU to get the car going again - if that.

The only other thing that occurs to me is something that used to happen to old cars. When some cars were run dry, any gunk in the petrol tank got sucked into the engine as it ran out of fuel - this used to cause problems when the car was filled up again. I doubt this is the case with modern fuels / filters, but it might explain why the car is not running - perhaps one of the ECU's sensors is playing up?

 

Wow paranoia!
Seriously,it may be worth asking for a look at the car or at least a second opinion on the problem.
I recall the dirt in the empty tank problem being attributed to the rusting interior of (very)old tanks rather than the fuel - clearly shouldn't be an issue for a 99 car.
Whilst not objective, I inadvertantly run mine low quite frequently (thirsty motoring this turbo stuff!)and haven't suffered any further starvation/fuel pick up worries.

 

So there you go....its not the ECU. Correct me if I'm wrong but the ROM chip cant bugger up because u run out of fuel. U may have starting probs because air got in the fuel line system thgh.Worse come to worse they simply havent started to work on your car.
Whatever it is pay them a visit, nothing like breathing down their necks to get the job done.

 

Arent u the chap that just collected a MY99 and someone ran into u a few weeks back? The car's still in the shop??!!

 

Guys,
thanks very much for your correspondence . I'll try and answer all the questions .

Yes, I am the unfortunate chap who had an accident 3 days after getting the car, it was not my fault though .

The dealer has had my car for 3 weeks. They keep slipping on repair times, which is very unprofessional. I don't think they really know what they're doing . I have complained to IM, but they said along the lines of 'Lancaster are a good business for us...'. So much for customer satisfaction!

Anyway I'll keep pushing. Thanks for the advice ...

 

Guys,
got the crux of the problem at last. It was not a petrol problem at all.

It was a timing belt problem. What problems can be caused by an incorrect timing belt?

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

sonu.

LOADS, and all big ones.

If they have fitted or altered a timing belt incorrectly, or one has snapped during use there is the risk of damage to the pistons from striking the valves, valves from being struck by the pistons, camshaft, valve guides and or any thing else connected to any of the above suffering potentially extensive damage.

I have never heard of a car which has only been on the road less than a week, suffering such damage. If my garage told me that it had been a cambelt problem I would be very concerned.

Hope it is not too serious.
Mike

 

Ah So! they WERE trying to tell ya that pigs can fly...ECU reprogramming indeed *huff huff!*
Anyway, what do u mean by timing belt problem? Its a new car init? What exactly is the problem. If they busted the timing belt when test driving the car..say goodbye to pistons, valves etc etc. If it snapped, which is very unlikely, its a manufacturing defect and I believe warrants a demand for a new car replacement.
God! what next!
You have my deepest symphaty.

 

I am in a sticky situation. Because my car had a front / side collision, it could have affected the timing belt (or so I'm told). As a result of this, it has become difficult to prove whether the timing belt problem was a result of the accident or inherent in the car before the accident .

Can the timing belt be damaged by 'hard' driving?

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

Sonu,
Not wishing to sound doom & gloom but why don't you cut your losses and sell it?

Sometimes you get a vibe from a car that just doesn't feel right.(No, I haven't been on the weed!)

You well know that you might not lose any money if you sell it.

You have my utmost sympathy.
Ben

 

I think i agree with Benny.

If it was just a little bit of panel bending it shouldn't really cause any problems, but with a sizable shunt the shock from the impact travels right through the car and can effect all sorts of things, from damaging electrical components through to over stressing rubber bushes mounts etc. loosening trim etc. - often the car just never feels quite "right" again, a bit loose, sloppy & rattly.

Feel really sorry for you man......

Cheers Mark.

 

So paranoia was justified. My suspicion is that some spotty teenage mechanic blew the engine on the test drive.

You need to get to the bottom of this.

It is possible that they are being economical with the truth in describing it as a ‘timing belt problem’. It is a chicken and egg situation. Did valves meet pistons due to, say, over-revving and then the cam belt broke or did the cam belt break leading to valves meeting pistons? Even with a rev-limiter fitted it is quite possible to over-rev an engine by changing down too early. A rev-limiter only protects going up the box. There is no reason, given the age of the car, why the dealer should have been replacing/adjusting or otherwise playing around with the timing belt. I am very sceptical about the idea that the ‘timing belt problem’ may be related to accident damage.

To take a true example from the world of Formula One, a well known team once had a whole succession of what they described as ‘cooling problems’. In truth what was happening was the engines were going off like grenades and the schrapnel was taking out the radiators thus dumping coolant (as well as oil, bit of con rod etc.) on the track. The engine manufacturer, with a reputation for reliability, would not have been too happy had the team described the blow ups as engine failures. You may also have noticed that in the world of Formula One tyres never fail, they only ever puncture.

How about getting an independent vehicle inspection?

If the dealer will not play ball my next call would be to a lawyer.

Good luck.

[This message has been edited by abetts (edited 06-03-99).]

[This message has been edited by abetts (edited 06-03-99).]

 

Guys,
thanks again for your replies .
I have taken legal advice. It was advised that I get repairs carried out and then get the engine checked out by an independant engineer.

I suppose I can leave it to fait and pray for a safe resolution to these experiences.

Thanks again to all ,

Sonu...

 

Guys,
got more info on the damage. Camshaft has a crack in it . The bloke at the garage said that they will replace the Cylinder head assembly and replace the drive belt pulley.

Are these the correct repairs for this type of damage?

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

It would take something rather more catastrophic than a "crack in the camshaft" to necessitate replacement of the cylinder head.

 

I would get in to the garage ASAP with somebody who has some mechanical knowledge and get them to SHOW & TELL.

If the camshaft was only cracked, (never heard of this before), then it would most likely still be working OK?

From what you are saying, I smell a huge cover-up exercise taking place the important questions being WHAT? and WHY?

 

Sonu, which garage currently has your car ? It sounds like one to avoid in the future.

 

My car's at Lancaster Sevenoakes, a right pain in the ****! To think they supply Aston Martins and Jags.

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

I'll be taking my friend to take a look at the stripped engine tommorrow . Apparently IM are flying in engine parts . It'll be a learning experience for me.

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

Just got back from the dealer. Took a look at the damaged parts . They'll be replacing the cylinder head and drive belt pulley. The rest of the engine seemed fine.

I should be picking up the car by the end of the week

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

Sonu
Glad to hear the problem is being resolved.
Did you find out a definite cause? - was the accident impact heavy enough?
When the parts are bedded in, it maybe worth considering taking the car to one the dyno sessions to check the output is ok.
ian
ps abetts - looks like my lighthearted paranoia comment was misplaced! - no offence intended with original comment

 

imh,
a loose screw had found its way into the cylinder head somehow. It may have been due to the accident, but there's no real way of finding out . I'm glad I took my friend to the garage with me, he knows about engines.

Excuse my ignorance, but what's a dyno session?

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

Sonu
Are you covered by warranty/insurance from the accident as otherwise it sounds expensive!
A dyno (dynamometer - spelling ok?) measures the power output of the car using a rolling road. By taking the output at the wheels, a calculation can be performed of the output of the engine.
This can be then be used to determine whether
variables which determine the cars performance require attention (eg fuel/air mixture).
It is also useful when comparing before and after tests or modified and unmodified cars to provide a source information on whether making a change in set up or modifications does what the owner expects (or requires) or what a supplier claims!
I haven't had the scoob tested but found it very useful in the past on other cars.
Sessions appear to be organised periodicaly by members - there's a thread running ("UK rolling road results now on web site" in general qs) giving the web address of the results of a recent session (inc Anders 22B) which I found very informative.
ian

 

Ian
all the work is covered by IM under
the warranty.
Thanks for your help . Maybe I'll buy you a pint at one of the Scooby meet ups .

Thanks,
Sonu...

 

Sonu.

Glad that it looks like you are getting things sorted at last.

I would still be concerned however.

1. Screws that need to be in engines are there for a job.
2. If one has fallen from inside the engine, the garage MUST find where it has come from. If they don't it will only be a matter of time before your repaired engine fails mysteriously again.
3. If none of the above, HOW did a screw find its way into the engine? If they don't know how, there is nothing to stop it happening again?

Like I say I am glad that the repair work is being covered, but I would want to know for my own peace of mind.

P.S. Theakstons XB please.

 

Sonu
Sounds good to me!
Cheers
ian