Well the story so far, during the weekend after the belt was fitted, the cowling around the bottom grill hadn't been secured above the lip on the bottom of the front bumper and so going along on the dual carriageway the wind caught it and effectively help the tarmac rip a chunk off it. Phoned Benfield the Monday morning after it made it to Glasgow I said the car was under powered taking longer to go through the revs and occasionally slipping around 3000 revs when going from 4th into 5th gear and so thought the timing may have been out. They asked where I was (Faslane) and asked when it could be brought in. I told them the following Friday so Thursday night on the way back about 20 miles north of Berwick on the A1 (just off the round about where ASDA is near Dunbar if you know the area) the cambelt or so I believed went. With the smell of rubber in the air, a cloud of something out the back and a clattering the car manage to free wheel in to the layby. Phoned the breakdown company who when arrived asked what the problem was. I said the cam belt had gone (as that is what I believed it to be since I had been having problems with it since the belts were changed less than 400 miles earlier. He then tried to start the car saying it should just spin if the belt had gone, which it did.
Anyway car dropped off at Benfield the next morning, mechanics didn't look too impressed but by the by wasn't expecting a courtesy car as I'd been informed they didn't have any; however, I was given a car. That was over a week ago and had heard nothing from them until yesterday about two minutes after I tried to phone and got no answer, to be told that they had the engine stripped down and were getting in a service technician to ascertain what had gone wrong as he thought it had dropped a valve or something, oh and that the cambelt was intact. Phoned again today just for an update and was informed the Technician was coming in sometime Thursday.
With regards to the smell of rubber the axillary belt was intact as that could be seen however unable to comment on the state of the cam belt obviously as it's enclosed. Initially thoughts were the timing was out followed by the tensioner hasn't been set correctly which would go somewhere to explain the slipping during a gear change.
Now left with two trains of thought with regards to them getting in a service technician, either they are trying to avoid any blame for the cambelt change being to blame or they are looking for an escape goat with the mechanic(s). I feel it will be the first option which if it turns out to be the case, my new RS when it eventually arrives sometime in November won't be going any where near the garage as have had nothing but trouble with them for a few years. Having had reports from other users on the RSUK forum saying they had done a good job blah blah blah, I thought it's been a while I'll give them a go seeing as they quoted £399 for both belts changed bargain (yes they messed up on the quote but honoured it). So here is where we are awaiting the technicians report....................
