Did the Bozos at the Dealership break the Engine?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Hey guys,



When the warning light on my Mother-in-Law’s 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager illuminated, she took it in for service at a local dealer. One thousand

dollars later, they had done other repairs that would be expected on a

car with 100K miles.



When the bozos drove the car from the maintenance area for her to pick

up, it began making a horrific racket. There was antifreeze everywhere.

The Serpentine belt was whining like crazy. AND when they started to "

re-fix" it, they discovered that one of the rocker arms was broken…

My question: Could the same antifreeze that wrecked the Serpentine

belt also have caused the timing belt to jump? They want another

$1.7K to “re-re-fix” her car. PLEASE HELP!!

2

Was that the original timing belt? Do you know if it jumped or even if it had anything to do with the problem?

It is real funny that it just happened to have a problem when they were working on it.

   Dealers are no better (or worse) than independent mechanics for almost anything you might need done on your car.  They will almost always charge more per hour and often more for parts and supplies.  They also tend to look at repairs a little different than the independent. 

A dealer may well recommend work that strictly may not be needed, but could be connected to the problem or maybe replace a part when a little repair would fix it ALMOST as good a new.  

There is no need to bring your car to the dealer for any service other than service that is going to be paid for by a recall or original warrantee. 

I suggest that most people would be better off finding a good independent (Not working for a chain) mechanic.
3

I think it was the original timing belt. No denying that it needed replacement. I don’t know whether it jumped or not either. But if the Serpentine belt was ruined by the antifreeze spill, could the timing belt have been affected too? And for what they’re charging for this latest fix, would it be better to get a rebuilt (& guaranteed) engine?

4

Before you jump on the timing belt, what engine is it? If its a 3.3 or 3.8, then its a pushrod engine, no timing belt.

If it broke a rocker arm, then what did they do to the engine that might have an effect on the rocker arms. Did they do a valve adjustment?