Help

[Wattsy]

Hi all,

2 weeks ago I purchased a Ford Focus Ghia with 22000 miles, FSH and a years MOT in a private sale for £5600 which I thought was a good price.

Yesterday, I went to start the car and got nothing, just a quick whirring sound and then silence. I tried this a couple of times to no avail.

Apparently, upon inspection, it appears that the cam belt has snapped.

Firstly, has anyone had any experience or knowledge of this happening in a car so early in its life and secondly what kind of repair scenarios am I looking at.

I have no mechanical experience what so ever beyond changing bulbs and filling it with petrol so I'm looking for any advice on what to do.

I know there is little point in contacting the previous seller but are Ford's liable in anyway bearing in mind the car's age or am I just unlucky?

Any help is appreciated.

Nick

[artscot79]

Hi all,

2 weeks ago I purchased a Ford Focus Ghia with 22000 miles, FSH and a years MOT in a private sale for £5600 which I thought was a good price.

Yesterday, I went to start the car and got nothing, just a quick whirring sound and then silence. I tried this a couple of times to no avail.

Apparently, upon inspection, it appears that the cam belt has snapped.

Firstly, has anyone had any experience or knowledge of this happening in a car so early in its life and secondly what kind of repair scenarios am I looking at.

I have no mechanical experience what so ever beyond changing bulbs and filling it with petrol so I'm looking for any advice on what to do.

I know there is little point in contacting the previous seller but are Ford's liable in anyway bearing in mind the car's age or am I just unlucky?

Any help is appreciated.

Nick

as it was a private sale the only way you may get ianything back is through a small claims court the fact the car wasnt checked by the aa etc would go against you however i would contact ford the cambelt shouldnt have went that early 22k is well below the specified interval so in short contact ford and let them know when the last service was done dont mention you just bought it and explain to them its gone at 22k and see where you go from there you may get it half price damage should be minimal as the car wasnt being driven at the time

[Barry (slag)]

Never ever known a cambelt to go at 22k. I got mine changed monday and mine was on 103k. That's the standard factory belt and aux belts. They should be fit for 100k or 60k. Check your handboook.

If anything, it's had a problem with the head in the past & it had to be removed. Then another one was put back on, but it was put on at an angle or it was damaged belt.

You sure it's the cambelt that's gone? have you had this diagnosed with AA or a mechanic? ask them to whip the top cam cover bolts off and see if the belt has snapped. I will be shocked if it has.

If it's just whineing, it could be the fly wheel, faulty starter motor, could be several things. Couldn't tell you more though until I had a look personally.

[artscot79]

Never ever known a cambelt to go at 22k. I got mine changed monday and mine was on 103k. That's the standard factory belt and aux belts. They should be fit for 100k or 60k. Check your handboook.

If anything, it's had a problem with the head in the past & it had to be removed. Then another one was put back on, but it was put on at an angle or it was damaged belt.

You sure it's the cambelt that's gone? have you had this diagnosed with AA or a mechanic? ask them to whip the top cam cover bolts off and see if the belt has snapped. I will be shocked if it has.

If it's just whineing, it could be the fly wheel, faulty starter motor, could be several things. Couldn't tell you more though until I had a look personally.

to be honest the ford belts seem to go or should i say the tensioner seems to go at varied miles its the actual tensioner that goes taking the belt with it the ford belts are pretty heavy duty ive seen 41k is the earliest that ones went then 50s 60s 70s yet some go up to 90k and are fine until they get changed.my vw passat was the same originally the times were 10yrs or 100k but after the tensioners started failing early vw ammended it to 6yrs and 60k miles yet some still went earlier than that at least vw accepted it was an issue and sent letters to all owners or informed you when it was serviced.

jennings ford etc mechanics all say 10 yrs or 1ook they will not deviate from that as its what ford say it should do so whos responsible if the cars regularly serviced in my opinion its ford they know its happening yet wont change the scheduled time for a change of tensioner and belt..

commonly a meachanic will listen for any noise from the belt area no noise the belt etc is fine

[L S Auto Repairs]

take the timing belt cover off and see if the belts snapped, if it is snapped then time it up put a new belt on and turn over a couple of times by hand if it locks up you've got a valve bent, in that case the head will need to be removed and inspected most likely bent most of the valves.

What year is the vehicle?

belts will deteriorate over the years as they are just rubber, but 22k is very early.

trust me fords will tell you where to go as ive worked for a main dealer before.

[stef123]

I would get another opinion, i think its very strange that you drive the car park it and go to start it later and oh the cam belt is bust...

anyway best thing to do as already said is to pull the covers off and have a look.

if it has snapped then i very much doubt you will be able to put a new belt on and it will be ok, these are interference engines. if it does run ok after just a new belt then please pick me 6 numbers for the lottery

[catch]

I would get another opinion, i think its very strange that you drive the car park it and go to start it later and oh the cam belt is bust...

A very slim, and I mean slim chance the belt was on the way out. And the added stresses of starting a stopped engine was the straw that broke it's back.

anyway best thing to do as already said is to pull the covers off and have a look

Agree

A. we don't know the year of the vehicle.

B. nor do we know if the thread starter [not getting at you mate] has actually done a visual to confirm it's a broken belt. Or if he is just making a guess on his part, its not at all clear.

if it has snapped then i very much doubt you will be able to put a new belt on and it will be ok, these are interference engines. if it does run ok after just a new belt then please pick me 6 numbers for the lottery

Me also

[catch]

Funny thing is yesterday, I went to a car dealers to look at a 2005 05 plate MK2 Focus Ghia 41k on the clock. I was tempted by cruise control, and the full leather electrically operated and heated seats.

Tip number one: if possible never for warn the seller you want to view the vehicle. This is because you want to view with a cold engine. If it's a private sale state you want to view it with a cold engine, and get an early morning viewing if possible [ best it's been stood overnight]

Anyway you know that first visual impression, could not put my finger on it but my gut said no. It was open, had a good look round, asked for the keys from a guy cleaning motors [no salesman approached me] which I prefer.

Had a look in the engine bay, not minted up. The car it's self looked like it was just as it had come in, nothing wrong with that. But it suggests to me it's been stood along time since it's "photo shoot" So that makes me suspicious, how do you explain that? Is it possibly a dissatisfied customer return, and they have just recycled the photo's it was first sold on, last time round? Read on about the problem with documentation further into the post. Anyway did the usual tyres, wheel arches, alloys, bodywork and interior inspection, and after checking the electrics on the seats, windows etc I fired it up. It fired first time but it just did not sound right, as if one of the band was late coming in on the intro so to speak. Anyway I said thanks and walked away, got to my car which was sat there like a new pin. Then I thought, this in total will be three hours out of my day [getting to Leeds and back on a Friday is murder] Three hours wasted, least ways I should totally satisfy my gut instinct, and push the inspection a bit further.

Approaches a salesman and asks how many owners, he says two previous, I ask to see the V5. Off he goes, it takes a while, anyway he's back waving a document in a plastic sleeve in the air. He does not actually show it to me as I'm behind the car [tightly parked] and he is at the front of the car. And proceeds to come out with some waffle about the owner needing to bring this or the other.Note my earlier point about presentation condition not matching up to photo's. Anyway he can see I'm not impressed so said, would I like the car pulling out for a better look [it was a foot away from a car to it's left and a foot away from a fence to it's right]

Anyway he proceeds to pull it out of line, and whilst you would expect to see some tail pipe emissions on a cold engine, this was belching blue/black smoke by the bucket. He turned the engine off and got out, I said jeez I need an oxygen mask standing behind here. He then insulted my intelligence by trying to deny it was producing excessive smoke out of the tailpipe. At that I just put my hand up and said, I've see enough thanks, he then realised I was not going to be hoodwinked, smiled and said OK.

The car in question Moral of the story is, if the price seems to good to be true, it probably is. Dealer price should have been £6200 for a standared Ghia never mind the added premium for the heated leather electrically operated seats.

That's the second ghia I've trailed to see, that have turned out not to be as advertised. The one before was stated to have traction control but it didn't. Anyway if you drive right in your head you don't need traction control and whilst having cruise is nice. Hell I've managed 45 out of 46 years without it. So that's me stopped looking, and to be honest this Focus I've got now is everything it should be. Being a "Franchise Approved" vehicle bought from a Ford main dealer it came with a full service, a full MOT, and a Ford supplied Auto Trust "Formula One" 12 months warranty with over seven months still to run.I paid £6200 for it[advertised at £6495] What Car, five months down the line values it at a dealer price of £6105 so all in all not to bad. Besides it's !Removed! dear changing cars, apart from the "devil you know is possibly better than the devil you don't" Mind you mine being what it is, I was more than happy to sell it private along with a transferral of warranty to the new owner.

[L S Auto Repairs]

I would get another opinion, i think its very strange that you drive the car park it and go to start it later and oh the cam belt is bust...

anyway best thing to do as already said is to pull the covers off and have a look.

if it has snapped then i very much doubt you will be able to put a new belt on and it will be ok, these are interference engines. if it does run ok after just a new belt then please pick me 6 numbers for the lottery

I do understand that it would be a very slim chance but better to put a new belt on and check rather than just guess and take the head off and nothing then wrong, I know there interference engines and im 99% sure it would have hit but best to be sure.

[catch]

I do understand that it would be a very slim chance but better to put a new belt on and check rather than just guess and take the head off and nothing then wrong, I know there interference engines and im 99% sure it would have hit but best to be sure.

I don't think stef123 was meaning to suggest to ignore "your" advice. What I think stef123 was implying like youself, lets first "eyeball" the belt, before we pass judgement as to what the problem is. If it is indeed the belt, then your advise would indeed be the first option to take.

[artscot79]

I don't think stef123 was meaning to suggest to ignore "your" advice. What I think stef123 was implying like youself, lets first "eyeball" the belt, before we pass judgement as to what the problem is. If it is indeed the belt, then your advise would indeed be the first option to take.

replace the belt and tensioners and crank the engine over manually youll soon find out if any valves are bent if they are then the heads gotta come off it i still think you need to be contacting ford about it

[stef123]

I don't think stef123 was meaning to suggest to ignore "your" advice. What I think stef123 was implying like youself, lets first "eyeball" the belt, before we pass judgement as to what the problem is. If it is indeed the belt, then your advise would indeed be the first option to take.

oops, sorry if ive caused a bit of confusion. i definetly didnt mean that anyone should ignore your advice, i was just really trying to say i think the chances of a new belt on there and it working again are very very slim especially since the OP has tried to start the car a few times.

[artscot79]

oops, sorry if ive caused a bit of confusion. i definetly didnt mean that anyone should ignore your advice, i was just really trying to say i think the chances of a new belt on there and it working again are very very slim especially since the OP has tried to start the car a few times.

i agree i have been surprised a few times and not 1 valve bent but im struggling to under stand how the tensioner or belt went with the car sitting there i still think its worth a try contacting ford due to the low lmileage we did that with the vags and got 70 percent off the cost of any work needing done

[L S Auto Repairs]

yes it could be possible to get goodwill from fords but it depends on the age of the vehicle and mileage its worked on and percentage scale.

it could have gone on start up but does seem a little weird. buttheres nothing weird than cars

[tmmitzzie]

its possible that the tensioner could have failed just at the moment you switched off the engine.