[Sir"CAR"]

Utter nonsense! It is impossible for a rat to enter the timing belt case!
Also, if the timing belt is damaged or torn, it would damage the valves and pistons, due to the lack of synchronization, provided it is an interference engine. The sudden impact will exert an impulse on the crankshaft, but I am not sure whether it is enough to bend a crankshaft. The journal bearings will take the impact, and they would need replacements.

[Amey]

Originally Posted by Sir"CAR"

Utter nonsense! It is impossible for a rat to enter the timing belt case!
Also, if the timing belt is damaged or torn, it would damage the valves and pistons, due to the lack of synchronization, provided it is an interference engine. The sudden impact will exert an impulse on the crankshaft, but I am not sure whether it is enough to bend a crankshaft. The journal bearings will take the impact, and they would need replacements.

Please read properly, it's a damaged 'camshaft' and not 'crankshaft'.
Camshaft breakage/bending is very much possible in case of wrong timing irrespective of whether it is an interference engine or not.

[Dry Ice]

About the rat carcass being lodged in the belt - wouldn't it have smelled like hell? That would give it away instantly.

@OP - Did your friend open the bonnet anytime after the MIL came on or got any pungent smell?

[sandeepmohan]

Elite Ford are the worst Ford service centre you can take your car too. They are incapable of addressing basic problems, let alone the problem you have. I suggest you get your car towed out of here, at your own cost and have it attended by St. Marks Road, Lingarajapuram or Yeswantpur service outlets.

I guess you meant Mahadevapura Ford service and not Marthahalli.

[joybhowmik]

"This is regarding your Ecosport vehicle (Reg Num:-KA 'Removed')has reported on 31/7/14 with the complaint of vehicle jerking during the vehicle inspection initially it was suspected due to fuel adulteration which causing MIL (Mal Functional indicator lamp) but further diagnosis it was detected that the rat has entered in the timing case ,due to which the timing got disturbed and the engine internal parts got damaged."

1. The engine MAL warning was on, so the vehicle was towed to Elite Ford (By car lease company).
2. The first reports from Elite ford was about the use of adulterated fuel.
3. A day later, they confirm it to be a timing belt issue.
4. A week later, comes the damaged camshaft assembly.
5. Elite ford mention that the MAL LED was lit only after the damage to the camshaft was done. This means it is only post damage alert rather than an early warning system.

Vehicle jerking during vehicle inspection and MIL on?
Is the dealer claiming that the vehicle kept jerking due to a timing belt failure ?
I have not known of a single case of timing belt failure where symptoms were that the vehicle ran and 'jerked '- presumably first at the customer's home or whereever he was, and then again at the dealer.

Actually -when timing belt fails - the engine seizure is sudden (see 1:30-1:34) of the rather sick video

here

.
And after it fails, no attempt such as replacing timing belt will ever run that engine again... unless one does a complete overhaul of the head and block.

But, what's got my suspicions up is the gradual way in which the reports are coming up.
First: adulterated fuel - okay - that's believable to some extent. If there's water in the fuel. But they did an inspection - right? I am guessing that involved opening the hood and actually observing the engine?

Second (within 24 hours): timing belt problem, rat chewed thru.
(So if rat chewed thru... the casing damage would be visible right? And the rat's carcass would have had the same effect of dislodging/tearing the timing belt enclosure right? Were they sleeping when they were inspecting the car?)
Next a week later: camshaft damaged saar - what to do saar?


I think it's time, your friend filed an FIR for a criminal case against the proprietor of Ford dealer - because...quite simply put - they are lying, and what's worse are probably guilty of changing good parts on your friends engine so that they can make a fast buck.

[Ajaybiz]

Just few cut in timing belt is not going to damage the engine so much, the belt should skip rotating the cam shaft to do so, and as per the pic I don't see that belt is weak enough to skip the rotation.
Be strong and pull them down to their knee, they cant BS so much.

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by lancersfx

I'm posting this on behalf of a friend.

"engine internal parts got damaged."

Lancersfx, can you give an update on this?

[lancersfx]

Originally Posted by ramzsys

Lancersfx, can you give an update on this?

Sorry folks. It certainly has been a long time since I updated this thread as a solution was reached. Here's what happened. The pre-estimate looked like this:



The final bill that my friend had to settle was: INR 59003
A complaint was raised by my friend (via the company he works) against the car lease company. HR authorities took this to the director of lease company and ensured that all cost was borne by the the lease company and they mentioned that this was made an exception under special consideration. He initially had to pay Ford and the car lease company reimbursed that amount (albeit 40 days post settlement at Ford).

Thank you all for the guidance and pointers. It was a tense month with finding out who takes up the final payment. Glad he was spared. Thank you Team-Bhpians

[vnabhi]

Though I'm glad he did not have to pay, I'm still not comfortable with Ford refusing to honour the warranty claim.

On the contrary, I've had a very satisfying relationship with Ford India. Two claims when my Fiesta was under extended warranty were promptly dealt with on the same day, and one after warranty was still honoured as it was a manufacutring defect of the power steering hose. Details are in my LTO thread of the Fiesta.

Going by that experience, I am dismayed to see the ordeal of this person.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by lancersfx

Sorry folks. It certainly has been a long time since I updated this thread as a solution was reached.
The final bill that my friend had to settle was: INR 59003. . He initially had to pay Ford and the car lease company reimbursed that amount (albeit 40 days post settlement at Ford).

The car was less than an year old then and why was the repair not carried out under warranty?

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

The car was less than an year old then and why was the repair not carried out under warranty?

This was not a design fault that happened-hence Ford did not honor warranty - that is if it is confirmed that it is the rat remains that is seen between the belt and the pulley in the 1st post of this thread.