[tristan tumble]

so i called saab asking about the free timing belt change before the 160 000km mark. and they said, its totaly free, labour and parts. BUT they also said if the car needs a new tentioner then i HAVE TO get it replaced wich will cost me 800$. I asked what if i dont want to change the tentioner, and they said i have no choice, they wont put the car back together without one.

SO i think its a safe bet weather i need one or not they'll make me get it.

how often should the tentioner be changed on a v6 engine?

i really need help, because im very close to the cut off mark, and not sure if i should take advantage of the free belt change, or not.

thanks.

 

[nab627b]

every 30,000

 

[PMI]

I don't have a V6, but the typical cost of common parts for your car is easy to look up. The dealer would use the more expensive oem part, but still... After that, you can probably make your own conclusion about the price you were quoted. Example, Saabsite:

http://www.thesaabsite.com/900new/ng900V6engparts.htm

or eEuroparts, the entire kit with the belt, pulley and tensioner assembly, p/n 4773842, etc. Good luck.

 

[Tarpot]

$800 does sound excessive, and their take-it-or-leave-it attitude is not helpful to you. If the labor to change the belt is free, they shouldn't need too much more (chargeable) time to replace the tensioner assembly, I would think.

If you think this particular dealer is scamming you, it might be an idea to give a call to a different dealer for a second opinion (even if you don't have any intention to go to them), and you might give a call to Saab USA as well.

Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[tristan tumble]

so this is what has happend so far.


i called my independent machanic, and he said that there is no way that they can 'make me' do something. None the less i called a second saab dealer and they said the same thing 'its a safety issue' - and they went on to say "if you decide not to change the tentioner, we will charge you for the labour to put the car back together, and put the old belt back.

i called a third, and so far so good, the guy said he wont make me do something a customer dosnt want changed, i have to talk to the service manager on tuesday to get the full go ahead. i even asked them to just give me the belt, but they wouldnt.

on a side note, i hope the waranty said its before 165 000km, not 160 000, because i just looked at my odometer and im at 163 000.

OH BOY.

 

[bkrell]

Why charge for the tensioner? Ah, nevermind. See, if the tensioner is is OK, changing the timing belt is a fairly easy job which can be done w/o head removal. But if the tensioner is changed...head comes off. The tensioner is a fairly inexpensive part (uh, not $800) and so is the belt. It's the disassembly they are charging you far. What a freakin' crock.

 

[Tboy]

Uh BKrell, were talking V6 here, tensioner change does not require head removal.

Anyway, the tensioner's and pulleys are the weak part of the system. The belt is typically the part that lasts, but the pulley's and tensioner is what can fail.

What I thought the free replacement was for was to get the new updated parts in there to improve the longetivity. I could e wrong, but this would kind of defeat the purpose of having you pay for the stuff.

Ragtop or 54degreeman can comment more on the pulley and tensioner issues.

Tboy

 

[bkrell]

Oh, it's V-6 people...you should have your own forum.....:roll:

j/k I wasn't reading too close obviously. I'll admit it.....:cheesy:

 

[Saabohème]

Ahhh. Those V-6 people. Very Vociferous lot. Voluminous Verbiage. And they Vocalize with Velocity. BUT they Verbalize with much Veracity, too. We salute you who dwell in the Vast Valley of V-6 Vehicles. Pax Vobiscum.

 

[bkrell]

Ahhh. Those V-6 people. Very Vociferous lot. Voluminous Verbiage. And they Vocalize with Velocity. BUT they Verbalize with much Veracity, too. We salute you who dwell in the Vast Valley of V-6 Vehicles. Pax Vobiscum.

Please don't mind Saaboheme, he's um, been a little special today...

 

[Saabohème]

Are you following me?

 

[bkrell]

Get some sleep!:cheesy:

 

[Saabohème]

Goodnight Gracie.

 

[Tboy]

Ahhh. Those V-6 people. Very Vociferous lot. Voluminous Verbiage. And they Vocalize with Velocity. BUT they Verbalize with much Veracity, too. We salute you who dwell in the Vast Valley of V-6 Vehicles. Pax Vobiscum.

Hey, Vociferous? conspicuously and usually offensively loud?! I think velocity best desribes the V6, said with veracity!

Ok I had to look up Vociferous, and i still havent found the meaning of Vobiscum, but its late, and I'm off topic.

Back on topic, eeuroparts has the timing belt update kit for 200 bones. Tensioner, belt and an idler pulley, plus new bolts! (which I have also heard fail). This update should extend the service of the belts from 30K miles to 60K miles, which IMHO is still too short. My timing belt makes me nervous! But alas, if it breaks, I'll drop in a newer V6 from a saturn!

Tboy

 

[Saabohème]

Pax Vobiscum (Latin); literal: Peace go with you; meaning, peace be with you.

And sorry about the vociferous (it was late & my Vocabulary of V words was nearly Vacant).

In Vino Veritas.

Vaya con carne. (Go with meat).

 

[PMI]

And sorry about the vociferous (it was late & my Vocabulary of V words was nearly Vacant).

Difficile est satiram (non) scribere...

 

[Sha_kri]

so i called saab asking about the free timing belt change before the 160 000km mark. and they said, its totaly free, labour and parts.

What free timing belt change? Please enlighten me.

They use Kilometers in Canada?....how revolting

 

[earthworm]

To the best of my knowledge, Saab pays for the new V6 belt, but of course ,not the new tensioner.

IMO, what the first dealer is trying to do is criminal (and I have worked at dealerships).Back in the 60s and 70s, the customer had to have the replaced part back in his possession.. At least this was the VW way of doing business. The customer had to approve with every part that was replaced.
Theoretically, if the tensioner broke during disassembly (and these things can happen) - the service adviser would have to explain things very carefully to the customer - a difficult job at best.
Any way, if the customer says no to the tensioner, then the job must be completed(more or less) and the car returned to the customer.

I guess this is the old way of doing things - before so much in the way of litigation and lawsuits and disrespect...

Definitely report this dealer to all will listen - even if it is better that this tensioner be replaced, he cannot force you to accept this.
This overcharging for parts and labor seems to be standard dealer fare, particularity for "foreign automobiles".
The customers, to a man, must say NO! and GM must put a stop to this.....

 

[PMI]

...GM must put a stop to this.....

We may have a long wait. I think it must have been GM that set the labor hrs for the covered service and repairs low, knowing where the dealerships will make up the difference. Meaning, GM must know that the out-of-warranty repairs subsidize warranty service.

 

[tristan tumble]

so finaly...im taking the car in....in a few weeks.

the third dealer will replace the belt free, and 'advise' me on the tensioner. this guy said if i do need one, they would only charge me a half hour extra for labour....but the part is still pricey.

so should i give in and change the tensioner as well as the belt? and what about the serpentine belt? i dont know much about it, only hearing people talk about it on here..should they look at that too?

thanks.