just goes to show that most people just dont know how to look after or get a coupe serviced correctly

that said i think its probably likely the belt was done and not the kit as a cost cutting exercise

i have every simplify for the lad as we all know that my car ended up in a pile of mangled shell end bearings at the side of a motorway 3 hour's after i bought it.
it can just happen, i had the service history, it had a good going over, and a test drive, and it was hand picked

going though my history, it has had bent valves in the past....i can now see that the shell end bearings were not replaced when the head work was done...leading to the complete bottom end going south for the winter on the motorway for me

but this was a fiat garage that did the work this time ?

crap can just happen

im just glad we have people like countycrusing, motormech, and others i cant rember as there not local that know what there doing and we can leve our cars with them knowing that the work will be done correctly

Here's the same car again, seller bought this with the intention of fixing but was unable to find a good 16vt engine.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1996-FIAT-COUPE-16...%3A1|240%3A1318

i take it you dont want it even to break then

I've seen this one in the flesh and it doesn't have a lot going for it unfortunately, it certainly wasn't worth the £500 plus recovery costs that the buyer paid for it

Whoops! Still if your engines gonna let go it may as well do so in a spectacular way

That head doesnt/didnt look new to me. Its very dirty.

It'd had a new head fitted for sure Greg.

That head is not new - just look at the carbon build up and general condition of it - its at least 4-6 months old....

Is that not new for a car that's 12+ years old?

Have i misunderstood you?? You stated it had a new cylinder head. Even though this was not the cause of engine failure, that clyinder head is far from new!!

Yes it'd had a new head fitted before this failure, it may have been a couple of months before the bearing collapsed but it was a new unit for sure.

Either way it'll need a replacement engine as this one is fubar now.

I had a fiat diesel engine that did this if it happens on the motorway this is the outcome, 2500rpm will make this mess if the valve comes off. Happened 3 days after I got the car so I really feel for this chap.