that is suck bad new mate. take them to court on this and i bet the fix it without going to court.
you need a new crank on that and a full bottom end rebuilt. the crank tolarance will now have changed and i wouldn't even be happy with a re ground blanced crank

UPDATE

Well the update is.........

1. Garage will not accept any liability for damage as they say there is no proof that that the damage didn't exist prior to me dropping the car off for service.

2. The garage will not put in a newcrank, even if I pay, because they say it's too much hassle taking out gearbox etc and it'll take up too much and time and space on the premises, time which could be spent servicing other cars.

3. The car will get big end and main bearings only, so that I can drive it away off their premises.

4. I then have a waiting game before the engine starts knocking again and I'm fccuked again (probably won't have to wait long).

5. I then will have to pay to get the car over to the UK, prob to Motormech and hopefully have them do a proper job.

6. Finally, I'll then get shot of the car once it's repaired properly, because my love for my LE has been obliterated forever as a result of this nightmare.

Have you had any legal advise on this?

I wouldnt let them work on the car until you have checked your rights.

im sorry daith

to be honest as others have said, the car just getting big and main bearings is going to only last a few 100, possibly a couple of k before it all needs doing again.
the fact that they cant complete a service correctly would lead me to believe getting them to do that level of work would not be wise.

i would take some proper legal advice here before they do any more work. the fact that they just want your car gone worrys me a little

lastly....have you priced up the cost of the repair, getting it over to the UK and all the other stuff? vs the price you will actualy be able to sell if for?

is it cost effective if your just going to get rid?

having been though the same...i know its hard to see now, you have all sorts off feelings for the car, non of them good..sleep on your desesion mate.

I was all for scrapping my car yesterday, after a week of fixing the wiring loom to have a battery explode on me and possibly undo all my handwork. i wont lie i was nearly in tears.

get the engine replaced by some one who knows what there doing, i.e paul, joe and see how you feel about it then...

as others have said to me, chin up mate

I'd like to watch them change the main bearing without them taking the crank out first, the main crank seal won't let the crank move, same goes for the clutch and gearbox.

I'd still pursue some legal advice before they touch the car to be honest.

get legal advice mate, i bet they didnt put oil in, started it up reved the balls off it THEN it started tapping.

they seem to be in a hurry to get this off there grounds fast, dont forget even if they repair it you can still refuse to pick it up (go there and put a wheel lock on it) and get legal advice untill your happy with the result.

So the main bearings can't even be changed without the crank being removed too?

Jesus H Christ, what is this garage telling me..........

They are clearly incompetent & should not be let loose on your loverly LE

I think it's very clear that...

Problem with the engine which would NOT have enabled you to drive it any distance - it would have just seized. Which is already 'proof number 1' if you ask me. It's extremely obvious also that the engine has run BEFORE they put it up on the ramp to get the oil out. Which would have already made the problem obvious to them - PLUS they would have then contacted you to say "we're not touching it - there is an engine problem".

So this leads to believe the problem occured over a very short period of time, namely at the time it was at the garage, and that the only possible reason (looking at the pictures) would be oil starvation.

If this was my car, I would get them to actually put their story on paper:

1/ car was brought in
2/ we didn't notice any problem with the engine
3/ we changed the oil / did maintenance
4/ engine started knocking during / after the test drive
5/ customer was contacted to show the problem
6/ attached pictures were taken of the parts that failed
7/ we diagnosed the problem possibly to have occured due to sump sealant coming loose

It's important for you to 'dress this up' as if you want a report for the garage that will be taking up the work. Actually tell them that you will take the car to a specialist who has asked to to offer some guidance on when what failed. Surely they'll have no problem with that if you *say* you found out there's some other people who had a similar problem and you'll just have to take up the bill and are okay with them not to take further action.

The point is in getting their findings confirmed on paper. Make sure they acknowledge the pictures to be of parts of your car. It's enough evidence to derive what caused the damage, that the damage was due to 'catastrophic failure' and therefor was caused by the garage - if that is indeed the case. Just that you have to make sure they don't change their story. Because it's obviously incorrect.

Once you get that part over with, GO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE + ask the support of a/multiple specialist/s with your case.

Sorry to hear this.
I was having trouble at a garage were i bought my coop but as soon as i told him i rang consumer affairs he changed his tune pritty quickly,but this was a warranty claim so a different situation but it would be no harm to give them a call.
Looks like oil starvation to me too and that talk of sealent is pure bull,the fact that he took the sump off at all would make me think that he knows its his fault,because other then a service i havent found anyone in ireland that will go near a coop.Mine will never see a garage for this reason.
Hope you get it sorted as easily as possible

Just to confirm guys....

Main bearings CANNOT be changed without removing the crank?

Is this 100% correct?

Thanks albertone,

This is a nightmare. I may have to take out a loan to buy another car whilst the coupe is knackered. I'm using my parents car becasue they are on holidays, but from Wednesday on when they return, I'm screwed.

In that case also seek legal advice about recovery of cost for buying another car/hire car costs etc. If they are found to be responsible then you should have a valid claim to get other costs back as well.

Sorry didn't see your post.

It's impossible to change one half of the main bearing as the crank will be held in place by the gearbox.

If you'd like to have a chat I'd be happy to talk more on the issue.

01885 400740

Daithi

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, look at the picture below:



As you can see the crank is bolted in place, one half of the bearing is kept inside the 'cap' (2 bolts holds each cap, as you can see in the pic) the other half of the bearing lives on the other side of the crank, so as everyone has said above, it's not possible to get to the other bearing without removing the crank.

Hope that helps

Daithi, this is terrible news!
I can actually recommend a very very capable garage for the work here in Derry. They have worked on my coupe, timing belt & thermostat & general servicing.
Story is they service and generally look after rally cars for a few big names here in the north. Plus the fella who owns the garage used to have Fiat franchise until moving into rally scene.
Anyway, I hope this can help as I hope this really doesn't put you off your coupe!!

Best of luck keep us posted.

Daithi,

So sorry to hear of this mess.

You have pm.

CollieD

Thanks you guys for all the help. Have sought legal advice and will update you guys in a couple of days.

Good!

daithi i dont know if this is of any use but there is a bloke a few miles outside belfast who is apparently very good,ex subaru wrc mechanic,said to be very reasonable.not sure how familiar with fiats but a phone call would find out.might be cheaper than shipping to england,cost wise.

Thanks Glenman but I think I have things sorted

Hi all,

Well I have an update on this saga, if anybody is interested.

Following numerous discussions with the garage we have made an amicable agreement without having to go down the legal route.

My part of the deal is that I have to pay for a replacement engine (£500).

The garages part of the deal is that they will;
1. Have my car put on a transporter and shipped across the water to Motormech.
2. Pay for the labour to have the engine fitted by Motormech.
3. Pay for the cost of a full cambelt change (cambelt, tensioner, idler, aux belt, guide pulley and waterpump).
4. Provide me with a free courtesy car until the coupe is fixed.

It would appear to be a reasonable solution for both parties without spending months in a legal battle without a car etc.

As luck would have it Motormech have a good engine available with around 60k, from an LE no less!
I hope the car will be shipped over in the next week.

So that’s it really for the moment.

I have decided that I will now hold onto my Coupe. I may even consider detouring to Bristol on the way back and have Flea work his magic under the bonnet

I don't know whether to be shocked or horrified as I'm sure you didn't expect to have to pay for a replacement engine, but on the brighter side they obviously feel that they are to blame otherwise they wouldn't be agreeing to the above.

A fairly happy ending

Obviously it's not ideal for me as I have to fork out £500, but I guess I was to pay for a service on my car and the £500 I've to fork out will include a service too.

And to think that I spent all that time trying to get that bloody reversing light fixed Joe!

I don't think thats a bad outcome, as you have now hopefully got an engine which doesn't need a major service for a while.

Glad you are keeping the LE

Wow, that was a great result

excellent..I must sort my reversing light too

Glad to hear this d'28.

Winner! Obviously £500 is not what you wanted to have to spend for a resolution but as we all know your lucky to actually get them to admit liability, stupid garages.

Personally think this is a very good deal. And you'll get a coupe wizard to work on your car. Good outcome!