On 28 Mar 2013, a mere 2, 094 kilos after the engine head gaskets had been replaced by The Auto Point, in addition to idling and power steering problems experienced after the repairs, the car blew a head gasket again!
Oudtshoorn Engineering who disassembled the engine for repair informed me of the following:
1. One of the cam gears had been rubbing against the backing plate between it and the head since the rightmost of the five bolts that hold the plate in place had been twisted off in the bolt hole and was not removed and replaced.
2. The electrical connection on one of the fuel injectors was broken and loose, causing the engine's rough idling.
3. On the head with the blown gasket four of the head bolts were not properly torqued according to specifications judging by the extreme ease with which they were removed.
4. The bracket to tighten the power steering pump's fan belt was absent, which explained the jerky power steering.
The reason why the gasket failed after a mere 2, 100 kilometres can only be attributed to the fact that the head bolts were not properly torqued. All in all it is evidence of shockingly shoddy and unprofessional workmanship on the part of The Auto Point.
0 comments