There’s only one reason I can think why car manufacturer’s have started putting the timing chain behind the gearbox. To make even more money from there customers.
@@alexjohnson7760 that’s funny. I’ve had a Mercedes m646 with the chain at the front and the m651 at the back and there’s no difference. Other then £1500 for m651 to replace the chain to £400 in the m646.
its not just these jobs, its jobs in general. A lot of shops are turning work away mostly because of the time it takes and or the lack of mechanics that can do this work. A lot of mechanics are getting old and retiring and not many people want to get into this field because of the back breaking work and expense of the tools needed, not to mention the low pay while requiring you to have 50k in tools.
Yep I've noticed this. I've needed some work done on my car, I usually work on it myself but it was time consuming jobs and I figured it wasn't worth my time and I would rather pay to have it done. I needee a full suspension overhaul with all shock absorbers, control arms, subframe bushes all replaced and I would not get any local garage to take it, I called, email, even showed up and asked at the front desk, they always said they'd get back to me and then always ghosted me. More recently I needed a steering rack replaced and same story, nobody wants to do it. I found one specialist about an hour away that would do it, but the waiting list was 3 months long. I ended up doing it all myself. Seems the vast majority of mechanics these days only want to replace brake pads and do MOTs.
Hi over forty years as a mechanic just hate it now .low pay for such hard word .and cars so hard to work on manafacturas don't give a shit. Diesel cars pure crab to all makes that is.whats the best way to tell everybody this .
I nearly fell over watching this. A mechanic who reassembles with copper grease to make jobs easier next time. Only wish there were more like you. Just hope the customer appreciates the work you do and always brings his cars back to you. Worth 2 hour's travel.
I can only speak for myself as mechanic/garage owner, it is getting harder and harder to find well skilled, knowledgeable mechanics like Baz. The last 2 I had were at the skill set as Baz but decided to go on their own . Time is a factor also I find. Being a small yet busy workshop in London, we find most of our time is spent knocking out MOT's, servicing, brakes etc. It is fine balance between workshop space and getting cars back on the road, some customers have no patience. Please keep up the videos, they are very informative and well presented.
Same here! Too busy churning out servicing, MOTs and small repairs, booked up for weeks in advance! Fortunately the guy next door likes the horrible jobs!!
I served my time in a Ford garage in the late 80’s, you could change a belt on a pinto or cvh in your lunch hour and still have time for you sannies Design is abysmal these days
Late 60's/early 70's I used to be able to swap an engine on an Anglia/Mk.1/Mk.2 Cortinas in a couple of hours without breaking into a sweat, and officially I was just a partsman...!!
I'm an ex vehicle tech, Was on the spanners for 32 years, Packed it in in 1998, I like this content on the newer stuff i have never worked on, I like your style ie: Knowledgeable, Methodical and clean, Subbed and liked 👍
18 years as a tech, and I had enough. I've done some crazy ones like this, but as time wore on it just got worse and worse. What can I say? Just buy a Toyoda. 3-500,000 miles on a timing chain. Mostly easy to work on (compared to others) and not too expensive. My 2016 Camry 2.5 petro (gas) will run as long as I ever want to drive it. Baz, you are a heck of a tech for being able to handle this kind of job! From the states, Cheers to you Mate!!
Bread and butter car with cooking engine and, somehow, they manage to make it so complicated; then when it gets to a certain age it becomes uneconomical to replace such a simple part! This is progress?
Can you remember the Vauxhalls where you could change the clutch in 1/2 hour. There was a cover and you pulled a shaft out and dropped the clutch down the bottom.
@@damianbutterworth2434 That at was the front wheel drive Cavalier. I have just looked at doing our Mondeo clutch. You have to remove most of the car to get to it.
It is nice to see someone taking the time to clean and grease up bolts etc before they reassemble. That is exactly what I always used to do before I retired. That was one hell of a job, why they make engines like that is beyond me, but top marks for your professionalism and attention to detail. Sadly you're a dying breed.
My son in law is a car mechanic and the small non dealership garage he works at won't take on anything that requires a wet timing belt replacement, says they get plenty of work and simply don't want the extra hassle. Doesn't bode well for the consumer as they are now forced to take to main dealer
Great Video ! Once upon a time i'd have only had a car with a timing chain. These days I will only have one with a belt, and this is partly why, complication and plastic chain guides that degrade and disintegrate are the culprits, oh and weedy chain design.
Nice video again!! Did this job couple of weeks ago. Some garages just want to make easy money instead of doing a job that make people happy. Keep up the good work
I used to think chain systems were much better than belts. Not any more. They are a bit Heath Robinson on modern engines. The cambelt on my car can be changed in a couple of hours and if done at correct intervals gives no trouble.
I'm glad the 1996 BMW E34 525 TDS auto estate I owned from 83k to 143k had a double row roller camchain! It was still on its original turbo & I had oil & filter changes every 7k at National Tyres in the early 2000's & there were vouchers in the papers for this priced at only £15!! 🙂
another example of "built in obsolesce" by the manufacturer - designed to make it so hard/expensive to fix so that the manufactures gets a steady stream of new car purchases - (good video!)
I actually enjoyed this video. I work on Honda/Acura cars from time to time, and one thing I noticed is how much more tedious working on European cars are.
Watching stuff like this makes me so glad I'm out of the motor trade now. I left in 2001 finding as each generation of vehicle that came out, it was more and more of an arse to work on. I would never want to go back on the spanners now!
Great work Baz, fantastic to see your care and attention with every engine no matter how difficult it looks. I guess we all wish there were more of you.
I owned a Mk 2 Cavalier , and had to change the clutch , i kid you not when i say it took 20 minutes, however following on from there with the next models from GM it became a major task the fools !
I'm a mobile mechanic and I sure wouldn't take this on. I do clutches and chains, but all that lot in one go without a ramp isn't worth it for me. I also pride myself on doing a good job, so if I feel that I can't do it as good as i'd like because of being mobile, i'd rather not do it at all. I can really appreciate your quality of work. Not many techs go to these lengths! Top Job!
This design is just madness. I’m a pretty competent home mechanic and have done various chains and belts over the years but I wouldn’t be doing a job like this it’s just ridiculous how this has been engineered. Glad I clicked on this video very interesting insight
Hi Baz I like your attention to detail and working to the Manufacturer's specifications and a clean workshop , there's not many workshop's in my location willing to do this kind of work and there is quite a few don't have the confidence or ability , I hope you are well appreciated and rewarded for giving such a good service , Regards to you and Good Luck
Mate i like the fact you cover the steering wheel and gear knob with shrink wrap so you dont leave oily hand prints anywhere, very professional service .
Whatever your being paid… it ain’t enough!👍 Fantastic job you did there. Nice to see someone who cares about the job enough to grease the bolts and injectors too. I think I’ll stick to my 70’s and 80’s cars though! They might rust but that’s easy to fix🤣
Awesome work. Mum has a Golf 1.6 FSI (BLF) which isn't running well. No garage near me wants to look at it, very frustrating. Must be nice picking and choosing jobs!
We've got one off those. Chain started rattling around 30.000km. Garage don't want to touch it. They say it's normal. A feature off the car nothing to worry about. Now we are at 110.000km and for the last 60.000km the chain rattles while driving. Not all the time. But is does it at rpm between 1500 and 2500. We are very worried it will break. Very disappointed int opel for not fixing this problem. There are lots off cars with this engine having this problem. Thanks bazz for the explanation of how big this job is. No wonder opel doesn't come between it. Would cost them loads and loads of money all this labor. Still a shame though. A lot of people are left with a unreliable car.
you can always do it yourself. Yes it is a hell of nightmare job but if nobody takes it you can always do it even a parking lot if you do not have garage :) Buy some tools watch some videos about it and go ahead! I know it from my own experience:) what is wrong if it takes 2 weeks for you instead of 2 days in a garage? Autodoc webstore is your best friend :)
@@bazmeredith I've been searching and asking around a lot. Apparently it's not the tensioner per se. This engine has variable oil pressure depending on situations and rpm. And at certain instances the tensioner doesn't receive enough pressure to keep the chain tight wich results in chattering chain an result off that is stretching from working under loose tension. And then you come to a point that the chain is so stretched than the tensioner doesn't have enough travel to take that slack en then it's game over soon. If the oil pump was a normal constant pressure pump instead of a variable the tensioner should get full pressure all the time and the chain would never get the chance to get slack
@@zodiatti1825 I'm reasonable handy when it comes to cars. Do my own repairs and maintenance for years. Even worked at a garage for a while. I not affraid to tackle this on my drive way. And I know AutoDoc. But it's our daily car for our family and the only time I could do it is in the weekend and with this kind off job when something break or goes wrong, like the pipes bazz mentioned I can't get new parts on the weekend. And the wife needs the car to get to work on Monday
Excellent explanation of the monumental task for this job. I have exactly this car and had the clutch and flywheel done 18 months ago. Just had to have it done again as flywheel gone and clutch cylinder leaking. Just outside of warranty and hard to get hold of a flywheel. Apparently it is common if the car is not driven every day (ours had done about 6k miles). Makes no sense to me.
I'm not mechanically minded & it leaves me aghast when I see an engine opened up like that. I don't understand how you can remember how everything goes back. Then you have the different designs from different manufacturers. It's actually car surgery not mechanics. You guys are talented. I wish I had the type of brain that could make sense of it all. It's good to watch videos like this because it helps me understand why a garage is charging me a certain amount. I sometimes take my car in for a basic repair and think to myself, how can they charge me 400 quid just for that? I then look and see what's involved just to get to what they need to do and it makes sense.
I guess because of the time it takes the tooling that’s needed probably make just as much if not more doing services discs and pads with a lot less hassle
Great video. I watched your video on Ford Fiesta 2009 head gasket replacement. My head is now at the shop and the rebuild starts next week on my fiesta! Great skills. Thanks
First time i’ve watched your channel, nice job on the chain. Nice to see cleanliness on all the jointing surfaces 👍 At 10:15 you could do with a nice big bench to lay all your removed parts out in an orderly clean manner. Excellent job 👍
What a top job! Blimey that’s a tough one.., love the attention to detail especially the injectors being greased up along with the copper grease, just got my first EV I like the thought it doesn’t have anything like this to worry about.
What a procedure, second chain replacement, God knows the cost,where are Vauxhall getting there chains China. I will remember never to purchase a Vauxhall.
I'd drive a long way for someone as competent as you. Great video. I think you've answered your own question though! How many junior mechanics would you trust with a job like that? I've no idea what you'd charge, but for an older car it must come close to writing it off, God knows why it's designed like that. It took me 4 hours to replace the belt on my 1.9PD without rushing and cost less than 100 quid for a Gates belt and a water pump 😊
I've been in the trade professionally for over 40 years now, I've had garages myself with workshops, not only are vehicles getting more complicated to diagnose, very often the job involves ( as you demonstrate here ) a huge amount of labour costs that more often than not are out of the customers price range, couple that with trying to find mechanic's that not only know their way way around a set of tools and a lap top, but actually understand and genuinely know the recurring problems certain marques suffer from. Parts are expensive, Labour costs are expensive, and finding technicians that "really" know their stuff ( not just Ex Main Agent Technicians who in my mind only know the official way, and that is nearly always "keep bolting parts on until it cures it" ) ...... the knowledge and know how needed nowadays is not something you can be taught, you need to be immersed in it 24/7, AND you need to love doing it, try finding that kind of technician in the employment market today 😮
Iv done a few of theses a lot easier to remove engines and box all together to do that job and also it’s not all ways the timing chain that goes sometimes is the dual mass flywheel that sounds and acts the same the chain rattling.
here is another example why I always prefer a belt instead of a chain. Chains are not forever same as belts but belts are way easy to replace. And I dont mean wet belts, just exterior belts.
A friend of mine went to 5 garages before being towed home . Overheating, water pump surely that’s a simple diagnosis and fix. Tho it’s nuts why they make things this hard maybe it’s so we keep buying new ,
It's getting to the stage where good product knowledge is the key. It's one of the main advantages of a dealer trained technician. Independent garages must be struggling
Bloody ell. I'll bet brain surgery isn't as complicated as working on this - a humble Vauxhall. What the hell are all these manufacturers playing at. A competition who can design the most complicated and difficult and time consuming engines to work on. You deserve a medal.
Came close to buying a Astra estate 1.6D, was plenty of 2016-2019 cars with 100,000 miles on clock at good price's but after some research realised they where cheap because they probably due timing chain and cost was £2,000+ went for Volvo V60 2.0D .
Hello mate, great job!💪 I just have a few questions and remarks. You didn’t exactly mention for which problem the customer came in. Was it for timing chain rattle? Low oil pressure? Because the timing chain didn’t seem to be stretched out of spec. You mentioned the chain tensioner gasket, but that’s only a minor inconvenience. Correct me if I’m wrong but the gasket or the absence of one, gives only a slight rattle on initial startup, until oil pressure is build up in the block. Should take around 2-5 seconds. Another potential issue is premature wear of the chain tensioner but otherwise I don’t really see the issue. And a little remark on the mounting of the subframe. It is not advised to use copper grease on torque specified bolts, because it potentially can mess up the tension retaining properties over time. Just make sure the threads are clean and degreased, you can use a bit of WD-40, but it’s not advised to use any type of grease. It will probably not give any issues, but I advise to not use any type of grease in the future. WD-40 is a water repellent, not a grease and will avoid rust from forming on the threads. But hey, I’m not judging. I have great respect for your work, I’m a car mechanic myself and I hope you see my little remarks as constructive criticism. Keep up the good work. 💪🔧
It rattled for a few seconds at start up and customer wanted it replacing... I've just done one with 100k miles less with a failed guide.... Also give that a watch
I can see why the owner travelled over 2 hours to bring it to you, if I had an Astra 1.6 D with a rattling chain I'd travel to you to get it sorted aswell, very nice Pro job.
Mate props to you for doing these cars so well when I've seen people do shit jobs an be like these cars are unreliable. Manufacturers are making you almost overhaul and rebuild the whole engine for semi-regular maintenance
I live quite close to an “independent Vauxhall specialist” who’s been around for decades. Asked him recently if he’d change the timing belt on my 2.5 V6 Vectra B but straight up refused as he’d “make more money in half the time doing dealer diagnostic work”… I know it’s a labour intensive job but was quite shocked as I thought the car guy he always claimed to be would love to see what’s becoming a rare car stay on the road 🤔
Seems like he had other reasons not to do it. In my workshop an hours labour is the same price regardless of diag or changing a belt. In fact I'd rather do the mechanical stuff as it,s easier to price up!
That's absolutely crazy. The X25XE belt is fairly straightforward to do and easy money. From memory the book time was something silly like 2.7hrs plus setup. If you know what you're doing you can do them considerably quicker. It's easy money. I suspect he didn't know how to do it.
This is exactly why I've steered clear of Vauxhall for years, they used to make decent affordable and fun cars, but now they are as dull as dishwater after a Sunday lunch, also there's a heavy price to pay when they play up, i wouldn't touch one with a bargepole, also heard of similar horror stories from ford, these cars are cheaper for a reason.
The reason most garages aren’t doing these is because most owners won’t pay the price a good percentage of “big” jobs I price up rather goes elsewhere, gets traded in or gets scrapped.
In my workshop we have clean floors and when engines or gearboxes are being stripped all of the internal components are placed in clean plastic containers, fuel injectors are placed in sealed plastic bags and left on the floor where there is a chance they could get knocked about or get dust and dirt from other vehicles being worked on. It doesn't matter how well anyone can do a job if proper care of the components is not happening.
Thin chains for emissions, cheaper steel used in manufacturing plus stop start technology has a lot to be desired. If you have a chain driven car - disable stop start and change oil no later than 7k miles
Subscribed to you last week. Your the real deal mate, big respect from a beginner mechanic, heaps of knowledge. If you don’t mind sharing all in what was the cost for this job? I’m guessing 1300/1700. Is that accurate?
I'm no mechanic but old A series engine were easy to work on. Even with faults they would still run. Modern cars are designed to break down as they are massively complicated and controlled by computers.@@D-2-the-no
Vauxhall never change, I worked on Vauxhall/Bedfords as my day job in the 80's & we used to name them Poxy Vauxy's & to this day I have steered clear of them & pledged I'd never work on another one or even buy one, I'm sticking with my Ford's but wouldn't touch a Ecoboost, what a nightmare job you have got there!
The eighties and nineties Vauxhall's were easy to work on. They took the number one selling position from Ford because they were much better. I don't think you could possibly compare a sierra to a cavalier.
Lovely video, You've explained the real issue behind these engines too! Just out of curiosity as i struggled like crazy to find somebody to do mine (as it sounds like your customer has too) how much custom for these do you get and what is your rough costs if its chain/tensioner job only.
I find myself having to do more and more jobs like these as fewer and fewer garages will take on this kind of work. The bigger garages around here will do it because of time and space but they will also charge a fortune. My aim is to keep cars on the road for people who aren't millionaires. But with technology and design going the way it is, i see a lot of heartache in the future for customers. I disagree with other comments slightly... Being a mechanic is harder than it's ever been, true, but at no point befor this could i make £50k a year this easily. Fewer and fewer new mechanics (good ones) means the ones like us are doing better than ever. Great video btw from a fellow copper grease enjoyer. To any copper grease deniers, this isnt California, our climate and road salt is the bane of our existence 😊
I wouldn't have a Vauxhall if you paid me!! I have owned 2 in the last 23 years and both were non stop trouble for me. The insignia was 5 years old, done less than 40k miles and the motor blew up on the motorway! I have to say that if you were closer I'd use you on all my jobs! Trying to find good car mechanic near me is impossible!! You can tell you really know your stuff and you want to do a good job! We need more car mechanics like you!!!!
There’s only one reason I can think why car manufacturer’s have started putting the timing chain behind the gearbox. To make even more money from there customers.
Also by making jobs so labour intensive and so expensive on parts it makes cars become uneconomic to repair so they go to.scrap sooner
@@alabar9795 very true at 100.000 when most need doing most cars are worth what it costs to do the job. Just another way to screw the customers
Cars designed to do max 100k & 10 years old.
The reason for moving the chain to this position is for balancing and vibration/noise dampening
@@alexjohnson7760 that’s funny. I’ve had a Mercedes m646 with the chain at the front and the m651 at the back and there’s no difference. Other then £1500 for m651 to replace the chain to £400 in the m646.
its not just these jobs, its jobs in general. A lot of shops are turning work away mostly because of the time it takes and or the lack of mechanics that can do this work. A lot of mechanics are getting old and retiring and not many people want to get into this field because of the back breaking work and expense of the tools needed, not to mention the low pay while requiring you to have 50k in tools.
Spot on 😮
Yep I've noticed this. I've needed some work done on my car, I usually work on it myself but it was time consuming jobs and I figured it wasn't worth my time and I would rather pay to have it done. I needee a full suspension overhaul with all shock absorbers, control arms, subframe bushes all replaced and I would not get any local garage to take it, I called, email, even showed up and asked at the front desk, they always said they'd get back to me and then always ghosted me. More recently I needed a steering rack replaced and same story, nobody wants to do it. I found one specialist about an hour away that would do it, but the waiting list was 3 months long. I ended up doing it all myself.
Seems the vast majority of mechanics these days only want to replace brake pads and do MOTs.
@@BigUriel yeah i used to do mech work on the side. But it got to where people wanted it done for free and i kinda gave it up after that.
😊@@BigUriel
Hi over forty years as a mechanic just hate it now .low pay for such hard word .and cars so hard to work on manafacturas don't give a shit. Diesel cars pure crab to all makes that is.whats the best way to tell everybody this .
Bloody hell , open heart surgery looks less complicated ,amazing vid 👏👏
I once got a wuote from Vauxhall for a new electric steering pump and rack they wanted £900 it turned out to be the alternator £80 at another garage 🤷
I nearly fell over watching this. A mechanic who reassembles with copper grease to make jobs easier next time. Only wish there were more like you. Just hope the customer appreciates the work you do and always brings his cars back to you. Worth 2 hour's travel.
Same - decent bloke and a good mechanic, cars these days are a nightmare - fwd crap.
Really appreciate this buddy 🤙🤙🤙
Oh agreed makes life soo much easier in future
I wouldn't take one of these cars if somebody gave it to me for free
@@DETmichigan-yy6lfI would take as many as I could. They have scrap value.
Superb mechanic. An excellent example of why buying an Astra and many Vauxhall/Opel motors is a form of self immolation.
I don’t think that there is many skilled motor engineers like you about, that is why people come to you. Brilliant work keep it up.
Being a motor mechanic from a very different and simpler time, i can appreciate the quality of your workmanship, top vid 👍👍👍
Thank you buddy, really appreciate it
totally agree , me too.
I can only speak for myself as mechanic/garage owner, it is getting harder and harder to find well skilled, knowledgeable mechanics like Baz. The last 2 I had were at the skill set as Baz but decided to go on their own . Time is a factor also I find. Being a small yet busy workshop in London, we find most of our time is spent knocking out MOT's, servicing, brakes etc. It is fine balance between workshop space and getting cars back on the road, some customers have no patience. Please keep up the videos, they are very informative and well presented.
Thank you buddy 😁
Same here! Too busy churning out servicing, MOTs and small repairs, booked up for weeks in advance! Fortunately the guy next door likes the horrible jobs!!
"Some customers have no patience," they live in another world.
I served my time in a Ford garage in the late 80’s, you could change a belt on a pinto or cvh in your lunch hour and still have time for you sannies
Design is abysmal these days
Late 60's/early 70's I used to be able to swap an engine on an Anglia/Mk.1/Mk.2 Cortinas in a couple of hours without breaking into a sweat, and officially I was just a partsman...!!
@@terryjacob8169 it was the same in my time, mk2 escorts, cortina’s, even sierras
Clutch on a rear wheel drive took you an hour
No. Design is perfect. Built in obsolescence. Manufacturers LOVE repairscosting more than a new car.
I retired at 55 from a life as a mechanic and saw the future.... props to you for having bigger balls than me .
Nice to see a proper mechanic doing a great job and obviously with pride , well done 👍
I couldn't even get a garage near me to do rear axle bushes on a 2010 zafira, I ended up doing it myself. Keep up the great work
I'm an ex vehicle tech, Was on the spanners for 32 years, Packed it in in 1998, I like this content on the newer stuff i have never worked on, I like your style ie: Knowledgeable, Methodical and clean, Subbed and liked 👍
I love these videos showing me what cars not to buy.
Yeah, anything from the late 90s onwards.
18 years as a tech, and I had enough. I've done some crazy ones like this, but as time wore on it just got worse and worse. What can I say? Just buy a Toyoda. 3-500,000 miles on a timing chain. Mostly easy to work on (compared to others) and not too expensive. My 2016 Camry 2.5 petro (gas) will run as long as I ever want to drive it. Baz, you are a heck of a tech for being able to handle this kind of job! From the states, Cheers to you Mate!!
Great video Footage.
I can see why no one wants to take on that job .
Looks like a nightmare
Looks a cheap job to do though
Bread and butter car with cooking engine and, somehow, they manage to make it so complicated; then when it gets to a certain age it becomes uneconomical to replace such a simple part! This is progress?
@@kevinmoffattthis is business.
All modern cars are an engine comparment nightmare, unlike the cars of the 1960's and 1970's that were a breeze to work on.
The reason I like my 1960s Vauxhalls and my 50s Ford. They are simple and get me from A to B which is the only thing a car needs to do
You probably drive more safely than most other people too.
Can you remember the Vauxhalls where you could change the clutch in 1/2 hour. There was a cover and you pulled a shaft out and dropped the clutch down the bottom.
@@damianbutterworth2434 That at was the front wheel drive Cavalier. I have just looked at doing our Mondeo clutch. You have to remove most of the car to get to it.
Have a look at the Fiat Fiorino if you need a new car. Simple. Affordable spare parts. Easy to repair.
@@stefan_sth Thanks - I'll have a look :-)
It is nice to see someone taking the time to clean and grease up bolts etc before they reassemble. That is exactly what I always used to do before I retired. That was one hell of a job, why they make engines like that is beyond me, but top marks for your professionalism and attention to detail. Sadly you're a dying breed.
Thought eco boom wet belt was a engineering low but this takes the biscuit.
Great job fella.
My son in law is a car mechanic and the small non dealership garage he works at won't take on anything that requires a wet timing belt replacement, says they get plenty of work and simply don't want the extra hassle. Doesn't bode well for the consumer as they are now forced to take to main dealer
Garbage design that causes no end of other hassle. I don't know anyone in my town now that will touch one.
Impressive. Always a pleasure watching someone who knows his craft inside out. You would be my go-to garage if i lived near you.
Great Video ! Once upon a time i'd have only had a car with a timing chain. These days I will only have one with a belt, and this is partly why, complication and plastic chain guides that degrade and disintegrate are the culprits, oh and weedy chain design.
Nice video again!! Did this job couple of weeks ago. Some garages just want to make easy money instead of doing a job that make people happy. Keep up the good work
The design of some these days leaves a lot to be desired. Chains always used to be for life. Nice job Baz very professional. 👌
Thank you buddy 🤙
I used to think chain systems were much better than belts. Not any more. They are a bit Heath Robinson on modern engines. The cambelt on my car can be changed in a couple of hours and if done at correct intervals gives no trouble.
@karp6130.Nothing wrong with chain,or belt.All depends on the design and quality of parts.Unfortunately,in built faults,make garages money.
I'm glad the 1996 BMW E34 525 TDS auto estate I owned from 83k to 143k had a double row roller camchain! It was still on its original turbo & I had oil & filter changes every 7k at National Tyres in the early 2000's & there were vouchers in the papers for this priced at only £15!! 🙂
Chains might last for life, but the plastic chain guides usually last as long as a cambelt would
another example of "built in obsolesce" by the manufacturer - designed to make it so hard/expensive to fix so that the manufactures gets a steady stream of new car purchases - (good video!)
I'm studying to become a mechanic and I love video's like this, very imformative!
I actually enjoyed this video. I work on Honda/Acura cars from time to time, and one thing I noticed is how much more tedious working on European cars are.
Watching stuff like this makes me so glad I'm out of the motor trade now. I left in 2001 finding as each generation of vehicle that came out, it was more and more of an arse to work on. I would never want to go back on the spanners now!
If an Ecoboost wet belt is Friday 13th, this job is The Exorcist. Real scary.
Amazing skill and knowledge.
I was lucky I got 90k out of my ecobust before the oil pump went, as they do.
Great work Baz, fantastic to see your care and attention with every engine no matter how difficult it looks. I guess we all wish there were more of you.
Not many out there like you maté proper mechanic taking proper pride in your work doing the job correctly. Subscribed 👍
Thanks for the sub! 🤙🤙
I owned a Mk 2 Cavalier , and had to change the clutch , i kid you not when i say it took 20 minutes, however following on from there with the next models from GM it became a major task the fools !
I happened across this channel. What a professional 👏 really enjoyed watching this.
Never apologise for the length of these videos Baz, it's great content. What a job that was eh, bloody hell.
I'm a mobile mechanic and I sure wouldn't take this on. I do clutches and chains, but all that lot in one go without a ramp isn't worth it for me.
I also pride myself on doing a good job, so if I feel that I can't do it as good as i'd like because of being mobile, i'd rather not do it at all.
I can really appreciate your quality of work. Not many techs go to these lengths! Top Job!
This design is just madness. I’m a pretty competent home mechanic and have done various chains and belts over the years but I wouldn’t be doing a job like this it’s just ridiculous how this has been engineered. Glad I clicked on this video very interesting insight
This wouldn't happen to be a French designed diesel engine by chance would it?
Hi Baz I like your attention to detail and working to the Manufacturer's specifications and a clean workshop , there's not many workshop's in my location willing to do this kind of work and there is quite a few don't have the confidence or ability , I hope you are well appreciated and rewarded for giving such a good service , Regards to you and Good Luck
Really appreciate this buddy
Sir ,a fantastic vidio always a pleasure watching and learning from a artisan thank you
Mate i like the fact you cover the steering wheel and gear knob with shrink wrap so you dont leave oily hand prints anywhere, very professional service .
Whatever your being paid… it ain’t enough!👍 Fantastic job you did there.
Nice to see someone who cares about the job enough to grease the bolts and injectors too.
I think I’ll stick to my 70’s and 80’s cars though! They might rust but that’s easy to fix🤣
Awesome work. Mum has a Golf 1.6 FSI (BLF) which isn't running well. No garage near me wants to look at it, very frustrating. Must be nice picking and choosing jobs!
Didn't realise there was so much work on an opel timing chain, great video, well done!
We've got one off those. Chain started rattling around 30.000km.
Garage don't want to touch it.
They say it's normal. A feature off the car nothing to worry about.
Now we are at 110.000km and for the last 60.000km the chain rattles while driving. Not all the time. But is does it at rpm between 1500 and 2500.
We are very worried it will break.
Very disappointed int opel for not fixing this problem. There are lots off cars with this engine having this problem.
Thanks bazz for the explanation of how big this job is.
No wonder opel doesn't come between it. Would cost them loads and loads of money all this labor.
Still a shame though. A lot of people are left with a unreliable car.
It can fail yes, but it's the tensioner that lets them down
you can always do it yourself. Yes it is a hell of nightmare job but if nobody takes it you can always do it even a parking lot if you do not have garage :) Buy some tools watch some videos about it and go ahead! I know it from my own experience:) what is wrong if it takes 2 weeks for you instead of 2 days in a garage? Autodoc webstore is your best friend :)
@@bazmeredith I've been searching and asking around a lot. Apparently it's not the tensioner per se. This engine has variable oil pressure depending on situations and rpm.
And at certain instances the tensioner doesn't receive enough pressure to keep the chain tight wich results in chattering chain an result off that is stretching from working under loose tension. And then you come to a point that the chain is so stretched than the tensioner doesn't have enough travel to take that slack en then it's game over soon.
If the oil pump was a normal constant pressure pump instead of a variable the tensioner should get full pressure all the time and the chain would never get the chance to get slack
@@zodiatti1825 I'm reasonable handy when it comes to cars. Do my own repairs and maintenance for years. Even worked at a garage for a while.
I not affraid to tackle this on my drive way. And I know AutoDoc. But it's our daily car for our family and the only time I could do it is in the weekend and with this kind off job when something break or goes wrong, like the pipes bazz mentioned I can't get new parts on the weekend.
And the wife needs the car to get to work on Monday
Now you know why vauxhall / Opel are owned by Peugeot 😂
Excellent explanation of the monumental task for this job. I have exactly this car and had the clutch and flywheel done 18 months ago. Just had to have it done again as flywheel gone and clutch cylinder leaking. Just outside of warranty and hard to get hold of a flywheel. Apparently it is common if the car is not driven every day (ours had done about 6k miles). Makes no sense to me.
I'm not mechanically minded & it leaves me aghast when I see an engine opened up like that. I don't understand how you can remember how everything goes back. Then you have the different designs from different manufacturers. It's actually car surgery not mechanics. You guys are talented. I wish I had the type of brain that could make sense of it all. It's good to watch videos like this because it helps me understand why a garage is charging me a certain amount. I sometimes take my car in for a basic repair and think to myself, how can they charge me 400 quid just for that? I then look and see what's involved just to get to what they need to do and it makes sense.
And that's why it's not unusual to get your car back with a bolt or two missing.
Baz you are a mega mechanic if I lived nearer to Wrexham I'd bring my car to you 100%
I guess because of the time it takes the tooling that’s needed probably make just as much if not more doing services discs and pads with a lot less hassle
Exactly that,
And far less skill and knowledge
Not too long Baz fellow mechanic here and could watch you all day 😅. Keep it up 🤙
Thanks buddy really appreciate it 🤙
Great video. I watched your video on Ford Fiesta 2009 head gasket replacement. My head is now at the shop and the rebuild starts next week on my fiesta! Great skills. Thanks
First time. I have watched one of your videos you are so meticulous I would have never thought so much work just for a timing chain 👍
I came here for the cardboard tip,and didn't leave disappointed! ;-) Top job!
Had occasional noisy cold starts on my 1.6d Insignia until the Dealer changed from using Mobil s3000 to using Castrol Edge, now it seems fine.
Wow you deserve more subs. This is cool seeing these cars with different engines not available in the US.
First time i’ve watched your channel, nice job on the chain. Nice to see cleanliness on all the jointing surfaces 👍
At 10:15 you could do with a nice big bench to lay all your removed parts out in an orderly clean manner.
Excellent job 👍
Thank you buddy I take a lot of pride in my workmanship.... And I've got a bigger box on order should be with me soon fingers crossed
@@bazmeredith That’ll be nice 😎
All that work because they put the timing gear at the wrong end of the engine 🙄
What a top job! Blimey that’s a tough one.., love the attention to detail especially the injectors being greased up along with the copper grease, just got my first EV I like the thought it doesn’t have anything like this to worry about.
I can see exactly why many garages won’t take on this job
It’s just too much for most and takes too long simple
Great video
What a procedure, second chain replacement, God knows the cost,where are Vauxhall getting there chains China.
I will remember never to purchase a Vauxhall.
Kudos Baz, I "doth my cap" to you! Quality workmanship.
Its good to see some people still do things properly.
I'd drive a long way for someone as competent as you. Great video. I think you've answered your own question though! How many junior mechanics would you trust with a job like that? I've no idea what you'd charge, but for an older car it must come close to writing it off, God knows why it's designed like that. It took me 4 hours to replace the belt on my 1.9PD without rushing and cost less than 100 quid for a Gates belt and a water pump 😊
Really appreciate this, but there's so many people out there that are repairing/maintaining what they have rather than replacing the cars.
I've been in the trade professionally for over 40 years now, I've had garages myself with workshops, not only are vehicles getting more complicated to diagnose, very often the job involves ( as you demonstrate here ) a huge amount of labour costs that more often than not are out of the customers price range, couple that with trying to find mechanic's that not only know their way way around a set of tools and a lap top, but actually understand and genuinely know the recurring problems certain marques suffer from. Parts are expensive, Labour costs are expensive, and finding technicians that "really" know their stuff ( not just Ex Main Agent Technicians who in my mind only know the official way, and that is nearly always "keep bolting parts on until it cures it" ) ...... the knowledge and know how needed nowadays is not something you can be taught, you need to be immersed in it 24/7, AND you need to love doing it, try finding that kind of technician in the employment market today 😮
Iv done a few of theses a lot easier to remove engines and box all together to do that job and also it’s not all ways the timing chain that goes sometimes is the dual mass flywheel that sounds and acts the same the chain rattling.
here is another example why I always prefer a belt instead of a chain. Chains are not forever same as belts but belts are way easy to replace. And I dont mean wet belts, just exterior belts.
A friend of mine went to 5 garages before being towed home . Overheating, water pump surely that’s a simple diagnosis and fix. Tho it’s nuts why they make things this hard maybe it’s so we keep buying new ,
Awesome video mate thanks for posting. I like the slightly longer format. And I would never buy a Vauxhall with a timing chain.
It's getting to the stage where good product knowledge is the key. It's one of the main advantages of a dealer trained technician. Independent garages must be struggling
This is a big job done brilliantly. Its good to see a top pro like yourself talk us all through it. Liked and Sub thanks
Bloody ell. I'll bet brain surgery isn't as complicated as working on this - a humble Vauxhall. What the hell are all these manufacturers playing at. A competition who can design the most complicated and difficult and time consuming engines to work on. You deserve a medal.
Change the Oil in these every 6k max and it extends the life massively, They do not tolerate extended oil change intervals or incorrect spec oil.
This one is well looked after
Came close to buying a Astra estate 1.6D, was plenty of 2016-2019 cars with 100,000 miles on clock at good price's but after some research realised they where cheap because they probably due timing chain and cost was £2,000+ went for Volvo V60 2.0D .
It's like they thought of every conceivable way to make working on this car a nightmare. Great video.
Horrific job, top work man 😎💪
I've just had my Vauxhall timing belt changed at 85,000 mikes. Expensive job. Had to be done for peace of mind.
How much was yours mines starting to go?
Thats alot of work. I always wanted to be a machanic but my mother had other ideas so i ended up as a carpenter. To late to change now as I'm 61 .👍
What a performance and cost my mk 5 transit 1to 2 hours new cambelt fit why ar new cars so complicated looking like its done by design
Big job, what was the final bill?
We need more like you a mechanic who actually cares worth your weight in gold 😊
Hello mate, great job!💪 I just have a few questions and remarks.
You didn’t exactly mention for which problem the customer came in. Was it for timing chain rattle? Low oil pressure? Because the timing chain didn’t seem to be stretched out of spec. You mentioned the chain tensioner gasket, but that’s only a minor inconvenience. Correct me if I’m wrong but the gasket or the absence of one, gives only a slight rattle on initial startup, until oil pressure is build up in the block. Should take around 2-5 seconds. Another potential issue is premature wear of the chain tensioner but otherwise I don’t really see the issue.
And a little remark on the mounting of the subframe.
It is not advised to use copper grease on torque specified bolts, because it potentially can mess up the tension retaining properties over time. Just make sure the threads are clean and degreased, you can use a bit of WD-40, but it’s not advised to use any type of grease. It will probably not give any issues, but I advise to not use any type of grease in the future. WD-40 is a water repellent, not a grease and will avoid rust from forming on the threads.
But hey, I’m not judging. I have great respect for your work, I’m a car mechanic myself and I hope you see my little remarks as constructive criticism. Keep up the good work. 💪🔧
It rattled for a few seconds at start up and customer wanted it replacing... I've just done one with 100k miles less with a failed guide.... Also give that a watch
Thanks for helping me with my new career, i am going to train to be a surgeon, far easier.
somed bean counting designer must be proud of himself with this set up5well done gm
I can see why the owner travelled over 2 hours to bring it to you, if I had an Astra 1.6 D with a rattling chain I'd travel to you to get it sorted aswell, very nice Pro job.
Thank you buddy
Mate props to you for doing these cars so well when I've seen people do shit jobs an be like these cars are unreliable. Manufacturers are making you almost overhaul and rebuild the whole engine for semi-regular maintenance
It’s fantastic to see a garage that wants to fix a car these days ,
proper pro mechanic,copper grease on bolts and liquid moly grease on the injectors,not many operate like this
I live quite close to an “independent Vauxhall specialist” who’s been around for decades. Asked him recently if he’d change the timing belt on my 2.5 V6 Vectra B but straight up refused as he’d “make more money in half the time doing dealer diagnostic work”… I know it’s a labour intensive job but was quite shocked as I thought the car guy he always claimed to be would love to see what’s becoming a rare car stay on the road 🤔
Seems like he had other reasons not to do it. In my workshop an hours labour is the same price regardless of diag or changing a belt. In fact I'd rather do the mechanical stuff as it,s easier to price up!
That's absolutely crazy. The X25XE belt is fairly straightforward to do and easy money. From memory the book time was something silly like 2.7hrs plus setup. If you know what you're doing you can do them considerably quicker. It's easy money. I suspect he didn't know how to do it.
This is exactly why I've steered clear of Vauxhall for years, they used to make decent affordable and fun cars, but now they are as dull as dishwater after a Sunday lunch, also there's a heavy price to pay when they play up, i wouldn't touch one with a bargepole, also heard of similar horror stories from ford, these cars are cheaper for a reason.
What a faff glad iv got an older astra with the trustee Isuzu engine 🤔👌👍🏻
Excellent video and detailed on how to do this job love it
Cheers buddy 🤙
The reason most garages aren’t doing these is because most owners won’t pay the price a good percentage of “big” jobs I price up rather goes elsewhere, gets traded in or gets scrapped.
same here...
In my workshop we have clean floors and when engines or gearboxes are being stripped all of the internal components are placed in clean plastic containers, fuel injectors are placed in sealed plastic bags and left on the floor where there is a chance they could get knocked about or get dust and dirt from other vehicles being worked on. It doesn't matter how well anyone can do a job if proper care of the components is not happening.
Well done mate not many dedicated mechanics about now
Thin chains for emissions, cheaper steel used in manufacturing plus stop start technology has a lot to be desired. If you have a chain driven car - disable stop start and change oil no later than 7k miles
Subscribed to you last week. Your the real deal mate, big respect from a beginner mechanic, heaps of knowledge. If you don’t mind sharing all in what was the cost for this job? I’m guessing 1300/1700. Is that accurate?
Crazy rubbish! We need to go back to Escorts, Cortina’s Morris 1000s MGBs XJ6s , Triumph 2000s etc..
Simple cars that worked and you could repair it yourself when broken with a haynes manual. Nowadays, no hope
Absolutely crazy rubbish!
So well said.
I'm no mechanic but old A series engine were easy to work on. Even with faults they would still run. Modern cars are designed to break down as they are massively complicated and controlled by computers.@@D-2-the-no
@@nordicsky sad state of affairs brother
Brilliant job but there's too much sealant on the sump, it could end up blocking the pick up strainer with large hard pieces.
Vauxhall never change, I worked on Vauxhall/Bedfords as my day job in the 80's & we used to name them Poxy Vauxy's & to this day I have steered clear of them & pledged I'd never work on another one or even buy one, I'm sticking with my Ford's but wouldn't touch a Ecoboost, what a nightmare job you have got there!
I did a 3.5l Ecoboost for the turbo cooler and oils lines was a pain. told the customer to sell it before it eats the wallet.
The eighties and nineties Vauxhall's were easy to work on. They took the number one selling position from Ford because they were much better. I don't think you could possibly compare a sierra to a cavalier.
Lovely video, You've explained the real issue behind these engines too! Just out of curiosity as i struggled like crazy to find somebody to do mine (as it sounds like your customer has too) how much custom for these do you get and what is your rough costs if its chain/tensioner job only.
I find myself having to do more and more jobs like these as fewer and fewer garages will take on this kind of work. The bigger garages around here will do it because of time and space but they will also charge a fortune. My aim is to keep cars on the road for people who aren't millionaires. But with technology and design going the way it is, i see a lot of heartache in the future for customers. I disagree with other comments slightly... Being a mechanic is harder than it's ever been, true, but at no point befor this could i make £50k a year this easily. Fewer and fewer new mechanics (good ones) means the ones like us are doing better than ever. Great video btw from a fellow copper grease enjoyer. To any copper grease deniers, this isnt California, our climate and road salt is the bane of our existence 😊
Greta video. I drive 250 miles to a mechanic I can trust. 😊
I wouldn't have a Vauxhall if you paid me!! I have owned 2 in the last 23 years and both were non stop trouble for me. The insignia was 5 years old, done less than 40k miles and the motor blew up on the motorway!
I have to say that if you were closer I'd use you on all my jobs! Trying to find good car mechanic near me is impossible!! You can tell you really know your stuff and you want to do a good job! We need more car mechanics like you!!!!