dazntrace

Hi all, We have a Citroen C8 2005 and last year the cambelt snapped at 54K. We had the vehicle recovered to our local Citroen dealership. They took the engine out and diagnosed a cambelt failure. The engine was hanging by the injectors for a week as they were seized solid. We were told by Citroen that the cambelts dont fail on therse cars, its normally the water pump or the tensioners which fail causing the belt to break. After inspection of the engine, it was found that the belt had prematurely failed and that everything else was fine. As the injectors were seized into the head, they couldnt take the top of the engine apart to see what the damage was. They then told us the engine was scrap. The fight began!! Citroen then decided not to take any responsibility and we would have to pay for a new engine. We made call after call to Citroen, going into the dealership near enough every day to fight our cause. After all, the belts are suppose to last for 100K and the water pump etc were fine. No way were we paying. After 3 months of persistant badgering to Citroen, we walked into the dealership to be told that they would pay the bill and held their hands up to the fact it was their responsibility. The new engine was fitted without delay, guaranteed for 10k/12 months. I think with what we have read and heard we have been extremely lucky. 3 months later, after a conversation with a Fiat owner, we found out about this skuttle plate. Citroen didnt really know what we were talking about so we went to Fiat and bought the part for approx £17. This part is called a gutter and fits under the expansion tank with two clips, very easy to install. The purpose of this is to divert the water away from the top of the engine and the belt casings to the back so the water runs away. We found that if you go to Citroen and have a cambelt replacement, then this part should be fitted as standard as the part number comes up with the cambelt kit. If anyone is looking for an engine replacement then there is a company on ebay that collect, repair, deliver and guarantee the engine for 24K miles for approx £1500. May be worth looking into if needed and they are quite knowledgable about the C8 problems.