Stellantis’ decision to offer additional compensation over wet belt woes may open up can of worms and a distinct opportunity for independents.
Owners of Stellantis models using its 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre PureTech petrol engines, which includes Citroen, DS Automobiles, Vauxhall and Peugeot, that have experienced problems could in line for financial help.
Earlier this year an online portal was launched in Europe and this has recently been expanded to accept claims for UK motorists relating to engine failures between January 1 2022, and December 31 2024.
Conditions stipulate servicing must have complied with the Stellantis’ maintenance plan plus both diagnosis and repair must have been conducted through the authorised dealer network.
Speaking to consumer title Parkers, Peugeot’s Alain Favey, CEO said that while it had launched the compensation portal, "we continue to confirm our absolute confidence in the quality of our product, and our 10-year warranty on PureTech engines sold through our Spoticar scheme."
Stellantis has known of problems with its Timing-belt-in-oil (TBIO) or ‘wet belt’ systems. These were originally introduced to meet latest emission targets, reduce weight of components and make the engine as efficient as possible. However, as the drive belt is constantly encased in oil (to reduce friction and heat), it has resulted in durability issues. What's more, debris from degrading belts circulates around the engine and causes problems such as blocking oil passages. To make matters worse there’s no provision for removing any of these nasties or indeed any way to inspect a belt’s condition in situ.
The French maker is not alone as Ford has suffered similarly with its EcoBlue power units and revised their replacement intervals accordingly as result of major US legal cases. Other manufacturers watching with interest include Honda and VAG, the latter already cutting their recommended running time to 75,000 miles.
As such it is causing manufacturers to think again and abandon the idea. This includes Stellantis, which has replaced the wet belt system in its new EB2 1.2-litre engine, which since 2023 has steadily phased in a conventional timing chain.
It’s not just the engine which suffers a potential disaster. Mark Shipman of AES York Limited says he has has experienced debris clogging up turbos and heard of blocked vacuum brake servo strainers on Ford Ecoboost units leading to abnormally hard brake pedals which could have potentially disastrous consequences.
“In one word, they’re diabolical” says James Desmond, owner and lead technician of Liphook Auto Services. “With dry cambelts you are advised to replace them if they become contaminated with oil or fuel – now they are submerged in lubricant! And from what I see new wet belts look little different to the conventional dry ones”.
Forte Lubricants concurs. “Aside from helping the manufacturer lower carbon dioxide from their official new car emissions figures, they do not perform in a superior manner. Many car drivers are familiar with wet timing belt issues – particularly because their replacement adds a significant cost to servicing bills”.
The oil specialist who has developed a dedicated engine flush for TBIO engines, adds vehicles running low mileage and short start-stop journeys which do not expel the moisture and fuel parts from the crankcase because they rarely reach normal operating temperature, are the most prone to early failures. As the oil degrades, acidity increases affecting the properties of the belt.
“Additionally, using start-stop systems alongside timing belt technology presents its own challenges for the lubrication system, as start-stop events increase by tenfold in a vehicle’s lifespan”, says Forte. AES’s Shipman agrees. “We had one belt which had covered 130,000 miles and it looked like brand new”.
Wet timing belts tend not to snap, but their teeth become detached instead, leading the poor running the engine management light illuminating. Even if a severely weakened belt is still serving its purpose, these fibrous remnants can enter the oil pump strainer, leading to a loss of pressure. Risking low oil levels, neglected servicing or not using the specific oil which lack the special additives to preserve the belt could have an adverse effect on its lifespan, making the quality, specification and cleanliness of the engine oil paramount, stresses Forte.
James on the other hand feels fundamental design issues is the biggest culprit leading to belt break up and blame shouldn’t be heaped on motorists perhaps overrunning their oil change intervals. “I advise my customers to think about replacing their belts every 50,000 miles or so irrespective of OE recommendations as some designs are worse than others”.
The problem for motorists is cost as replacements can be as much as ten times to replace over a conventional dry belt as the engine sump must now be removed – and in some instances irreparably damaged in the process – to ensure every trace of old belt fragments are removed. And with cash strapped motorists ever eager to cut costs as well as corners Desmond thinks this will also lead to cheap low quality belts infiltrating the market and exasperate the situation. “We always replace the belts as a complete kit rather than simply change the belt. The job is becoming increasingly more commonplace in my workshop but I can also see an increase in mobile mechanics emerging undercutting garages but perhaps not having the necessary skills.”
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