Rep Power: 0

I took my 2002 Honda Civic EX into my local mechanic to have the timing belt and water pump replaced: The timing belt because the motor has 116K on it and the water pump because I always do that with the timing belt.

Anyway, I call the guy and he says the work is done and he is just buttoning things up, so I can pick up my car, so I head over to the garage about two hours later and when I get there my car still has the hood up with two mechanic's heads buried in it. I ask the owner what's up and he says, “I don't know. It started right up and purred like a kitten for a couple of seconds and then shut down and would re-start. So they take off the cover and check the belt tension and it's good. They yank the left front tire and remove some stuff for access and the owner of the shop starts to hand turn the crank to check the marks and says, “Well I wonder how many valves I owe you?”. He tells me that “the belt jumped about three teeth”.

Okay so how does a belt jump three teeth? I thought all you had to do was remove one belt, check to make sure the marks line up and replace. What could they have done wrong?

Here's my dilemma: If there is damage, short of replacing the whole head, how do I know if the “repair” is not some “patch it together as cheaply as possible because we're paying for it and get it out of the shop” bubble gum and chicken wire job that will get me down the road a couple thousand miles and then self destruct?

What do I need to ask this guy? Should I take it to a Honda garage for an inspection of the work? I have heard horror stories of timing belts going in Honda's taking out the whole head and sometimes pistons and this guy is talking like a couple of valves will fix it. Won't the holes that the valve's run through be widened out if the valves were bent thereby ruining the head?

Man this sucks.

 
Rep Power: 282

Replace bent valves and have head resurfaced. If the valves didn't damage the pistons you should be ok for the most part. No way to know until you pull the head though.

 
Rep Power: 0

Have you used this shop before? how is their work?

This is the reason why eventhough more money I like to go to the dealer for this kind of work. Can a typical shop do it, sure but honda techs know these cars in and out, know tricks to the trade and are used to doing it.

 
Rep Power: 0

Ron9 is right, but ask for a full head rebuild- valves, springs,valve guides, resurface, etc. And do you trust this shop to rebuild the whole top half after messing up a timing belt? A Honda dealer is going to be the highest quality, non-biased repair here. Its going to be expensive, but that shouldn't be your concern, right? A third party will give a proper damage assessment at any rate. Hope all ends well

 
Rep Power: 0

Just a quick update. All cylinders pressure tested at 170 PSI across the board, so the valve seem to be seating properly.

The mechanic stated that he called a Honda garage and the service dept. told him that they have been replacing the idler pulley assembly with this procedure because there has been problem with them slipping after belt changes.

 
Rep Power: 812

there no such thing as the belt slipping lol. they did not turn the engine over by hand after lining up the marks simple as that. the timing was off the first time and they didnt double check when they "buttoned it up"

 
Rep Power: 389

Its not serious damage...

If the valves seal and everything pressurizes correctly, there shouldnt be valve damage- but they should pull the head and make sure the pistons and valves are good. If there is any scratches, they can take care of it without replacing the whole block or head... The head wont lift and bend when a valve hits a piston, its the valve that takes the damage and bends... but you said they pressurized correctly.

Doesnt seem like a big deal to me, but rather more of a big inconvenience.

You need three things out of them:
Them to fix whatever they find out to be messed up
Give you a warranty on the repair, so u know they didnt botch it.
Give you a discount on the service, or future service for the inconvenience
(optionally) a loaner until its fixed so you can get around if you need to.

 
Rep Power: 223

don't take any beureaucratic run-around bullshit. i'd take it to honda and have them check everything. have the crakerjack shop foot the bill. If they tell you to kick rocks tell them you will.... to a civil attorney and the BBB. Behold the power of the internet. If i was you i'd high tail it out of that garage, give them a chance to pay for the repairs. If not, drag them through the mud online and anywhere you can.