kaned_ferret

I just wanted to give thanks and an update for everyone that has helped and given me advice on this one - it has been a few weeks, I did some asking around, a bit of research, and finally today, after a good few hours in the rain we got a new belt on her. The moment of truth came, the key turned.. and there was a clicking sound. The battery had become a pancake in it's stationary state! Cue one smart car, a very large set of jump leads, and a second attempt - she purrs into life, firing smoothly on all cylinders. As this happened, the skies cleared, the sun came out and a Spitfire flew overhead (no exaggeration). It was a moment of beauty, and it seems my rav lives to fight again :) Also very satisfying was driving it away right in front of the garage forecourt where the guy had basically told me I didn't have a !Removed! in hells chance, but that's just the cherry on the cake. We've got a few bits to put back together to get her finished and road worthy again, but all being well I should have her back in a few days. So here's my next question - clearly I've *never* bothered with maintenance of any sort with any of my cars, but this close call has me thinking now is a good time to do anything that would be beneficial, so any advice on "things to check and change" would be most welcomed. At least I don't need to worry about a new cam belt now! :)

Damn so not great news then, I was pretty set on trying the belt change and seeing if it worked, now I really don't know. Finance is a huge problem for me, but I am weighing the pros and cons of what is realistic - if i spent a couple of hundred on a banger, it could concievably still have a catastrophic failure just like the Rav did... The Rav was a great runner up until that point. I'm a bit concerned that several mechanics have told me it is definitely non-interference as well! So what would you advise I do? Would the process of a belt change be able to show up any more serious damage? Is the fact that there was no noise a good or a bad sign? I know nothing about cars myself, and finding someone trustworthy is difficult when you don't know what you're looking for yourself!

ok so clearly some contradictory info going on here - how can you tell which it is? How far do you have to delve to find out the damage? I'm currently thinking of spending the 100 or so quid just to try a new belt and see...

it's a 1997 R reg petrol Rav4 - does that help?

Thanks Paul, that's about where I'm at with it at the minute :) I've got a mech-minded friend coming over tomorrow so we're going to talk it over, but as of now I've already got a £200 offer on the table as spares or repairs for it I think... Also there is always the otion of scrapping, but of course my preference would be to have her back on the road, I love my little 4x4 a lot! :D I have someone who has offered to look at it for £30, so they've already beaten my garage, and if it is a case of new cambelt and retuning, then £130 to do - this is something I'm much happier with obviously! I hope this can be resolved rather than put on the scrapheap :D

oh come on, how is f e c k even symbol-worthy?!

I'll even happily take the advice of "no luv, you're %$(ed with that one!" if that's the case!

It's kind of a sad way to join a forum really, i have had my Rav4 for a couple of years and love it, it's been a faithful runner to me. But today at 50mph the engine cuts out. RAC took a very brief look and said the cam belt had gone. Recovered it to my garage, the guy wants over £100 just to look at it to diagnose the damage and tell me if it can be repaired / how much that would cost, and that I'd be looking at probably £800 or thereabouts. He said it wasn't worth it (and I would be inclined to agree with those costs as it didn't cost me much more than that, and I certainly don't have anything near that amount to spend regardless). But then in my hopeful manner I start to look online and I read things about it being a non-interference engine, that it might not be damaged, that it might not be the earth to repair.. I realise I'm probably being hopeful, and for me the bottom line is what is the cheapest way I can get back on the road - i'd love to make my Rav live again but wouldn't bother doing it for anything over 3-400, as I can just scrap it and get a banger. What are peoples experiences of this? At the moment I'm leaning towards listing it on ebay for spares, ironically it has just had a new windscreen, MOT and a new front tyre which obviously wasn't cheap! Should I give up so easily? I'll be the first to admit I know nothing of mechanics, but the limited experience I do have tells me that there could very possibly be another answer to the blanket one i've been given. Any experience and honest opinions more than welcome!