My girlfriends car had a service mot and a cambelt replacement yesterday which included water belt, aux belt tensioners etc. I started the car yesterday when it was returned home and all seemed well. However she went to use it today and it struggled a few times before it would start and when it did go smoke came from the exhaust (white smoke).

Could this just be a bedding in period for the new parts or could the garage have done something wrong somehow.

I might add its never once struggled to start in the 5 years I’ve known her and the car.

It’s a 2004 vw polo 1.9sdi

pump timing prob out …take it back to the garage

back to the garage ASAP

i would hope the garage had half an idea of what they are doing – but 1 tooth either way when fitting the belt makes for fun starting and plenty smoke

May also be cold weather just kicking in and you have duff glow plugs – this would also cause smoke due to unburnt fuel in the pots with bad plugs.

Back to the garage.

You often get white smoke on start up with older high milage cars in the winter a “hard start”. It’s water getting into the engine via the worn seals.

However if you never had problems before the timing belt was done I’d suggest that’s probably the culprit. Do you get black smoke on the motorway at high revs?

Take it back and get them to have a look at it.

regardless – it shouldnt take a few tries to start it – somethings wrong 😀

my landie had a 140k on the clock & a cracked block and she still started first CAW once new plugs were fitted.

You often get white smoke on start up with older high milage cars in the winter a “hard start”. It’s water getting into the engine via the worn seals.

Really? 🙄

Back to the garage. It’s probably a tooth out on the timing. Ask the garage if it’s OK to drive as then you may have some comeback if something’s not right and the belt falls off and damages the engine.

have they overfilled it with oil? your cat is prolbably dead now..

Thanks for the responses.

I phoned the garage without driving the car, the collected it via a truck and returned it this afternoon. They said the problem was down to the tensioner or something of that affect ( I forget the exact words)

I phoned the garage without driving the car, the collected it via a truck

Now I know you’re pissed at all this, but a measure of a person or a company is what they do when they eventually / inevitably make a mistake.

Yours have done good! As have you by not driving it (by the sounds of things).

Yup completely agree. Within an hour of phoning them the car was on the truck and being driven away. They were more than happy to collect the car and sort the problem, apologised for the inconvenience etc and no unpleasant on either end was needed.

Result!

have they overfilled it with oil? your cat is prolbably dead now..

Nothing worse than an oily pu….