defective water pump

[vickid]

I am in Texas. My auto repair suggested replacing the timing belt, along with a new water pump, on my 2005 Honda before 80,000 miles as a preventive measure. I did so, at 77,000 miles. Less than 4,000 miles later, my water pump broke causing the timing belt to mess up which resulted in engine damage. I had my car towed back to the original repair shop. As to the extent of the damage I do not know yet, as being a long weekend, there was not enough time for the repair shop to find out.
I have had to rent a vehicle and was told it could be a week before I get my car out of the shop. I am questioning who is financially responsible for all of this? I do not believe that I should have to pay for the repair, parts or for the car rental, as none of this was my fault.
I was told by a shop employee that the parts place (where the repair shop purchased the water pump) indicated that they had no responsibility whatsoever. I was shown the pump, and where the part had broken off.
Thanks in advance for answers to this.

 

[GonzoFL]

Sorry to say and I'm sure you are painfully aware that this could be a very,very costly repair. How much time and miles have gone by since the repair was done? Most parts,even aftermarket and rebuilt,have some type of warranty. I would guess,since the parts supplier has already chimed in, the parts warranty has lapsed. As for financial responsibility, That's the $64 question . I take it the water pump wasn't a new Honda part? Is that correct? You will need to get an estimate on what it's going to cost from your repair facility and then talk to them about what's what with regards to financial help/or responsibility. This type of repair could easily run into the thousands of dollars.

 

[vickid]

The new water pump was installed on 4-27-09. I have put less than 4,000 miles on this new water pump, purchased at a local NAPA.
I guess I am reacting to all of this prematurely, but am weighing all of the possibilities. Depending on the amount of damage to the engine, I now have a vehicle that will never be the same... My auto repair shop is highly reputable, and I am comforted in knowing that whatever happens, that they will do what they can to make this right, whatever "right" is!
When I asked who was going to pay for the car rental on Friday, they scrambled to get a timing belt and to get it repaired as quickly as possible, working after closing on a holiday weekend, which is when they discovered it was bigger than just the pump and timing belt.

 

[GonzoFL]

The question is what is/was the warranty on the pump that NAPA sold to your repair facility? Since NAPA is already crying no liability,I guess the warranty was 90 days? Since the timing belt drives the water pump,when the pump broke it allowed the engine to come completely out of time,subsequently causing (no doubt) major engine damage(valves,pistons,head(s)). It's good your trust your repair facility and have confidence in them,they are your best bet for any help to you. Does your repair facility work on allot of Honda's? The reason I ask is because if they did,they would have known instantly,that if the water pump or timing belt has malfunctioned,major damage would have most likely already happened.

 

[vickid]

I have no idea as to the time frame on the warranty-one of the things I need to check on first thing Tuesday morning. It is usually 90 days for parts?
Yes, my repair shop works on a lot of Hondas. They did not start workingon my car until 11:00 or so Friday morning. They had to get the timing belt from a retailer in a larger city and it was 3:30 before they received it to get into the replacement phase. They had no way of really knowing the damage until they got in there. I did though tell the repair shop ahead of time what had happened: I was driving 50mph when it happened and it simply died, no warning whatsoever. I consider myself to be lucky to have not been in a wreck or injured!
Is this looking like a small claims court case? Again, I am thinking ahead of the facts that I will know more about on Tuesday, but I see no way that the repair shop should be stung for this incident. It lies with the water pump, not those who installed it.

 

[GonzoFL]

I don't see the repair shop being at fault either. As for the normal warranty on parts.....it varies from a few days to lifetime. Unless Honda engines have changed allot in the last few years(you should have what they call an interference engine in your car) when simply stated,that means when the timing belt breaks or for some reason jumps time....the valves in the engine collide with the pistons....normally causing extensive damage(99% of the time). I'm not finding fault with your garage,all they did was install the parts. If it would have been an installation problem,it should have shown up before it did. Now,just for your information....and like I said I'm not faulting the repair facility...but as soon as they suspected the timing belt/water pump malfunctioned,they knew there was a 99% chance of major engine damage. So they are playing a little dumb here...but that really doesn't matter at this point. After the engine died on you,did you happen to notice how the engine sounded when you tried to restart it? Did it make more of a whirring noise than the normal engine cranking over sound? Anyway....you'll find out what is what on Tuesday and you can go from there.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

I don't see the repair shop being at fault either.

Go take a look at product liability on wikipedia. The repair shop accepted liability by selling the item. If the customer supplied the part, the repair shop would be off the hook.

According to the OP, the repair shop SOLD the part.

It's possible (even likely) that the repair shop has an express warranty disclaiming all warranties and consequential damages. In that case, it is something the customer agreed to.

Also, if the repair shop is as reputable as the OP says, they have liability insurance that will cover this.

 

[vickid]

To answer a couple of questions/statements of the prior 2 posts: First of all, thanks so much for the dialogue. It has been somewhat reassuring! I could not start my car after it died. Nothing, no noise, no turn over... the battery was working but no engine whatsoever. There is no written warranty on any receipt for this repair shop. (It was at 77019 miles that I had the new water pump and timing belt installed.) It is a shop that my family and I have done business with for over 20 years. There was no statement of warranty given either. My best bet is to be at their door when the shop opens Tuesday morning and have a conversation with the owner. Too, I plan to call NAPA and ask some general questions about warranties, liabilities etc.
Question-My "check engine light" came on at 79141 miles on 7-20-09. The repair shop put it on the computer and it noted#P0171-Lean Code. The ticket stated "if same code returns will recommend fuel pump/filter". This has absolutely nothing to do with the water pump, or does it? Would the water pump have shown up as faulty on the computer?

 

[InsaneJane]

The lean code probably has more to do with gasoline containning 10% alcohol when the engine was designed to use 5% alcohol. 10% is alright, but sometimes with bad luck you will end up with 15% and that will throw a lean code. What they said was probably correct.

As for the damage:
The repair shop holds the liability and will have to put it through their insurance. And yes it will cover the rental. The adjuster will probably want to get you a different rental, because they pay a lot less.
It will then be up to the insurance company to go after the manufacture and Napa.

Is it the shops fault? I doubt it, but sh t happens.
Is the shop liable for the repair? Yes, and that is why they have insurance.

Good luck