Dear Tom and Ray:

My wife has a 1991 Buick Skylark which seems to be overly plagued by problems. Most recently, at 34,000 miles, the timing chain broke. The car was towed to a local Buick dealer. They said the cause was "poor maintenance," and they refused to cover it under the warranty (which was about to run out). They also stated "we've had experience with tensioner problems under poor maintenance conditions." I disagreed on the poor maintenance. When they removed the valve cover to show me the cam shafts weren't turning, I expected to see lots of old oil crud. But there were only four or five semi-solid globs, all smaller than a medium-size screwdriver blade. All the drain ports were very clean, and no crud was visible on any of the parts. What do you think of their diagnosis? Chilton's manual mentions an "old" and "new" tensioner. Was the old one a problem? -- Milton

Ray: Milton, you got a complete Fred Astaire on this one. A total song and dance.

Tom: The problem was not poor maintenance. The problem was poor design.

Ray: Your repair slip tells us that you have GM's infamous "Quad 4" engine. And our Buick source says they've redesigned the tensioner for this engine several times, largely because they can't stop them from breaking. And, he added, this engine has been nothing but trouble.

Tom: And no matter how poorly you maintained this car, it's almost impossible for you to be at fault for a broken timing chain at 34,000 miles. They usually go 134,000 miles -- at least.

Ray: So I'd get in touch with your Buick Zone Representative and ask if Buick won't reconsider reimbursing you and covering this repair under warranty. Unless they can prove that you've somehow abused this engine, I think you'd have a very strong case, Milton. Good luck, and even though they tried to pull a fast one on you, start by being polite -- it's much more effective.

Which is cheaper, buying or leasing? Should you keep a car forever or dump it after three years, before trouble starts? Find out in Tom and Ray's pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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