Larkins Automotive Ltd

18/10/2026

17/10/2026

Vauxhall Crossland – Just 56,000 Miles! ⚠️

We believe this could be one of the worst cases we’ve seen so far!

🔧 What happened?

The wet belt had started to deteriorate, causing pieces of rubber to break away and block the oil pick-up – the part that allows oil to flow into the engine’s oil pump.

The blockage was so severe that the suction from the oil pump actually pulled the metal mesh filter out of place and into the pump itself!

⚠️ Why is this so serious?

Without a proper supply of oil, the engine’s moving parts cannot be lubricated correctly, which can quickly lead to severe engine damage or complete engine failure.

Fortunately, this customer has had a very lucky escape!

Our recommendation

Based on what we’re seeing in our workshop, we strongly recommend considering wet belt replacement at around 40,000 miles, rather than waiting for the manufacturer’s recommended interval.

Preventative maintenance could save you the cost of a replacement engine.

🔧 Larkins Automotive Ltd

06/10/2026

WET BELT WEEK… 3 IN A ROW! 😳

It’s been a week of very lucky escapes at Larkins Automotive!

🚗 1.2 PureTech – 60k miles
Wet belt already breaking up.

🚗 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost
Oil pick-up completely blocked with wet belt debris.
We also found a broken exhaust flexi, so rather than replacing the full catalytic converter, we supplied and fitted a repair flexi, saving the customer a much bigger bill. 👌

🚗 Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost – 100k miles
Again, the oil pick-up was completely blocked.

⚠️ Three cars. Three wet belt problems. Three VERY lucky customers!

All three were caught before the worst happened — because once oil flow is restricted, the potential engine damage can turn into a very expensive repair bill.

If your car has a wet belt engine and you’re unsure of its condition, don’t wait for a warning light or engine failure. Get it checked. 🔧

01/10/2026

A first for us at Larkins Automotive!

Our first Ford Kuga 2.0 EcoBlue wet belt is in the workshop. 👀

Wet belts are certainly keeping workshops busy at the moment — and this is our first Kuga 2.0 EcoBlue through the doors for one.

Larkins Automotive
Keeping you on the road

29/09/2026

FORD 2.0 ECOBLUE WET BELT REPLACEMENT

Got a Ranger, Transit or Transit Custom? Don’t wait until your wet belt becomes a much bigger (and more expensive!) problem.

Complete package from £1,258.80 inc VAT
2 working day turnaround
12-month parts & labour warranty
Booking available within 2 weeks

Everything included is in the poster below 👇

📍 Larkin’s Automotive Ltd – Darfield, Barnsley
📞 07903 478659

📲 Message us to get booked in.

23/09/2026

FORD FOCUS – BACK UP & RUNNING! 🔧

Following on from the Ford Focus we recently posted about after its wet belt started losing teeth at 70,000 miles…

The cylinder head came back and unfortunately all 12 valves required replacing after the pistons had made contact with the valves. 😬

Head repaired
12 valves replaced
Engine rebuilt
All back together and running perfectly

One very happy customer to have their car back on the road!

This is exactly why we always advise not pushing wet belts beyond the recommended replacement interval. What could have been around a £1,000 preventative job can very quickly become a £2,000+ engine repair when they fail.

If your vehicle has a wet belt and you’re unsure when it’s due, get in touch with Larkins Automotive. 🔧

15/09/2026

£1,000 PREVENTION vs £2,000+ REPAIR!

This is exactly why we DON’T recommend waiting for the manufacturer’s interval when it comes to wet belts.

This Ford Focus has a full service history and has only covered 70,000 miles — yet the wet belt has failed, losing teeth and causing the pistons to hit the valves. 😬

🔧 Wet belt replacement before failure: around £1,000

💥 Wet belt fails and damages the engine: £2,000+

Unfortunately, a full service history doesn’t mean a wet belt can’t deteriorate or fail early.

Changing it early might feel like an unnecessary expense… until you see the cost when one lets go!

Got a Ford with a wet belt? Don’t just assume you’re safe because you haven’t reached the recommended interval.

07/07/2026

Another 1.0 EcoBoost in the workshop… and this is the worst one we’ve seen so far.

This Ford Focus came in with the oil warning light on the dashboard.

At first glance, it looked like the timing belt had already been replaced. Unfortunately, the oil pump belt had been overlooked.

The oil pump belt had completely stripped its teeth, destroying the tensioner and damaging the oil pump. On this automatic model, the oil pump also incorporates the balance shaft assembly, making the repair even more extensive.

If that wasn’t enough, the loss of oil pressure also caused the turbocharger to fail.

After seeing the extent of the damage, we were seriously concerned about the condition of the engine. Thankfully, after carrying out our inspections and repairs, the engine survived with no catastrophic internal damage.

This is another reminder of why it’s so important that both belts are replaced at the correct service interval on these engines. Missing the oil pump belt can turn what should be routine maintenance into a very expensive repair.

If your 1.0 EcoBoost is due for a belt service or you’re unsure of its history, get in touch, we’re happy to advise before a small job becomes a big one.

11/06/2026

Here’s a slightly different wet belt from a Volkswagen Caddy 2.0 today. It has done 200k miles and is still in remarkably good condition.