Car manufacturing group Stellantis has launched an online compensation platform for European clients with unforeseen reparation costs related to their 1.0 and 1.2 PureTech engines. Several generations of these engines (also known as EB) confronted their owners with excessive oil consumption or a premature degradation of the timing belt.
This additional compensation scheme is meant to cover the costs incurred by Stellantsi clients between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2024. As a result of these problems, Stellantis already enlarged its guarantee program in March 2024.
Via the online compensation platform (https://stellantis-support.com), clients can upload a file with the necessary documents for a quick and thorough evaluation of their problem(s). Since January, client files in France and Spain have been evaluated, and the rest of Europe will follow gradually as of now.
The cars and engines concerned have to be maintained following the maintenance schedule of the manufacturer, so that the official distribution network has realized an eventual diagnosis and repair.
Prolonged guarantee
Stellantis has already prolonged the guarantee for earlier generations of Puretech engines because of excessive oil consumption or premature degradation of the timing belt, covering 100% of the cost up to 10 years or 180,000 km driven.
The PureTech engine generation was initially launched in 2012 to combine a high performance level in relation to CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. Somewhere between then and now, things went wrong, and Stellantis has now done its utmost to compensate duped clients and to adapt the PureTech engines. Normally, some 70% of evolved and new parts must ensure that these problems won’t arise anymore.
Wet belt, not a good idea?
One of the biggest red flags about the PureTech is that it carries a wet belt. A wet belt is a type of timing belt that runs while submerged in oil. Timing belts will begin to fail when they are contaminated with any liquid, including oil. This is because the liquid will soak into the belt material, causing premature wear.
As the belt does its thing, bits of rubber will start to flake off and make their way to the oil sump filter. Eventually, when enough rubber has accumulated, it will begin to starve the engine of oil. In addition, the integrity of the belt will become compromised and can ultimately snap together.
According to many technicians, wet belts are a bad idea. While manufacturers boast improved fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, the improvements seen will be in the range of 1-2%, and a largely followed view within the automotive industry is that they are just not worth it.
