Companies that supply and fit reconditioned engines

[speedmachine]

Has anyone had any experiences of using a company that supplies and fits a reconditioned engine? A relative has a 2001 VW Bora 1.9 tdi which has broken down. The garage he took it to has told him he needs a new engine so he's actually considering scrapping it! I told him to not do that just yet and that I'll find out the cost of getting a new engine (if it does actually need one!)

So i've been doing a bit of googling and come across a number of companies that supply and fit reconditioned engines. Most of them require you to contact them for a quote but one of them lists a price for of a reconditioned engine for Golf 1.9 diesel (same engine) for circa £1045 + VAT supplied and fitted.

Is there anything that should be considered when choosing which company to go with? Or would it be better to just source a used engine and arrange for it to be fitted by a local company? I'm assuming the first option is better in terms of warranty.

Thanks

[rallycross]

Use a good local garage
Source and engine with a 30 or 60 day warranty
Avoid eBay listings for supply and fit type places unless you have first hand knowledge they will do a good job.

2001 Bora tdi is borderline worth repairing ( is it a nice example?) because you could find another Bora for the same price as it will cost to fix.

[speedmachine]

It's an OK example. They've had for about 8-9 years and had been well maintained.Not sure how much it's worth though. Possibly about £2000. So I thought that if it costs about £600-800 to repair, it would be worth it. I could be wrong on how much it's worth though!

[emicen]

Whats actually gone wrong with the engine thats in it?

Bare PD engine is £600-800 for one with miles you would want to use as a replacement. That wont include turbo, beware ebay ads that dont include injectors or cam at that price either.

[vixen1700]

It can be a minefield tracking down an engine that's decent and not some scamming place, but if you go down the recon-engine route, I'd recommend this place:

http://www.enginesolutions.co.uk/

[bimsb6]

Stay well clear of engine places around the heathrow area they have been scamming people with engine swaps for years ! All the way back to the watchdog tv proramme era .

[trickywoo]

speedmachine said:

So I thought that if it costs about £600-800 to repair, it would be worth it.

Unless you are going to DIY you aren't going to get an engine thats worth having installed for £800.

You also need to be very sure about whats wrong. If the fuel pump / injectors / turbo need work also the price is going to get silly very quickly.

I'd just scrap it or if it can be nursed to a car dealer p/x it.

[speedmachine]

Saw the link above and they seem to be reputable. In terms of what is actually wrong with the car, I haven't seen it for my self, just been told what the garage told him. He did say that originally the eml light was on, and during the mechanics test drive, the rev's shot up, stayed up and damged the engine. This is just what I've been told so far.

[speedmachine]

bimsb6 said:

Stay well clear of engine places around the heathrow area they have been scamming people with engine swaps for years ! All the way back to the watchdog tv proramme era .

Thanks for the heads up. I've told him to get the car recovered to his house before he decides if he really wants to scrap it. So worst case, he'll have lost the £30-£40 he spends to get it recovered.

[carreauchompeur]

trickywoo said:

I'd just scrap it or if it can be nursed to a car dealer p/x it.

Charming.

[btsidi]

speedmachine said:

It's an OK example. They've had for about 8-9 years and had been well maintained.Not sure how much it's worth though. Possibly about £2000. So I thought that if it costs about £600-800 to repair, it would be worth it. I could be wrong on how much it's worth though!

Why not buy another one?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

[speedmachine]

btsidi said:

Why not buy another one?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Hadn't realised that's how cheap they are. Though, I don't think he'd be keen to buy another cheap one for fear of having that one give him issues.

[Khum]

Hi, new here, I have a p reg BMW z3 with suspected piston ring broken, could anyone give an average price to what it would cost or is it advisable just to scrap, would be a shame as only has 74000 miles on clock, any advice would be appreciated.

[rallycross]

You’ve just revived a 6 year old topic!

If you find a good small garage (where are you located?) the cost to do the engine swap could be as low as £350-£450 ( that’s a really low price).

Then get a good second hand engine from a reputable BmW breaker - there are a few well
Established ones on eBay.

Price depends on what engine you have if it’s just a 4’ cylinder maybe £250 for a complete engine but 6’cyl engines will be more. Make sure you get a complete engine with everything included makes it much cheaper labour cost when fitting.

Unless you really love the car you’d be better off scrapping it and get another the same Rajeev than spend all that on a low value z3.