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vy new engine needed

simo79

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Evening all

I purchased VY a couple weeks ago. On way to work this morning noticed strange noise coming from engine. I took it straight back to dealer only short distance away. Their mechanic looked (kinda like a ratle worse hen accelerating) at it and said it did not sound good, he looked at it and said the engine has spun a bearing or two at the bottom and this apparently means a new engine! I know absolute nothing about cars so sorry if this doesnt make sense! The sales dude said since sold it so cheap to me not sure he can help! Well he will be fixing because as far as i can tell it is a warranty issue and he has too. I am just hoping for some info whether the problem sounds like it is not fixable. I think he said a reconditioned motor will cost $1295 plus freight plus labour! does this sound about right? From what I can find out from my research a reconditioned motor is the only way I should go, eg not a second hand motor. Any thoughts sugestions would be appreciated, I think I am going to have a fight on my hands!
 

festa1234

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what warranty did you get with the car they should fix it if you only bought it a couple weeks ago you usually get a 3 month dealer warranty when you buy a second hand car from dealer
 

STEEV888

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they will 100% fix it under warranty its the law.
by being a dealer they have to give a warranty its part of their little license that lets you sell 2nd hand cars.
and no doubt they new about the problem before they sold it to you they were just hoping you wouldnt.

same thing happend to a mates vs wagon they never changed the oil and the pickup became clogged so he got a new motor
if you go there and they show you a good motor thats fine and say they are going to put it in.. when you get a chance discreetly mark something on it scratch a symbol into the metal etc. and then when they replace it check its the same motor.
 

simo79

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Cheers for your replies; they are now going to replace it but have said they will put a second hand 105km engine it. They said if I want a reconditioned engine I would have to pay the difference between the second hand engine and the reconditioned engine and the extra labour costs in putting in a reco engine as opposed to a second hand engine. I think this sounds reasonable. They tell me the additional costs will be $500 - $600. I would really appreaciate any opinions of whether it would be worth my while spending the extra $500 - $600 to get a reconditioned engine or if I should just except the 105km second hand engine.

I look forward to any replies!
 

wortus

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Cheers for your replies; they are now going to replace it but have said they will put a second hand 105km engine it. They said if I want a reconditioned engine I would have to pay the difference between the second hand engine and the reconditioned engine and the extra labour costs in putting in a reco engine as opposed to a second hand engine. I think this sounds reasonable. They tell me the additional costs will be $500 - $600. I would really appreaciate any opinions of whether it would be worth my while spending the extra $500 - $600 to get a reconditioned engine or if I should just except the 105km second hand engine.

I look forward to any replies!

How much of a second hand engine are we talking about? For example does it include another starter motor, DFI module, coil packs etc or will all this come off your old engine? You need to make sure you know exactly how much of the engine is being replaced and get it in writing and also who's property the old one becomes.
I'd just get the second hand engine put in as it is low K's and these engines if looked after last a long long time and you will probably sel the car long before the engine is worn out. That said however I would insist on inspecting the replacement engine yourself before it goes in to make sure it has been looked after for example any corrosion on the alloy bits in contact with the coolant, oil leaks etc, condition of the oil, crusty deposits in the rocker covers etc.
When they do it also sort out beforehand who is responsible for any consumables, coolant and new oil etc. Insist they use new coolant, replace the oil and any other unservicable parts like radiator hoses at their cost and give ithe engine a full diagnostic, compression test etc and supply you with a copy of the results and a list of all the work done and parts replaced etc.
You would also be wise to have things like the engine mounts looked at to see if they have sagged and need to be replaced.
Also make sure it is a VY engine and not from an earlier model as there are small differences. And when it comes back finished make sure they have not damaged the car in any way things for example scratches or chips in the paint and check the edges of the bonnet as they will remove that and may not support it properly. I have seen bonnets off other cars rested on the back edge and it bends the corners or takes the paint off.
 
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festa1234

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make sure they can prove the engine has done the kms that they said if its already out of the car you wouldnt know what a bunch of dodgy pricks they were obviously hoping the engine lasted longer than the warranty if i was in this situation i would be chasing a new engine and there is no way i would be paying the extra 4 it if you know any lawyers i would ask them where u stand
 

simo79

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make sure they can prove the engine has done the kms that they said if its already out of the car you wouldnt know what a bunch of dodgy pricks they were obviously hoping the engine lasted longer than the warranty if i was in this situation i would be chasing a new engine and there is no way i would be paying the extra 4 it if you know any lawyers i would ask them where u stand

I am a lawyer! they have to "carry out the repairs in a manner that conforms to accepted trade standards"

As I know absolutely nothing about cars (I find it difficult to check the oil!!) i have no idea what would conform to accepted trade standards.

I suspect that a second hand motor similar to that which was in the car "putting the parties back in the same position as they were before it broke down" would conform to accepted trade standards". The difficulty I have is having no mechanical knowledge is trying to determine if a second hand engine is as they describe and carrying out all the checks as suggested above, this is why I am tempted to pay the additional $500 to get a reconditioned engine to take away from them them any ability they may have to "pull one over me".
 

Sean880

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Evening all

I purchased VY a couple weeks ago. On way to work this morning noticed strange noise coming from engine. I took it straight back to dealer only short distance away. Their mechanic looked (kinda like a rattle worse hen accelerating) at it and said it did not sound good, he looked at it and said the engine has spun a bearing or two at the bottom and this apparently means a new engine! I know absolute nothing about cars so sorry if this doesn't make sense! The sales dude said since sold it so cheap to me not sure he can help! Well he will be fixing because as far as i can tell it is a warranty issue and he has too. I am just hoping for some info whether the problem sounds like it is not fixable. I think he said a reconditioned motor will cost $1295 plus freight plus labour! does this sound about right? From what I can find out from my research a reconditioned motor is the only way I should go, eg not a second hand motor. Any thoughts suggestions would be appreciated, I think I am going to have a fight on my hands!

1. If you had a professional inspection carried out on the car before buying the problem would most probably have been identified and you would have been turned off buying it. Whichever way you go you are likely to have to part with more cash now.
(Wish I had a dollar for every time someone comes on the forum with a story about a problem with a used car soon after purchase when it could have very easily been identified with a decent inspection before hand by a competent mechanic).

2. If you go for a used motor you have no way of knowing for certain how many kms it has done unless you can check the kms of the vehicle it was removed from. You also have no way of knowing the condition of the motor before installation. The dealer can tell you anything now to get out of the deal as cheaply as possible. The used motor may run for a while but may be damaged and you will not necessarily know until it fails after months of use. Alternatively you may end up with a totally worn out engine that has done 200000+ kms . How are you going to verify kms and engine condition before it is installed in the car. Very difficult and, in any event, I would not trust a dealer that sold you a car with a dud engine that they hoped was going to run past the warranty period.

If you paid over $6000 for the car, I believe that under SA law you have a warranty from purchase for 5000km/3 months whichever comes first for cars with under 200,000 kms. (It's less for cars sold for $3000 - $6000, - - 3000km /2 months). So basically the dealer just needs to get a cheap used engine in the car that will run past the mandatory warranty period and then all the problems are yours. You will have no further "effective claim" on the dealer.

3. If it was my car (and it was otherwise a good vehicle I was going to keep for a few years) I would want a reconditioned engine provided it was from a reputable engine builder, came with a warranty from the engine supplier and was going to be installed by a competent qualified mechanic. I would also want items replaced while the engine is out like new engine mounts, a new or reco starter motor and other new ancillary items.

Basically I would not trust a used car dealer that sold you a dud car to have this done properly if he has control of the reco engine purchase and installation. Lots of corners will probably be cut to reduce his costs.

Like it or not probably the only way you can control the whole exercise yourself with a reconditioned engine installation is if you pay for the engine and all the work yourself. I would rather have an estimate of the dealers costs for this option, have that money paid out to me and then manage the engine purchase and all the installation work myself with a good mechanic.

Unfortunately, being a lawyer is not going to help you much to get a good job done through the used car dealer. You will only get that by selecting a good reputable tradesman to do the job and by selecting a reputable engine supplier.

Good luck with it.

It's always so much cheaper in the long run to have a competent mechanic inspect a car before you decide to purchase. Hopefully there are readers out there that understand the message.
 

Rusty

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Tell them to fix it with no cost to you or tell them to stick it.

Whats to say your not going to have more issues in the not so distant future and these useless dealer's are evidently not going to co-operate.

In the end it is not your problem, DO NOT PAY A CENT TO THEM if its under warrenty.
 

Timmos

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personally, i'd pay the cash for a recon motor.. and find out where it's coming from..

i would then immediately take it to another mechanic to have a look around the rest of the car to spot any problems
 
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