Advice please! Car engine blown up!!!

Ems!

waterbaby wrote:

My dad was quoted £1600 for a new engine by the main dealer, £800 by the independent garage and £200 by the 'bloke with a garage down a back alley' (his words!). His was a 1.6, it wasn't a ford though.

I can't offer any personal knowledge though. Other than to reiterate that if you have no private land to park it on, you have to tax it not SORN it. And that means you have to insure it.

Thanks. Someone at oh's work reckon they can get it done for about £500 so all is not lost, though still want to get rid of the car as a co car is a much better deal for me.
Yeah, it is insured, that wasn't the issue, it's the fact that MOT expires before tax is due, so unless we get it fixed before tax due then we're stuck. (maybe just have to accept the fine - I think it's £80)Hopefully if it'll only be about £500 for the engine then we can do that so we may be ok and be able to get it taxed/MOT'd.

Lady_S

you can purchase your tax up to 14 days in advance I think. Might help you out.

Wig

Ems! wrote:

Thanks. Someone at oh's work reckon they can get it done for about £500 so all is not lost, though still want to get rid of the car as a co car is a much better deal for me.
Yeah, it is insured, that wasn't the issue, it's the fact that MOT expires before tax is due, so unless we get it fixed before tax due then we're stuck. (maybe just have to accept the fine - I think it's £80)Hopefully if it'll only be about £500 for the engine then we can do that so we may be ok and be able to get it taxed/MOT'd.

The fine of 80 quid is for not TAXing or SORNing it on time, if you get a ticket for being somewhere it shouldn't be the fine imposed by the court for that could be upto 5000 pounds (morelikely to be around 500 pounds IMO, 5000 is the max fine which would be dished out to someone who is really seriously 'taking the michael'.

but it sounds to me that your private bit of land (if it is private) will suffice for the SORN.

IvanOpinion

If you are going down the second hand route make sure that you know the mileage of the replacement engine and you inform any buyer that it is a replacement ... ideally get one with similar mileage. If not I believe the buyer will have a come back on you should anything go wrong.

Ivan

Fran

IvanOpinion wrote:

...... If not I believe the buyer will have a come back on you should anything go wrong.

Ivan

Also car insurance ask that question.

Wig

I've never to my knowledge been asked that by car insurance. Also when selling a car, if they don't ask you don't have to say anything, including if the odometer has been 'adjusted'.

If you do get asked, you don't have to answer but your answer should be honest otherwise you could have legal troubles.

Lob_Rockster

is it too late to ask about how this car has been serviced?
I assume also that nobody was checking fluid levels with any regularity?

Fran

Wig wrote:

I've never to my knowledge been asked that by car insurance. Also when selling a car, if they don't ask you don't have to say anything, including if the odometer has been 'adjusted'.

If you do get asked, you don't have to answer but your answer should be honest otherwise you could have legal troubles.

I've been asked if there have been any alterations or something like that, most quotes I've had.

zappahey

Fran wrote:

I've been asked if there have been any alterations or something like that, most quotes I've had.

Alterations are things like alloy wheels, performance parts and so on. A replacement engine is simply a repair, so long as it's a similar engine and not a higher performance variant.

golddustmedia

Before spending money on fixing it I'd suggest checking the market in your area. No point in fixing with the intention of selling if you then cannot sell for months or at a price to cover costs.

Also, RAC type people typically say "it needs a new engine" as it's the easy diagnosis. Your engine could be repaired, but it might be more economical to replace outright. none the less I'd be checking for an engine exchange kind of place. Lots in the exchange and mart or similar and prices likely about £800 with a warranty on new engine.