car is a write off since mechanic touched it, help!

shell_83

Please help, my parents took their car to the garage after it was making some strange noises. The mechanic said they needed to try changing some shells? otherwise would need whole new engine, so of course needed a whole new engine. they sourced a second hand one which they had to collect from 2 hrs away, total cost was £2000 which they encouraged to be paid by cash not credit card as my parents preferd. this been back and forth from the garage every week since christmas doesnt look like it will ever be fixed and they are now saying they can't see anything wrong. My parents are now worried they've lost the £2k from the new engine we are now thinking its a manual engine they put in the auto car (now being denied) plus they've lost the £6k equity in the car

Can anyone advise??

flashg67

It's the gearbox that's manual or automatic, rather than the engine, so this won't be the issue. Do they have a receipt /warranty for the engine and/or the labour to fit it?

What is the problem they're still having that the garage can't identify?

An option is to cut their losses and get another mechanic to look at the car, or an independent inspection from say www.dekra-expert.co.uk ? You need to know whether it's a fitting problem or a fault with the engine - without an unbiased view, I can see you going back to the garage & engine supplier forever, with each blaming the other!

Too late now, but there are plenty of good engine repairers/remanufacturers out there, who will also fit & gaurantee their product. Sometimes a bit more expensive, but worth it in the long run, particularly as the car sounds fairly valuable.

Good luck!

Mankysteve

Manual engines and automatic engines are the same thing, there's no difference. Difference is in the gearbox.


Really need more information to give better advice.

paddedjohn

If the garage say they cant find anything wrong then what are your parents complaining about? what do they say is the fault?

Joe_Horner

If the frst suggestion was "try changing some shells" then it sounds like the crank bearings (big ends or mans) were shot. That would certainly cause some "strange" noises unless ou knew what you were hearing.

No surprise that it ended up as an engine replacement in that case - the chance of getting away with new shells s slim and the alternative is a crank regrind, new bearings and preferably oil pump, re-bore, pistons and rings while you're in there - basically a complete engine rebuild.

Depending on the car that can be VERY expensive (quite easily more than the £2k they were charged for a replacement) and means that the car (or at least the engine) was effectively "a write off" before the "mechanic touched it". That said, if they've paid for a replacement then they're entitled to have a working replacement.

As others have said, there's no difference between the engine in a manual and equivalent auto so what exactly are the problems with the new one that it keeps going back for?

colino

Is the car running now but has a fault? Apart from running its big ends, what else was wrong with the car before this garage got its hands on it? Why choose, at £2k cost, to replace instead of fix the original engine?
Is it a SAAB?

Norman_Castle

this been back and forth from the garage every week since christmas doesnt look like it will ever be fixed and they are now saying they can't see anything wrong.

What is the problem with it?

s_b

Mankysteve wrote: »

Manual engines and automatic engines are the same thing, there's no difference. Difference is in the gearbox.


Really need more information to give better advice.

really................................

fivetide

s_b wrote: »

really................................

What an unhelpful post.

Many engine have to have a design modification to allow the gearbox to join tot he motor. It often isn't as simple as making a manual car and automatic. You'll need the right engine and gearbox combination.

It is certainly a possibility that the garage has bought the wrong one.

5t.

s_b

fivetide wrote: »

What an unhelpful post.

Many engine have to have a design modification to allow the gearbox to join tot he motor. It often isn't as simple as making a manual car and automatic. You'll need the right engine and gearbox combination.

It is certainly a possibility that the garage has bought the wrong one.

5t.

really?
it was succinct

fivetide

s_b wrote: »

really?
it was succinct

No it was useless as it was simply you havign a go at another poster rather than offering any advice to the OP and explaining why that person was wrong.

As you can see, I agree with you but your post (and the follow up) added nothing to the thread.

OP - you really do need to find out if the garage has messed up. If they have, don't get conned into paying for their mistake!

5t.