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Replacement engine - worth it?

  • 19-04-2016 10:21pm
    #1
    onrail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭


    Folks,

    Bit of a disaster over the weekend - timing belt snapped on my VW Golf (2008, 1.9TDi, 100k miles). Car was well serviced, timing belt changed at the recommended interval, so it seems to be plain bad luck.

    Anyway I'm looking for some opinions on the options which await me:

    1. Replacement (used) engine, €1200 approx. Hard to know how relaible it'll be afterwards. Might attempt to sell it on.

    2. Was offered €2k for the car as it stands. Reckon I could push it up a bit but not sure how much.

    Living and working up North, where the car was worth about £3.5k to 4k. Worth a fair bit more (9k) down here!

    So.. what's the best option here? See can I get a bit more for the car as it stands and run?

    All opinions welcome!


Comments

  • #2
    Toyotafanboi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,917 ✭✭✭✭Toyotafanboi


    If it's a €9k car when it's working and it's a €2k car when it's not and the repair bill is €1200, I think you've answered your own question.


  • #3
    onrail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭onrail


    Toyotafanboi wrote: »
    If it's a €9k car when it's working and it's a €2k car when it's not and the repair bill is €1200, I think you've answered your own question.

    On the face of it, maybe - but what's resale likely to be on a car that has had a replacement engine?


  • #4
    Mister Jingles
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,190 ✭✭✭Mister Jingles


    Toyotafanboi has pretty much hit the nail on the head but I'll ask this anyway. For how much longer did you intend on keeping it before this happened ?


  • #5
    Esel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 22,662 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    onrail wrote: »
    On the face of it, maybe - but what's resale likely to be on a car that has had a replacement engine?

    Source a good engine (hear it running). Have the supplier fit it, and get a written guarantee. Pay a £1,000 premium for this.

    After all that, it's Caveat Emptor.

    Not your ornery onager



  • #6
    166man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,575 ✭✭✭166man


    Replacement engine off a reputable source and away you go.

    Out of curiosity was the Golf owned by you since new?


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  • #7
    onrail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭onrail


    166man wrote: »
    Out of curiosity was the Golf owned by you since new?

    No - bought it at 56k miles, roughly 3 years ago. Given that the failure occurred at only 100k miles, it's hard not to be suspicious of any mechanics I've had working on it since buying. I mean - who knows if the timing belt was changed at all!


  • #8
    shietpilot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,881 ✭✭✭shietpilot


    onrail wrote: »
    No - bought it at 56k miles, roughly 3 years ago. Given that the failure occurred at only 100k miles, it's hard not to be suspicious of any mechanics I've had working on it since buying. I mean - who knows if the timing belt was changed at all!

    Or it was simply clocked at 56k miles. The car could have been a 95k mile car at that point and snapping was inevitable. Did the belt snap itself or was there a seized pulley that caused it to snap?

    I doubt the mechanics have anything to do with it though. Unless they wanted to cut the belt with a saw to do it on purpose I don't see them going anywhere near the timing belt area during other work.


  • #9
    166man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,575 ✭✭✭166man


    onrail wrote: »
    No - bought it at 56k miles, roughly 3 years ago. Given that the failure occurred at only 100k miles, it's hard not to be suspicious of any mechanics I've had working on it since buying. I mean - who knows if the timing belt was changed at all!

    A 5 year old diesel golf with 56k miles (UK import?) would set alarm bells ringing for me.

    Did you get a history check and a verified history with the car?


  • #10
    Sam Kade
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,313 ✭✭✭✭Sam Kade


    onrail wrote: »
    Folks,

    Bit of a disaster over the weekend - timing belt snapped on my VW Golf (2008, 1.9TDi, 100k miles). Car was well serviced, timing belt changed at the recommended interval, so it seems to be plain bad luck.

    Anyway I'm looking for some opinions on the options which await me:

    1. Replacement (used) engine, €1200 approx. Hard to know how relaible it'll be afterwards. Might attempt to sell it on.

    2. Was offered €2k for the car as it stands. Reckon I could push it up a bit but not sure how much.

    Living and working up North, where the car was worth about £3.5k to 4k. Worth a fair bit more (9k) down here!

    So.. what's the best option here? See can I get a bit more for the car as it stands and run?

    All opinions welcome!
    9k in a garage maybe, not a hope with a replacement engine in a private sale.


  • #11
    SteelyDanJalapeno
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 14,350 ✭✭✭✭SteelyDanJalapeno


    166man wrote: »
    A 5 year old diesel golf with 56k miles (UK import?) would set alarm bells ringing for me.

    Did you get a history check and a verified history with the car?

    Bit late to be asking this tbh, and doesn't help the op now


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  • #12
    shietpilot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,881 ✭✭✭shietpilot


    TiltedBrain wrote: »
    Bit late to be asking this tbh, and doesn't help the op now

    Well the OP thinks the mechanics working on the car after he bought it has caused this because there is no reason for the belt to snap prematurely UNLESS it was clocked. So I think he is asking the right questions :confused:


  • #13
    onrail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭onrail


    166man wrote: »
    A 5 year old diesel golf with 56k miles (UK import?) would set alarm bells ringing for me.

    Did you get a history check and a verified history with the car?

    Living in NI, so bought it from a local dealer up there. Both previous owners were relatively local and had urban addresses, so there was nothing too alarming.

    Out of curiosity - it there any way to back check this? Not worth a jot to me now, but it'd be good to know.


  • #14
    unkel
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 65,881 ✭✭✭✭unkel
    Chauffe, Marcel, chauffe!


    Even if the car wasn't clocked, would the timing belt really only need replacing every 160k km / 8 years?

    I reckon the car as is would be worth a lot more than €2k. With replacement engine maybe €5k - €6k. If it was mine I would be happy to let it go for €3.5k cash. And let the new owner worry about paying for the DMF that's about to fail :pac:

    My ads on adverts.ie

    https://www.adverts.ie/member/5856/ads



  • #15
    onrail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭onrail


    shietpilot wrote: »
    Well the OP thinks the mechanics working on the car after he bought it has caused this because there is no reason for the belt to snap prematurely UNLESS it was clocked. So I think he is asking the right questions :confused:

    I don't "think" anything, but just trying to explore the possibilities that led to this - easy to point the finger of blame elsewhere when angry/fustrated!

    Recovery driver said he had never seen such a case in a model of that mileage.


  • #16
    Special Circumstances
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,569 ✭✭✭Special Circumstances


    onrail wrote: »
    Folks,

    Bit of a disaster over the weekend - timing belt snapped on my VW Golf (2008, 1.9TDi, 100k miles). Car was well serviced, timing belt changed at the recommended interval,
    What year/ mileage was it changed at? During your ownership?


  • #17
    millington
    Registered Users Posts: 1,288 ✭✭✭millington


    First things first, it wasn't a 9k car down here. 2 years ago maybe but nowadays it's definitely not.

    A 1.9 engine replacement should cost no more than €1200 even including labour. Engines are 10 a penny and it's a straightforward swap.


  • #18
    onrail
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,043 ✭✭✭onrail


    Special Circumstances wrote: »
    What year/ mileage was it changed at? During your ownership?

    70k roughly - during my ownership


  • #19
    Special Circumstances
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,569 ✭✭✭Special Circumstances


    onrail wrote: »
    70k roughly - during my ownership
    Well, whether it was clocked or not before you got it, I guess there's three possibilities here in my laymans opinion.
    1) Poor work fitting belt - over tensioned belt or didn't torque something up properly. Been there. Caught before things went fatal.
    2) Poor quality materials used.
    3) Cheapest option done - belt only, or the very barest minimum of other components done. Tensioner or something else fails rather than the belt, end result is the same. Been there.


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