TBagz

So i bought a legacy twinscroll jdm import in may and today the cambelt snapped (yay!) i'm waiting to hear the damage report from the garage but i think it's highly likely the engine will need a rebuild.

To me the car is probably worth around 8k, I'm not 100% as i've never had an engine rebuilt but im guessing i'd be looking at the 3-4k region for a rebuild?

I'm trying to work out if it's worth it, i'm pretty hacked off that it's happened so soon. The cambelt was allegedly changed in japan 4 years and less than 10,000 miles ago which i checked when i bought the sodding thing. As i've not had it that long my enthusiasm for it has just plummeted although i guess i may cool off a bit later.

The car itself is in very good condition, does anybody have a rough idea what i'm likely to get for the car with a knackered engine? Its a 2007 estate, sexy white and in good condition with 85,000 miles on it.

Am i likely to have issues with a rebuilt engine, not having had one before i'd be a bit concerned that a rebuilt engine may not perform as well or last as long. Obviously it depends on the person doing the rebuild but are poorly rebuilt engines an all too common occurence or rare and not something to worry too much about?

Really bad start to my day lol! I'm getting some inheritance money which will cover the costs of the repair (but without much change left over) so i can afford to get it done, just a really depressing thing to have to spend it on :/ Appreciate any advice or opinions.

johno01

Hi mate, sorry to hear the bad news. Regarding the engine build, if it’s done by a reputable specialist mate you shouldn’t have anything to worry about regarding reliability providing it’s serviced on time etc, especially being a 2 litre you should get another 80000 depending on how it’s driven. If it’s tracked then maybe less but you’ve not mentioned it being tracked so another 80000 at least. If you love the car and it puts a massive smile on your face like most our Subarus do then get a rebuild for 4-5k. If the car is not that important to you sell it but I’m not sure there’s a market for them so you may get pennies. Hope you get the rebuild 👍👍

TBagz

Thanks for the reply Johno.

I do really like the car but not sure i like it enough to shell out 4 or 5k, it's a hard decision to make. There were other bits i wanted to get done to it as well (suspension upgrade and remap) but they've gone out the window now so not sure whether to cut my losses or not.

It's not tracked, just regular road use.

If it's not worth much as a rolling shell i migt have a look at breaking it because i reckon stuff like the wheels, stereo, kakimoto exhaust etc are probably worth few quid. I'll have to weigh up the options over the weekend.

Any idea how long i'm likelyt to be without the car while it's being rebuilt? I need a car for work so might have to get a temporary banger if it's anyhting more than a couple of weeks?

johno01

you would have to ring around the specialists and see how long it would be before they can get started on your car etc...Could you buy a banger for 500 and come back to the Subaru at a later date? You will be forking out a lot of money especially in this day and age, also you had plans to get other bits done which have gone out the window. It’s a tough decision that only you can make. What I will say is if you go down the rebuild route then the car will be reliable so that’s not a worry but these cars are expensive to own without rebuilds etc...say if something else went after the engine was rebuilt like the gearbox or something? You can’t really trust the history of the car as seen with the cambelt.

TBagz

I can get a nice and tatty 1999 avensis with 145k on the clock with 12 months mot for £300, seen a couple of focuses for similar money. So definitley an option as at least i should get the same back for it when i sell, worst case £100 scrap.

I'm guessing covid could potentially make it difficult to get parts etc and i might have to pay a premium and wait longer as a result.

I get your point on the history being uncertain, lots to think about I guess. Might just get a banger and decide what to do with the scooby once ive had longer to think about it and make enquiries etc.

Thanks for the advice, nice way to start my weekend!

johno01

that sounds spot on mate, have a good think and enquire regarding the engine build then take it from there. Good luck mate 👍👍

stockcar

1st advice would be to simply put a belt on it and see if it turns over, then compression check it........you 'might' be lucky then again we are just finalising a similar engine for a customer that did the same thing and it required 16x valves..........
actually 1st advice would have been to at last check the belt on purchase or insist on a new fitment as they are not expensive in the scheme of things and far too many duff service records floating around these days

regardless it shouldn't require a full rebuild dependant on exact circumstances of failure

TBagz

Cheers, garage has it now and they said they were going to check compression but chances of it being intact are pretty slim, not had the best run of luck lately so preparing for the worst at the minute.

Fair point, i should have checked the belt. Not much i can do about that now though.

If it's less than 3k i'll get it fixed, any more than that requires time to think.

fpan

iTrader: (11)

I am sorry to hear about what's happened.
Regarding a rebuild, worth speaking to TDR, they are not too far from you.