During the search for my first scooby, I see quite a lot of adverts for cars that have had their engines rebuilt. My initial instinct is to avoid, but I do realise that if an engine is rebuilt properly it is, in effect, a new engine. Does anybody have any advice or experience in this matter that they could pass on?

Another point, are there any areas of the car that are prone to rust, that I should pay particular attention to, when looking one over?

Cheers

 

Make sure you get some sort of documentation for the work done IMO

Friend paid £7000 for an engine rebuild on a classic that was supposed to bring the bhp upto 300 or over but after having it on a rolling road recently it is pushing the same as a standard STI and thats probably about all its going to get unless it has more money spent on it

Make sure you get the paperwork as the only way to check what is inside the engine is to split it

 

Ask who rebuilt the engine.

girl-in-a-scoob £7000 for an engine rebuild to get it to 300bhp

 

What??? too much? too little? dont understand

 

There's no reason why a rebuilt engine shouldn't be any more or less unreliable than an original one. Most of the trouble comes with inappropriate high speed motorway driving accompanied by poor quality conversions, or undiagnosed faults.
£7000 would buy a lot more than an engine under normal circumstances. I'd certainly expect it to perform well for the money, although a call to the people who supplied it may well clear that one up. Of course, the choice of components, turbo, injectors, management etc, has a lot more to do with power output, considering a perfectly standard WRX engine can handle 350 bhp.

 

I could buy a cosworth engine and it would still make no more power than a standard engine unless it had a bigger turbo and other ancillaries, oh and a remap

 

It was rebuilt by a specialist local to us.

Basically guy has just given up now and will be taking it elsewhere .. and certainly not back there... he has the most expensive standard sti engine in our club

 

Sorry imo waaaaayy too much.

My local specialist can (and has quoted me) less then ½ that.

 

Yeah .. know that now .... this guy basically said it has this that and the other in ... but the only way to prove it is to split the engine.. you live and learn dont you ..... After the Rolling Road day at the clinic and seeing a car there pushing more than 400 which had had a lot less spent on it... you live and learn

 

always the same, you pays your money ou take your chance.

although tbh i'd be taiking it back and having a word, if they wont help then perhaps a name and shame is in order?

 

Local specialist to me not many .. lol...


Sorry seem to have hijacked your thread OP, but as you can see its a gamble.. Ask where the engine was rebuilt and look at paperwork ...

 

sorry to answer the origional point,,, lol

rebuilt engine done by a reputable company will be fine and prob be a reliability bonus

 

As with any used car, loads to look for. My list (in no particualr order) would include:
How many miles
Overall condition
How many owners
Sound of engine- eg rattles, big end knocking, ticking from tappets etc
Has it been smoked in
Crash damage/repairs/respray- even a very good respray is easy to spot
Do doors, bonnet, boot close cleanly and fit properly
Good clean symetrical fit of bumpers and trim
Has it been 'blinged' to buggery
Play in steering, gearbox, transmission
Condition of underside- dents, scuffs.

And last, but by no means least, age and attitude of owner will tell you a lot about how the car has been treated!

No general problem rust areas (certainly on my 57K miles MY00 turbo), apart from a finger nail sized patch between the radio aerial bracket and windscreen surround- found last weekend, and quite a surprise.

Another tip is if in any doubt, walk away!

PS Might be pursuaded to part with my 2 owner well looked after example, although still looking for something decent to replace it with ;-)

Hope this helps
Si

 

Thanks everyone I appreciate your answers

Is there a list of reputable specialists on this website, or would it be possible to start a thread listing them?

A list of places recommended or best avoided would be really helpful.

 

That would be a minefield ..... everybody has different experiences of places. Where are you based?

 

Welcome to the API website have a good rep

 

I don't mind hearing about all experiences. I'm in Derby by the way.

I've seen that name in some adverts, I'll bear this in mind for future reference.