Dealer has totalled my 30k miles engine!

[Ewazix]

I find this worrying, doesn't seem to make sense that they would gut another good stock car before offering an exchange car altogether and then repairing your car for wholesale resale?

If they are taking a motor out of a good car to put in yours it raises a few questions, call me a cynic.

What's the chances that the doner car will still be sold 'with FSH' ? (not your problem but makes me wonder..)

How can it be identified that the motor is indeed being used, did they let you sight it and take down the motor number of it in the car/provide you with the books?

If you wanted to be awkward - and god knows I would have liked to have been - I would have pushed for a new engine or some form of additional compo if not just for the fact that it's arguably harder to sell a car with a new motor.

Engines are an interesting one, there is always the argument that they can never truly give you a 'like for like' condition replacement - especially if you have the car from new because you have no idea how it was driven previously (extreme but as an example who's to say that it hasnt been ragged from cold and won't spin a bearing at 60k compared to your sensibly driven car which will sail through 100k.

Like I say though, the anal cynic in me speaking.. especially given that they have already tried to pull the wool over your eyes..

All good points, I agree and was surprised and hadn't thought of the solution they offered, but I know the engine block number of mine and have a copy of the V5 of their donor car with engine number and I've made it clear I'll be checking the right one's fitted. Fact is they have already bought an engine from an insurance loss which is arriving today, the plan they offered is the only way they can use it, is by swapping it in to their donor car.

The compo I'm getting is worth around £500 (main service cost and new clutch) at the end of the day if I had the car repaired elsewhere and took legal action to recover costs the only damages I can claim are,
Recovery (doesn't benefit me)
Hire car (they have given me a new loan car anyway so no advantage)
and to restore it to a like condition i.e. as it was. Unfortunately several £k for a new full engine is way beyond that and wouldn't be awarded.

I could press the publicity button and hold out for a new engine but my calculation at the moment is that it wouldn't happen. I'm confident I could get a very good deal on upgrading the car but I'm not interested in spending money on something I don't want or need to do TBH.

Thanks for the thoughts guys it's a really annoying whichever way but having slept on it, I'm sticking with the deal offered.

 

[Young Pretender]

Bu**er!!!

If they haven't started on the engine removal from the stock car it might be more cost effective for them to swap cars with you (they have a replacement engine for yours after all) assuming that colour; trim and options are acceptable. Well you never know!

It's a good shout but unfortunately theirs is a base spec 5 door grandpa special in recession white, daughter likes her up-spec metallic 3 door (Coupe' :wink: ) with toys.

Thing is though that any sort of engine swap will quite seriously impact your ability to re-sell the car, even it's a new engine (first hand experience of this)

They need to leave you in the position you should have been in so the current offer falls short in that respect. A replacement car would be my target although I suspect it won't be easy to argue. Doesn't matter what's on their forecourt they have a network behind them and you can also offer to wait until one comes in that meets you requirements.

Horrible situation though, I feel for you. Best of luck.

 

[firebobby]

That's not good news, bloody grease monkeys :roll:
I would ask that they also have to buy the car off you in the future, if the engine swap does devalue it from the market value. Worth a try

 

[Ewazix]

That's not good news, bloody grease monkeys :roll:
I would ask that they also have to buy the car off you in the future, if the engine swap does devalue it from the market value. Worth a try

As the car is currently disembowelled with front removed and suspension & steering dropped I've had them go through the car for anything (at all) that's vaguely non-service wear and is going to be replaced under warranty whilst they are at it.
So far the list has added a new complete clutch & first motion shaft seal which had a minute weep, front calipers had some corrosion and evidence of slight stickiness (pretty innocuous TBH) so full calipers/pads/discs are going in, and I'll be stood over them again next week to see what else can be found :wink:

To be fair the MD is as pi55ed as I am (now they have been rumbled) and has already offered to extend the warranty and "stand by the car price-wise" if I want a deal in the future. I need to keep perspective though the car books at just under £4k trade and about £5k ish full retail so the cost of the big service, clutch, brakes, warranty and any other bits I can squeeze easily outweigh any devaluation which will be negligible TBH.

Never going to be happy, but I'm calming down :|