How much ??? dead vr engine

[toon vw 0]

My car has been officialy pronounced dead today...well the engine anyway, head gasket & busted up piston rings, the garage have said it ain't financially viable to build it back up again & said he could try to source a nice low milage vr engine & that would end up the cheapest ( & i use that term in the loosest sence) way of sorting it.

has anyone any idea if these are even available & if so how much are the usually going for...might go for a ford 1.3 engine for a bit more economy :lol: :lol: i've got to laugh or i'll just cry like a baby!!!

[mk1g60 0]

not sure what they go for, but a mate of mine has a 2.9 vr engine with hardly any miles on it, he started a mk2 vr conversion ages ago and never got round to finishing it so the car is now being broken for spares. i bet you could prize that engine off him for a good price.

 

he runs a garage so you can get hold of him through his website, http://www.vwrescue.co.uk

 

cheers, karl.

[toon vw 0]

cheers Karl,

"hardly any miles", very interesting think i'll mail for a bit more info.

 

thanks again

[Supercharged 2]

I wouldn't bother with second hand unless you find a very good one with known low mileage at a cheap price...

 

Buy new from VW!

[mattosmond 0]

sorry to hear about that, i bet your livid.... have you had a second opinion just to be sure!

[NickVR6 0]

Steve's right, they are a lot cheaper than you think, but people just dont bother asking.

 

(everything else is a complete rip off though!)

[toon vw 0]

yep mate not too pleased...but what can you do!!

no i have'nt had a second opinion but its what i was told it could be by a vw specialist when i explained all the symptoms & i do trust this guy.

time to visit my freindly bank manager i think.... :roll:

[toon vw 0]

Buy new from VW!

 

any idea how "cheap" they are like?

[Jonny_L 0]

I know the feeling well, sorry to hear you're going through what I went through (even if it's a different cause, it's still a knackered engine!).

I replaced my old VR engine with one with 47k on the clock. I paid £700 for it from a scrappy. I put a request into http://www.breakerlink.com, and had loads of scrappys calling me to offer engines. Just make sure you can get proof of the milage, if you're lucky they might have the service book too.

As for VW, I did look into it, but the prices were as usual, laughable. I think it would've cost a good few grand from them IIRC.

[tonytiger 0]

I wouldn't bother with second hand unless you find a very good one with known low mileage at a cheap price...

 

Buy new from VW!

 

Not everybody's made of money! That's the complete opposite of cheapest option. Though obviously it's the safest option.

 

toon vw, you have my sympathy. I've just gone through all this over the past few months - finally hope to get my vr back this weekend.

 

I went down the second hand engine route - and it is a gamble. My engine came from a write-off (rear end damage) so I'm optimistic that it's okay (it's now in the car and I'm told it's now running very well). Main problem I found when looking was that most vr engines for sale were 2.8 and collection only and too far away.

 

I was hoping to have it fitted for three to four hundred quid and when I eventually found some places willing to do it (to my amazement, most so called vw specialists weren't interested because it was too much work!) I got quotes ranging from £200 to £500. The garage I finally chose quoted £360, and was chosen due to recommendation.

 

However, £360 has now turned into £1200+ :shock: (haven't got the final bill yet) due to fitting new radiator, clutch, battery, leads, slave cylinder, rear exhaust, etc (and I supplied some of those parts myself!) and time spent solving misfire problem, etc.

 

In all, the total cost for me (including the engine) will be around £2k :!: Twice as much as I'd originally expected. With hindsight, I'd have been better off selling it for what I could get and buying (for example) vr6corrado's car for £2k.

 

If I'd gone down the new engine route - I'd still have had all the additional work done so that would have ended up costing another £2k or more on top! In the long run, that would probably be the best option - but it was just too expensive for me to consider.

 

Oh yeah, nearly forgot, when I do get the car back I've still got the heater matrix to replace as it blew 3 days before the engine problems started (back in June) and the wiper linkage to replace (currently held together by wire).

 

Good luck with yours!

[toon vw 0]

thanks for the understanding words at least i know i'm not on my own anyway, it almost feels like a bereavement in the family at the moment :lol: :lol: (well not quite but you know what i mean)

as far as budget i think i would definately have to go down the 'previously enjoyed' route, although i will check out VW if only for a giggle.

thanks Jonny_L i'll try that link you put up & see what crops up, you mention getting proof of milage, is there really any way of doing this other than having the service book that matches the engine which probably is'nt very likely.

How do you reckon putting a low milage engine would affect the future value of the car or even if i have a lottery win & put a brand spanker in would that offset the cost of doing it in the first place.

tonytiger that sounds like a horendous time you've had lately with those spiraling costs, i suppose i'm lucky in that the garage i've used PIT STOP in newcastle are happy to source an engine & fit it, although i don't know how much for fitting yet, apparently they have done this on numerous occasions when its not financialy viable to rebuild.

I just want to get it sorted :cry: :cry: :cry:

[JIMMI 0]

Bad news dude,

what you doing with the dead motor ?

Im gonna send you a PM

Jimmi................................

[toon vw 0]

just been on to my mechanic & he's priced up a brand new engine from VW at £2400 & he reckons on about £400 to swap engines over, i know this is a massive initial outlay (for me anyway) but what would my car be then worth roughly.

it's a L reg '93', done 117k miles, pretty good body no rust or anything.

just trying to gauge if there's any point in doing that, financialy speaking !!!

[dr_mat 0]

Brand new engine for less than a rebuild...!

Actually that's not a brand new engine, it's a rebored 2.8 with new pistons/rings, but it's as good as new.

The value of the car won't increase because of a brand new engine (people tend to assume that the going rate for a car includes a working engine..), though it will hold it's value more in the long term because the engine would obviously be in good shape.

[stel g60 0]

so basically your looking at just under 3 grand, and there maybe some other bits you need along the way that will shoot the £££ up. things like a new clutch, and do you know if this engine from vw comes complete or is it just a block with pistons in?

another option, get a second hand engine and have some work done-3.0 vr :norty: :norty:

[Jonny_L 0]

That's not as bad a price as I was expecting, though it's still pretty pricey! Just in case you were thinking about it, I'd reccomend avoiding these "engine rebuild centres" that pop up all over the place. I took my old mk2 golf to one that originally quoted me £400, I ended up paying £1400, they really screwed me over thinking about it, and the engine never really worked perfectly in the end.

I fitted mine myself to save money on labour, it's not that tricky really, sounds worse than it is, you just need to know someone with a crane, course it'll take a garage a day or 2, it took me about a week and a half!

 

The only proof other than the service book is to get them to write the milage on the reciept. it's not much to go on, but it's better than a verbal contract!

As for price of the car, I wouldn't of thought that sticking in a low milage block would make much difference TBH, tho my car's only on 80k anyway. Dunno about a new block.

[mattosmond 0]

if your going to spend 2.5k on a new engine and labour, would it not be worth looking at just buying a new rado vr and then breaking yours for parts........ might end up being an option!

[tonytiger 0]

just been on to my mechanic & he's priced up a brand new engine from VW at £2400 & he reckons on about £400 to swap engines over, i know this is a massive initial outlay (for me anyway) but what would my car be then worth roughly.

it's a L reg '93', done 117k miles, pretty good body no rust or anything.

just trying to gauge if there's any point in doing that, financialy speaking !!!

 

I'd say it could be worth doing if you plan on keeping the car long term - but is not worth doing just to attempt to increase the resale value. Also, could you cope if the costs escalate from the intial quote - could easily end up with another grand on top if you need other new parts. You need to think seriously about how long want to keep the car. It was simple for me - I can't think of any other car that offers the same combination of style, performance, practicality and rarity that I could afford (and I couldn't think of many that I couldn't afford).

 

The only thing I planned on getting done in addition to my engine swap was the clutch and exhaust. Didn't expect to fork out for a new radiator, slave cylinder, battery, bonnet cable, etc + associated labour costs.

 

if your going to spend 2.5k on a new engine and labour, would it not be worth looking at just buying a new rado vr and then breaking yours for parts........ might end up being an option!

Wouldn't necessarily need to break it - might be able flog it for repair to somebody who could do all the work themselves.

[toon vw 0]

i had thought about selling the car as a non runner & cutting my losses & let someone with alot more ability than me get on with putting the engine of their choice in,there's still quite a few vr's available at the moment but i would need to recoup some dosh from mine!

have'nt got a clue what it would be worth, i could'nt bring myself to strip it for parts (not that i have the know how either mind) its such a beautiful car as it stands apart from the engine obviously!!

as far as a new engine is concerned, i would definately do it to keep it not just to sell again & no Jonny_L i probably could'nt afford any more incase there were complications or extras needed, i agree with you tonytiger i don't think you can beat the car as an all round package as you've mentioned so what would i get anyway ???

So i definately have 1 or 2 options, i have even been offered a relatively low milage vr engine with good vw history fully installed & running for about £1200.....

Aaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhh.....what should i do :drinking:

[dr_mat 0]

Sounds like you should take the offer of the £1200 "low miles" engine, but get the timing gear looked at before it goes in.

Then strip everything electronic off the old engine and keep them as spares (those bits are expensive). Strongly consider a new clutch since it's got to come out anyway, and if it's done 100k+... Always go for a VW replacement clutch.

[randomist 0]

gutted for you mate, you haven't even had it that long! have you tried vee dubs in bill quay near heworth? they're a specialist vw breakers yard so worth giving them a ring. i've heard they do a lot of engine swaps & i've always found them reasonably cheap.(at the same time others have said they're expensive mind!) their number is 0191 4950366

if you need directions for it then just ask or i can take you there coz it's a bit tricky to find!

 

good luck anyway, hope you get it sorted!

[toon vw 0]

cheers purpley-corrado-dude for the tip off, its all your fault i'm hooked on these beasts anyway :lol: :lol: :lol:

well i've just had an interesting conversation with vee dubs, they have got a 40k engine with the clocks to go with it with history aswell & they want £850 for it & just another £150 to do the engine swap...thats £1000 all in :-P

seems too good to be true, might be an idea to go over & have a proper chat to see if i've got that right!!

[khurrado 0]

What about a 2.0 16v conversion??? :)

[toon vw 0]

don't know if my clutch would take it :wink:

[Jonny_L 0]

Blimey, A 40K engine with FSH, and even clocks to prove it fitted for a grand? That sounds good to me. If I was offered that I would've jumped at it I think.

 

I take it you're not tempted to take the 24v route? I thought about it for a while, but decided against it coz if insurance more than anything.

I take no responsibility for suggesting it though!