#1 Buying an Engine That Hasn’t Been Tested – You would be amazed how many engines are shipped out these days without being tested. These engines are pulled from the vehicle and put right onto a skid to wait for the pick up. Also, even if the engine has been pulled and tested, it may’ve been sitting on a shelf for 5 years since the last testing. Make sure your engine has been tested and is running properly before having it delivered. Ask the company you’re considering buying from what their testing procedures are.
#2 Buying an Engine Without Understanding The Warranty – Just because you’re told you’re getting a 1 year warranty doesn’t mean you’re totally covered for a year. Almost any engine you buy will come with some type of warranty, but they’re usually a parts warranty only. Parts warranties DO NOT cover labor costs. So even though you get a parts warranty, if you put the engine in and it doesn’t start, you still have to pay for the install and to pull it back out. These additional installation costs can easily run you up to $1,000. Ask if the warranty is parts AND labor, if not, pay the additional fee for the labor warranty. You’ll thank me later. Remember, these are used parts…anything can happen.
#3 Using a Mechanic You Never Heard of - This isn’t always a bad thing, but I’ve heard a ton of horror stories about mechanics taking our customers to the cleaners. If I had any suggestions on this, I would tell you to ask family or friends for a referral. I would try to ask someone who you feel understands automobiles and what kind of deal they got. If you don’t have anyone to give you a referral, my best suggestion is to stick with a mechanic who is ASE Certified (in fact I’d probably do this with your referrals too.)
#4 Not Asking if The Price Includes Shipping – One tactic used by automotive sales reps is giving you a price without the shipping. They do this to beat their competitors prices and then after they get the credit card number for the engines they tell you about the shipping hoping that you will just buy the engine anyway since you already gave them all your info.
