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Buying Guide - Helpful Tips

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

buying tips

Engine Centre.Com

You obviously want to get the best for your vehicle, and at a reasonable price but please be warned there are lots of companies that will do or say anything to get your authority to collect and dismantle your vehicle. Once with them the engine will either mysteriously need more parts than you were advised of when booking your vehicle in, or suddenly become unrepairable and have a surcharge placed on the price. Either way you end up paying much more than the original quote. EngineCentre.Com will provide a fixed quotation in writing via email prior to your vehicle being collected.

The repairs you require are going to cost a lot of money no matter where you go. Naturally you want to get the best value for money and have a good job done. It’s human nature to be drawn to what may appear the ‘cheapest’ price but this is not necessarily the best and could end up costing considerably more. Remember if it appears to be ‘too good to be true’ it probably isn’t true.

Here are some tips and advice that should keep you safely away from getting caught out. It will save you time, money and a lot of stress if you ask these questions before you commit.

If you decide not to purchase your replacement engine, gearbox or turbo from us we still want to assist you. Unfortunately, we deal with people daily who have been the victims of scams, faulty units being delivered or even worse, not arriving at all.

We have therefore produced our list of Top 20 Tips to make sure that getting your vehicle back on the road doesn’t turn out to be a nightmare for you.

Top 20 Buying Tips

  1. Firstly, it is important that you make sure the seller is a genuine verified business.

  2. For Peace-of-Mind check they are an approved repairer for The AA or RAC or similar body.

  3. Check out the address they operate from and make sure its correct and actually exists.

  4. Put the address into ‘Google Street View’ to physically see the outside of the premises – If you can’t

    see a business sign on the building be extra cautious.

  5. Carry out a Google review search on them to make sure they are reputable? Remember to look at the age of the reviews and not just the content. Established businesses should have feedback going back many years. Lots of recent reviews could be fake.

  6. Make sure they have a fixed landline telephone number and not just a mobile number.

  7. Do a Google search on the phone number to see if it is associated with any other businesses?

  8. Very Important - Check they accept Credit Card / Paypal payments. If not be extra careful as generally companies who don’t accept card payments have been refused a card terminal due to poor credit score or because they are aware that you have extra rights as a consumer.

  9. Do you have to pay any money up front?
    If they are a reputable company and financially stable, why would you have to pay up front for everyday repairs. You don’t have to at a main dealer. If you pay in advance for repairs the company has your vehicle and your money. In the event of a problem or a dispute you are not in a good position. For any transaction make sure you pay at least £10 by credit card – NOT DEBIT CARD, and check the payment is taken by checking with your bank – VERY IMPORTANT as dodgy sellers often tell you they have put a card payment through when in fact they haven’t as they know you will be able to get an automatic refund if a problem occurs. This way you are fully protected by the credit card company if anything goes wrong.

  1. How do they know my unit can be repaired if they haven’t inspected it?
    Many of our competitors will quote for repairing your existing unit. Don’t believe them! Quotations on this basis are impossible to be accurate unless the unit has been inspected. How can you quote for a repair without seeing what damage has been done? It’s the same reason as why doctors don’t do diagnosis and prescribe medicine over the phone.

  2. Any company that are not prepared to give you a fixed detailed quotation in writing should not be trusted. A reputable company will always offer this for 2 reasons. Firstly, it is professional courtesy, and secondly, it gives the customer reassurance that the correct works are being quoted for and instructed to be done.

  3. Do I have to pay to have my vehicle collected?
    You shouldn’t have to pay to have your vehicle collected. Any reputable company should have recovery costs built in to their price structure and offer it as a free service to the customer.

  4. Can they re-programme ECU’s and injectors ‘on-site’ and is it included in the price? Most vehicles nowadays require the ECU’s & injectors to be re-programmed after major component replacement. If this is not done, or even worse, done incorrectly it can cause damage to the components you have had replaced. Each vehicle make usually requires specific equipment and to cover all makes requires a big investment which any garages can’t afford. If they have to get a 3rd party in for re- programming this can dramatically increase your bill.

  5. Check the warranty terms & conditions thoroughly for any small print or unreasonable terms.

  6. Check what will happen if they deliver an incorrect item. You should be supplied with an immediate replacement by law. However, many companies will offer to collect your old unit instead and rebuild it. This should be avoided at all costs.

  7. On arrival fully inspect the item as best you can and if possible, get a professional to check it. Make sure you always sign the delivery note in ALL cases as ‘Un-Checked’ this gives you better protection in the event you later find damage, missing components or a fault.

  8. Prior to installation make sure it is the exact correct item for the vehicle, is compatible and in good working order.

  9. Find out what will happen if the unit arrives and is faulty after its been fitted. Many vendors will not pay for labour charges of fitting the unit and then also removal it if its faulty. They will also not re- imburse you for cambelts which you may have fitted or for oil, antifreeze and consumables which can often be quite expensive. You need to bear this in mind.

  10. Remember that if a garage fits an engine that you have supplied, and it turns out to be faulty then you will be liable for all of their time and labour costs. Some garages may also charge storage fees whilst any issues are resolved. A very important thing to remember is that if you source an engine from a company or a vehicle dismantler and get another garage to fit it, if there is a fault or problem the garage will blame the supplier, and invariably the supplier will blame the garage. The problem will then be your responsibility to sort out. It is quite common for communications to become heated with arguments as nobody wants to take the blame. Quite often it can take months to be resolved with your vehicle still off the road and your payment being withheld.

  11. Make sure that in the event of a fault that the vendor will refund or replace the unit immediately with no cost at all to yourself such as return carriage charges.

We hope these buying tips will assist you in making an informed decision. All of the items listed here we are confident we meet the requirements of, and we would be more than happy to help you if you require any further assistance or wish to contract us for our services. We are committed to getting your vehicle back on the road in the fastest time at the most economical price.

Kind Regards
The EngineCentre.Com Team

Engine Centre can offer all of the following
FREE consultation and advice
FREE recovery & collection
FREE payment plan option(Subject to acceptance) Written quotation prior to collection

No up-front payment
Credit cards welcomed
15,000 sq. ft. custom workshops
A team of over 40 dedicated staff Internal diagnostics department
Over 2000 units stock holding
Fleet of 7 recovery trucks
Approved by most Warranty Companies Regular Blue Chip Customers
RAC Approved Garage
AA Affiliate Program Member