How to Buy a Used Engine for a Car

Jun 17

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Where to Buy Used Engines Online and Not Get Scammed

There is nothing worse than when your car or truck engine stops working and there is no way to fix it. But if you follow our professional advice in this section you can walk out with a good deal and get your car running again. You might be asking yourself "what is the cost of an engine replacement?" And we can tell you right off the bat the best solution is to buy a used engine online.

However you have to be careful. You can't just go to any used auto parts store and buy a used motor or engine like it's a taillight. To begin you should learn where to buy a used engine online not to get scammed. There are a lot of websites that claim to have used engines for sale but don't hold any of their inventory. The objective of this article is to show you how to buy a used engine or motor straight from the source, saving you time and money.

Before you start looking for a used engine for sale online:

You should know that finding a used engine for sale is not difficult but it does require you to have patience and do your research.

First things first, check out this list of what information you will need to have handy in order to complete your purchase process:

• Basic vehicle Information: such as year, make, model, trim and VIN number.
• Engine information: such as number of cylinders, engine displacement, whether the engine is naturally aspirated, turbo, or supercharged, and the type of fuel it uses.
• Body or trim information: such as the number of doors, if it's a hatch, coupe or sedan.
• Drivetrain information: If it's a front-wheel drive (FWD), all-wheel drive (AWD), four-wheel drive (4WD) or rear-wheel drive (RWD)

If you are still asking how to find all that information about your car we have a pro tip:

The list above might sound like a hassle to research but don't lose hope. Use this pro tip to speed up this part of the process. Use your vehicle identification number, a.k.a VIN number to gather all this information about your vehicle. Each of these 16-digit codes is unique to the vehicle and they are used by carmakers all over the world to store useful information about the car including its specifications and history.

The VIN number is very easy to locate. Look at the bottom right (driver's side) corner of the windshield or the stickers located at the door pillars. Use this number in one of the many free VIN decoders available online and get all that information ready.

Buying from a trustworthy place

Buying a used engine online is like buying any other product online. Unlike going to a junkyard or to any private location to check out the product, buying a used engine online is convenient, and it saves you time and money.

However the key part you have to take into account is the credibility factor. You want to buy these used engines from a credible and trustworthy source and not just anyone. Below is a list of the things you can do to identify if the source is reputable and avoid getting scammed.

Check the mileage and monitor the sellers:

You'll be able to avoid getting scammed and learn how to spot a fake posting if you pay attention to the advertised mileage of these engines on these websites. If you purchase an engine from these websites or just look at their listings over a period of time you will notice that they use the same images and the miles don't change. Since the miles advertised on these websites are arbitrary numbers, you'll notice that the same engine you just bought is still there after you have purchased it a day, a week or a month ago, with the same mileage.

Some other things to look for are:

• Check if there is a street address listed on their website and that is not a residence or mail forwarding address. Use Google Maps if you really want to verify it. If this is not the case, it's a big red flag.
• Make sure it has a local telephone number and not just a toll-free number since legitimate companies usually have both. It's a bit suspicious if they do not have even a single negative review on their Google Business Listings, Yelp or their Better Business Bureau profile. Do yourself a favor and search the name of the company online before you decide to make the purchase.

We advise you to check these things because what usually happens is that these third party websites such as carpart, buyusedengine and others find a used engine with the same specifications as the one you ordered and sell it to you for more to make a profit. They are just a network or a middle man between salvage yards or used car parts providers to connect with customers.

However, when you buy an engine from such websites you are actually purchasing it from a salvage yard or repair shop somewhere in the country.

By using these third party websites, these online brokers are able to upcharge you for an engine from a salvage yard and send it to you without having to handle any of the inventory. That is how they make profit off of people looking for an engine replacement.

The problem with this business model is that these brokers will not give you an accurate mileage on the engines they are selling. The engines they list on their websites use generic pictures and most likely the engine you see listed is not the one you will end up getting when you order from them.

The engine might also have a higher mileage than advertised. Ultimately there is a big possibility that the miles advertised on their listing and the miles on the engine you are getting will differ, due to the fact that they just try to find the one you need after you have already placed an order from them.

The biggest risk, however, is not only that the engine you purchased will have more miles on it than it was advertised on the listing, but also that you will have little to no recourse if the engine does not work properly and you want to return it.

Good luck trying to get your money back because you are probably dealing with a middle man operating without a physical office and with bad to non-existent customer service that is now trying to get a warranty replacement from a salvage yard from another state.

Even if you get to return the faulty engine, you will most likely end up paying shipping charges.

Where to find reliable used engine sellers online?

Most used engine buyers guides will tell you to avoid going online at all and recommend just buying from a local salvage yard or repair shop. This is due to trust, and the fact that you can check and inspect the product before you buy it when you go local.

However, this is not a real solution if you are trying to purchase a used engine online because it is more convenient to do it from the comfort of your home instead of having to go get muddy and dirty at a local salvage yard.

This is why we recommend you to get the used engine you need straight from the source.

A reputable company that sells used engines online must have these:

1. Free shipping. Not only this proves they have the capabilities and customer service to deliver you an engine but it relieves you from having to handle and transport such a heavy and large object.
2. Must have an extended warranty. 30-90 day warranties are not good enough since most used engines could fail during that time. Look for companies that offer warranties of 6 months or more to give you a piece of mind.
3. Ask if the engine comes with all its sensors. Engine sensors are expensive, try to buy used engines that include the sensors. This is another signal that the engines were handled with care.

Remember: credibility always comes first, that is why you should make sure that the company is accredited by national associations. Such as the automotive recyclers association when it comes to used auto parts like in this case.

Where can I buy used engines online?

Seeing how many problems there are when purchasing a used engine online, instead of dealing with all these third party brokers, we suggest you go straight to the source of the parts.

That is why My Auto Store is your to-go place if you are planning to buy a used engine replacement or any major mechanical component for your car online.

We are not only a store for used car parts online but also one of the biggest recyclers of cars in all of the USA. This is the reason My Auto Store is the best option and resource to find used engines online.

We have parting out cars down to a science and we only put the best and highest quality parts on our inventory. If something is slightly damaged, it gets scrapped for metal.

Every part goes through a 4 step quality process. Therefore we are able to offer a 6-month warranty on all of our parts with a great and responsive customer service experience willing to help you at every step of the buying process.

Instead of going through a middle man, you can get the parts you need straight from the source at My Auto Store.

Make sure to follow the steps in this article to buy your used engine from the right source and you will have your car running in no time!

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How to Buy a Used Engine for a Car

Source: https://myautostore.com/where-to-buy-used-engines-online-and-not-get-scammed/

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