Hey guys, Recently the engine went on my 03 6MT, tried diagnosing it myself but was having a bit too much trouble and decided to take it to a close shop around the area with a good reputation for performance cars. I have a warranty that I purchased when I bought the car from AUL , all receipts for maintenance have been sent over and they are sending a rep out to look the engine and everything over before the go-ahead. I talked to the shop owner and he stated they are already looking for engines and such and that they basically have the go-ahead the rep is just coming to double check everything. The catch is the Warranty company will only drop about 3k max into doing any engine work and i'm responsible to make the difference.

Anyone have experience with having an engine swap done at a shop? What total cost should i be expecting, Im kinda preparing myself to pay more than a grand out of pocket considering i had the same thing happen with a wrx awhile back and I think it was close to 5k ( luckily i didn't have to pay a dime ). The guy at the shop is gonna give me a call and is currently looking for the best bang for my buck which is nice

 

Repair was officially approved, anyone have an estimate or an idea?

 

Depends on how cheap you can find a replacement engine and what the shop labor rate is. Dealership typically charges about 8k for new motor, Ive seen used ones for as little as $500. Plan about $1500-$2000 in labor.

 

If you're willing to spend a bit more, perfect time to look for LSx swap.

 

K20 swap time
Bruh

 

Trust me I'd love to do an LS swap, my dad is currently doing one on his track car, but I don't have the time or funds for that to be the right option right now. The shop found a certified engine with 82k on it and a warranty for $2200. I know it's not on the cheap side but i think it's worth it for taking 65k driving miles off my drivetrain haha. My warranty company is covering 3k and he said labor would probably be another 1.5-2k so I'm looking at 1,000-2,000 out of pocket.

However the shop wanted me to cover the bill by myself then have the warranty company pay me back... I'm pretty against it considering the only reason I have a warranty company is because I don't just have $4,000 laying around for a new engine lol. I'm pretty sure the warranty company only wants to deal with the shop anyway, am I correct?

 

IMHO, if your shop isn't willing or financially able to do the work and get paid by the claim on the back end, I would look for another shop.

They stand to make a couple grand from you and the warranty company but want you to front the cash, I would call bullsh!t.

If you tell them you're walking/going to a different shop if they can't handle the claim, I bet the take on the upfront costs.

Use a credit card when you pay your portion to protect yourself incase you have issues.

Good luck OP.

 

Finally figured everything out, I was in contact with the warranty company and the shop and the warranty company will be issuing payment by credit card to the shop upon completion of the swap. I called the shop and told them this was the only way we could go about payment and if they were not okay with that then I would take the work elsewhere. The shop does awesome work so the little bit of hassle was worth it. As for the engine, the original one that we sourced was sold before we could make a purchase so I had to go out and look for one on my own. I found one from a company names PurzAuto out of Virginia. Its an 80k mile compression tested, certified and warrantied (3 years) engine with free freight to the door of the shop for $2,300.

All of the trouble will be worth it in the end. Im gonna try to keep some of the parts off of the old engine for back-ups and maybe get the other intake manifold honed out and powder coated for increased airflow and lower temps. I should just focus on being able to drive first though .... It's been 5 months since the original incident