remanufactured waterboxers

[sarahautobus]

im in a position now where i think my engine has a head gasket gone . its a 2.1 dj motor has any one else had to buy a new engine and which brand did you use ive searched the web and so far remtec are possibly in the lead with there two year guarantee .
ANY INPUT WOULD BE GREATLY RECEIVED CHEERS !!!

[skell]

If the 'head gasket' has gone probably worth doing a top end rebuild if the bottom end is alright, at least if the engine seems otherwise ok don't make the decision on needing a new engine until you/someone has had the heads off. gaskets and a set of piston rings come in somewhere around the £100 mark.

I had a DG from remtec, only kept van for about 10000 miles after fitting it. It had a very, very slight oil leak from the oil pump but wasn't worth the hassle of dropping the engine out and getting it fixed (van was a daily driver). Part of my reason for choosing remtec was they are supplied by heritage vw who are very near where I live so collecting the lump and returning the old one was easy. But as I needed a new exhaust and paid a garage to pull the lump in and out (I was a t25 noob back then and didn't know how easy it was to get the engine in and out) and set up the new engine it cost about two grand all in. If I am there again I would be putting in a subaru lump for not a lot more money or chancing a second hand lump for a lot less money.

I haven't been on here in a while but elite vw are often talked about as a cheaper option.

[sarahautobus]

cheers skell our local vw garage seem to favour a replacment engine over a rebuild .the engine its self is a replacement vege unit which has only covered 10,208 miles so i think a top end rebuild sounds good providing it doesnt open a can of worms.i do like the sound of a subaru motor please tell me more!!!

[Miketaboo]

Hi,
My DJ motor went bang, a few weeks ago, i've order a motor from Elite, they seem very helpful on the phone, the engine is due to arrive on tuesday, i'll let you know how it goes.
Its being fitted by my local VW specialist as i'm terrible with anything mechanical.

[sarahautobus]

cheers miketaboo ive just looked on their web sight but i couldnt find my dj engine so im going to phone them tommorrow !.

[toomanytoys]

DJ piston rings were £30 a piston last time I looked, but if it really has only done 10k then it wont need them, unless its tried to eat some..... an exchange engine seems a little excessive at that mileage to me... its prob one of the batch of water jacket seals that were had a manufacturing fault a while back..

Can you fill out a location in your profile so we know where in the country you might be..

[andisnewsyncro]

I bought a Remtec a couple of years back & it's been brilliant, absolutely no complaints.

if you go down the re-con route then it's worth having a look at what they've got to offer. I found them a really easy company to deal with, the "deposit" on my old engine was refunded to my card the same day they collected it and the engine itself has been superb. 40,000 km in 2 years and negligable oil usage, no probs at all...

Only down side was the cost, worked out at about £1100 after the payback for my old unit, then there's the inevitable new exhaust....
If you're planning on keeping the van it's a good thing to do, stick it on a 0% card and pay it back over 12 months....

Andi

[mikey9]

Just to reiterate some other threads - there are now NO new engines available - in the last few years VW recons were considered by many as new.

All are recons to some extent (Remtec, Vege, Elite etc) They vary in price and what they replace when they recon - but also warranty terms etc.

We had the same dilemma a year back - went instead for a second hand £500 - 20kmiles VW new/recon put in a scrapper a couple of years back - as skell mentioned earlier though - cost £900 to get a gge to drop, replace ancillaries, add new exhaust (factor in further £300 easy) so your £500 replacement cost nearer 2k all in.........but it works - and holds water and oil - and carries four up plus loads of kit up and down hills..... on LPG........

[skell]

I had a set of DJ rings earlier this year for £30, think it was gsf though as the only place I could find them, can't remember the brand but they were made in Germany.
but if you are not diying it then I can't figure out what will cost the most.
where are you sarahautobus? someone might be able to recommend a garage who would be competent at fixing up the top end for you.
re the subaru lump - I was comparing my costs fitting a remtec recon, new exhuast, and paying garage to do part of the fitting vs me doing a diy subaru install, diy subaru would cost more but sort in the same ball park. info here

[sarahautobus]

hi all , thanks to everyone for their input its much appreciated.
im on the south coast in weymouth dorset the engine in question is a remanufactured vege. which company had the water jacket problem???. our nearest vw specialist hk sheppard .seems in favour of fitting a new lump , or we have arnie levics in street somerset who seem keen to strip the motor down and fix up the existing motor . Has anyone ever delt with them on here ???. i would welcome any recommendations of localish trust worthy garages as i dont know the extent of the problem.

[Mocki]

i think all the recons of that era were affected by the bad water jackets that were around.
i think i would be talking to vege before i spent too much.

also, if it was really a recon 10k ago, its only going to be the rubber water jackets, NOT head gaskets (Common mistook that, these engine dont have headgaskets like inline engines, there are two seperate things, of which we have 4 of one and two of the other!!)

get it diagnosed properly before going the whole hog, because if you cant do it your self, the labour will more than the engine!