Engine rebuild woes
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:29 pmI thought I would take a few minutes to recount my experiences of having my engine rebuilt with one of the major Lotus engine rebuilders here in the UK. I will withhold the company’s name for now, as I still have not run the engine and may have issues with it. However, if anyone is considering having their engine rebuilt, they can PM me.
My engine has not been run since 1980. Previously I have either used East Lincs motorsport (excellent) to rebuild engines or done it myself but because there was considerable money invested in this project, I thought it wise to go with an established Lotus “expert.”
Initial contact was good. He answered his phone, was friendly, gave me a reasonable price and arranged to pick up the engine. First mistake. All communication was verbal and he did not say what was actually covered in the quote. After stripping the engine the costs quadrupled. Nothing was broken, just worn out. In addition he also wanted to run the engine on a rolling road which added an extra £600 and required a working set of carbs and distributor, both of which he wanted to sell me. I was planning to refurbish the originals once the engine had been returned.
We agreed on a price to put the engine together, and the engine was returned with the carbs but no jets or trumpets. After numerous unanswered phone calls and emails, 6 months later they eventually arrived by which time I had also discovered the engine was fitted with a 45D distributor. Eh! After numerous more unanswered emails and phone calls, I eventually got to speak to the boss. He did not know why it was fitted (you fitted it!!!!) but assured me that if I sent it back complete with cap and leads he would have me a replacement in 10 days. After another six months and many more unanswered phone calls and emails, still no distributor or leads!
Sorry for such a long post, and yes, I should have got a written spec of the likely costs upfront based on previous work. I understand this is difficult as until the engine is stripped down, it is unknown but once the engine is in bits, the remanufacture has you over a barrel and can charge what he likes. However, what has annoyed me most is the customer service I have received has been appalling and why would an expert fit a 45D distributor which has an incorrect advance curve! Two years later, I still have not all the parts to actually run my engine.
My engine has not been run since 1980. Previously I have either used East Lincs motorsport (excellent) to rebuild engines or done it myself but because there was considerable money invested in this project, I thought it wise to go with an established Lotus “expert.”
Initial contact was good. He answered his phone, was friendly, gave me a reasonable price and arranged to pick up the engine. First mistake. All communication was verbal and he did not say what was actually covered in the quote. After stripping the engine the costs quadrupled. Nothing was broken, just worn out. In addition he also wanted to run the engine on a rolling road which added an extra £600 and required a working set of carbs and distributor, both of which he wanted to sell me. I was planning to refurbish the originals once the engine had been returned.
We agreed on a price to put the engine together, and the engine was returned with the carbs but no jets or trumpets. After numerous unanswered phone calls and emails, 6 months later they eventually arrived by which time I had also discovered the engine was fitted with a 45D distributor. Eh! After numerous more unanswered emails and phone calls, I eventually got to speak to the boss. He did not know why it was fitted (you fitted it!!!!) but assured me that if I sent it back complete with cap and leads he would have me a replacement in 10 days. After another six months and many more unanswered phone calls and emails, still no distributor or leads!
Sorry for such a long post, and yes, I should have got a written spec of the likely costs upfront based on previous work. I understand this is difficult as until the engine is stripped down, it is unknown but once the engine is in bits, the remanufacture has you over a barrel and can charge what he likes. However, what has annoyed me most is the customer service I have received has been appalling and why would an expert fit a 45D distributor which has an incorrect advance curve! Two years later, I still have not all the parts to actually run my engine.