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Technical 500 engine shopping!

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Technical 500 engine shopping!

Oh wow that’s very reasonable!! I missed out on a brilliant engine but I’m still on the lookout.... my car is still drivable at present but I’m not using it till I get it fixed! Good luck mollie let me know how you get on at the garage ...I’m booked in for next Saturday for the engine to be removed and inspected
 
MOLLIE500 said:
Sure that's illegal? :D
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No perfectly legal! It’s the engine that does the miles not the car.... I’m sure it’s ok if your speedo shows say 54K but your new engine has only 10K but personally I’d want my car in line with engine! When you fit a new speedo it has to be lower miles than your current so you would have to fine one lower than 10K you also need MES software to change miles ... you can only increase mileage not decrease hence legal
 
IMG_2736.JPG I upgraded to one of these!!
 
MOLLIE500 said:
That looks great, where from and how much? (y)
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eBay! I paid 65 just need to keep your eye out... is your car a 2011/12? If so look for a 2014/5 year speedo DO NOT touch a 2016 or older as they are facelift models and won’t work (as I found out) lol I have learned everything from this forum it’s the place to be when we own 500s!!
 
Baglady1990 said:
eBay! I paid 65 just need to keep your eye out... is your car a 2011/12? If so look for a 2014/5 year speedo DO NOT touch a 2016 or older as they are facelift models and won’t work (as I found out) lol I have learned everything from this forum it’s the place to be when we own 500s!!
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Just seen one on eBay but for 269£. Think I’ll wait but does look great .
 
Baglady1990 said:
No perfectly legal! It’s the engine that does the miles not the car.... I’m sure it’s ok if your speedo shows say 54K but your new engine has only 10K but personally I’d want my car in line with engine! When you fit a new speedo it has to be lower miles than your current so you would have to fine one lower than 10K you also need MES software to change miles ... you can only increase mileage not decrease hence legal
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Absolutely not; what you are saying is totally incorrect. The odometer represents the mileage of the entire vehicle, not just the engine.

If you were to change the mileage on the odometer to match that of a lower mileage engine, and sell the vehicle without disclosing that fact, you'd be committing a criminal offence (fraudulent misrepresentation).

Changing an engine on a car is in concept no different to changing the battery in a smartphone. It doesn't make the car any newer, or make the car a lower mileage vehicle. There are many, many more wearing parts on a car than the engine; in fact, an engine generally lasts the life of the car and is rarely the reason why most vehicles are scrapped.

The engine change should be recorded by sending the V5C to DVLA with the new engine number, and relevant details filed with the vehicle records. You should also be aware that fitting a replacement engine is seen by many buyers as a red flag, and will likely reduce your car's value when you come to sell it. A clued up buyer will ask searching questions about the source of the replacement engine and the credentials of the person who installed it.

Baglady1990 said:
When you fit a new speedo it has to be lower miles than your current so you would have to fine one lower than 10K you also need MES software to change miles ... you can only increase mileage not decrease hence legal
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The mileage is also stored in the car's body computer and that is what is checked by MES when adjusting the mileage. You won't be able to set a replacement speedo to match that of a lower mileage engine with MES, irrespective of how few miles are showing on the replacement speedo.
 
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typecastboy said:
Why don’t you give them a call. They get new cars in every week
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Good advice. They would certainly be on my shortlist of places to go to, with the proviso that I'd want them to both supply and fit.

If you buy the engine from one company, have it installed by another, and run into a problem later, you don't need a crystal ball to work out they're just going to put the blame on each other, leaving you with the problem.

Whilst fitting an engine isn't all that difficult, the job offers endless possibities for bodging and shortcuts*, any of which could lead to problems down the line.

I forget whereabouts you're located; if you're in the south of the country, another 500 specialist I'd trust with this kind of job is Small Car Services, just north of Southampton.

*If you want to learn about what was probably the worst ever case of bodging an engine installation, study the story of American Airlines Flight 191. An unauthorised procedure for an engine change, which included using a forklift truck to lift it into position, resulted in the deaths of 273 people.
 
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I’m clearly missing a lot here, but if it’s just the case of a blown head gasket then why change the whole engine ?

From your profile pic and the 2011 age of the car it looks like you have a genuine gucci model which are only going to go up in value, botching in a cheap replacement engine for the cost of a new head gasket seems mad to me. £500 for an engine, £200-300 for someone to fit it, how much do you think a new head gasket costs even if you had to replace the head, the engine would still be original and would still retain the authenticity of the car when you come to sell it.

As mentioned you’d need to disclose a new engine when you sold it, but you can literally replace everything in the engine bay but the main engine block and k not have to tell anyone. As soon as you change the block it’s not an original “honest” car.

You also have the possibility that the engine you buy is a load of rubbish or also blows its head gasket within weeks of installation you’re back to square one and the best part of £1000 out of pocket
 
AndyRKett said:
I’m clearly missing a lot here, but if it’s just the case of a blown head gasket then why change the whole engine ?
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Andy's right, we've lost the thread a little here. There are lots of separate threads, all apparently about this issue, but looking back through, I can't see why a new engine is needed, perhaps there's another thread, or a post I've missed. We may be chasing a complete engine when a simpler cheaper repair is all that's needed.
Baglady1990 please give us a short summary of the problem, and why a complete engine is needed. All I can see is a head gasket needed, a common occurrence on these, and simple to fix, as long as they do not add any additional sealant stuff.
 
portland_bill said:
Andy's right, we've lost the thread a little here. There are lots of separate threads, all apparently about this issue, but looking back through, I can't see why a new engine is needed, perhaps there's another thread, or a post I've missed. We may be chasing a complete engine when a simpler cheaper repair is all that's needed.


Baglady1990 please give us a short summary of the problem, and why a complete engine is needed. All I can see is a head gasket needed, a common occurrence on these, and simple to fix, as long as they do not add any additional sealant stuff.
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Guy’s it’s a long story!! In short... I bought my car 3 months ago from the outset I could hear water behind aircon I didn’t know then what I know now!!! Anyway I kept my eye on fluids all ok so got on with cleaning car and driving and being chuffed I had my dream car!!
Then one day only weeks in owning I noticed my coolant had dropped significantly.. thus my story begins!
Kept topping up learned how to bleed the system kept driving then one day shortly after my car had rough idle I mean .. car shaking and starting issues..... local garage diagnosed fuel injector and then dropped the mother of all issues possible head gasket... so in my infinite wisdom being in shock I did what he suggested.. steel seal ....

I contacted place I got car and the very next day it went back to them a week later got car back saying “it’s fine all good “ a week later I had to replace the coil pack as I was getting misfire codes in MES ... a few days later I noticed a leak on left side of engine (from central block) I got car up on ramps got under and saw 3 separate places my pink coolant was leaking from
So I bought the test tube kit DR head gasket within ten minutes the liquid turned from blue to green hey presto......

That’s the short version I have been advised by many of the chaps that I have a fire engine prob due to the fact that after 2 m way trips my coolant was popping it’s top and smoking out my bonnet crackling and bubbling like a m ****er!!

I have sorted an engine and I’m all set for club italia to fit it for me if there are issues I am sure they will help me out on the day the engine I bought is a complete engine with all it’s ancillaries
As far as for selling my car on in the future I doubt I ever will! If I had won 10 million on the lottery... this is the car I would have bought that’s how much it means to me!!!

So I’ll ride her till the end of time! It’s just a matter of who dies first!
 
Sounds like you’ve had quite a lot of bad advice and as a result the engine you have is now likely to be uneconomical to repair, it’s a shame because as I said the Gucci models are going to go up in value as there are so few and they are highly sought after, hence the high premium you paid for it when you bought it.

I noted looking back that several people suggested a new engine early on, which makes sense on an old punto that has over heated, but I could not see any signs of your car having over heater and I wouldn’t have assumed anything would be warped or out of shape, it may have been a very cheap and simple job to have just replaced the gasket.

While you may be very happy with it now and never want to part with it, the rarity and desirability of the Gucci makes it an investment, it might be quite a valuable asset in the future and so passing it on to a new owner may have made financial sense if the prices are high. With an engine change this is likely to be greatly diminished which is a shame.

It might be worth, if you have the space, asking for the original engine back, you could then over time look to repair or restore it out of the car (if you’re so inclined)

On a side note the water noise you heard behind the dash is not an automatic indicator of anything to do with a head gasket, it can be a simple airlock in the pipes.
 
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AndyRKett said:
Sounds like you’ve had quite a lot of bad advice and as a result the engine you have is now likely to be uneconomical to repair, it’s a shame because as I said the Gucci models are going to go up in value as there are so few and they are highly sought after, hence the high premium you paid for it when you bought it.



I noted looking back that several people suggested a new engine early on, which makes sense on an old punto that has over heated, but I could not see any signs of your car having over heater and I wouldn’t have assumed anything would be warped or out of shape, it may have been a very cheap and simple job to have just replaced the gasket.



While you may be very happy with it now and never want to part with it, the rarity and desirability of the Gucci makes it an investment, it might be quite a valuable asset in the future and so passing it on to a new owner may have made financial sense if the prices are high. With an engine change this is likely to be greatly diminished which is a shame.



It might be worth, if you have the space, asking for the original engine back, you could then over time look to repair or restore it out of the car (if you’re so inclined)



On a side note the water noise you heard behind the dash is not an automatic indicator of anything to do with a head gasket, it can be a simple airlock in the pipes.
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Andy could air in the coolant system lead to a blown head gasket over the course of a month or so? As that is the only issue I have had that in my mind could have led to this catastrophe!! The car it’s drives lovely STILL even though I have now stopped driving as I still have my pop.
No overheating nothing on my dash there never has been except for the time I had coolant popping and steam coming from my bonnet as a result of coolant coming out
 
While the engine is being fitted, you need to ask them to check out the rest of the cooling system for leaks.

A head gasket failure is a result of overheating.
Overheating is a result of a loss of coolant, or a failed thermostat or pressure cap.
The fluid noises are an indication of air in the coolant, as a result of the coolant loss. Air in the coolant will restrict its circulation, leading to overheating.
Adding steel seal will likely have clogged waterways, and may restrict flow through the radiator, so that needs checking for flow.
 
portland_bill said:
While the engine is being fitted, you need to ask them to check out the rest of the cooling system for leaks.

A head gasket failure is a result of overheating.
Overheating is a result of a loss of coolant, or a failed thermostat or pressure cap.
The fluid noises are an indication of air in the coolant, as a result of the coolant loss. Air in the coolant will restrict its circulation, leading to overheating.
Adding steel seal will likely have clogged waterways, and may restrict flow through the radiator, so that needs checking for flow.
Click to expand...



So I was half right! MES has showed up no faults my dash shows normal .. temperature 4 squares as per it’s never gone near the red at the top I’m so confused about all of this as I’m super careful
I’m afraid I was had ... going on what I know the dealership I bought it from haven’t the foggiest about the cars they are selling and that’s the nice side of the story!! I’m sure someone will be along and give a neutral side however I’m entitled to be pissed off!!

As I have said I’m going to club 500 italia I’m sure they will help me out when I give em the gory boring details!! I’ll get to the bottom of it I just want this mess over with

Then maybe I can sleep!
 
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