How's this for a rip off? The guy must be on drugs, I was quoted $650 to get an a12 rebuilt standard.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/RECONDITIONED- ... ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

yeah hes bean trying to sell that for ages, i did just notice that it has double valve springs but still not worth that. 650 you say thats pretty cheap

Quote:
And just what does this mysterious term "rebuilt" actually entail? I know what "reconditioned" means, it's a specific trade term with a very specific definition. So too do the words 'overhaul' [or minor overhaul] & 'major overhaul' but 'rebuilt' doesn't mean diddley squat.
For $650 you could easily get little more than a ring & valve job & that would qualify as 'rebuilt'

The engine on eBay is advertised as 'reconditioned' which means that the engine has been returned to NEW engine specifications. The WHOLE engine should then be essentially a NEW one, so you're not comparing apples to apples, yet you sit at the keyboard & sling off as if you knew what you were talking about, & I don't think you do.

Get a quote to completely "recondition" your engine & then tell us how much it is. I guarantee it won't be $650 as the crankshaft grind alone is about 1/4 or more of your quote & pistons run to about $150, plus rings, plus bore job, it goes on & on. Priced a complete engine gasket & seal set lately? Labour is worth at least $50 an hour so even 3 hours is 1/4 of your estimate & we haven't even begun to talk about cam bearings, crank bearings, fit pistons to rods & align, repair or replace tappets, regrind cam [if required] replace whole timing set [it's a Rollmaster] including hydraulic tensioner & lets not forget the chemical clean & new welch plugs. Mustn't forget the cylinder head, that was included in the deal too.

Keep in mind that to qualify as reconditioned, the oil pump & distributor will need to have been gone through & the water pump should be new. [priced one lately?] If it is genuinely 'reconditioned', then it's probably a bargain.

I know who's on drugs.

the a14 i had completley rebuilt with all new parts gaskets bearings etc cost me over 4g including abit of work done
if it was an a15 he could probally get what his asking but from my experience there doesnt seem too much of a demand for a12s anymore
could be wrong though

We can 'freshen up' an A series engine for a very realistic price & this is one of the great attractions, but untill the word 'rebuilt' gains a formal & specific definition, the charletans of this world will use it to hoodwink the ignorant into thinking they are geting something that they are not.

In the case of this engine, it looks to be a complete engine assembly, not a short block, long engine, or other, .... it's the whole bloody thing including new plugs & leads.
How much are plugs & leads these days? anyway?

This is why I prefer not to use this term except in the loosest way.
As I said, the words 'recondition, minor overhaul & major overhaul' have specific meanings within the trade & clearly define what the work entails. At least, it did when I was in the game.

On this occasion i agree with Dodgeman,a properly rebuilt A series is not a $650.00 exercise,however a quickie is.
The parts(genuine or not)and machining involved is not a cheap deal even if you take labour out.

I have an early A12(front dissy)under the bench thats been gone thru..bored balanced etc.etc.with no labour and mates rates for the machining.I am yet to re assemble it and have purchased all the other bits as well,and i know what it owes me to date and is approaching four figures.

The funny thing is i have no need for it at the moment as there was a change of plan,i considered advertising it here,but thought better of it knowing how many motor engineers frequent this site.

So it can stay in the dark under the bench all oiled and greased up and wrapped like a baby till one day i might use it.

If anyone want's the Reco on ebay for that price..and it's all legit,it's a good price

"blueprinted and balanced" engines often cause twice what a regular rebuild does, but may not perform any better (some factory engines had good tolerance and balance to start with).

In any case it all depends on the work that was done.

At that price, the only thing is I would expect a warranty or some kind of indication as to the quality of work.

I agree DD,but as i said:
Mates rates
Legit
And remember $aussie not US

I've paid $1500 USD for a totally overhauled A15, they missed a few bits and then It went back for another $1000 of work...

So total overhaul costs quite a bit more than $650 AUD.

I'd want to have specifics on what was done, and likely I'd have more done before I used any engine. Even as an OEM replacement.

EDIT!

I just looked at the item and it says what was done, and its $1650 - 2200 depending on how you buy it, that's reasonable for an engine that had everything replaced.

Said it was done and actually done are two different things. The engine looks the goods but you can't really tell from a photo.

If it is what it is then it's worth more than the sum of it's parts. I just couldn't justify paying that much unless I had a concours condition 1200 to put it in.