bad luck--just need to vent

[sanguine_speed]

We have a 2005 car that we've loved.
On Christmas, it broke down. We took it to the shop today and they said they thought it sounded like spark plugs might need replacing.

Then they called and said "you need a new engine".



Just. sucks.

We bought it as a demo model, just 10,000km on it, with the intention of driving it for years. Now, just 4 years later, and out of warranty, it will cost "at least $7,000" for a new engine plus installation--and this is for a used engine.

We're going to the dealer for a more thorough investigation and opinion tomorrow, but honestly I can't see a garage telling us they can't fix our car when they have so much to gain by selling us a repair that we are willing to pay for.

Boo.

We're not sure what we'll do if we need a new engine. We may sell the car for parts and buy an older, hopefully more reliable, car.

[zebra15]

ugh....

[goldingoddess]

If you don't mind me asking...what kind of car is it?

[NightOwlwithowlet]

We replaced the engine in our car 7 years and 115,000 miles ago and DH is still driving it every day, but we paid $1,800 dollars to fix it. If you can, call some different garages and get a rough estimate. I did this when we replaced the engine and there was a difference over $1,000 from one place to another.
At least around, you can get a really nice used care for $7,000.
I hate it how that stuff always seems to happen just after the holidays and when I can least afford it.

[pauletoy]

Do you have payments on the car? If not, it might be better to take the $7000 and buy something else. If you do have payments, see if a dealership will trade it in.

It does really stink.

[sanguine_speed]

The thing is, it's not a write-off. If we fix the engine, the car is worth at least $13,000.
It is a Ford Escape hybrid--thus the expensive engine cost and installation cost (installation was almost half the quote).

We are going to fix it and either sell it, or continue to drive it. It doesn't make sense to scrap it. We considered not fixing it and selling it for parts, as I mentioned, but have realized that our car with a new engine (or with an equivalent-aged but working engine!) is worth more than the cost of the repair.
So, we can choose to either buy a new-to-us car for the difference we get back from the sale, or continue to drive it. Not sure what we'll do--we've had a lot of trouble with it and I'm just imagining the transmission or hybrid battery pack ($12,000) going.

We don't have payments on it.

Thanks for your commisseration.

[mtm]

Oh that would make me cry. Our car is a 2005 and I need it to last at least 5 more years.

[MCsMom]

wow, that is awful, I'm sorry!

[goldingoddess]

That is a bummer. Do you think you would get another hybrid after this fiasco? Did it have anything to do with the car being a hybrid?

[leavemealone]

That is a bummer. Can you get a used engine yourself instead of paying the shop for one? Do you know anyone who might be able to do the work on the side? I hope you find something that works for you.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by sandcastle

That is a bummer. Can you get a used engine yourself instead of paying the shop for one? Do you know anyone who might be able to do the work on the side? I hope you find something that works for you.

That quote was for a used engine . But, we may have found a cheaper option...
Thanks for your support.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by goldingoddess

That is a bummer. Do you think you would get another hybrid after this fiasco? Did it have anything to do with the car being a hybrid?

No, this particular problem did not seem to have anything to do with it being a hybrid. It was a lemon engine basically. A rod broke and destroyed the engine. I would definitely buy another hybrid in certain circumstances. In our case, we needed a bigger car for our 3 young kids but wanted to save in gas as we drove a lot with it being our one car with us having school for adults and kids, and various jobs between the adults. Over the 4 short years we drove it, we saved over $10,000 in gas versus driving a minivan or non-hybrid SUV. Throw on top of this that we bought it as a demo model with a few miles on it. It saved us about $10,000 off sticker.

The bottom line is that we've had a lot of problems with the car and Ford has not stood behind the car. For instance, we had a warrnaty until 60,000km, and at 61,000km the power steering column froze up. Turned out that there were several reports of the same thing happening to our model year car for cars manufactured between two specific dates and our car fit into that category. Well, since we technically had no warranty, we got no coverage for the repair even though it was a known defect for cars manufactured when ours was. It was over $1000. There were a lot of other problems with the car and a 'hands-washed-clean' attitude from Ford all along.

So the short answer is that yes, I would buy a hybrid again in certain circumstances, but no, I would NEVER buy a Ford again. Never.

[leavemealone]

Originally Posted by sanguine_speed

That quote was for a used engine . But, we may have found a cheaper option...
Thanks for your support.

I guess what I meant was, is there a way for you to buy the engine yourself (such as from a junkyard or engine rebuilding company) instead of the shop buying the engine from their source and adding their markup and then finding someone to do the work on the side outside of a shop on their own time. Then again, I don't know if that would keep any kind of warranty on the engine if, like your mechanic neighbor did the work in his backyard garage and not in a true mechanical shop. Or bring your own engine and pay the shop to install it. Just trying to think of some options b/c $7000 is a lot of money.

Have you thought of buying a junked car with a good engine and swapping the engines out? I don't if that's an option b/c it might be hard to find a hybrid engine in that case, but it's worth looking into I suppose.

[sanguine_speed]

The engine I'm considering buying used is from a junked car. It's the only one in Canada available right now.

[vulnerable]

I had a very similar situation in July. Woke up could not start car, figured it was spark plugs as well..nope a rod broke and destroyed the engine. Guess what it was a ford, and 6k to fix!

Did you try craigslist or surrounding junkyards ect to get a refurbished engine? So much cheaper than from a shop. I found one engine and it was 2k cheaper buying it myself and having someone put it in.

Also where I live, the local tech schools for mechanics will install it for free so they can teach the kids how to do it. You just have to buy the parts and make an appointment.

Sorry for the car troubles I know how frustrating that can be

[dancebaraka]

that sucks.