Ford Mechanic Catches Engine Rebuild Scam

Here’s the latest on just how far some mechanics will go to scam their customers when an engine rebuild goes bad and the mechanic tries to hide his mistakes rather than fess up to a bad repair. Plus, the most important thing you need to know before agreeing to an engine rebuild.

When an Engine Rebuild is Needed (or Not)

Earlier we’ve discussed topics related to engine rebuilds that include cars most likely to need an engine rebuild; what an engine rebuild can cost; and, even an engine dissection to see just why some models burn so much more oil than other models.

Today, we are touching a little more on when an engine rebuild is needed (or not) from a recent video from the YouTube channel FordTechMakuloco, where the host Brian in an earlier article demonstrated what dealerships don’t want you to know about used car inspections.

In this recent episode, Brian shows us what he believes happened when a customer came to him with a car that had reportedly had its engine recently overhauled by a different garage, but now was continuing to have engine problems in spite of the fact that the engine was newly rebuilt.

This is a real-life example of a hard lesson learned by a car owner who although he did research to find a good mechanic, still wound up with not just bad service, but was scammed by the mechanic into believing his engine was truly repaired through some mechanical artifice.

Special note about the video: If you are a non-mechanic car owner, be sure to watch the entire video that demonstrates Brian’s diagnostic detective work that leads to his conclusion and advice at the end of the video. Although it may cover some unfamiliar diagnostic scan results for the non-mechanic, the overall attempt by a mechanic to hide a bad repair eventually becomes apparent by the end of the video.

That said, here is some sound advice from Brian as uncovers what likely happened in the scam and passes on some very important points to car owners needing an engine rebuild and what they can do to avoid being scammed as his customer was by another garage.

The Lengths Some Automotive Shops Will Go, to Cover Up Their Mistakes!

And finally…

This video makes the point that not only is it necessary to find a good mechanic, but when it comes to engine rebuilding---you have to find one who is experienced in your particular engine. In addition---as Brian showed---a good and honest mechanic will help you weigh the costs and benefits of rebuilding an engine over switching a damaged engine with a remanufactured one instead. And, that when you agree to an engine rebuild that the mechanic itemizes exactly what parts are replaced with OEM parts and not aftermarket or attempting to reuse original parts that should be replaced in an engine rebuild.

For additional articles about repair-related scams, here are two selected ones about “Two service center mechanic scams that are easy to spot if you know where to look under the hood” and “The most important used car scam everyone should be aware about.”

COMING UP NEXT: An Important Used Car Hidden Damage Warning for Used Car Shoppers

Timothy Boyer is Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily automotive-related news.