Sprinter Wallet Flush --Texas part 2

[lindenengineering]

The owner has hired us to conduct a post mortem on this engine from Sprinter Depot.

It seems like its going to be attorney time!

Dennis

 

[Midwestdrifter]

In the VW vanagon world, the waterboxer engine was very expensive to overhaul (and needed it frequently!). Quality rebuilds with new parts and good machine work were $6,000. Cores were worth about 1000$ tops, even in running condition.

Up pops this company call GEX. They did other engines with modest success, but they were a bargain builder. They relied on the core engines to be in good shape, and just did a light refurb.

The VW engines were almost always in need of serious work, and new pistons, cylinders, and heads. To meet their price point they re-used obviously marginal parts. In fact they were paying up to 1800$ for running cores (very unusual). Turns out they just tossed new rings and seals on the cores, painted them, and sold them as "re-manufactured" Ridiculous.

After a few high profile failures in the community, some experts tore down the failed engines. All of which had been denied warranty due to "overheating". Most had conrods out of spec, wrong compression ratio cheapo pistons. Some engines had 18" of all-thread (home depot!) instead of the factory head bolts!!!

The engines had tabs of a certain metal that would melt if the engine "overheated". Testing of these tabs indicated that they would melt at ~210-230F! They were melting the first time the engine got on the highway.

For years folks still got suckered in by low prices and "warranty" guarantees.

 

[lindenengineering]

Yes its unfortunate that there has to be this level of un-professional activity.

I had my kitchen cabinetry re-furbished a year ago for $13000 and the work was less that minimally satisfactory , basically a botch job.
It took me a whole year to get it sorted and my lucky break was that the crew was in a nearby house & went through the housewife's personal belongings while they were out.

Of course the activities were record on camera and recorded .It was cops or fix it! I piled in on the stack of disgruntled clients like a rugby scrum --it got fixed.
This particular engine business is far worse than that, and potential customer base needs to exercise care when buying supposedly rebuilt units.
Dennis

 

[glasseye]

Sad that this crap is still going on.

My dad told me of a customer who drove into his shop in a mid-fifties, second-hand F*rd after a two hour drive from the purchase site. Missing badly at all engine speeds, they couldn't discover the reason, so they tore in to the engine.

Much to the buyer's dismay, one of the pistons was discovered to be fabricated from wood.

 

[autostaretx]

... so they tore in to the engine.

Much to the buyer's dismay, one of the pistons was discovered to be fabricated from wood.

Well, trees DO have rings, after all...

--dick

 

[NBB]

lol - sounds like none involved have ever been in a for-real mess actually involving lawyers. In short - you’re not getting squat - like ever. However, depending how angry this chump is, his lawyer might do okay.

 

[OrioN]

Well, trees DO have rings, after all...

--dick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CdVTCDdEwI

 

[Midwestdrifter]

For various reasons the almighty corporation has many advantages in the legal system, most hard bought... I mean won...

Diesel engines by their nature require tighter tolerances, and are also made in small numbers. I bet many folks have a panic attack when they discover a rebuilt OM647 is 7k+ and a good used engine is 3k... A far cry from the domestic high volume vehicles, where a glut of engines from wrecked or end-of-life vehicles keeps the prices down.

 

[lindenengineering]

lol - sounds like none involved have ever been in a for-real mess actually involving lawyers. In short - you’re not getting squat - like ever. However, depending how angry this chump is, his lawyer might do okay.

Yes its worthy to read Bleak House by Charles Dickens and particular references to Jarndyce versus Jarndyce in the novel.
Plus a short paragraph in another novel.

innocence is irrelevant, the lawyers are thugs, and the judge is asleep. ... leaves (at least) one side unhappy — yet the bar always wins.
People also ask:-

The one great principle of the English law is to make business for itself. There is no other principle distinctly, certainly, and consistently maintained through all its narrow turnings.
Unquote
Dennis

 

[lindenengineering]

Here's a brief update on this for anyone interested:-
Overall for about $4600 this lady bought a polished turd with bad valve timing --or a stretched timing chain as possibly a benefit of doubt !

I will have to explain tomorrow what was done, or rather what wasn't done! This reminds me of having to explain something almost identical to the repairs undertaken to a 3 V6 litre Ford XR4i in Venezuela by some clown who charged a lady customer something outrageous for a turd of a job!

Of course the lady was angry and almost in tears over the whole episode; and that is when you hire a "chingarera" for a few Boliveres and have him re-arrange some anatomy.
Luckily the "ambiance" was lifted in that case, when my Caracas workshop radio sounded up with a very popular song at the time. This lifted spirits!
I think I will have this in reserve (just in case ) when she arrives to see the turd!
Lifting spirits:-

https://www.letras.mus.br/juan-luis-guerra/162917/#radio:juan-luis-guerra

Dennis

 

[rollerbearing]

Sad that this crap is still going on.

My dad told me of a customer who drove into his shop in a mid-fifties, second-hand F*rd after a two hour drive from the purchase site. Missing badly at all engine speeds, they couldn't discover the reason, so they tore in to the engine.

Much to the buyer's dismay, one of the pistons was discovered to be fabricated from wood.

Maybe they were going to enter it in a "pinewood derby".

 

[lindenengineering]

Well I think this engine would have lasted past 5000 miles if they HAD put wooden pistons in it!

Sprinter Depot Texas! Sorry guys --You folks are a joke. I suppose Texas jokes are supposed to be bigger, This 'uns an unmitigated disaster of a bad joke .

You don't rebuild gas stoves by any chance do you?
Dennis

 

[HighPockets]

My late dad, a mechanic, (1899-1965) said in the early days, assume 30's and 40's, used car lots would wrap raw bacon around friction bearings to keep them quiet while they completed the sale. We lived in a town of 12,000 people and people would buy new cars and bring them to him to check out before going on a trip. He would find things like no grease in a wheel bearing. He asked the dealer how this could happen and was told that in order to keep the production line running they would not stop if a worker got behind. They kept the line running and left it to the local dealer to catch it. And we wonder how the Japanese overtook us.

Gene

 

[lindenengineering]

My late dad, a mechanic, (1899-1965) said in the early days, assume 30's and 40's, used car lots would wrap raw bacon around friction bearings to keep them quiet while they completed the sale. We lived in a town of 12,000 people and people would buy new cars and bring them to him to check out before going on a trip. He would find things like no grease in a wheel bearing. He asked the dealer how this could happen and was told that in order to keep the production line running they would not stop if a worker got behind. They kept the line running and left it to the local dealer to catch it. And we wonder how the Japanese overtook us.

Gene

Gene
You may laugh, but that crap went on in the British Motor Industry even well into the 1970's.
I ran a CKD assembly line operation in Tehran until the Shah was booted out.
The crap that got exported to Iran disguised as transmission parts in CKD form defied description.
Dennis

 

[4wheeldog]

My late dad, a mechanic, (1899-1965) said in the early days, assume 30's and 40's, used car lots would wrap raw bacon around friction bearings to keep them quiet while they completed the sale. We lived in a town of 12,000 people and people would buy new cars and bring them to him to check out before going on a trip. He would find things like no grease in a wheel bearing. He asked the dealer how this could happen and was told that in order to keep the production line running they would not stop if a worker got behind. They kept the line running and left it to the local dealer to catch it. And we wonder how the Japanese overtook us.

Gene

A former workmate 30 years ago inherited a Model A Ford from his uncle.
His uncle had owned it since the late 30s. It ran well.
My workmate decided to have the engine overhauled.
In place of Babbitt in a rod bearing they found what seemed to be an old sole from a shoe.
Not an uncommon roadside emergency repair, way back when.

 

[220629]

A former workmate 30 years ago inherited a Model A Ford from his uncle.
His uncle had owned it since the late 30s. It ran well.
My workmate decided to have the engine overhauled.
In place of Babbitt in a rod bearing they found what seemed to be an old sole from a shoe.
Not an uncommon roadside emergency repair, way back when.

The original model T engines didn't use Babbitt or metal bearings. They were leather bearings. I recall my grandfather commenting that on long trips he would carry leather and tools because it was likely that the "bearings" would need attention at some time during the travels.

Maybe the engine you mention was an early design and never upgraded? Oops. You said single position. It seems that the substitute part gave pretty good service.

vic

 

[lindenengineering]

Maybe it was overhauled by Sprinter Depot Texas in an earlier emerging life form!
Lady saw it all today!--Not happy!--But I didn't need to play or dance to "barbujas de amor"!
Nor drink dollar wine!
Dennis

 

[NBB]

Ultimately, it's on you to screen your vendors. The final product has your name on it. You're making money while the other 2 parties are losing it.

This lady obviously should have gone somewhere else for her repair. She knows zero about rebuilding engines or screening companies for quality and capability yet you make it sound like the consequences of the decision are her responsibility. You are her fiduciary, in the legal sense, and you've failed, and you're here joking about it to boot. If this case were worth enough money to litigate, you would lose the most in the matter, IMO.

If you were a good shop, and I don't think you are, you would eat this and put a freek'n functional motor in her van no matter what - like she paid you to do.

 

[rollerbearing]

Yer mighty cranky today.

Where did you get the data to conclude that the woman paid Dennis to put the engine in? From what I read she is paying Dennis to figure out why the engine failed (nothing presented as to who installed this engine).

Quit wrecking an enjoyable thread.

 

[lindenengineering]

Thank you.
For info the engine was installed in New Mexico
It seems our Denver based forum troll is getting emotional again!!
Silly little boy!
Dennis