Dealership wants 25K+ to replace the engine after determining catastrophic engine failure. Now vehicle at high end repair shop and they want to source an engine from Jag-Land in Socal. Not so great reviews. Any other options? Vehicle in great shape at 62,000 miles. Have decided to go forward but looking for other engine replacement options.

 

What is the nature of the 'catastrophic engine failure'? Overheated? Oil starvation?

You do realise that any used engine may come with similar issues?

Is the 25000$ for a new engine assembly from a JLR main dealership?

 

Current shop mentioned oil starvation. 25K quote from JLR Chandler AZ. A round number thrown around by service dept. Not in writing. I can only imagine it would go up once it got written up proper. Hence the bailing on dealer.

Why would a replacement/rebuild engine have same/similar issues? What would be the point of ever purchasing a rebuilt engine? Can the replacement not be trusted. This is exactly my concern. This a bad situation. Just looking to not get thoroughly taken advantage of.

Engine would come with a 12000 1 year warranty at 10K. Installer is an extra 8K with all peripherals and labor.

Thanks for your thoughts

 

waxmonster, every engine has some inherent issue with it. Normally the 5.0L engines suffer from a coolant issue that causes the engine to overheat and warp more parts than you would think possible. I would say whatever engine you get, before you put it in, have them upgrade the coolant system to the metal parts. While it is out, it would be an hour of labor. In the car, you are looking at 5-10. That would be cheap insurance. If they are saying it was an oiling issue, that is a much less likely problem wtih modern engines and I would not let that stop me. Ok, you had a bearing come apart and clog up the oiling system or the oil pump failed. Stuff happens. Some engines are more prone to issues (COUGH Chevy 6.2L engines COUGH COUGH). I would be looking at getting a remanufactured engine and dropping that in with said upgrade of the coolant system. That is going to be as good as you can get without taking an older engine from a similar year car, having a master mechanic tear it down, build it back up, resealing everything, refreshening the whole engine. Going to be a little bit more, but you can be guaranteed something that will probably outlast most of the car. This is where spending a little bit more may get you a lot more. A builders past is going to reflect what you can expect.

 

Jag-Land has great reviews and is the major rebuilder of these engines.
There is (or was) another guy somewhere in the southeast (Tennessee maybe) that I found when I looked a couple years ago.
You can also source a low-mileage used engine, or have yours rebuilt.

 

The trade in value for your car is around the same price as the engine replacement estimate. Since you say the engine replacement will probably cost more, and there's a good chance the transplant won't go well with today's labor market, I would look around for a replacement first.

 

I suggest they remove the engine from the vehicle and inspect the main and rod bearings. If the engine wasn't overheated, there is a good chance it can be repaired successfully.

If you feel confident with a used engine with a warranty, then that may be the least expensive option. I would suggest the timing chains and associated parts be replaced prior to installing the replacement engine.

 

From personal experience, Jag Land has *mixed* reviews.

After buying all the correct (non-Chinese) parts for a proper rebuild, even at a modest labor rate, these engines *cannot* be rebuilt for less than 18k plus removal and installation.
Anything cheaper is scrimping on parts quality.

A new long block from JLR would be best, but l would also look more deeply into repairing your existing engine

 

Just wondering where the engines for the Chinese built Jaguars are made?

wombat

 

Bottom line is a regular owner is much better off selling their pristine-otherwise XJ as a parts car and buying another one. You are going to have one problem after another after some disgruntle mechanics finish doing a delicate heart transplant on your baby.

 

You can get running and driving examples of normal spec 5.0SC XJ's for half the cost of the engine quote. I would buy one and swap the longblock. It would be worth the time as XJR's comp double what a regular XJ Supercharged sells for.

 

haha, good question

 

Too partially answer my own question,

The joint JLR/Geely engine factory in China was built to replicate the one in the UK. It has a portion of the factory that is dedicated to casting, and machining, the block and heads and another section that mills the steel parts...plus a final assembly zone.

What isn't clear is where 'other' parts come from. For example, in the UK plant the pistons for the I3, I4 and I6 engines are cast in India by TATA, then sent to Hungary or Poland to be finished and balanced before finally being installed in England.

My point is, JLR must use local suppliers (to avoid import tariffs, satisfy the IP transfer requirements). It is unclear if JLR ever built V6 and V8 engines in China.

wombat (sorry for the thread drift)