Searched and searched but couldn't find this out:


Is ther an actual VIN number on the 1999 XK8 motor that corresponds to the other vins on the car? Or is there just a code number?

Thanks,


Ron

 

Oh, and if there is one, where is it located?




Ron

 

The engine serial number is an encoded engine manufacturing date/time. yymmddhhmm. I could tell you where it is located but you couldn't read it. Call a dealer with your VIN and ask nicely for the engine serial number. While at that point why not ask for the complete 'build' document.

Oh, welcome to the forum!

 

Go to the FAQ page or use this link http://matt.zenfolio.com/img/s7/v7/p823872268-2.jpg

 

Thanks for the info and the welcome.

The reason I need this info is because I just had the engine replaced and want to verify that the engine that was put in the car had the miles on it that the mechanic promised me. I have come to believe almost nothing that he has told me. The motor supposedly has 68k miles. He previously told me 71k miles but I wouldn't be surprised if it has 248k miles.

I was given a vin of the car that it supposedly came out of. Car is a 2002 and has a salvage rebuildable title and the last mileage was recorded in 2003 at 16k miles. Nothing here matches up to what he tells me. If it really had only 16k miles he would be singing the praises. I suspect that he just fed me a vin from a salvaged car in case I ran the vin, it would "match"

It took 4 weeks to replace the motor and I want to know what he sold me.
Can this engine number be tied to a certain car? ie; to a vin?

The motor was installed so bad that my usual mechanic just shook his head. Missing motor mount bolts, broken bell housing ear, missing tranny bolt, 19 codes on the computer, the list goes on and on.


Ron

 

Ther are some right cowboys out there and used engine suppliers / installers have a terrible well deserved reputation

 

From the 2002 JITS - The engine number (10 digits) is stamped on a raised pad on the front of the engine block near the thermostat housing. The piston grade reference (8 digits) is also shown. But as Test Point mentions it wont do you much good.

The following note was also buried in the JITS (Unfortunately it does not indicate which markets) - Anti-Theft Labels For some markets, anti-theft labels bearing the VIN printed on a special anti-forgery background are positioned on certain body components. An additional anti-theft label is positioned on the LH side of the engine/automatic transmission casing. Anti-theft labels must not be removed from a vehicle unless necessitated by component renewal.

I am certainly not an expert but it is my understanding the only real way to see if the engine is low mile or well maintained is to take it to a reputable service shop and have them compression test it, scope the cylinder bores and take a look around the valve train, they can also check the tensioners to ensure you have the latest 3rd generation metal components. They probably wont be able to tell you the mileage but can tell you the condition; at least that may give you some piece of mind. Regardless of the mileage this last step is important since the history of your engine is questionable.

 

So these "anti-theft" labels must be somehow connected to a certain car, how else would one be able to know when it is stolen and re-installed.

This gives me some hope. My plan is to prove fraud because if I can tell that this engine either is my original that has been shoddily "repaired" or an engine that doesn't match up to the vin that he gave me, I will have a case.

Thanks,

Ron

 

First, for clarification, it is not a VIN number (Vehicle Identification Number Number) it a VIN or VID number (Vehicle ID Number) and yes it is on the engine on a white label. The engine, gearbox and front fenders (maybe several other components) all have the VIN labels or RDOT (registered with the dept of transportation) with the label if they are a legitimate replacement part.

bob gauff

 

Would not a main dealer be able to get the VIN via the replacement engine number ?
George UK

 

Ron,
Good luck. If he really did lie to you like that he deserves to be severely punished!
Brian

 

I did this (very nicely) and got a three page report - Probably more info than I need.

At least I know now that I am relatively safe on the tensioners. Who knows when they started installing better water pumps? Thanks for the tip - DaleD