A commercial client of ours came to us with a vehicle of theirs that had suffered from engine failure. Typically with the nature of the usage of commercial vehicles you will find that they cover a great deal of mileage in a very short period of time. We often find that as a result of the heavy usage of these vehicles, the issues are not likely to be restricted to the engine alone, and that we would uncover a number of problems that would need to be rectified.

We have always stressed changing oil and oil filter at least every 5,000 miles to keep your vehicle running in good health. However, with commercial vehicles we would actually recommend changing the oil at least every 3,000 miles to cope of with the huge number of miles that they cover.

With most commercial vehicles the front end needs to be removed in order to effectively replace the engine.

Once the engine was removed, we then build up the replacement engine with the clients bolt on ancillaries before installation

Once the engine is fully installed we can begin the testing procedures and identify if there are any additional faults in the vehicle.

The turbocharger and battery were found to be faulty and needed replacing. 3 of the 4 injectors reported faults from the diagnostics check and also required replacing. If there are additional repairs that require attention on your vehicle always get into the habit of asking your repairer for reports where possible so that you can get a better understanding of what went wrong in your vehicle.

Finally once the installation is fully completed, we always make sure we take the vehicle out for a minimum of 3 long test drives before releasing the vehicle back to our customer.

Testing is complete, customer is happy 🙂

Mr Barry Tootill came to us with a BMW 525D 3.0 diesel which had suffered from timing chain failure and needed an engine replacement.

Whenever we complete an engine replacement we typically recommend replacing the thermostat, glow plugs, water pump and timing kit on diesel vehicles. If any of these components are not working correctly, they can potentially cause damage to the engine. These components can be difficult to replace while the engine is inside the vehicle so its certainly a good opportunity to get those replaced while the engine is out particularly because they are not expensive.

As engine replacement specialists, most of our clients typically require vehicle recovery as did Mr Tootill. Because we use our recovery guys on a regular basis, we can get vehicle recovery done at very competitive prices. 

Once the vehicle is on the ramp we get to work right away

Its always good practice to remove the bumper from the vehicle before engine removal to avoid any unnecessary damage from happening

In this instance we had a rebuilt engine was already prepped and ready to be fitted

We then build up the engine with the customers bolt on components

The plate that separates the engine and gearbox was broken unfortunately and needed to be replaced

Interestingly, Mr Tootill had a custom job completed on his DPF filter, he clearly knows his way around cars!

Once all the installation work is complete we always thorough test the vehicle to make sure there are no underlying problems or issues before releasing the vehicle back to the customer

Mr Tootill is now enjoying a well deserved break with his wife in their summer house in Spain 🙂

A client recently came to us with a BMW 5 series which had suffered from engine failure. His vehicle is a 2008 BMW 5 Series 2.0 diesel and has the notorious N47D20 engine which suffers from common timing chain and tensioner failure between the years of 2007 – 2011.

This issue was so serious it was highlighted by watchdog:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/23p5j5wzPtYflS7kFvmKVZf/bmw-deny-engine-failures-are-due-to-manufacturing-fault

The timing chain links all the moving parts of the engine that work together in order to drive the car forward. They must all work in perfect harmony and unfortunately when a timing chain fails in generally results in significant engine failure.

All BMW 1 series, 3 series and 5 series 2.0 diesels from 2007 – 2011 can potentially suffer from this common problem. If you own a BMW within this range then look out for the following symptoms:

• Engine misfires
• Metal shavings found in oil or oil filter
• Rattling sounds from the engine

Identifying the issue early can save you a hefty engine repair bill.

In this clients case unfortunately the timing chain had already failed and resulted in significant engine damage and only solution was to replace the entire engine.

Once the engine is removed we assessed the clients ancillary components such as turbocharger, injectors, water pump, glow plugs etc to ensure that they were not faulty as they could potentially result in another engine failure.

We prepared a refurbished engine for the client which includes many brand new internals as well as a brand timing chain kit.

The engine was then dressed with the clients components and prepped for installation.

Once the engine was installed, the vehicle went through significant testing to ensure the vehicle was running optimally before releasing it back to our client.

If you own a BMW 2.0 diesel between 2007 – 2011 and have any questions about the timing chain issues or simply need some general advice please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 0208 133 6004

Mr Fisher came to us with a 2010 Mercedes C250 2.2 diesel which needed an urgent engine replacement as he wanted it back before he set off on his holiday to Tenerife.

With engine replacement jobs we often find that a number of additional components can also suffer failure as a result of the damage to the engine. In this case the engine had overheated so much that it had literally melted the plastic inlet manifold.

If you are having a replacement engine fitted, always be sure to get your mechanic/garage to check all engine bolt-on components thoroughly for any issues as well as connecting hoses and pipes. Also, while the engine is out get your garage to check your flywheel and clutch for regular wear, because if they need replacing its far easier to do so while the engine is out and garages will often do the fitting for you for free.

A client recently came to us with a Range Rover Sport 3.6 TDV8 which had suffered from engine failure. He had literally only purchased the vehicle from the dealer and barely managed a journey home in it before experiencing issues.

For those who are unfamiliar with this model, it packs a monstrous V8 twin turbo diesel engine which powers out about 268bhp as standard. But having such a beast of an engine has its drawbacks as its a real handful of a job to replace it and most standard garages wont go anywhere near it.

Once we took the clients engine apart, we found that it was one of the worst engine failures we’d come across in recent times. The engine block, crank and one of the heads were all completely ruined by the engine failure and the oil pump had literally exploded into pieces!

We replaced the clients engine with a rebuilt one, supplied him him 2 replacement turbochargers, 4 injectors, a water pump and glow plugs. Its safe to say his baby was purring again. Although roaring is probably the more appropriate terminology for this beast of a vehicle.

One of the biggest common problems with these TDV8’s is turbocharger failure which eventually leads to engine failure. If you do start experiencing turbocharger problems, always be sure to get your garage to do a compression test on your engine before replacing them. The last thing you want to do is to replace the turbochargers only to find that you now have to replace a faulty engine. Each of these tasks on these TDV8’s is massively labour intensive and will burn a huge hole in your pocket if you have to go through the process twice.

Mr Smith came to us with a BMW X6 which had suffered from engine failure. He’d only purchased the vehicle in April and was very disappointed to have experienced engine failure having owned the vehicle for less than a year.

Once we got down to work on the vehicle we found that both front driveshafts were broken and the oil sump on his original engine had a hole which was filled with sealant as a basic repair.

We believe that the previous owner had some sort of accident where he drove over something that damaged the vehicle from underneath. Very quickly the oil would have drained out of the engine starving it of oil and causing permanent damage if continued to be driven in this state.

We replaced his engine with a rebuilt one and got his baby back on the road in time for the holidays.

Oil starvation is one of the major causes of engine failure. Always be sure to check your oil levels at least once a month to ensure your engine is well lubricated at all times.