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VW Polo engine seized! Replace with new one or sell as scrap

14th August 2021, 13:55 by Chirag Moro

Recently I have transported my car from Bangalore to my home town in Punjab. After few days, the car suddenly stopped running and I took it to VW service centre.

BHPian gaurav.jc recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I need some suggestion for my VW polo (Aug 2014 Model, Highline, 2nd Owner). Recently I have transported my car from Bangalore to my home town in Punjab. After few days, the car suddenly stopped running and I took it to VW service centre.

After so many escalations at VW, they finally did some diagnosis and told me that the car engine has seized. Below is the analysis which they have done:

We wish to update you that our Volkswagen Technical Team has diagnosed your car thoroughly and found that the intake camshaft seizure has caused development of metal chips which got circulated in engine with oil.
Improper tightening sequence and torque during its previous assembly might have caused the seizure of the intake camshaft according to the seizure pattern.
Oil recovered from engine oil pump is different/Fresh as compared to oil recovered from Oil pump and Filter which looks like oil was filled post damage.
It is suspected that the engine work has been carried out previously at a local workshop. Hence based on current findings it is concluded to replace the base engine under chargeable basis.

As VW has clearly indicated that some engine work has been done recently, I am filling a legal complaint against the transporter.

Meanwhile I am torn between the different options I have. I am listing below the different options and need your expert advise on it.

Option 1 - Get the new engine from VW - VW has given a quote of around 3.5 lacs for engine replacement. While they have assured me that they will give me some discount, still it will cost minimum 2.5 lacs.

Option 2 - Get an old engine from car disposal dealer - I checked getting an old engine from a car disposal dealer. They told me the old engine cost around 55K. However I am not sure how much can I trust that engine as I don't know the condition of car. Also I am not sure what will be the impact on the RC. This option is only for making the car running and then selling it.

Option 3 - Sell the car to car disposal shop - Another option I have is to sell this car to some car disposal dealer and buy a new car. My company also gives me a car lease option. However it may happen that since I am taking a legal route against the transporter ( which may take even years to resolve), I may need to keep the car.

Option 4 - Park the car and wait for legal resolution - Anyway the car is scrap now. So I can park the car and wait for the legal resolution. Even after 2 years, whenever the issue is resolved, I will sell the car as scarp (may be will get a less value for it though).

I have done some financial analysis on repairing the old car with new engine and selling this car as scrap and getting a new car on lease. I have assumed the expenses for next 4 years and a tax slab of 30%.

Please let me know your valuable advice on it.

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:

You need to elaborate firstly on what sort of engine work has been done on your car at the FNG that screwed it up so badly and damaged the intake cam and what role the transporter played. This will also play a pivotal role in determining whether this engine is worth saving or you will have to get another one altogether (new or used), and what else might have been damaged by them.
The way I look at this, you should only consider two to three options:
- Get this job done perfectly at VW and stomach the costs, provided that you are sure you will keep this car for another 2-4 years atleast. You will also have to go through what VW wants to change thoroughly and see to it that everything that needs to be changed is changed. This is a case of engine oil contamination and the damage could be a lot worse than preliminary diagnosis suggests and costs might actually shoot up instead of decreasing.
- Get a used engine and put it, but this will be accompanied by the obvious hassles of endorsing it on the RC and ensuring the replacement engine itself is in good nick. You will also need to find a good FNG to do this for you, not someone who doesn't know how to tighten bolts for the engine head correctly.
- Lastly, if you don't want to go through any of this, sell the car in as is condition and be done with it. I would strongly suggest not going the legal way. It's an FNG you are fighting against, not VW or an established organisation. There's virtually no way to put pressure on them to pay up TBH. And consumer laws anyways won't help matters. You will be fighting for a car that is just sitting there rotting away, and in the end, might again only get scrap value for it.
Please enlighten us on what exactly happened at the FNG or transporter that led to the cam seizure and such a serious issues. Pinpointing this is equally important.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:

Somehow this looks like the previous owner had done some makeshift repairs and sold you the vehicle, it is not uncommon. I do not know which model it is but regardless, engines can be rebuilt instead of needing a swap , 3.5L is just unnecessary expense for a vehicle like that.

Here's what BHPian 2000rpm had to say on the matter:

If you have the parking space, I would suggest you to buy a comfortline model from Delhi (with low resale value) for about 1.5 to 1.75 lakhs. Use the engine from that car and get your Highline in Top shape. Use the salvage car to sell off parts for VW through a mechanic (VW parts are hard to come by in aftermarket and you may be able to sell the parts slowly for decent price).
You can reuse the tyres, sell the system, make a Top Gear style sofa with the seats.
The options are upto your imagination.
Without a parking space for a salvage car, this is not doable.

Here's what BHPian svsantosh had to say on the matter: