We recently bought a 2006 Honda Pilot with 71,000 miles… Nothing on the Car Fax about having a Remanufactred Engine from LKQ put in it at 62,000 miles 2 yrs ago… Learned this by contacting last Honda shop in seeking to learn if the Timing Belt had been changed- answer NO… but had a REMAN ENGINE put in (cost $3,700 ish) … can anyone tell me if these Engines get a New Timing belt , or just use what “looks good” when they “reman” them?
Any thoughts or experiences with LKQ REMAN Engines , how long they may last?
Very dismayed to learn this … but maybe I am worrying too much… (I am the wife on here asking this question, by the way)… appreciate any replies, Thank you.
You are already fretting about this in another post. May I suggest you make a nice cup of tea and enjoy your new to you vehicle and worry about something else, but not your car.
OP, some reman engines are done right, some are done wrong. There’s no way to know with 100% certainty that yours was done right. But then there’s also no way to know with 100% certainty that the used car you buy that does not have a reman engine in it will not snap its timing belt tomorrow. Mitigate risk as much as possible and then drive on.
I’ve installed quite a few engines in cars and trucks of every popular make and model from the late 70s 'till the mid 90s and repaired and maintained many vehicles with engines replaced at other shops and as a rule problems with the engine itself or with the workmanship of the installer will show up soon, if not immediately after they go into service. And if a qualified and well experienced mechanic cannot look at the car and recognize that the engine has been replaced and can find no problems with it after thousands of miles I would strongly suspect that the vehicle is as good as any other similar model car with the same miles with the original engine still in it.
Replaced the engine in my 1957 Chevy Bel Air in 1972. I used a Jasper engine. A friend of mine bought the car from me about 10 years later and it still runs like new to this day. It was a rebuilt 1970 Chevy Caprice 350 for those who need to know.
@OverRunWithSons_162328. You worry too much! The probability is high that if the engine was going to fail, it would have failed within the first 4000 miles after being installed. There is a statistical distribution that models this. It is the negative exponential distribution. When a device is first put in service, the probability of failure is higher than later. The probability of failure tapers off rapidly. Years ago, a car was under warranty for 90 days or 4000 miles. In 1963, Chrysler extended the warranty to five years or 50,000 miles. A lot of people thought Chrysler had really improved the quality of its products. The truth is that the probability of a factory defect after 4000 miles or 90 days showing up is low. It cost Chrysler very little to extend the warranty.
I had to have the engine replaced in a 1990 Ford Aerostar, which fortunately was still under warranty. I don’t know if it was a new engine or a remanufactured engine. The engine ran well, used no oil in the 100,000 miles I drove that van after the engine was replaced.
Even a transplant with a used engine is no problem if the engine runs well and doesn’t use oil.
The head of the motor fleet at the university where I worked until I retired kept a service truck going with a used engine. This man knew how to cut red tape and convinced the higher-ups that it made much more economic sense to install a used engine in a truck that was just used for local hauling than to scrap the truck and buy a new replacement.
You should contact LKQ to determine if the timing belt was replaced, and the water pump should have been replaced at the same time. You may need to get a serial number off the engine to get specific information about this engine. If you got an engine guarantee when you bought the Pilot, that probably has the data you need. How long ago was the remanufactured engine put in?
i have the invoice from the Honda Shop that did the work on 9-2017 …would the VIN # be on this invoice? How would I find the VIN # on this engine? I did call LKQ twice , talked to 2 different people who gave me 2 different answers… 1st lady said Belts have no warranty, when asking about a “Reman” Engine, then went on to say, some parts are cleaned up/ machined and put back in… the next guy I called… claimed they get new belts when they are remanufactured…
Bought vehicle “as is”… actually shady small car dealership with less than 2 star ratings talked me into buying a GWC Powertrain warranty (retail price $510- they charged us $990 as they make over $400 + on these)… I canceled it the next day after reading reviews about that company. Was able to get out of it since I used a Credit card. They expect you to go to their shops, all after parts, fine details - nor would it have even covered a Belt breaking if God forbid it happened driving home from the shop. …
Yes, I read every response I had on the other thread… and like I responded … the Reman Engine put in my Pilot did not come without these belts as none of these Belts were on the invoice showing they were installed… they were already installed inside the Reman Engine… different situation -which makes me think that the belts were probably New then beings they came with belts…
Another Honda dealer (where I recently had a Timing belt changed for a 1997 Crv) when asking about the invoice, when I read him the cost listed ($3,700ish- paper not in front of me) said that wouldn’t be a salvaged engine, as it would have been half that cost.
Not really expecting with my questions to have 100% certainty… just wanted to hear others experiences with remanufactured engines… Thank you Missileman for your response.
Very helpful response Triedaq… the probability of things going wrong by 4,000 miles … this puts my mind at ease some. Can’t say I understand the previous owner though… he was the only owner, didn’t drive much… 2 yrs ago, literally paid “cash” over $7,000 on that invoice when engine was replaced…other things on there like a.c compressor, thermostat, a # of things. then he sells it a couple yrs later. Maybe he felt it was a lemon. We paid less for the vehicle over what he paid on that invoice !
The other thread was more focused on the Car Fax… which seemed to stir a lot of contention among the members here, with my comments being upset that a Reman engine was not listed… How that’s just how the cookie crumbles if you are a used car buyer. …
Two answers and both are correct. The LKQ web site states that a new timing belt should be installed on the replacement engine and there is no warranty on belts.
If you look at the LKQ engines offered at this time they are $1800 to $2200 plus shipping and none are close to Palmdale. Two years ago the price would have been higher. When my parts department acquires a used engine for $2500 they bill the engine at $3500, that is business.
LKQ is a logistics company, they don’t own the salvage yards and have limited control over the quality of the used parts that they sell, to source a remanufactured engine from a salvage yard raises doubt.
Nevada_545 … so according to your response… this so called “Reman engine” could still be a salvaged engine … since Dealerships often UP charge parts for hundreds or thousands more than what they pay for them… none of this surprises me, already figured this could be the case …
Can someone tell me how I am supposed to find the VIN on this engine so I can send a certified letter to LKQ and get some information on it… just so I know if I got a salvaged engine… or a true Remanufactured engine with new belts put into it…
This is a $1,000 question to me as taking this Pilot to the Honda shop for new belts will cost that much. Holding off a bit to see if we have any Engine issues at all… but probably going to do this belt later this year, or next.
Why bother showing invoice . You bought a used vehicle with no warranty . Just take care of the service and hope it runs for a decent amount of time just like any other used vehicle .
With 6 kids how do you find the time to obsess about this on the web anyway ?
Agree with @VOLVO_V70, you bought a used car. If it had the original engine it is a used engine.
A replacement engine, re manufactured or used from a junk yard is likely as good or even better than the original. Keep up with oil changes and keep moving forward. Best you can do at this point.
@OverRunWithSons_162328 The reman engine in your fourteen year old vehicle quite possibly has more miles good use left in it than you would find in most original engines in used vehicles of the age and mileage of your SUV.
Frankly, as someone who has driven several cars long years and miles I wouldn’t worry about the reman engine. I’ve driven long miles in my several cars on a reman replacement transmission, an engine that required both head gasket and intake manifold gasket repair, and on an engine that required repair after burning out three of the four cylinders.
You bought a fourteen year old, high mileage vehicle. There is literally no way you can know how long and/or trouble free any critical components will last before needing repair be it the engine, transmission, cooling system, suspension, electronics, etc. Think of it this way, if the Pilot still had the original engine, at the high mileage on the vehicle, you would be looking at high probability of facing a very expensive major engine repair or replacement in relative near future. Instead, you have an engine that already has been overhauled to one extent or another.
From what you said on your other thread you are accustomed to owning and driving older, high mileage vehicles. So as you have undoubtedly experienced, buying any used vehicle has the advantage of lower up front cost but the disadvantage of buying unknown risks from previous use and unknown maintenance history. Your best way forward is to be consistent with proper proactive maintenance as much as possible, be realistic about the inevitable need for wear and tear repairs, and eventual total replacement at the point it makes more economic sense and/or safety to replace than keep.
