FAQ

When should I consider rebuilding an engine?

Answer: The answer is in the economics.

A complete failure pretty much dictates a complete rebuild. Where it gets harder is when an engine is badly worn or performing below its capability. In the case of a consumer with an engine that is consuming a litre or two of oil every week, the owner has to weigh the $5.00/week cost of oil against the $2,000+ cost of a rebuild. Over the course of a year, she might be financially better off to pay for the oil. In a commercial application, where a delivery vehicle is going through a litre or more of oil per day, and there is the real risk that an operator will forget to add oil, the financial implications are high and a rebuild can pay for itself in short order.

The answers are different for hobbyists with antique or specialty cars. If you are driving 300 km per year, you don’t mind a little smoke from an antique. If you’re running the Paris to Beijing Rally, it’s another story.

Are your rebuilt engines as good as a new engine?

Answer: Actually, they can be better. Two reasons:

1. All the major castings have had a form of stress-relief from aging. That makes them much more stable than brand new components. For example, all the really expensive assembly jigs are made from granite rather than steel. Why? Because the granite has had millions of years to stabilize. By comparison, the steel or iron in the engine casting is brand new and although it is solid, it will continue to settle and shift for a period of time. By the time we complete machining these castings for re-build, critical dimensions are much more likely to remain stable.

2. Re-engineered engines have the benefit of knowing how the part wore or failed during its life. Access to newer (and in some cases improved) parts help, and we can make modifications based on the nature of the failure.

What’s the difference between a rebuilt engine and a remanufactured engine?

Answer: The industry has no agreement on the language it uses, but we view a rebuilt engine (we think of it as re-engineered) as a single, comprehensive overhaul that assesses every single component and replaces any one that does not meet stringent factory-correct specifications.

A re-manufactured engine is usually the product of a highly evolved program developed for a single style or family of engines – or a car manufacturer -- and which uses standardized OEM-compliant processes to ‘rebuild’ a group (or continuous supply) of engines to the manufacturer’s precise specifications.

Beware: Some companies use these terms interchangeably and a customer should find out from any potential rebuilder exactly what they mean when they say ‘remanufactured’.

Have any other questions? Just give SEM a call at 905.839.8181 or fill in our contact form and we'll get right back to you.