Throughout your life, you will undoubtedly own numerous vehicles. At some point you may find yourself in a position where you have to replace the motor on one. When this finally happens, you will have to decide what type of motor you want to replace the original with. The two main options available these days are a pre-owned unit or a refurbished unit.

If you don’t plan on keeping the car after it’s repaired, you can opt for the slightly cheaper option of a second-hand engine. Considering you have no way of knowing what the actual engine mileage is or the last owner’s driving habits, that makes the pre-owned option better for a sell-and-fix scenario, since most engines second-hand ones come with a short-term guarantee. If any.

If you plan to keep your vehicle, you should seriously consider the benefits of replacing the faulty unit with a reconditioned one. In general, a reconditioned engine is practically new inside, so it has zero miles in effect and will have the potential to have the longest life if cared for properly.

A reconditioned standard engine has had its fair share of work to be able to offer a longer warranty and is a smart choice for those who take pride in their vehicles and would like to keep them as long as possible. At a minimum, mechanical work will have been done on the engine block and cylinder head to ensure they have flat mating surfaces, cranks will be machined, polished or replaced as required. New sets of bearings will have been installed in both the connecting rods and main journals. To ensure optimum oil pressure can be achieved, pistons will have been fitted with new piston rings to create a positive seal in the cylinder chamber, cylinder heads will have been pressure tested to ensure they are free of cracks internals, New oil seals will have been installed to make the unit oil tight after everything is reassembled, the motor should be fit for purpose and provide a dependent replacement for your failing unit.

All reconditioned engines should be “rolled in” smoothly. This means you don’t want to jump into a vehicle with a reconditioned engine and immediately get out and hit the ground every time. The break-in period is very important to the longevity of the new engine. At this time, all new metal components (rings and bearings) will slowly wear away on adjoining parts so all surfaces will mate and function optimally in the future. If the break-in period is ignored, it can shorten the life of the replacement engine and cause conditions where the oil pressure will be too low or the piston rings will not seat properly, causing the replacement engine to burn oil. .

At the end of the day, if you choose a reconditioned engine as a replacement for the original, it can last the life of the vehicle if properly cared for.