Blown engine or failed transmission: fix it or sell it?

A blown engine or a transmission that won’t shift is how a car that was fine last week becomes a junk car this week. The repair quote arrives, it’s a big number, and you have to decide quickly because the car is sitting at a shop or blocking your driveway.

Five questions before you pay for the repair

1. What exactly failed? “Blown engine” can mean a thrown rod, a cracked block, a failed head gasket or a seized motor. “Bad transmission” can be a solenoid or a full rebuild. Ask the shop to name the fault and the fix.
2. Is it a repair, a used part or a rebuild? A used engine from a salvage yard, a remanufactured unit and a rebuild of your own engine are three different prices with three different warranties.
3. What would the car be worth once it’s fixed? Look up similar cars for sale in the south suburbs, with honest mileage and condition.
4. What else is about to go? Tires, brakes, rust, suspension. A new engine in a car that needs all of those is still an old car.
5. What’s it worth today, as it sits? Get an offer for the car with the failed engine or transmission. That’s the number the repair has to beat.

Get the estimate in writing

Illinois’ Automotive Repair Act backs you up here. According to the Illinois Attorney General, you’re entitled to a written estimate for repairs costing $100 or more unless you waive it. An itemized estimate that separates parts and labor can’t be exceeded by more than 10%, and a non-itemized one with a single total can’t be exceeded at all (AG summary of the Act). The Act doesn’t cover collision repairs.

So don’t waive the estimate on an engine or transmission job. A written number protects you if the bill grows, and it’s the figure you need for the comparison below.

The comparison

	Repair it	Sell it as is
Money out	The repair bill, often before you know the full extent	Nothing
Money in	The car’s value after the repair, if you sell it later	An offer for the car today
Time	Days or weeks at the shop	One call and one pickup
Risk	Another failure after the repair	None once it’s sold
Best when	The car is otherwise solid and the repair is well below its fixed value	The repair eats most of the fixed value, or other big repairs are coming

If the car is at a repair shop, you can sell it from there. Clear it with the shop first, settle any bill you owe, and we’ll collect it from their lot.

What a buyer pays for when the engine is gone

A car with a dead engine is still a car full of parts and metal. The transmission, if it’s good, the body panels, glass, wheels, interior and the catalytic converter all count, and so does the car’s weight. A failed transmission with a sound engine is the reverse case. Leave everything on the car, including the converter: in Illinois, selling a converter that isn’t attached to a vehicle is a violation for anyone without a parts recycler or scrap license (815 ILCS 325/4.1).

How offers are set explains the factors in more detail, and cars that don’t run covers how we pick up a car that can’t move under its own power.

When it’s a truck or a semi

The same comparison works for commercial vehicles, just with bigger numbers on both sides. See box trucks and semi trucks for how we handle those.

Next step

Before you say yes to the repair, get our number for the car as it sits. Use the quote form and mention the failure, or call (773) 317-1211. We pick up from driveways and repair shops in Posen, Richton Park and the rest of our area. The guides page has more on the paperwork.