On another board, I sold an LS1 motor. Well the short of the story is, I sold the engine, and took payment. Everything was fine, or so I thought. A month later, the buyer comes back to me and says that the motor has a bolt the had the head grinded off. It apears the head of the bolt on the timing chain sprocket has hit the nub on the front of the timing chain cover. I don't know if the buyer used the engine or not, but I do know the he in fact, took atleast the front cover off. The motor came out of working car, it just had body damage. I have videos of the car running, even with the body damage. There was no indications of motor troubles. (no oil lose, no noise, etc). He is now demanding the money back. I do not have the money anymore because I was depending on it to pay bills, which I did.


I have always been an honest person, and I did not know there was a problem with the motor. I am not a motor guy, so I do not know what could have gone wrong. The buyer has thoughts as to what happened to the motor, but doesn't think it is something that I could have done. When I had it, there was never a problem. The buyer also believes me that I did not know of any damage, he even says that it is not my fault. ....but still demands his money back.

So now I am stuck between a rock an a hard place. On one hand, I want to continue to be a good seller, and keep my rep, but on the other hand, I don't have that kind of money laying around. I sold the motor becuase I needed the money.


Just some more info, all the internal motor work was done by a RESPECTED ls1tech.com sponser. (I do not want list the name of the shop, but they were highly recomended)

On the other board, everyone there said No do not refund him. I don't want to screw anyone over, but I also can't afford to give him his money back. so, if you were in my shoes, what would you do?


Thanks for the help

 

Guys, if you vote, feel free to leave comments if they do not fit the three responses above.

 

he bought a used motor.
that comes with an inherent risk.
you did not intentionally or unintentionally mislead him on this fact. you did not know of any mechanical problems.
this was a transaction that was done at the buyers risk. you are not a shop. you did not do any work on it. you are not providing a warrenty.


i can understand your desire to remain a good seller... but in this case, you can say no... and remain both an honest person, and a good seller.
yes, its a hard luck lesson for the other guy, but that is the nature of buying a used engine of anykind.

 

Youre fine provided it was bought "as is". Anyway he waited too long to tell you about it too. He bought it and assumed the risk of it. Besides as long as the cover isnt penetrated then all he needs is a new bolt, not a big deal. Offfer to send him anew sproket bolt free of charge and see what he says.

Dont sweat it man.

 

If you honestly had no idea about the problem and everything was working fine then i wouldnt give him his money back. Just tell him you wish you could take it back but you really cant

 

Yes, there was no implied warranty or expressed. I am not a shop. I thought all used parts were sold "AS IS" on these forums.

THe buyer even says that it will run, but he does not want it now.

 

Tell him sorry but you arent taking it back. End of story.

 

Like said earlier there will always be a risk involved when buying used parts from a stranger. There is no such thing of a warranty if you did not specify it had one. He had it for over a month? I know some places if you buy a BRAND NEW part and have the reciept they still will not help you out.

NO REFUND!!!

 

I tend to agree with the people who say “no refund”. On the other hand, if not accepting the motor back or compromising in some manner will lead to a poor reputation and problems down the road, you might see if you can help the buyer out in some way that does not hurt you too much, but may placate him. It sucks, but some unethical people will try to hold your reputation hostage to ensure the universe continues to rotate around them. Try to remain calm.

 

No, I do not think they are "un-ethical". They seem like good people....excpet for calling me 10 times per day, even though I told them I can't talk because I am at work.

 

I guess I do not understand what you are saying. Who are “they”? I am not saying your buyer is unethical. I do think it is bold to ask for a full refund after a month for what seems like a relatively small problem. If you say “no refund” and your buyer badmouths you, then I would say he is unethical.

 

Oh, okay, thank you for clarifying that for me

 

I say no refund....after a month.....hell no!! He had plenty of time to go over the motor. That is the first thing that he should have done upon receiving it. If you are being honest about your end as far as not know about any problems or it not running right......then you should stand your ground. Sucks for the buyer, but what he is asking is unreasonable.

 

Heads breaking off bolts is a common problem when you are disassembling engines. It's not a big deal. There are several ways to remove whats left of the bolt. I've had a set of easy-out bits in my tool box for over 40 years. Any auto parts store that sells tools should be able to help him. If he doesn't want to try to extract the bolt himself he can take it to an automotive machine shop to be removed. To want to return an entire engine for such a minor and common thing as a bolt missing a head is just plain stupid. Tell him NO!

 

He is afraid that the metal shavings got into the internal oil, and he thinks the motor will blow up

 

Do you have a bill of sale? Did it say "as is"? Whenever you sell something like that, you need to write up a bill of sale, even if it is not a legal document it will go A LONG WAY towards preventing this kind of stuff and or bailing you out if he were to take it to court.

IMHO the guy should NOT get a refund. It took him 1 month...something isnt right. When I buy some high dollar item I look it over ASAP HARDCORE!

 

If you gave him an after-work time, he is just trying to dick you by applying pressure. I didn't see this post before. DEFINITELY no refund.

HOWEVER, you could offer to pay for a shop of his choice to extract the bolt, let him WATCH so that he sees there is NO shavings getting into the motor. Shouldnt set you back much at all. If he refuses that, he is just being an ***.

 

I agree to a no also, he probably broke the bolt off, and now doesnt want it. If it will make you sleep better, try to help him with it a little, buy him an extracter kit, maybe half of what it would cost to have a machine shop do it, etc. By no means does he get a full refund at this point.

 

Honestly, I think you guys are being too easy on the buyer. After reading this part:

.....frankly, to even to suggest that you should give him a full refund after HE made the above statement, plus the fact he received the motor 1 month ago makes him nothing more than a big bag of douche. I think you have likely been too nice to the guy, and I understand that you want to keep your good rep, but seriously I'd tell 'em to go pound sand. Unless you expressed a warranty (either verbal or written) then what the hell does he actually expect you to do? Hell, he HIMSELF stated that it wasn't your fault, and nothing you did caused it! Guy sounds like he's trying to scam you, IMO. Maybe he found another motor at a better price and he just wants his money back now.....

 

no refund