big End Bearing

kildaremum

My son bought a car 10 days ago and it transpires that the big end bearing is gone - I am about to go to war with the seller - would he have had any indication that there was trouble or does this just happen out of the blue.

Mr Benevolent

Private or dealer? What car is it? If the big end was gone you'd have loud knocking/hammering noises from the bottom of the engine - it's very obvious once you lift the bonnet with the engine running.

kildaremum

Private seller. Nissan. Yes there is that loud knocking sound coming from inside the engine. Would the guy who sold it to him have had any indication that something was wrong and decided to get rid of it.

Henry Ford III

Was it obvious at the point of sale? If not chances are it's tough luck.

kildaremum

He went off with his friend and bought this car. It wasnt making the racket then. Started about a week later. He is in college during the week so he barely drove it. Is it just tough luck. How would anyone know that this was about to happen.

It sounds like it was fine when sold, unlucky really. I reckon he has no come back whatsoever. If anyone I sold a car to came back a week later with this problem I'd politely explain to them that it's not my problem.

Henry Ford III

How indeed? If that's the case you have no comeback I'd say.

Mycroft H

Its buyer beware at that stage.


If it was a dealer you might have some sort of recourse but privately you've none to be honest.

Its generally an oil starvation when something like this happens. Did your son check the oil level at all? And to be honest the bearing can fail pretty quickly, every possibility it could have happened within a week.

jamiecall

I blew a big end bearing in about 45 mins. Not something i'm proud of but was also in a nissan while going through my boy racer stage.

Can happen that quickly.

MidlandsM

kildaremum wrote: »

He went off with his friend and bought this car. It wasnt making the racket then. Started about a week later. He is in college during the week so he barely drove it. Is it just tough luck. How would anyone know that this was about to happen.

tough luck, sh1t happens. Focus on getting it sorted is all you can do.

Vicxas

Im afraid if its private seller its buyer beware im afraid, you'd have little comeback.

mondeo

Going to to expensive to fix that. Better to source a second hand engine in my opinion. I remember my friend had an old 92' Honda civic with similar issue and made more sense to replace engine in his case.

McP2011

Private sale so there's no comeback lad.

kildaremum

Bad news all round !

kildaremum

My son said he checked and there was new oil in it. I would say oil must have been leaking out of it and seller topped it up before he sold it. I still think its worth getting on to seller over. I know its buyer beware, I might as well be talking to the wall as trying to tell him, but mammy's dont take kindly to this sort of thing

kildaremum

kildaremum wrote: »

........ I would say oil must have been leaking out of it and seller topped it up before he sold it. I still think its worth getting on to seller over. I know its buyer beware...............

If that is the case the seller won't think twice about telling you it's not their problem. Why are you so sure it was leaking oil?

What kind of car is it and how much was it?

Gene Hunt

Hi, not much you can do here, I bought a Nissan coupe years ago,perfect car in every way when I bought it....around 10 days later after a midnight spin with a mate at nearly touching 90mph in 3rd gear.....bang goes the crankshalf......and that's how it's done!! Cost me a new engine at the time , altough you can have it reground and new bearings fitted,
That said ,the fella who sold your son the car may have filled it with new oil and some STP oil treatment to quiet down and disguise the knocking when the sale was made and now the oil has thinned the knocking is loud again, but you have no proof of this, I'd be asking your son if he was driving at 100mph in 3rd and then your man who sold it if he used STP oil treatment and see what the reaction is, but again....I don't think you're going to get anywhere with this I'm afraid.:(

kildaremum

Now I dont know anything about engines so maybe it wasn't leaking oil, but a mechanic I had look at it yesterday said that there is oil seeping out all around the engine, and someone in an above post asked if my son had checked the oil so I assumed there was some connection between oil leaking out and the bearing going. He paid over 3000 for it.

YBTurbo

Buyer Beware etc....

What sort of Nissan was it, Skyline, Silvia or something more mundane like a Primera or Almera?

Gene Hunt

Like I said above, seller could have used new oil and STP oil treatment to disguise the knocking for a short while BUT it won't drown out the knocking completely, but remember even if he did this....you have no proof, also put yourself in the sellers shoes, you sell your car it's going grand when you sell it, then buyer comes back in 10 days saying it's not going any more....what do you do? they could have drove the lining out of it for the last 10 days or maybe just maybe the car lay down itself, mechanically things are like that, but what would tell the buyer? would you give them some money back, all of the money back?? it's a tough one and I do feel for your son because 3 grand is a lot of money.

kildaremum

Nissan Silvia

dharn

kildaremum, dont waste your breath calling seller, you have no hope of getting any satisfaction, just causing yourself more grief

Notch000

I had a car that i drove for two years & all of a sudden it started to knock on start up one morning, there was no indication of this or any oil issue before hand.

You have no come back here, the seller may have tricked your son but with private sales it the buyers responsibility to check these things over before buying.

The seller has every right to tell you to bugger off and or not answer your calls, your son will learn a lesson here that he wont forget, its no good getting his mammy to run after the seller with her wooden spoon..................

kildaremum

ok I'll put my wooden spoon to better use and get the dinner

Nonoperational

Worth a phone call but there's no comeback. Looking back a more thorough inspection might have been in order. Bad luck.

YBTurbo

kildaremum wrote: »

ok I'll put my wooden spoon to better use and get the dinner

Get on DriftIreland if he's looking for an engine.... Plenty of SR20s for sale on there.


Least he has an excuse to add more power now :cool:

Plug

kildaremum wrote: »

ok I'll put my wooden spoon to better use and get the dinner

LOL I wont make a joke about that:pac:

The chances are it was owned by a boy racer who drove the bollox out of it and it probably wasn't serviced regularly using the correct oil etc. It could have leaked so much that it was just starved of oil. Nissan doctor is a user on boards, maybe he can help you source an engine and it its not too fcuked it could be repairable.

ianobrien

kildaremum wrote: »

Nissan Silvia

I have heard from various siurces and engine builders that as standard, the SR20 engine as fitted in Nissan Silvias have weak big end bolts and can stretch/deform when the engine is bounced off the limiter for an extended time. Then the big ends vibrate on the crank, wrecking the big ends.

I've seen the big end bearings go on them after 30 seconds of the engine bouncing off the limiter. Also, turbo engines can have a high oil consumption.

johnos1984

Hey Mum,

I'd nearly chance my arm and call the seller and see if they are innocent enough to give you your money back but I'd be prepared to be politely told where to go

kildaremum

I will ring and at least ask him to refund the cost of the repair. Having accepted over 3000 from an (idiot) 18 year old he might have some bit of conscience - strangely enough he's not answering his phone. I'm livid with my son for blowing his money so stupidly, there was a 3rd world war when his dad saw it and now the fecking thing isn't working, but there you go 18 year olds do stupid things, I'm sure he will be more careful when he buys another car, just as I'm sure its not the last stupid thing he will do.

Nonoperational

Poor lad... Everyone says not to buy it, buys it, and it blows up. ****ty luck!

YBTurbo

Any chance of a pic of the actual car?


I'm always day dreaming on DoneDeal about Jap cars.



Oh and not a bloody hope in hell, can he insure it at 18.

kildaremum

He's a named driver on my policy. I wont be posting a pic and as for daydreaming about Jap cars ?

YBTurbo

kildaremum wrote: »

He's a named driver on my policy

Just so you know, that's illegal....



But I do the same :pac:


It aint a Black S14a by any chance?

Henry Ford III

kildaremum wrote: »

He's a named driver on my policy

Dodgy.

kirving

Well, not illegal if his mother drives it more than him. 2 chances of that though.

kildaremum

No its not black. Why would that be illegal. He is a named driver on the policy my husband is too ?

YBTurbo

If his mother is the owner on the tax book and drives it the most and he just occasionally drives it... Legal.

If he or his mother is the owner on the tax book and she never drives it or very rarely and its his car... Illegal.

This is known as fronting, a way of getting someone else to insure your car and add you as a name driver to get a cheaper premium.


But TBH IMH Oits grand for say a 17yo on a Fiesta 1.25 (75hp), no point paying 6k for insurance, but a fecking 18yo on a Silvia (250hp as standard) is taking the biscuit.

kildaremum

Well I deal with the Insurance company and no-one ever asked who drives it the most etc

si_guru

And because fronting goes on we ALL pay more to spread the cost.

Let's hope he has a license.......

johnos1984

OP run away now before the insurance argument starts :pac:

YBTurbo

kildaremum wrote: »

Well I deal with the Insurance company and no-one ever asked who drives it the most etc

Why would they?

In the event of a claim, if it was proved he was the main driver.... No payout.


Read here, http://carolfinch.suite101.com/what-is-fronting-on-young-drivers-car-insurance-a175949

kildaremum

Well as noone will be driving the car for a while it will give me a chance to look into the insurance

YBTurbo

kildaremum wrote: »

Well as noone will be driving the car for a while it will give me a chance to look into the insurance

I was just pointing it out incase you didn't know.


But if you read the link in my previous comment, it explains everything.

mondeo

Its awful spending all your hard earned money on a new car in good faith to find out the next day it's fooked. I have experienced it myself many years back during my collage days. Sickening.