eBay

jowil-6297 · ‎02-11-2022

So I ordered a engine for my 2000 mustang gt, I had it sent right to the shop to have the work done. My shop ended up swapping it for me and everything for abt $5.8k with some extra parts for the new engine of course. The engine it’s self cost an extra $1.3k. Now this engine that came is compatible with multiple cars of some years, the problem is… the engine that came isn’t the engine that was advertised. It was a less hp engine then the one that was advertised. It wasn’t even the same engine in the picture. You can see the differences, I am very disappointed in the amount of money I put in my car just to get a slower car with a engine that wasn’t advertised. What can I do about this? Did I just lose 7.1k?

casuallyattractive · ‎02-11-2022

Message the seller, Include pictures and proof.

If they don't respond back to you go to eBay and return it under Item not as described.

Leave It To Me

jowil-6297 · ‎02-11-2022

Even if I do return it. I’d be losing so much money, I’d also have to pay the shop to take the engine back out

soh.maryl · ‎02-12-2022

The shop didn't recognize that it was the wrong engine before installing it? Maybe that's a silly question -- I know nothing about cars.

hawkwind5454 · ‎02-12-2022

Not silly at all. I'm just wondering how the engine could look different from the listing photos, but only AFTER the added work and preparation were done to it. If the buyer did not inspect the engine upon arrival at the shop then he kind of allowed this to happen.

soh.maryl · ‎02-12-2022

Thank you. Maybe, if the buyer had the engine delivered directly to the shop, he never really actually inspected it himself before installation, but, again, shouldn't a qualified mechanic make sure it was right?

mudshark61369 · ‎02-12-2022

@soh.maryl,

A qualified mechanic would not know what a customer ordered and had delivered, unless they were told/shown what exactly it was.

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FOOLPROOF, BECAUSE FOOLS ARE SO DARNED INGENIOUS!" (unknown)

lacemaker3 · ‎02-12-2022

@jowil-6297 wrote:
Even if I do return it. I’d be losing so much money, I’d also have to pay the shop to take the engine back out

@jowil-6297,

in this situation, eBay can do nothing for you. You have taken possession of the item, when you installed it, and it's not the same item that was shipped to you anymore.

You may have some recourse through the legal system, but you will need to consult a lawyer to find out what if anything you might be able to recover. I don't know if this will be effective, but at this point, I believe it's probably your only option.

The thing is, I think that there would be some expectation that the buyer would inspect the engine and verify the purchase, before allowing the mechanic to begin working with it. So there was a window of opportunity where you should have detected that it wasn't the correct engine, before you proceeded.

I doubt that there will be any opportunity to recover the costs that you have paid the mechanic, who definitely appears to have completed the task you paid him for. Or the cost of removing the engine now that it has been installed and is running. I don't see how the seller could be held responsible for any of that. There might be an opportunity to recover the difference in value between the engine you ordered and the one you received. That will depend on the individual situation and circumstances, so check with a lawyer.

mudshark61369 · ‎02-12-2022

@jowil-6297,

Didn't you go to the shop when the engine was delivered, to inspect it and make sure it was what you ordered? I do most of my own work on my cars, but if I bought an engine online and had it delivered to a shop, I would definitely go and inspect it before they started working on it.

"What can I do about this? Did I just lose 7.1k?".

Because you had the engine modified, you lost your ebay protections. In order to have received a refund you would have had to return it in the same condition in which it was received. Once someone works in it, it is no longer in that condition. The only thing you can do is leave appropriate feedback for the seller. Do not call them names, just state the facts. I purchased X model engine as shown in the photos, but received Y model engine.

Maybe you can sell the built up engine to someone else, and start over again. If you order another one online do not authorize any work to start, until you make sure, you have received what was ordered.

Still no matter what you do, you'll still have one problem

"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FOOLPROOF, BECAUSE FOOLS ARE SO DARNED INGENIOUS!" (unknown)

jowil-6297 · ‎02-12-2022

That’s the thing, I did look at it before works was done, the engine is just very identical other then a very few things that would should it isn’t the right one, I’m sure I got a crown Vic 4.6 instead of the mustang 4.6 engine

casuallyattractive · ‎02-12-2022

I am sorry @jowil-6297, you are on your won with that one.

It is very important to inspect item before modifying it, I would be just as mad if not madder if I were you, but its both you and the sellers fault.

If seller would have shipped the right item then it wouldn't have happened.

I would recommend taking the engine out {The engine doesn't work, right?} and reselling it on eBay.

I would just chew the losses, losing 2k is better then nothing.

Leave It To Me

lacemaker3 · ‎02-12-2022

@jowil-6297 wrote:
That’s the thing, I did look at it before works was done, the engine is just very identical other then a very few things that would should it isn’t the right one, I’m sure I got a crown Vic 4.6 instead of the mustang 4.6 engine

@jowil-6297, I'm sorry, but since you knew that, you should have been even more vigilant and careful when you inspected the engine before you allowed the mechanic to start the installation work.

There's not much difference between the Crown Victoria and Mustang versions of that engine. Most of the difference in power output is because of other components that are different, like the air intake and exhaust manifold, and exhaust pipes. If your main concern is that you aren't seeing the power output boost that you expected, then you may need to check that the other components are optimized and tuned to their max.

If you got an NPI engine instead of a PI engine, and you can prove what you got and what you ordered, then you might have a claim for the difference in value of the engines. But you would need to talk to a lawyer about that.