BBC spares sent me an engine which was in a very poor state so bad the garage refuse to fit it. When we returned it we are told wee were not getting a repacement for it DESPITE payimg by credit card and our garage did not uderstand engines and they were the ones ripping us off.The garage who are fitting the engine (Plymouth City Bus the local bus company) where my wife has worked for a number of years and all the mechanics are fully trained in diesel engines.
He is returning my cash so anyone got an engine?????
- (#5106) bill, 14 Aug 02

That's not good. But any dealings I've had with Bill have been spot-on. Luck of the draw, I suppose- considering the number of engines etc imported, there's bound to be the odd duffer. Secondhand is an unkmnown quantity... In what respect was it faulty? Transit damage/ internal breakage/ wear?

I presume that bus diesel fitters actually do know about small IDI turbodiesels...

- (#5107) david miller, 14 Aug 02

The engine they sent was long passed its retirement date, worn out with marmite for oil.The garage fitting the engine has just celebrated 105 years of sevice to the public and local companys as well as looking after thier own fleet which ranges from mini buses to double deckers.

- (#5108) bill, 14 Aug 02

The engine BBC Spares sent had its rocker box cover taken off by the mechancis at Plymouth City Bus and the engine was declared "past its retirement date". I have checked with the mechanics we use and have been advised that to determine whether the engine is serviceable or not the head should be removed from the engine. This was not done at Plymouth City Bus.

Our carrier, Night Freight, demand that all oil and water is drained out of all engines before they will collect and deliver. This was done personally by Bill at BBC Spares, so how come the garage in Plymouth was able to declare that the oil was like marmite?

The engine is now with our mechanic (Toyota trained)who in due course will remove the head and give his expert opinion. We will post his report shortly.

- (#5109) BBC Spares, 14 Aug 02

we are taking him to small claims court.watch this space i will report back.the engine was checked i have the report done while we had his engine the garage who charged me for storage and engine inspection will only be to happy to appear in court some one shold tell bill at bbc the customer has rights thease days


see you in court bill


and buyer beware of bbc spares they rip you off

- (#5853) bill, 18 Oct 02

As has been pointed out, in order to ascertain whether an engine is serviceable or not the head must be removed from the engine. Our Mechanic did this and also removed the sump. He found that the head gasket was intact and everything else inside the engine appeared okay. All he found was that the crankshaft oil seal and the cam oil seal needed replacing.

He then rebuilt the engine, returned it to BBC Spares, and it has since been sold to another customer who has had it running in his vehicle for 3 weeks with no problems (this was the reason we delayed our reply).

To recap - Mrs. Walsh bought a secondhand engine from BBC Spares which they were not satisified with. On the return of the engine, BBC Spares gave Mrs. Walsh a full refund including the carriage. This fulfilled BBC Spares' obligation to Mrs. Walsh.

All of the above can be verified should it be deemed necessary.

- (#5880) BBC Spares, 20 Oct 02

so the charge for removing the head and inspecting the engine is fraud by city bus and i can rely on you to give Evidence to the fact this was not done,

ONE OF YOU IS LYING THE COURT WILL DECIDE PAPERS ON THE WAY BILL
SEE YOU IN PLYMOUTH
ps townace has a new engine and is running well
- (#5881) BILL, 21 Oct 02

So why are you taking BBC to court then? They refunded your money including carriage. Did your "mechanics" remove the head or not? How about the sump? You bought a SECONDHAND engine! It's YOUR responsibility to ensure it's acceptable. What areas of the engine were "past their retirement date"? was this verified by measurement? Specs are in the service manual...

Many people have dealt successfully with this company. I for one would prefer that you refrain from bad- mouthing BBC Spares UNLESS YOU HAVE FACTS infront of you.

- (#5883) david miller, 21 Oct 02

they sent an engine that was worse than the one i was replacing, before fitting we had it tested
.he said city bus never checked the engine and the engine was ok. so i was charged for storage costs and and an engine check and credit card costs for no reason.we bought a engine with a promise is was working had been checked and was worth the £600 and above all "was fit for the purpose it was bought for"
thease rights extend to second hand goods when bought from a dealer"
the court will decide who is right, city bus legal team say they have nothing to fear from a court case

as for facts we have the engine number
dlva require engine numbers to be changed if new engine fitted

- (#5910) Bill, 22 Oct 02

It is very tiresome, and, potentially, offputting to our many members,if this splendid forum replicates some of those other "discussion sites" where reasoned debate descends into a slanging match. Is it too much to ask that we have individual disputes kept out of these columns ? Apart from being an example of extreme bad manners, it also undermines the great efforts of those who have worked so hard to establish this quite unique and valuable facility.

- (#5911) John Davis, 22 Oct 02

How true, John. Bill, can you tell us what exactly was wrong with the engine? Big ends? Mains? piston-to cylinder clearances? Cam bearings perhaps? Or did the valve clearances just need reset?
As a collective, I'm sure that we'd be happier if we could ascertain what issues there were with this engine. We all want to get the most miles we can out of our townies, and knowing where wear occurs could in fact help this quest.
Your engine number only tells us which of millions of 2C-T engines you bought and returned. Do you have an engineers report? Does it specify what faults the engine contained? Are they quantified with reference to the manufacturers specifications? You are correct in saying that the item must be "fit for the purpose", but are you and your legal team able to prove catagorically that it was not?
Is there perhaps a chance that City Bus did not, in fact check the engine thoroughly after all?...

- (#5912) david miller, 22 Oct 02