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sabad66
02-16-2005, 05:00 PM
I know this may seem like a novel, but it will be a very worthwhile read.

In around May 2004, I was starting to get into the whole "car modding" scene. I learned about engine swaps and other mods to do to my 91 Civic. I found out that my current D16A6 had a problem with it -- It was burning oil. I thought to myself, "Hey, I might as well get an engine swap". I found out that a B16 engine is one of the more popular swaps. I checked around in the bargain finder for any places that sells JDM engines. I came across 2 different shops. Kawa and Yoko. I checked out Kawa and didn't like them at all. I then went looking for Yoko and didn't end up finding it. I did however find JDM "Japan Domestic Motor" aka JDMSOURCE. Me and my buddy decided to check this place out. I walk in and chat with the owner Shoaib. We talk about cars and whatever. He tells me he has just moved from Toronto and is setting up a new warehouse in Calgary. He also tells me he has a huge warehouse in Ontario with over 5000 engines.

I entered the shop to browse around, maybe price out an engine and whatever. I go into the back room where all the engines are stored and begin asking about a B16A1 engine. I was told that a B16 swap would cost me around 3000 in total installed. I began to ask him what other options there were. He told me I could go for a DOHC ZC. That sounded like a better deal to me. I asked him the specs and he told me 140hp. I liked the fact that it only had 20 less hp than a B16 but was only 750 while I could use my Si tranny and was a straight drop in. I was basically set on getting this engine when I came up with the money.Now I, like any other educated person ask "well what if i put this engine in my car and there is something wrong with it?" I recieve a reply similar to this: "We have a 30 day warranty, if you drop it in and it doesnt start or smokes or whatever, we will replace the engine" This "warranty" also appealed to me.

I get home and begin to do my research on this "ZC". I find out the specs say it has 130 hp. I figure oh, well whatever maybe Shoaib got a little confused, only 10 hp diff. When the flames run was going on I won a pair of tickets to Game 6, against Tampa. I decided to sell them so I could have some extra money to get my "new" engine in faster. I came across someone who said he could do the full install, including a timing belt, all fluids, new axles, ZC tranny (shorter gearing) and various other small things all for 1500. The deal was he would get the engine from jdmsource and I would pay for it. We met up and I gave him a deposit of 800 so he could go pick up the engine and tranny from jdmsource. The day before the swap, I decided to clean off my exhaust tip with some degreaser. I made it look brand new again thinking to myself this would be the last time I cleaned up the burned oil residue off my exhaust tip. I end up getting this all set up and on a Saturday morning in June, 2004, I drop my car off at the guy's garage. At the end of the day around 9:00, my car was ready and running. I was very happy that my car would no longer smoke. I was wrong. As soon as the car was started up, I could smell the burned oil coming out of my exhaust. I thought to myself, "well this engine hasnt been started up in probably 10 years, may just be some stuff
burning". I was told to give it about a week and all the stuff would burn off. 3 days went by and it was starting to be worse than my old engine. I e-mailed Shoaib and asked him if it was normal to smoke and he told me "Yeah, it will smoke for about a week to burn off all the excess oil".

After about a week and a half of waiting anxiously for my car to be "normal" I noticed it still smoked pretty bad. On June 19, 2004 I e-mailed Shoaib to see what he could do for me. He told me that since I wasn't present when the engine was purchased, he could not do anything, the installer would have to take care of this. Now about 10 minutes before the engine was picked up from jdmsource, I personally handed the money to the installer. This seems a little odd to me. I paid for the engine, why would the installer have to deal with him and not me? I call up the installer and he tells me he is busy until about mid-July to take a look at the engine. I did not want to wait that long since 30 days would have been up so I e-mailed Shoaib again stating that the 30 days were going to be up and the "warranty" would have been finished. This is the e-mail i recieved back:
_______________________
Hey
The 30 day warranty is when you play gst which u didn’t pay
Japan Domestic Motor

Thank you for choosing JDM

Your Number One Source for JDM engines and Transmissions and Accessories!

1.866.717.4252

www.jdmsource.ca
_____________________

So at that point I began to doubt this guy. After all that, he changes his policy about his warranty. What kind of company does that shit. Any person in their right mind would "pay the gst" for a warranty on a used engine and if he would have mentioned that, then as God as my witness, the GST would have been paid. About a week later I e-mail him again asking if he was trying to screw me over since I had not heard a word from him for a while and the warranty deadline was approaching. Here is his response:
______________________________
Hey

What do u mean trying to screw you over? I told you that I will give an engine just talk to John to see what he will do, or if its just a valve seals, cuz if it is the valve seals that is not the warranty and can be fixed easily



Japan Domestic Motor

Thank you for choosing JDM

Your Number One Source for JDM engines and Transmissions and Accessories!

1.866.717.4252

www.jdmsource.ca
_________________________
I finally get a hold of the installer and I get to his house to do a compression check. The 2 ways an engine could be smoking are:
a)Valve seals
b)Piston rings
If it was the piston rings, then most likely, the compression would be low. He did a check and the compression turned out to be normal (~170). He came up to the conclusion that it was valve seals. I e-mailed him again to tell him what we found out and this was his reply:
__________________
talk to John and see what he can do for you, cuz that has nothing to do with me! And then what ever John tells me to do is cool, if he says no the seals cant be fixed and u need another motor then that’s fine you will get another one!



Japan Domestic Motor

Thank you for choosing JDM

Your Number One Source for JDM engines and Transmissions and Accessories!

1.866.717.4252

www.jdmsource.ca
______________________

Around the time of the stampede, we set up a time to change the valve seals. The deal was if he changed the valve seals and it was fixed, I would pay 200. If it didn't work, he would take a loss on the time. I agreed to this hoping this nightmare would be over. It turned out not to be valve seals. It still smoked terribly. Now everytime I mention "smoking", I am not talking a little puff, I mean a huge cloud of embarassing blue stinky smoke. I mean I honestly can not have my sunroof or windows open while driving or else I get the sick smell of burnt oil in my car. Even all my friends mention to me "Hey theres something wrong with your car man"

Since the valve seals were changed and it still smoked, the only other thing it could be was the piston rings. At this time, the engine was to be replaced by the "warranty". The only thing is that jdmsource did not have any ZCs in stock. I was to wait for the next shipment from Japan. I waited and a shipment finally came in. I was told that all the engines that were supposed to be DOHC ZCs turned out to be SOHC ZCs. I now had to wait for another shipment. Another shipment finally arrived, and it turned out he only recieved 1 DOHC ZC. I was happy at least there was 1 this time. I go to jdmsource and meet up with Shoaib and the installer. He mentions to me he has 1, but it is in really bad shape and he would not want that engine in his car if he had the choice. I went to take a look at it and noticed that it really was. There was spray paint all over it, and it just generally looked like shit. I over heard them talking that the engine was already sold anyway. (Why would he say an engine is shitty but ends up selling it?).

I finally decide I am sick and tired of waiting so long for a stupid engine that didn't smoke so I just mention that I would like to do a SOHC ZC instead of the DOHC. The SOHC ZC is almost identical to the stock D16A6 and has the same power. All this trouble to get the same engine as I started with? I really didn't care anymore about power. All I wanted was to have a car that I could drive around with and not suffocate people driving behind me. Also, I thought I could maybe get a refund for the difference between the SOHC and the DOHC to help pay for the labour which I had to pay again. The prices he lists the motors at means I should get 150-200 back.

I now had to set up a time with the installer to get this engine in. The spot was about a month later (November 12, 2004). During this period I begin to think to myself, well since I am waiting a month anyway, I could just wait to see if he got any DOHC ZCs in the mean time. I phone him up and ask him when his next shipment would be. His reply (in an angry tone):
___________________
"I'm not getting any for a while now. I shouldn't even have to give you a new one. I am doing you a huge favour. The 30 days was up a long time ago. You drove on it for so long. You could have messed it up even more. You didn't make an effort to find out when I had some DOHC ZCs in stock. I had no way of letting you know when I got some in."
_________________

Isn't it funny how I didn't make an effort to find out when he had some in stock when I was told not to contact him, just contact John if I had anything to say abou the engine? Isn't it wierd how he had no way of contacting me when we have many many messages from eachother on beyond and e-mail? Whatever, I didn't care anymore. I didn't want to deal with his shit anymore.

So November 12 came and John was waiting for me in his garage with the SOHC ZC on the hoist. I asked if he could check the clutch too since I felt it wasn't grabbing as good as it should. He pulled it all apart, and phoned me telling me that the clutch was almost bald. I got my old clutch and flywheel to him and he installed that. What I don't understand, is how does an engine that is guaranteed "less than 90 000km", have a clutch that is almost about to explode, and burns more oil than the same engine with over 350 000km?

The install went fine, and we fired it up. I drove it home and waited until tomorrow in the daytime to see if it was a smoker. I noticed a bit of blue smoke, but figured it was just the residue being burned off in my exhaust pipes. A week went by, and I checked out the oil level every day. I noticed a slight drop in the oil level (not nearly as bad as the old one, but about a litre every 2 weeks). I decided I was going to bite the bullet and not fuck around with car engines/swaps anymore because I was honestly just fed up. Meanwhile, I was question Shoaib why he wouldn't refund the difference between the DOHC and SOHC engines. As expected, he blew me off telling me he was doing me a favour and that he did not owe me anything. I waited until after the install to ask him about it because I feared he would give me another "dud" engine and that I would waste another 400 bucks on labour. He continued to blow me off until I decided to mention to him that I would pass on the word that he ripped me off. He came up withe idea that he would sell me a set of Megan Racing lowering springs at his cost, and the installer would install them for free. Where in that equation does jdmsource come in? How does jdmsource help solve the problem by selling me a set of springs at cost? (i'm guessing about a 40 dollar savings).

I wasnt't going to post this unless the "new" enging was causing problems, and it is, so here is an update. It is now February 16, 2004 and about 3 weeks ago I noticed an increasing smell of burning oil while driving. Much to my delight, I am now back to filling up oil every 6 days (about 1 litre).

Conclusion:
In total, I have paid 2300. That amount is not including all the extra oil I had to purchase. For the 2300 I spent, I now have a SOHC ZC (same engine i started with) that runs like shit and burns more oil than my very first engine. For an additional 700 dollars, I could have had a B16A installed and running. If I would have known, of course I wouldn't have done any of this. Now the questions.
What am I going to do about this? Nothing. I guess since the 30 days is up I really shouldnt do anything about it. Do I expect him to do anything about it? As much as I would like it, of course I don't expect anything from him. If he wouldnt do anything in the first place, why would he do it now. You might ask why am I posting this novel. It's because I just want everyone who reads this to know about this situation. Basically, I am suggesting do not purchase anything from JDMSource unless you absolutely have to. Try other places like Speed Tech or Custom Auto before you talk to jdmsource. Now I know there are going to be people to reply in this thread saying they have had nothing but the best experience with him and that he is a good, and that's good for you, but I am just telling you my story.
My Suggestions:
1. Don't buy an engine from JDMSource--2/2 I purchased were complete shit.
2. If you have to buy one from them, make sure you get all the "warranty" details in writing, and explained to you perfectly.
3. Also, if you do buy one, get it rebuilt before you waste the money to install it in your car only to find out how shitty it is.

Thanks for reading, i'd just like to hear your thoughts about this.

Weapon_R
02-16-2005, 05:11 PM
I actually read the entire thing.

Shoaib is a good friend of mine and I have always known him to be a stand up guy. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to foresee a bad engine before it is installed, unless it is rebuilt (kind of takes the point out of buying a new engine though). Best of luck with clearing this up, hopefully things will be sorted out quickly.

lastprodigy
02-16-2005, 05:15 PM
read it also, good read

I guess beyond members will have to keep it in mind!

I gues it is also hard to forsee a condition of an engine but then he should at least honor the "warranty", gues syou should hav gotten it in writting since im sure he knew you were purchasing the engine...note this is all based on your side of the story but im aure you wouldnt post it if you didnt belive you were taken!

leave a trader rating..:dunno:

EK 2.0
02-16-2005, 05:15 PM
there are always three sides to every story...

the sides of both parties and then the truth...


I for one, and many more on this forum will agree with me, have never had any issues whatsoever when dealing with Shoaib...I do feel for your situation Sabad66, as I do know what it like to be in your situation and out "X" number of dollars...but, I have to agree with Weapon_R...it is difficult to forsee the condition of an engine when only doing a compression test, until you get the motor in and drive around with it for a bit...

I just hope the situation is resolved and that it works out for everyone involved...

Skylinelover
02-16-2005, 05:18 PM
Damn now a little iffy on buying my rb from them...:dunno:

TypeS
02-16-2005, 05:18 PM
thats downright low, the engine was a dud, he told you he'd replace it if the seals werent the problem.......but in the end he gives you a lesser motor and doesnt even refund you anything.
I'd like to know how this is doing you a favor.:dunno:

method
02-16-2005, 05:18 PM
lesson learned: you roll the dice when you buy used japanese engines.

I have seen many similar experiences.

most of these guys just bring the engines over... they arent engine diagnosticians. they might know a thing or two, but more often than not they are not prepared/equipped or willing to deal with a problem with an engine they sold.

danno
02-16-2005, 05:19 PM
i think it is good that you post this type of stuff. i have been there and i felt it was a decent company, i never bought anything but it seemed to be ok. i have been to almost every shop in the city that i know of and there is only 2 that i deal with. when my engine was swapped i got the b16 and it cost me 4g, so if you could get it done for 3 that would be a sweet deal. anyways i asked the same questions of speedtech about the warranty, they have a 90 day warranty. best i could find. also they adjust the valves for me for free. don't know if that is normal but they did it.
all i can say is you had some bad luck, it's the way of the car world. sorry to hear it

heavyD
02-16-2005, 05:24 PM
JDM engines are hit & miss. I have seen internal pics of JDM 4G63's that looked brand new inside and I have also seen ones that look like the oil never got changed. Many of them will burn oil as they have sat so long that all of the seals have dried up. Shitty deal though.

EK 2.0
02-16-2005, 05:32 PM
Originally posted by heavyD
Many of them will burn oil as they have sat so long that all of the seals have dried up. Shitty deal though.


that's what happened to Cyclone when i had her mill swapped in for the first lil bit...swapped in new seals and BAM...newer engine...

Def_3
02-16-2005, 05:43 PM
I purchased a 90 accord, blew the engine within a month, went to SHohab, bought the JDM F20 engine, within 10 minutes delivery guy was there to drop off my car and engine, two days later it was ready

Still runing amazing and waiting for turbo setup!

I give my experience with him 9/10, and would recomend JDMSOurce to anyone (as I do already)

Im sorry for the bad experience, hope it all works out!

I am sure there was some misunderstanding, as I was very impressed with the service I got

I went as far as purchasing my full kit, springs, and exhaust from Shohab, without any problems ever!

:thumbsup:

Speed_69
02-16-2005, 06:04 PM
Thanks for the post! very interesting story you have.
when i buy my civic h/b in the very near future, i was going to go to jdmsource to get a b16a but after hearing your story now, my opinion has changed. i guess i'll be off to speedtech.

yohan4ws
02-16-2005, 06:10 PM
Sorry to hear about you bad experience.

I'm really shocked to hear this, Shoaib was always great to me and got me my engine(h22) and parts(timing belt clutch etc) for it and really came through for me when my H23 went in my Prelude.

Unfortunately, like others have said, it is hit and miss with JDM engines especially older ones. I'm sorry to hear that you are still driving many months later pluming blue smoke and having spend so much on 2 engines..

Are you still chatting with shoaib ? If I were you, I'd suggest getting a HUGE discount on a B16 like you originally wanted ..

If you go this route, choose your own engine .. take off the valve cover, make sure its clean and doenst have brown dinge on it (brown stuff is dried oil so you know it'll have been sitting a while)..

I've only heard Shoaib to be a stand up guy ... maybe its worth a last chance, even now that you have this thread up here which I'm sure he's seen by now.

In any even good luck with everything, hope you get it sorted.

xDiMSuMx
02-16-2005, 06:51 PM
Sorry to hear about your experience with JDM source
Mine worked out great..

I had the sohc zc put into my crx a few months ago
everything went smoothly, quick install, doesn't burn any oil at all

Manimillion
02-16-2005, 06:59 PM
Is JDM Source affiliated with Total JDM?

http://www.totaljdm.com/

EDIT : I believe it is, and his so called warehouse in Ontario.... Because here in Ottawa, they say they have a huge warehouse in Alberta :dunno:

I know so because of NEWKDESIGN logo on the bottom, the person who runs the Ontario place owns that company as well.

Lo)2enz0
02-16-2005, 07:27 PM
well i just finished you essay, and....

shoieb does run a company that has taken over the whole aftermarket scene. Like almost everyone buys there engines from him and ussually they are pleased with it. But there are cases where problems do occur. Like for instance my friend who trashed his tranny on his only b16a went to him to get a replacement was convinced to buy another engine and it isn't as good as the old one because it smokes and it grinds going into 3rd, but these are problems that you can't avoid because its always a risk when buying a used engine. Even with my engine that I bought from him, 2 months after driving it my turbo disconnected and the oil retrieve line snapped. But these are just things that happen. He is a good guy but when you are buying an engine thats that old (like my ca18det) your taking even more of a risk because you really do not know how the person over in japan was keeping it. sorry to hear about your bad luck.

Laurier

futurecivic
02-16-2005, 08:15 PM
wow one hell of a story. i met him a couplle of years ago befroe he set up jdm source over here was a really nice guy trying his best to get his shop up and going and from what ive heard from a bunch of people that i work with they have nothing but nice things to say about him im going to be buying an engine soon and its most likly going to be rom jdm source. sorry to hear about your car and engines hope there is better luck in the future

finboy
02-16-2005, 08:17 PM
you bought a used motor, and like buying any used part, there is always a risk it could be dead, i don't think you have any reason to complain about it, and the cost of instal isn't the fault of the company that sold you the part.

this should be a lesson to everyone, do a rebuild before you install it. even for a quick head rebuild (guides, seales, make sure its level), ring/bearing job, and a re-gasket, will save you a lot of headaches. at the very least, do a compression test AND a leakdown test, these tests take a matter of minutes and it will tell you if the motor is bad or not. I'd guess that the motor in question probably dropped a valve guide if the compression was still holding well.

for all of those who are thinking of avoiding jdmsource because of 1 complaint, i would recomend looking at the majority of their customers who have had great luck with their motors, and instead of cheaping out, just take a little more time and check the motor out before you install it so you can return it incase it is bad.

INITIALD
02-16-2005, 09:07 PM
Ive bought many things from Shoaib, including 2 motors. Havent had a bad experience yet. You bought a ZC motor what do you expect.

illeagle
02-16-2005, 09:21 PM
shoaib is a good guy.. it's funny only sabad66 is the one crying...maybe it's cuz you were being a prick about it? I'm saying that cuz, the way JDMsource replied to your PM's, it seems as though your getting on his nerves. Of course your gonna write a thread making JDMsource look like the bad guys..Maybe sabad66 is right? but then that brings us back to how come only one guy is crying...shit happens man..deal with it...what is it that you want? A FREE A++ condition motor? Or FREE repairs?

I am a customer of jdmsource..i've bought motors, and a few accessories, he even pointed me in the direction of a reputable installer, not 'some guy i know' like what sabad66 did. Maybe sabad66's motor installer has the GOOD motor from shoaib, and the one in your civic is your installer's old shitty, blown unit?? I know it can happen...it was done to me, but with tranny's.

my advise, save up some money for a new motor, scalp more tickets, or buy a repair manual, and start fixing your motor.

jdmsource
02-16-2005, 09:21 PM
just finished reading the story.
ok, I am not gonna deny the fact that the original ZC was burning oil and lots of it, This motor was not directly purchased through me originally,(and i am not saying that i was not gonna help out if any problems occured with it). anyways when sabadd66 informed me of this, i said that he should take this matter up with the person that got him the motor ( "john") and if there is a problem, "john" would take it up with me and i would solve it, so he did that and like he said they changed the valve seals and nothing happened. at the time i didnt have any DOHC ZC all i got was a wack load of SOHC ones, so i told him if he wanted to wait for a dohc one he is more than weloome to and when i get one it would be his, but he said no a SOHC one would be fine. got that installed and asked him how it was and he said was fine, and then he called me to ask for a $100, i said instead of money i could either help him out with some parts or he had told me that he wanted to lower his car so i offered to get him springs at my cost and the install would be free. anyways so after that everything was ok and i never heard from him again about any problems, and now i read that he is having problems with the second one and Sabadd66 if u wanted me to do anything about it, it would be good to atleast inform me about it first.

All in all i am not bending the story or denying that the ZC was burning oil and i did offer help. for those of you who know me and have dealt with me, know that i am not here to "screw" people and sell bad motors, if i was i dont think i wouild be in business still! there is gonna be the odd "dud" out of the bunch but i do my best to satify the customer wether it be a new motor or replacement parts, and in this case sabadd66 if you only would have informed me of ur further problems, i would have made sure something would have happened to better suite you. Even though, it has been a long time after the warranty preiod for ur ZC i am still gonna offer to help you out so check your message and give me a call!

jdmsource
02-16-2005, 09:24 PM
Originally posted by DevilOnWheelz
Is JDM Source affiliated with Total JDM?

http://www.totaljdm.com/

EDIT : I believe it is, and his so called warehouse in Ontario.... Because here in Ottawa, they say they have a huge warehouse in Alberta :dunno:

I know so because of NEWKDESIGN logo on the bottom, the person who runs the Ontario place owns that company as well.

LOL in no way, shape or form is JDMSource affliated with totaljdm.com, Yes, my website was done by Newkdesign, and he is an employee for totaljdm.com!

Team_Mclaren
02-16-2005, 09:59 PM
Sorry to hear your incident with jdmsource, but I hope you can get better luck next time.

As many stated, its a hit and miss in buying a used engine. But I can ensure you that shoaib and his company does all that they can to check the engine prior to delivery. I spent many hours at the shop over the summer to help out, chat and such. I can ensure you that they do spend time on every motor to make sure that their customer will be happy with what they are getting. But of course, there are only so much you can do/test without putting it into an actual car. I guess it was just bad luck with your case.

Here's a little side story I have:

So almost a month ago, I was there to check out the new stuff and talk to a friend etc. Just as we were ready to head out few mins prior to closing, I notice a mazda V6 prepped and all ready to go, he told me some lucky guy bought it and claims its an klze... but the problem was, the V6 at the shop had a "Ford" valve cover on it. As a mazda/mx3 enthusiast, I know that the klze never came with a "ford" label valve cover. Such case I have read about and provesd that its not a true KLZE but instead a USDM KLDE, some shops in the east coast has pulled the same trick as to scam buyers for a much cheaper engine.

So what did we do, I jumped onto the interent and look for a few source/article im familiar with to prove him such case. After looking/reading for quite some time, we still cant be sure. So we dig out more info, got the headcode/camcode for a true klze, and start digging around the motor to find such codes. after some time, we got the head/cam code and found that it was indeel a real KLZE. By the time we were 100% sure it was almost 6.

He had to find out the identity of the motor as it was ready to be deilvery first thing next morning. He didnt want to ship the V6 before make sure its what the customer wanted. so We spent the extra time for all the research just to be sure so customer would be satisfied. You can't expect better customer service than that really.


Originally posted by method
lesson learned: you roll the dice when you buy used japanese engines.

I have seen many similar experiences.

most of these guys just bring the engines over... they arent engine diagnosticians. they might know a thing or two, but more often than not they are not prepared/equipped or willing to deal with a problem with an engine they sold.

This is not the case, if you have ever talked to him personally, you will for sure find him very knowledgeable. He is a car enthusiast as well...



sabad66: Im not saying your wrong, but really it might just be horrible luck on your side. I have had no problem dealing with Shoaib, we didnt know each other till I bought something from him, and now we are good friends. I bought a deck from him way backwhen he just started, had problems with the deck, he even offered to wire it to the car for me. after a few days without luck with the deck, he replaced it with a better/nicer unit along with a free 12 disc charger. Thats when I truely respect him and his great business pratice/attitute. Honestly, how can you expect so much support from many many pervious buyers if you are out there to scam someone. he couldnt pay us all to write something nice about him...(even tho that would be nice... :D)

Thats my side of the story in dealing with jdmsource, hope it helps future potential buyers/customers. cheers

JordanEG6
02-16-2005, 10:03 PM
I've known Shoahib for a little over a year and fortunately in my experience, I had no problems dealing with him. He's a pretty stand up guy as Weapon_R stated and will do alotta things to resolve any problems concerning his motors or anything at his warehouse. It's unfortunate for something like this to happen but like as stated before, you cant really tell the actual condition of the motor by looking at it.

I've purchased interior parts and a motor from him and not once did i ever had to come back and complain. My motor had a fucked release bearing but its not his fault and easily replacable. I say you buy motors from JDM at your own risk. Shoahib has no way of indicating how good the motor is, in some cases its easy to tell visually, but if you swap a 5-10 yr old motor, expect some difficulties along the way and be prepared to fix it.

I really hope something like this doesnt happen again and i hope this thrread wont make people second guess on going to jdm, because honestly hes a good, reasonable guy to deal with and his sources are reliable. And one conflict like this shouldnt define shoahibs way of doing business.

Skylinelover
02-16-2005, 10:09 PM
Originally posted by TeamCrewcial
I've known Shoahib for a little over a year and fortunately in my experience, I had no problems dealing with him. He's a pretty stand up guy as Weapon_R stated and will do alotta things to resolve any problems concerning his motors or anything at his warehouse. It's unfortunate for something like this to happen but like as stated before, you cant really tell the actual condition of the motor by looking at it.

I've purchased interior parts and a motor from him and not once did i ever had to come back and complain. My motor had a fucked release bearing but its not his fault and easily replacable. I say you buy motors from JDM at your own risk. Shoahib has no way of indicating how good the motor is, in some cases its easy to tell visually, but if you swap a 5-10 yr old motor, expect some difficulties along the way and be prepared to fix it.

I really hope something like this doesnt happen again and i hope this thrread wont make people second guess on going to jdm, because honestly hes a good, reasonable guy to deal with and his sources are reliable. And one conflict like this shouldnt define shoahibs way of doing business.
I just going to point a point out. You should make sure the engine runs well before you sell it. I mean that is kinda sad if you just visually look over and engine and make a judgment just based on how it looks.

Also did you read the thread? Because your saying it is alright not to give this person anything and that it is their fault and that Shoabi should not be atleats somewhat resposible for this.

Team_Mclaren
02-16-2005, 10:13 PM
Originally posted by Skylinelover

I just going to point a point out. You should make sure the engine runs well before you sell it. I mean that is kinda sad if you just visually look over and engine and make a judgment just based on how it looks.

They dont just look at it... (visual inspection), every motor was compression tested, ran before they ship them out. I was there to help out doing just that during the busy seasons. But again, there are only so much you can do to test it without putting it into a car.

Manimillion
02-16-2005, 10:19 PM
Originally posted by jdmsource


LOL in no way, shape or form is JDMSource affliated with totaljdm.com, Yes, my website was done by Newkdesign, and he is an employee for totaljdm.com!

Sorry for the wrong assumption then. I thought he owns totaljdm tho?

Superesc
02-16-2005, 10:21 PM
I've have no problem what so ever dealing with JDMsource, always great to deal with.

sabad66
02-16-2005, 10:54 PM
Originally posted by illeagle
shoaib is a good guy.. it's funny only sabad66 is the one crying...maybe it's cuz you were being a prick about it? I'm saying that cuz, the way JDMsource replied to your PM's, it seems as though your getting on his nerves.
LOL, don't even get me started with the PMs. If anyone were to see the pms, they would truly see who the "prick" is. And i'm sorry if questioning the motor was getting on his nerves. I forgot I'm not allowed to question anything...


Originally posted by illeagle
Of course your gonna write a thread making JDMsource look like the bad guys..Maybe sabad66 is right? but then that brings us back to how come only one guy is crying...shit happens man..deal with it...what is it that you want? A FREE A++ condition motor? Or FREE repairs?
Please refer to my first post where I said I was telling my story, and I know there are more positive than negative.


Originally posted by illeagle
I am a customer of jdmsource..i've bought motors, and a few accessories, he even pointed me in the direction of a reputable installer, not 'some guy i know' like what sabad66 did. Maybe sabad66's motor installer has the GOOD motor from shoaib, and the one in your civic is your installer's old shitty, blown unit?? I know it can happen...it was done to me, but with tranny's.
Actually, the installer is a very loyal customer to Shoaib, and he actually refers people to this mechanic. So next time, get your facts straight before you post.


Originally posted by illeagle
my advise, save up some money for a new motor, scalp more tickets, or buy a repair manual, and start fixing your motor.
Thanks for the advice, i'll take it into consideration. However if/when I decide to get a new motor, it will not be from jdmsource. And anyone I know personally, will not be purchasing from there, that's a promise.

EDIT: Mods, feel free to check my pm inbox and read the messages to prove i'm not lying. Thanks.

Foreign1
02-16-2005, 10:55 PM
Better luck next time, do your research before purchasing anything people!!!

sabad66
02-16-2005, 10:57 PM
Originally posted by method
lesson learned: you roll the dice when you buy used japanese engines.

I have seen many similar experiences.

most of these guys just bring the engines over... they arent engine diagnosticians. they might know a thing or two, but more often than not they are not prepared/equipped or willing to deal with a problem with an engine they sold.
Agreed, except I learned that lesson the hard way. The engines are just delivered here from Japan. That's why I would suggest a shop like Speed Tech since they actually hand pick the engines they bring in. In all honesty, no one would hand pick the engines that I had.

sabad66
02-16-2005, 11:03 PM
Originally posted by Team_Mclaren


They dont just look at it... (visual inspection), every motor was compression tested, ran before they ship them out. I was there to help out doing just that during the busy seasons. But again, there are only so much you can do to test it without putting it into a car.
As far as I know, the engines aren't started before being sold. Because starting the engine I originally had would have suffocated them on start up...

sabad66
02-16-2005, 11:11 PM
I guess the point of this thread was to let everyone know my experience. I know for a fact there will be much more positive responses about jdmsource than negative. I know why too. I was reluctant to make this post because he is a sponsor, and it helps pay the bills of this site. But when you fill up oil every week, have embarassing blue smoke pouring out of your muffler (enough to the point people switch lanes/pass me so it doesnt get in their cars), paying labour for 2 motor installs which both sucked and in total dumping over 2300 bucks on absolutely nothing, you could see the situation I am in. 2300 may not be a lot to some of you guys on this site, but it is to a student. I was dumb when I bought the engine. I should have realized that it is a used engine, but when you hear "guaranteed under 90k kms" you have to assume its going to be decent. I personally don't know any owner of a car with under 90k kms that burns 1L of oil every 3 days. But I have to say that I feel I was taken advantage of. He knew I was a newb about the whole import car scene at the time. I mean, I came in asking if the B16 was a 1.6L! You'd think a decent person wouldn't try to take advantage of a newb and bullshit his way to a sale. I know there are other people on this board (many have pm'd me) who have been in the same boat as me who don't want to share because this is beyond--and everyone knows how out of hand it can get at times.

jdmsource
02-16-2005, 11:19 PM
Originally posted by sabad66
I guess the point of this thread was to let everyone know my experience. I know for a fact there will be much more positive responses about jdmsource than negative. I know why too. I was reluctant to make this post because he is a sponsor, and it helps pay the bills of this site. But when you fill up oil every week, have embarassing blue smoke pouring out of your muffler (enough to the point people switch lanes/pass me so it doesnt get in their cars), paying labour for 2 motor installs which both sucked and in total dumping over 2300 bucks on absolutely nothing, you could see the situation I am in. 2300 may not be a lot to some of you guys on this site, but it is to a student. I was dumb when I bought the engine. I should have realized that it is a used engine, but when you hear "guaranteed under 90k kms" you have to assume its going to be decent. I personally don't know any owner of a car with under 90k kms that burns 1L of oil every 3 days. But I have to say that I feel I was taken advantage of. He knew I was a newb about the whole import car scene at the time. I mean, I came in asking if the B16 was a 1.6L! You'd think a decent person wouldn't try to take advantage of a newb and bullshit his way to a sale. I know there are other people on this board (many have pm'd me) who have been in the same boat as me who don't want to share because this is beyond--and everyone knows how out of hand it can get at times.


dude! for the millionth time how did i BS you to buy a motor? for god sake u didnt even tell me u wanted a motor, "john jsut came in and said i need a ZC, so how did i BS you into buying a motor? and also for the millionth time if u want to sovle this matter, CALL me or at least return my PMs:banghead:

ex1z7
02-16-2005, 11:24 PM
The only dealings I had with JDMSource was inquiring on a CA18DET - which he was quick to respond and told me everything I needed to know.. I'd go to JDMSource before any other place when I do a swap..

I also learned some pretty useful information reading this thread, I'm going to start looking at rebuild costs included in the engine purchase, so I can start saving...

Sorry you got lemon engines.

donz
02-16-2005, 11:40 PM
I have personally purchased an engine from shoaib and JDM. Honestly he helped me out as much as he could. I feel sorry for what happened to your engines but that happens, you are buying a used engine, which came from japan, and probably sat for over 5 years, so it is expected that some of them won't be good. You can not blame the labour thing on JDM, and I guarentee that any engine importer on the net will not reinburse you for the labour, it your responsibility to check it out first. I know shoaib isn't trying to rip you off, he replaced your engine and got you suspension stuff to try and make things right, it's hard to complain....

jhmed
02-16-2005, 11:47 PM
You know, speaking as someone who has been in the automotive industry for a little under 10 years, I don't think you are being entirely fair in this matter, Sabbad.

The first mistake you made was not picking up the engine yourself or at least being present when the transaction took place.

The second was not getting JDMs receipt from your 'installer'... If you got a receipt, that would have meant that the other party paid the GST and you would be entitled to the warranty. You do know why he wanted to pick up the engine don't you? He wanted to make some extra cash off your ass.

JDM didn't change his warranty policy. I bought my old ZC from Yoko before JDM was around ('99) and that policy of no receipt no GST no warranty is standard there too, as well as various other establishments running the gambit from electronics, to furniture to car parts. I'm 30 years old and for as long as I can remember thats the way the world has worked.

It sounds to me that JDM Source is being more than fair and offering you a warranty on an engine you didn't buy (regardless of who you 'handed the money' to), and for an engine you have no receipt for.

The only thing he is guilty of is not having a replacement DOHC ZC for you when you 'wanted' it. Selling out of ZCs is certainly not his fault, and should not be held against him.

You should be looking to your installer for some 'warranty' since he is the one who dropped the ball and didn't get the engine with a warranty.

dezinr
02-16-2005, 11:53 PM
I am here to offer support to JDMSource and his installer. I know JDMS professionally and personally for over a year now and have know his installer for many years. Working in a professional field where I deal with clients everyday, and making sure you do your best to meet their needs is difficult. I give JDMsource credit for doing what they do and I know they present themselves in the most professional and sincere manner. Until you have been in a similar situation you should be careful of how you judge their demeaner. I know the extent to which things are checked and the care that goes into the work.

I am very familiar with this situation. I also know that there was much time and energy that the person who posted this thread does not know about with respect to trying to resolve this problem. I agree with those who posted with regards to buying a used engine. These motors are coming over seas on crates and have been sitting for some time. So with anything that isn't new there is always a possibility that something can go wrong, and that is a chance anyone takes when going this route. Even when buying a brand new car you may experience problems. Its a machine and will have glitches.

I find it very disreputable that you have posted the story in a manner that demeans someones character in such a way. You may present your case in forums such as these but the use of names is unethical. You have presented a case that has not given someone equal opportunity to rebut your accusations. They are automatically on the defense, which can cause unjust interpretations of anything they say. I suggest that you learn to solve your matters in a respectable manner that does not involve charater bashing like this.

Many people have had great service and work from JDMSource and this becomes a stab at there character as well.

For all any of us know you could be in sponsorship with any of his competitors and this is simply a means of trying to discredit JDMSource to benefit them. I do not believe this was your intentions but it is a legitimate question considering you have brought their names into this situation.

I offer this as support for a respectable business and appreciate the memebers of beyond for the opportunity to present this.

finboy
02-17-2005, 12:04 AM
Originally posted by sabad66
I guess the point of this thread was to let everyone know my experience. I know for a fact there will be much more positive responses about jdmsource than negative. I know why too. I was reluctant to make this post because he is a sponsor, and it helps pay the bills of this site. But when you fill up oil every week, have embarassing blue smoke pouring out of your muffler (enough to the point people switch lanes/pass me so it doesnt get in their cars), paying labour for 2 motor installs which both sucked and in total dumping over 2300 bucks on absolutely nothing, you could see the situation I am in. 2300 may not be a lot to some of you guys on this site, but it is to a student. I was dumb when I bought the engine. I should have realized that it is a used engine, but when you hear "guaranteed under 90k kms" you have to assume its going to be decent. I personally don't know any owner of a car with under 90k kms that burns 1L of oil every 3 days. But I have to say that I feel I was taken advantage of. He knew I was a newb about the whole import car scene at the time. I mean, I came in asking if the B16 was a 1.6L! You'd think a decent person wouldn't try to take advantage of a newb and bullshit his way to a sale. I know there are other people on this board (many have pm'd me) who have been in the same boat as me who don't want to share because this is beyond--and everyone knows how out of hand it can get at times.

-it doesn't matter if he is a sponsor, everyone here who is supporting him is doing it because they have had no problems dealing with him
-you can't blame him because you got charged so much for labour
-by recomending the zc, he was saving you money, just because you got a dud doesn't mean its his fault, you didn't have the motor checked over by your installer, so you can't really blame that on shoaib either
-if the car was driven hard, it's not unheard of for it to blow up before it reaches 100,000 km's

in short, most of this is your fault for not doing enough research on the motor that you bought.

kenny
02-17-2005, 12:19 AM
This thread will never bring any sort of closure to the problem listed by the thread starter. All we are going to have is people posting their great experiences and then others posting their bad experiences. This is a fact of business life.

I am sure there are lots of people who have had bad service at all the shops around town, some speak up and some don't. Its usually the ones that have had the worse experience that speak up while the more satisfied customers usually don't say anything.

In this situation because there was so many parties involved in the transactions things are getting a bit unclear. It is not clear what role the person that actually bought the engine played in all of this, and if he negotiated a different price for the motor to make his share of profit. There is no way anyone reading this thread can offer advice because no one is directly involved and don't know all the FACTS. The situation would seem to have been over when you had the second motor installed. You in fact stated you were not going to post this thread unless something bad happened to the motor -- which finally did happen now, February 2005. You must admit it has been awhile.

One thing I did want to add was that sponsors on beyond.ca do not have any special treatment. Actions also won't be taken against individuals speaking up against a company just because they are a sponsor. However, it must be done in a civil manner or threads will be closed and/or users banned. The whole point of discussion forums is to share information like this but we cannot allow it to turn into an all out war between satisfied customers and dissatisfied customers.

78si
02-17-2005, 12:36 AM
Well I think this thread has gone too far! I sold and installed sabbad's engine. Yes it did burn oil and we did try to to make him happy. Last we heard everything was ok! I have installed 25+ JDM engines in the last year and have only had problems with yours. I would have like to have known that you were having problems as I'm not that hard to get a hold of.

I am (and was) more than willing to help you out! I will resolve this problem with you at any level. I have a B18a with free install if your interested. Problems are never solved over a forum. This thread was unnecessary, I'm sorry to hear that you had such bad luck.. Like I said- I'm more than willing to help you out!

illeagle
02-17-2005, 12:49 AM
sorry diden't know who installed...78si, is the guy installing my motor, and he's good at what he does, and honest..
that rules out a shady installer..

BlackArcher101
02-17-2005, 01:04 AM
Doesn't anyone else wonder why he did an engine swap because his motor was burning oil, especially on a budget?

If my motor was burning oil, I wouldn't think "Hey, I might as well get an engine swap". And I'm a student to boot. Sorry, it just doesn't make sense. Did you not take apart your existing motor and try to fix it?

Lo)2enz0
02-17-2005, 01:08 AM
hey,

I have had great experiences with shoieb and his company is probably one of the best things that has happened to calgary. Speedtech is a great place but they specialize with mostly honda. I have been on websites from the states where they refer back to jdmsource and on Northwestnissans I have heard of his shop popping up here and there. Look at the s13 front ends for instant, there were 2 in calgary before i got mine and than when he started to bring them in they started popping up everywhere. So be glad you have a source like shoieb and don't put him down because even what you said he tried to help you out.

Laurier

BigBearWest
02-17-2005, 01:13 AM
I bought a ZC from them and had it installed by 78si. I have had no problems with the motor or install.

As for 78si he is a great guy. When i blew my CV shaft he was there to help me out.

As what kenny said it is a business so there will be good and bad things being said about them.

I know that i will do business with JDM and 78si again.

Just my 0.02

JordanEG6
02-17-2005, 02:17 AM
Originally posted by Skylinelover

I just going to point a point out. You should make sure the engine runs well before you sell it. I mean that is kinda sad if you just visually look over and engine and make a judgment just based on how it looks.

Also did you read the thread? Because your saying it is alright not to give this person anything and that it is their fault and that Shoabi should not be atleats somewhat resposible for this.

i didnt say anything like that. its not the buyers fault. its just a POS motor. what im pointing out to the guy is tha fact that its a bit of a risk to swap a motor because of the potential problems that can occur. if shoahib didnt feel the least bit responsible for these motors, he wouldnt have tried to help the guy, after all its his shop. its really no ones fault in my opinion, its just a huge misunderstanding and lack of communication.

chris
02-17-2005, 02:24 AM
shoab seems like a good guy. When you buy used stuff, things can go wrong. Remember that these engines came out of cars at the wreckers in japan.

sabad66
02-17-2005, 03:31 AM
Originally posted by BlackArcher101
Doesn't anyone else wonder why he did an engine swap because his motor was burning oil, especially on a budget?

If my motor was burning oil, I wouldn't think "Hey, I might as well get an engine swap". And I'm a student to boot. Sorry, it just doesn't make sense. Did you not take apart your existing motor and try to fix it?
Hmm, how much is an average price for a rebuild? Around 1500 dollars. How much would the swap have costed if it went good? Around 1500. Why not get a faster engine in the process? And taking apart a motor and trying to fix it is not as easy as it sounds. I don't have the know-how or the time to do it.

sabad66
02-17-2005, 03:38 AM
Originally posted by kenny
This thread will never bring any sort of closure to the problem listed by the thread starter. All we are going to have is people posting their great experiences and then others posting their bad experiences. This is a fact of business life.

I am sure there are lots of people who have had bad service at all the shops around town, some speak up and some don't. Its usually the ones that have had the worse experience that speak up while the more satisfied customers usually don't say anything.

In this situation because there was so many parties involved in the transactions things are getting a bit unclear. It is not clear what role the person that actually bought the engine played in all of this, and if he negotiated a different price for the motor to make his share of profit. There is no way anyone reading this thread can offer advice because no one is directly involved and don't know all the FACTS. The situation would seem to have been over when you had the second motor installed. You in fact stated you were not going to post this thread unless something bad happened to the motor -- which finally did happen now, February 2005. You must admit it has been awhile.

One thing I did want to add was that sponsors on beyond.ca do not have any special treatment. Actions also won't be taken against individuals speaking up against a company just because they are a sponsor. However, it must be done in a civil manner or threads will be closed and/or users banned. The whole point of discussion forums is to share information like this but we cannot allow it to turn into an all out war between satisfied customers and dissatisfied customers.
I agree, it's just going to go back and forth. I just posted to let people know what happened. That's all. Shoaib and I are in the process of settling this dispute anyhow. And btw, the second engine was installed November 12 and today is February 17, so that's about 95 days. 3 months isn't really that long if you think about an engine. But that's besides the point. I'll update once this is resolved.

lastprodigy
02-17-2005, 05:16 AM
wow i cant believe everyone is jumping on this sabad guy....i mean forget the gst no warranty bc the guy sellign should still stand behind his word....either way this is all based on hersey and this thread os its prolly not accurate but the guy pretty much paid a shitload of money for a shittier engine and everyone just blames him?

USHER
02-17-2005, 05:28 AM
^^ yes very true i feel for the guy and he was just ranting as he was angry and had nothing else to do. personnaly i would have done the same thing if i was him, i would also be very upset if i was in his situation...not saying that jdmsource is a bad shop...but u shouldnt blame the dude just cuz he is pissed that he lost a shitload of money and got 2 shitty engines..im sure if most of you were in his shoes u wouldnt be saying to urself its my fault im a dumbass that didnt know the engine was good before buying it..like he said b4 he was a newb so we shouldnt hate on the dude

sexualbanana
02-17-2005, 11:05 AM
Just to get my words in here;

I've had nothing but good experiences with JDM. I talked to him in February '04 about a B18 swap. We talked for awhile and offered to put it on hold for me while I scrape up the rest of the cash. No deposit was ever mentioned by him. I offered it myself because I know it is still a business that he runs, and for every engine that sits in his garage on hold, it's one engine that he can't sell or one engine that he can't put in storage to sell.

I gave him a deposit in February, he held it in his garage for me for 6 weeks until I was able to get the rest of the money. Then he held onto it for another couple weeks while I decided where to get it installed and by whom. In all that time, JDM did not complain about me while I was taking my sweet ass time. For that I really appreciated it. :thumbsup:

Then in July, in Edmonton for V8less Edmonton there was the gigantic rainstorm, which in short blew my engine. JDM did nothing but help me out with finding a new block to replace my B18.

In short, there are a lot of people on this board who have had similar experiences to mine with JDM, so don't be surprised that you're hearing a lot of praise for them.

As it relates to your case, I don't think there's really any one person at fault. It's more really a combination coming from all parties involved, PLUS a bad motor.

I hope everything gets resolved, best of luck to all of you.

finboy
02-17-2005, 11:25 AM
Originally posted by sabad66

Hmm, how much is an average price for a rebuild? Around 1500 dollars. How much would the swap have costed if it went good? Around 1500. Why not get a faster engine in the process? And taking apart a motor and trying to fix it is not as easy as it sounds. I don't have the know-how or the time to do it.

if you are paying 1500 for a quick rebuild (like the one i stated) you REALLY need to shop around more.

through my machinest...
- head rebuild - $200 COMPLETE with new guides, back cut valves, and port/polish work, and he had to repair my head from a previous crappy machinest
-put a complete motor togeather - $400 and you can probably find someone to do it cheaper then that.

and that is from a professional shop.

rings, bearings, and a gasket set shouldn't cost you more then $250 and that is a HIGH estimate.

you should really start looking around at prices man, otherwise you will keep paying out the ass for minimal results.

finboy
02-17-2005, 11:30 AM
Originally posted by USHER
^^ yes very true i feel for the guy and he was just ranting as he was angry and had nothing else to do. personnaly i would have done the same thing if i was him, i would also be very upset if i was in his situation...not saying that jdmsource is a bad shop...but u shouldnt blame the dude just cuz he is pissed that he lost a shitload of money and got 2 shitty engines..im sure if most of you were in his shoes u wouldnt be saying to urself its my fault im a dumbass that didnt know the engine was good before buying it..like he said b4 he was a newb so we shouldnt hate on the dude

the whole point of the response is to show him that he should have had the motor checked out before he put it in, that would have solve all of his problems right there. I'm guessing he has learned his lesson from this experience :)

86max
02-17-2005, 11:41 AM
Originally posted by finboy


the whole point of the response is to show him that he should have had the motor checked out before he put it in, that would have solve all of his problems right there. I'm guessing he has learned his lesson from this experience :) \

You're straying from the actual problem here, what about all his customers in the states who don't have the luxury of personally checking the motors before they buy them. Are they at fault if they get a shitty motor? Yes he should've taken the opprotunity to check it out since he lives here, but he didn't, and even so, that doesn't give him any less right to complain. I bought my motor from jdmsource, and to tell you the truth, it's perfect. It was a flawless transaction and I am extremely impressed with it. There's 3 sides to every story, and there's no way we can know all of them, so slandering the name of a business due to one un-happy customer isn't really called for, neither is making a fool out of someone who took the opprotunity to make people aware of his situation. I understand his concern, but I think it would've best been left to his own word of mouth, rather than turning potential customers away using beyond.

We all know JDMSource has a large and loyal customer base, and I'm sure this little problem will get sorted out.

EK 2.0
02-17-2005, 11:51 AM
Originally posted by 86max
but I think it would've best been left to his own word of mouth, rather than turning potential customers away using beyond.

We all know JDMSource has a large and loyal customer base, and I'm sure this little problem will get sorted out.


THIS is just it...I have loved dealing with Shoaib forever...never had one issues, his prices are fair and I have personally seen him stand by his motors and clips...

but a bad review...for those who have dealt with JDMSource and had great times such as the lot who have posted here...THEIR word of mouth to friends/family, will have the same POSITIVE impact that Sabad66's word will have a NEGATIVE impact to his/her family and friends...


what has happened here is sad yes, but is the nature of business...you cannot please every single client who walks thru the doors of your store...I know this after workin in retail for 5 years of my life...

There will always be the client who expects more than what the business offers, and NO, I am NOT stating Sabad is one of those...he should receive the same service that everyone else would get from Shoaib...nothing more, nothing less...


and once again, good luck to all parties involved...

talonboi
02-17-2005, 12:06 PM
i guess with every business u will have ur ups and downs, in my case, shohab is a very nice guy to deal with, he helped me out with my cyclone motor, gave me a good price, let me look around his shop, so i can pick a motor..L(kinda like getting a new pet)

like my motor i got, it was smoking, the clutch was really bad...but i know in japan they drive their cars hard...so i didnt care, ibought a new clutch, re-did the timing belt...
u cant expect to get a perfectly good motor from japan, its like a box of chocolates haha

but sad to hear that u had that experiance, personally i wouldnt have made quick desicions, like i woulda stayed with the b16a motor since it was the "popular" swap and lotz of people had good experiance with the motors, so u can sume feed back, or if u had and problems with it u could ask other people if they had the same situation...

JDMsource is still a good place to get ur JDM parts...

Toms-SC
02-17-2005, 12:10 PM
sabad66: Whoa, sorry about your 'engine' problems. Also sorry to see you get jumped on these forums about it. Atleast this thread is bringing closure. :)

finboy
02-17-2005, 03:35 PM
Originally posted by 86max
\
Are they at fault if they get a shitty motor?

essentially, yes.

a used part is a used part.

lets go by example...

lets say i buy a transmission for my car from the states from a website for $500, and the guy who i'm buying it from never used it in his car, it was a back up. I'm buying a used part in as is condition, so if i put that tranny in my car w/o tearing it apart (or having someone tear it apart for me) then i can't really place the blame on the person i bought it from, because they didn't tear it apart either, i knew it wasn't new.

most should be thankful that jdmsource even gives them a 30 day waranty so they can have their motor checked over for any signs of wear and tear, even if you are in the states you should get it before the 30 days are up and have any reputable shop give it a quick check for next to nothing. Its just cheap insurance that you won't have a situation like this happen.

sabad, it sucks that this happened, and that this is your first real experience with cars, but it is a good learning experience for you to always double check things with your car before you put them back on/in your car. hope you have better luck getting your car to run right. :thumbsup:

86max
02-17-2005, 03:50 PM
Dude, you're looking at this from the wrong angle...okay heres the new disclaimer for used engine retailers according to you:

"If the engine you recieve from us is total garbage, it's your fault for not having the tools/knowledge/or resources available to tear apart and re-build it before installing it. You are a foolish idiot. Please do not buy anything from us ever again, or bother us with complaints about our product. Obviously you don't deserve to have this engine if you can't inspect it properly or know how every little bit works. All motors are sold as is, and that's company policy"

I'd like to see how long any business like that would last.

The guarantee is there to protect against any major flaws in the motors which occur with 30 days of the purchase. I know that was a large selling point when I bought mine. Who would buy a motor from them if they didn't have the guarantee? You? Come on....as if you're going to drop 2g's on a motor that could possibly just be a paperweight, that needs another $500 invested into it to get it running. Think from a business perspective here.

I know if my motor was fawked, I couldv'e walked in and got a replacement easily. That made me feel comfortable spending that amount of money. If that comfort wasn't there, wouldn't have bought it.

finboy
02-17-2005, 04:13 PM
Originally posted by 86max
Dude, you're looking at this from the wrong angle...okay heres the new disclaimer for used engine retailers according to you:

"If the engine you recieve from us is total garbage, it's your fault for not having the tools/knowledge/or resources available to tear apart and re-build it before installing it. You are a foolish idiot. Please do not buy anything from us ever again, or bother us with complaints about our product. Obviously you don't deserve to have this engine if you can't inspect it properly or know how every little bit works. All motors are sold as is, and that's company policy"

I'd like to see how long any business like that would last.

The guarantee is there to protect against any major flaws in the motors which occur with 30 days of the purchase. I know that was a large selling point when I bought mine. Who would buy a motor from them if they didn't have the guarantee? You? Come on....as if you're going to drop 2g's on a motor that could possibly just be a paperweight, that needs another $500 invested into it to get it running. Think from a business perspective here.

I know if my motor was fawked, I couldv'e walked in and got a replacement easily. That made me feel comfortable spending that amount of money. If that comfort wasn't there, wouldn't have bought it.

because they have a business, the 30 day guarentee does keep them in business, but if you don't check out the motor once you get it and just instal it into a car, do you really think there is much point in complaining about the install cost?

i'm not saying do a complete tear down, but if you don't have the knowlege, take it to a shop, get the valve cover pulled, do a leak down and compression test, make sure the clutch is in good shape (i would ALWAYS change this if the motor has 90,000 km's on it, along with other simple parts like a water pump, but thats just me). it really isn't that hard to take your motor to a shop, or ask your installer to give it a couple quick tests. compression test is easy enough (and they even do it at jdm), and a leakdown test isn't much harder (you need the proper tool and a compressor though, which is why i recomend a shop for this).

these are basic things to look for in a motor, yes you might be spending 2,000 on a motor, but it is no different then spending $4000 on a car. would you honestly spend $4,000 on a car without having a shop check it over for you, or even get a second opinion from someone who is more knowlegable? there isn't any difference, used is used, and if you aren't an expert on something, find someone who is, he had 30 days to get the motor checked out, i know if i had 30 days to return my cars after i bought them, i would have exchanged all of them :rofl:

Primer_Drift
02-17-2005, 04:39 PM
I'm going to have to agree with 86max here. Although the engine is a used part, I wouldn't hold the buyer fully responsible for buying the best used engine possible, especially since he never picked it up personally. Its a shared responsibility of the supplier and installer to help solve the problem (I believe that is being done also). Its pretty obvious no one involved knew the engines were duds, I dont think anyone is to blame - just very poor luck for Sabad.

Sabad's experience with Shoaib wouldn't give me much cause for concern when buying at Jdmsource in the future. If anything his experiences are to be learned from, and we should be thankful he shared so we all understand the dangers of buying used parts.

86max
02-17-2005, 04:50 PM
Well said.


:closed:

method
02-17-2005, 05:13 PM
Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
This is not the case, if you have ever talked to him personally, you will for sure find him very knowledgeable. He is a car enthusiast as well...

hence "most"... that was intended to cover my ass. I've never dealt with jdmsource, but I have heard stories of other engine importers.

finboy
02-17-2005, 05:15 PM
Originally posted by Primer_Drift
I wouldn't hold the buyer fully responsible for buying the best used engine possible, especially since he never picked it up personally.

there is the issue, he admited that he was new to cars and didn't know what to look for, and as a result this occured.

sucks that it happened, but it seems resolved now.

DC2uned
02-20-2005, 04:06 PM
Just had my first experince with JDMSource, and needless to say is was great. There is nothing that they don't have. The service is awesome. And pricing, unmatchable. I would recommend them to anybody.

I think you should have looked more into what you were purchasing. Should have done your math. You choosed the cheap way out and you learned a lesson.

Rianardo
02-20-2005, 07:39 PM
I've met both parties and both seem to be decent guys. I really can see both sides to the story.

For my part, I bought a motor from Shaib and overall it was a good experience. I haven't installed it yet but the hunk of metal got to my garage floor on time and in one piece (except for a crank pulley which JDMsource replaced for free). I'm hoping to finally fire it up this coming week and, hey, if it runs perfect then I'm ahead...if not, then I may have valve seal work, a head gasket to replace, or whatever (hopefully not rings tho :eek:).

On the other hand, I met sabad66 last fall to buy an ECU and I think some wires got crossed even tho the motor was definitely pooched (which Shaib admits) and certainly a cause for raw nerves on sabad's part...sounds like it's getting resolved and that's good to hear tho. Best of luck to both.

Cheers,
R.

eeseen racing
02-20-2005, 08:50 PM
my 2 cents is jdm source is unorganized in ym opinion i wont cut down there quality cuz i have never had a 1 on 1 experience with thier products. anyways by unorganized i mean i wnet in and gasked for a quote on a sohc ZC for my 91 civic i asked for everyhting i needed tranny etc for the swap, i got the price and coem back to buy the motor and was ready 2 pay and pick up and i asked for the price again and it was a lot more expensive.. so i dono why or what happened but ya just my experince but i have heard other bad things about jdm as well as many very good things. just my thoughts hope you 2 settle everyhitng and it all works out


p.s. im not trying to cut down jdmsource just lettin them know about my experince

Team_Mclaren
02-21-2005, 06:52 PM
this thread is getting no where by the looks of it, and things are getting resolved. no need to continue. :closed:

note: either side has stopped posting so its believe that things has been sort out.:thumbsup: