Technical Engine swap:what to do (just in case...)

[ILoveConvertibles]

There's no day that pass without the right feeling of having made a deal out of my old little 1998 Punto Convertible made by Bertone. Apart, obviously, for that thing of the leaky heating radiator that will have me pulling the dashboard from its site to have it working the right way...

Nevermind: one of the reasons that led me to buy that car, was the RIDICULOUS price of engines/gearbox taken out from scrapped Puntos, as it is usually said, "just in case...". My cousin just spent 700 £ to have a refurbished gearbox on his '07 Vectra and I could have the whole lot ENGINE AND GEARBOX for as little as 200/250 £.

Today was having a lunch at another cousin's living near me, and he said that if I should find myself with the engine blown and putting on another one from another Punto, I will have to register it at DVLA, and it will cost a little fortune (they spoke about £ 150 if I remember well).

NOW: my engine works like a Rolex, and the g-box as well (apart the gears that need to be kicked in when cold... ), but, "just in case..."

... if I put the same identical engine from another car, without having it registered in my V5, it will be a pain in the a**? Knowing that car insurances do all they can for NOT paying damages, I didn't want to find myself hitting the windows of a shop doing some thousand quids of damage, or worse, running over a pedestrian and discover that my insurance will neglect me...

Please, let me know! I am young (more or less), nearly 1 year living in UK, and don't want to spend the rest of my days paying an insurance!!

 

[blu73]

well you need to fill in the V5 document with the cars new engine number and send it off along with some evidence, see here for info

Alternatively you can go down to your local DVLA office with the car and V5 and the required evidence and the whole process should be sorted there and then and you will be issued with a new V5 with the new details on it.. You will need to call them and arrange a time to go down rather than just turning up, see here.

Insurance wise, yes you have to inform your insurance company even if its just a replacement engine and not a different type. Cost of this will vary widely between insurers - best to ring up your company and ask before doing it, you may want to just cancel and go elsewhere - I'm sure some of them will want a receipt for the fitting of the engine by a so called 'professional' and other won't so there is a little bit of sitting on the phone in order to sort that bit.