When I got my FIrebird a few months back, it had 175K miles. The owner assured me that the engine had been replaced by a dealer when the odometer read about 120K.

Now this engine is pretty tight still. Absolutely no leaks at all and never burns any oil.

If and when I decide to sell this car, how can I prove to a prospective buyer that the engine only has about 50K miles on it? The previous owner is unresponsive.

Curious,

the only way to make them believe it unless they know you and your word is good enough is to have the receipt from when it was installed and the mileage written on the receipt from the shop ...even then some wont believe you ....

does the person you purchased it from have the receipts ?

can they tell you which shop did the engine in it?

if so then you can go there and verify by their records and have them make you a copy of it ....

Yanno... wih the mileage and years on the car now, it's almost irrelevant. However, I believe the guy was straight up with me and he did mention that a dealer did put the engine in because it was a warranty issue.

That said, would a PMD history package on my VIN reveal that engine change? Is there a Pontiac or GM database somewhere that would hold information like this?

Oh... sorry about the Cardinal loss today. In the NLCS, all that really matters to me is that the winner pulverize the Yankees.

120k cars dont' have warranties. While some used cars carry a short-term warranty, very few used car lots are going to warranty anything with that kind of miles unless they have evidence of the car being put in tip-top shape.

It's entirely possible to have a 175k mile 305 with no leaks or oil usage as long as the valve guide seals are replaced.

I'm not here to hijack your thread. That's just how I would view it as a buyer if I were looking at the car.


get all the numbers off the engine and you can very likely determine originality. mortec.com I think, and then search here on more about casting codes etc. I am pretty sure my 86 L69 (original to the car) had the partial VIN) under the alternator on the deck. My 87 L69 and 88 LG4 had the partial VIN on the block above the oil filter.

its possible to find it, just ask him if you can ,where he had the engine put in it at.....

yeah get the engine casting numbers off the back of the block just behind the drivers side head youll have to get a shop light or flash light to see them just lean back over the driverside head and look back there and get that number and run it at www.mortec.com
that will tell you atleast what year engine is in it...if that helps anything at all..

yeah the cards cant win em all...LOL...were probably gonna lose tomorow too...LOL..
houston is a good team ...

There is some good information here... the Mortec page for example. Still, does anyone have any insight into wheter a dealer would keep engine replacement information available somewhere?

One thing I can add to the puzzle was that the other day was I needing a second ignition key. The dealer pulled the VIN and *thought* they could get the key cut according to information there (VATS key). They cut a key according to some data byte they were able to surmise from the VIN and handed it to me. It looked nothing like the key that worked and they consequently had to order me a nother key. I guess this means that at the very least the VATS system was replaced/exchanged/something.

I also suppose these are typical issues on an aging, multiple owner car. Still... I love it so.

I'd bet all that was replaced was the lock cylinder. With the high mileage your car has I'm sure the original wore out. My 145k mile IROC needs a new one. The rest of the VATS system is most likely original.

Here is something weird on the CarFax for the car (just got it):

05/15/1998 103,923 California
Inspection Station
Los Altos, CA
**Passed emissions inspection

07/28/1998 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.:
**Title issued
**New owner reported
**Loan or lien reported


06/10/1999 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
Mountain View, CA
**Title issued


05/17/2000
Vehicle Repair Center
Los Altos, CA
** Vehicle serviced


05/17/2000 135,621 California
Inspection Station
Los Altos, CA
**Passed emissions inspection


12/09/2003 167,524 California
Inspection Station
**Passed emissions inspection


07/30/2004 California
Motor Vehicle Dept.
San Mateo, CA
**Title issued
**New owner reported

What the heck is that "Vehicle Serviced" thing on 5/17/2000? I'm thinking NEW ENGINE!.

Cmon... give me some love. That's what it is, ain't it? What else could that be??

Anyone familar with what "Vehicle Serviced" on a CarFax report indicates? It surely cannot mean the dealer did an oil change...

Still curious,

~C

..

And the bubble bursts.

not really i used to put 30,000 a year on my car going back and forth to work ......

..

I've had my truck almost 2 years, and I've put on about 55,000 kms, which is about 34,000 miles... I don't even have that long of a commute to work/school... so it is possible to put on that kind of mileage in a short period of time.

Sometimes the dealers keep records on repairs, I'm sure with the computer systems that most are using these days they might be able to look it up. Maybe you can figure out where it was taken and go from there. PMD might be of some help too, it might be in their system if it was some sort of warranty work but at 120k miles, I cant see GM paying a single dime towards repair. I had 70k on mine and they had absolutely everything to do with its demise and offered me a whopping 30% off because it was 70% of the way to its death at 100k miles.

Yeah... this is my last hope.

I sent off for the history report early this week. I suspect it'll take a good month to get back.

~crossing my fingers~

hope you find the info you want