Bought a set of used pistons and rods off the guy, asked: "Are there any nicks or scoring or anything of significance on the pistons that could cause problems?", and was told that they were from a higher mileage car, but had nothing that I should know about. I took him on his word on that, and bought them. Communication was great leading up the sale, and I was promptly given tracking information.
Once I got them, I found that they were in a very thin and flimsy cardboard box, ALL packed together in loose bubble wrap, and were allowed to bang into each other during shipping, causing gouging in the piston skirts as a result. He charged me $15 to ship these, and they had might as well been packed in a plastic grocery bag:
To make matters worse, I found that the piston crowns had deep gouges and rounded edges from what appears to have been a wire wheel that was used to grind the carbon off the crowns (and not only soaking in solvent tanks like I was told).
I texted the seller the photos and voiced my displeasure (I was not seeking a refund or anything), and received no response from the guy. Had I received a 'sorry man' or ANYTHING, I would have felt better about this transaction. The machine shop says they may be usable, but will require time on the lathe to remove the high spots and dings on the skirts, and machining of the crown to remove the wire wheel damage. I decided to wait to hear what the machine shop would say before posting this thread, to give the seller the benefit of the doubt. I realize I bought a set of pistons for $100, but I can't help but feel upset to about the wire wheel gouges to the crowns and receiving them with shipping damage due to shoddy packing.
This should be a reminder to those selling pistons, rods, cranks, etc:
Once I got them, I found that they were in a very thin and flimsy cardboard box, ALL packed together in loose bubble wrap, and were allowed to bang into each other during shipping, causing gouging in the piston skirts as a result. He charged me $15 to ship these, and they had might as well been packed in a plastic grocery bag:
To make matters worse, I found that the piston crowns had deep gouges and rounded edges from what appears to have been a wire wheel that was used to grind the carbon off the crowns (and not only soaking in solvent tanks like I was told).
I texted the seller the photos and voiced my displeasure (I was not seeking a refund or anything), and received no response from the guy. Had I received a 'sorry man' or ANYTHING, I would have felt better about this transaction. The machine shop says they may be usable, but will require time on the lathe to remove the high spots and dings on the skirts, and machining of the crown to remove the wire wheel damage. I decided to wait to hear what the machine shop would say before posting this thread, to give the seller the benefit of the doubt. I realize I bought a set of pistons for $100, but I can't help but feel upset to about the wire wheel gouges to the crowns and receiving them with shipping damage due to shoddy packing.
This should be a reminder to those selling pistons, rods, cranks, etc:
Internal engine components are delicate and need to be packed carefully. They should not be handled and packed like floor mats.