Opinion on this S52 please

[gazellebeigem3]

i would touch that with a 20 foot pole

no shit! what a crackhead

[Teaguer]

Abort !


Yes , definitely seems shady .
It should not matter what they pulled the engine from , hell even if it was insatlled in an Isetta it would still have a VIN stamped on it .

[Dave]

Sounds like some kind of Russian Mafia chop shop deal.

And we don;t have those kinds of people around here. Do we?

:nice:

[BigD]

It could be for real, he could just be an illiterate douche bag (as if there's a lack of those on teh internets). But I'd never buy it without inspecting and picking it up in person (at which point the cost advantage will be gone). Remind him that the engine VIN does not depend on what car it was last in. It's on the flywheel side of the engine. Get him to send you a close up of what's behind the strap on this pic:

[btec116]

my email to him:

i am looking for the vin number so that i can do two things.

1. is to check with bmw on maintenence and recalls.

2. do a car-fax report to check mileage.

last question would be about warranty. what do you offer on an engine as far as warranty is concerned?

his reply:

one it was inside a 328 modified 2 i wouldn't give a vin unless im selling the car... its good tested and ready to install 90 days part only standard but from what i know ur not putting it in an original m so .. u would have to specify and no credit card u send money order or certified cheque first

Good idea with the email (and good choice to walk away). Do this on any engine you buy. If you DO go EWS, I have just finished the wiring and got it running. Its not "THAT" big a deal... But you must have computer and original key, and EWS module and transmitter. And everything wired in beautiful under the dash, its really no biggie (and one of the easier parts of my swap!)
You need BOTH engine and VIN, then you call BMW and ask about your car. If the car has been written off, there are no privacy issues; it should not matter. They can tell you everything about the car, when it was made, where it was purchased, service history, EVERYTHING!
Then Ask how many keys they have. 10 keys are burnt for one ECU, four are given with the car. No others can be made. BMW should have six spare, provided none were lost by the owner. Then you can run one or two keys, up to you. Either way, you have an immobiliser, better management and emmissions. You would laugh your way through any emissions tests and have ine sweet setup!

PS, how can an S52 come out of a 328?

[Teaguer]

so if anyone does want it i'll forward the contact.

I say go ahead and post the ad info , that way we can give him a hard time and find out if it was in fact a shady deal .

If you DO go EWS, I have just finished the wiring and got it running. Its not "THAT" big a deal...
PS, how can an S52 come out of a 328?

Chances are he was most likely going to revert back to OBDI and just use a non-EWS OBDI DME ....that is the most popular thing to do with OBDI engine swaps .
Although running a tweaked Siemens OBDII DME is becoming ingreasingly more popular at this point .

The engine could have very easily come out of a "modified 328" .......although when coupled with the rest of this story it is highly unlikely .

[e30s52]

lol i called this place for a transmsion and they ask if i was Russian i was like what does that have to do with it. lol

[StereoInstaller1]

and no credit card u send money order or certified cheque first

So of course what he really means is " I do not want to be held accountable for this motor: I am scared of the big bad Visa monster, they will take back my winnings if you sic them on me" or something like that.

Best possible call? Turn you back, as you did.

Keep on hunting.