M52, oil in coolant...

[E30 Wagen]

Posted this in m5x swap forum but want more to see this...

So I just bought an e36 328is off ebay. Gets here yesterday night at almost 11:00pm. It's dark and I'm trying to check the fluids before I drive home an hour away from the drop-off point. It looks like the coolant is VERY dark which has me concerned, and the oil level was VERY low, but it's so dark and freezing that I just top off the oil and get it home. Fortunately there aren't any issues.

I looked at it today in some proper day light and here's what I see:


I drained the radiator and used a little hand pump to empty reservoir into this bucket:



So, am I basically fucked? :rippedoff: That is an insane amount of oil, but the engine runs totally fine, temp gauge stays at half. There was very little condensation on the oil cap but there was some... Better to just install a new engine or replace the head gasket?

[DrJosh]

Why would you swap the engine if you could just replace a headgasket?

[partner103]

WoW?!$#$#

Sorry bud, .... you definitely got ripped off. Why would people sell stuff like this on eBay?! Can you open a case against the person you bought the car from?

I'd get a new engine to be honest. I know this is not what you may want to hear.
But if this is the way something arrives, who knows what else is wrong with it.

You could replace the head gasket too though...but then take a very close look at the other components

[E30 Wagen]

Why would you swap the engine if you could just replace a headgasket?

Important thing for me right now is getting it fixed quickly, and it seems like it could be faster to just have an engine ready to go and have the swap completed in one day instead of spending time removing the head, bringing it to a machine shop, waiting for them to inspect it, and then spending more time getting it all back together. Plus, there is a low mileage engine right near me, asking $1100 though... :(

WoW?!$#$#

Sorry bud, .... you definitely got ripped off. Why would people sell stuff like this on eBay?! Can you open a case against the person you bought the car from?

I'd get a new engine to be honest. I know this is not what you may want to hear.
But if this is the way something arrives, who knows what else is wrong with it.

You could replace the head gasket too though...but then take a very close look at the other components

There will be justice. Stay tuned... :devil:

[varg]

Can you open a case against the person you bought the car from?

Probably not. Definitely not if paid through paypal. Almost all private party car sales fall under and involve the language "as-is" with "no warranty expressed or implied"

[flyboyx]

Probably not. Definitely not if paid through paypal. Almost all private party car sales fall under and involve the language "as-is" with "no warranty expressed or implied"

actually, i don't think this is true. paypal comes with buyer protection that includes cars not being as advertised. i had a neighbor that purchased a z06 a couple years ago. the car had lots of major problems not disclosed in the ad. he filed a claim. after a few weeks eBay sent him a check for the amount he paid for the car and someone came and picked it up.


the person you bought the car from is an asshole. post up the original ad so we can all have a look at it.

[E30 Wagen]

actually, i don't think this is true. paypal comes with buyer protection that includes cars not being as advertised. i had a neighbor that purchased a z06 a couple years ago. the car had lots of major problems not disclosed in the ad. he filed a claim. after a few weeks eBay sent him a check for the amount he paid for the car and someone came and picked it up.


the person you bought the car from is an asshole. post up the original ad so we can all have a look at it.

Crap, I paid thru wire-transfer, not paypal. They did not accept full payment thru paypal though I guess I never asked; I think that should have been the first red flag. Only the $500 deposit was sent thru paypal. I just got home from work and I'm currently looking into everything I can do to make sure I don't get completely hosed, though I will be contacting the dealer I bought the car from first (in California) to try and make this right. Also, I have evidence of obvious shill bidding... I will not post any more info because I don't want anybody getting in the way of this. Any further advice would be much appreciated.

[SnoBlnd]

Crap, I paid thru wire-transfer, not paypal. They did not accept full payment thru paypal though I guess I never asked; I think that should have been the first red flag. Only the $500 deposit was sent thru paypal. I just got home from work and I'm currently looking into everything I can do to make sure I don't get completely hosed, though I will be contacting the dealer I bought the car from first (in California) to try and make this right. Also, I have evidence of obvious shill bidding... I will not post any more info because I don't want anybody getting in the way of this. Any further advice would be much appreciated.

Best thing you could do is file a complaint with Ebay if they turn it into a problem and don't want to make up for obviously lying about a car with a blown headgasket that would be impossible to miss if you have half a brain. I hope it was at least a rare or desirable E36 for all this hassle.

[E30 Wagen]

I reported them for the obvious shill bidding and left a complaint. Today I got in contact with the guy (actually a dealership) and he agreed to refund me $500 via paypal if I left him a positive feed back first. So, considering how things have gone so far with this guy I figured that this is the best I should hope for at getting any money back. I left the positive feedback over two hours ago, still haven't heard from anything and I'm doubting I will. Fuck, I am such an idiot for buying this car, I can't believe I fell for this bs...