You Blew Up Your Engine: Now What?

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Unfortunately, there are plenty of automotive errors that can have reasonably expensive consequences. Poor maintenance habits, ignoring critical issues, such as overheating, or installing inappropriate modifications can result in severe damage. If the problem is bad enough, you may even cause expensive internal damage to your engine or transmission.

If you find yourself in this situation, you're probably wondering about your next steps. Insurance typically doesn't cover this type of damage, so dealing with a four-figure repair bill might not be in the cards. Instead, consider these three steps that can help you recover from this potentially disastrous financial situation.

1. Evaluate the Problem

Always start by confirming that the problem is a severe as it appears. Letting your car overheat or run too low on oil can often be fatal, but some engines are more resilient than others. If you aren't confident in your diagnostic abilities, take your car into a shop for an evaluation. If you're lucky, you may find that the damage isn't as severe as you expected.

On the other hand, you may discover that your car needs a costly engine replacement or rebuild to get back on the road. These repairs might be worthwhile or newer vehicles that still have plenty of value, but they're much harder to justify on old beaters. It's rarely a good financial move to spend more money repairing a car than its resale value.

2. Take What You Can

You've got confirmation: your car is dead. If you have some mechanical skills, now is an excellent time to remove a few easy-to-reach and valuable components. A car with a blown engine will still have plenty of useful parts, including potentially valuable items like the alternator or water pump. Removing and selling these items can help you recover some cash.

Even if you're not mechanically inclined, it may be worth taking the time to remove your radio head unit or other easily accessible interior components. Selling these items on online auction sites may net a surprising amount of money.

3. Contact a Junk Buyer

Just because your car doesn't run doesn't mean that it doesn't have any value. Junk buyers purchase vehicles for their scrap value, and even a blown motor won't leave you with a worthless hulk. Most scrap yards will buy cars in any condition, which means you don't need to worry about cosmetic damage or any parts you've already removed. Just be sure to describe the car honestly for an accurate quote.

By selling your car to a junk buyer, you'll take care of two birds with one stone: you'll get that worthless car off your property, and you'll get to make a few extra dollars in the process.

For more information, contact a junk car removal service in your area, such as Kwik Towing LLC.

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