Delivery and cross-border shipping

Delivery runs two to five working days door to door anywhere in South Africa, and five to ten working days across the border. Orders over R25,000 ship free inside South Africa. Everything leaves from the yard in East London.

Nothing ships before the fitment check is done, which is deliberate. A pallet that goes to the wrong address is annoying; a pallet carrying the wrong engine costs both of us a fortnight.

Delivery inside South Africa

Two to five working days from the day payment reflects, door to door. Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape are usually at the shorter end because the freight runs are frequent; smaller Free State, Northern Cape and Limpopo towns sit at the longer end.

Orders over R25,000 ship free inside South Africa. Below that we quote on weight and destination before you pay, so the number on your invoice is the number you pay. An engine is typically 120 to 200 kg on a pallet and a cylinder head is usually under 40 kg by courier, which is most of the difference in price.

You get a tracking reference by WhatsApp as soon as the unit is collected from us. Someone has to be at the delivery address to sign – most freight companies will not leave a pallet unattended, and a failed delivery usually means a re-delivery fee.

Delivering straight to your workshop is usually smarter than to a house. They have somewhere to put a pallet and someone there during working hours.

How parts are packed

Engines and gearboxes go on a wooden pallet, strapped upright, with the openings blanked off so nothing gets into the bores or the bellhousing on the road. Cylinder heads are boxed with the deck face protected. Alloy rims are faced together and wrapped as a set of four.

Open the pallet before you sign for it if the freight company will let you. Photograph anything that looks wrong, on the spot, and send it to us the same day. Transit damage is rare but it is far easier to resolve with a photograph taken at the tailgate than one taken a week later.

Keep the packaging until the part is fitted and running. If a return becomes necessary, the original packaging is what it travels back in.

Cross-border delivery

Five to ten working days to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. We handle the export paperwork from our side and hand over to a cross-border freight agent at the border.

Import duties, VAT and clearing charges in the destination country are for the buyer’s account. We cannot quote those for you because they vary by country, by part classification and by how your clearing agent handles it – ask your agent before you order rather than after the pallet is at the post.

Cross-border orders are paid in full before dispatch, or with a 50% deposit and the balance before the unit leaves the yard. We will not release freight against a promise, and that policy is not negotiable regardless of how well the conversation is going.

Collection from the yard

Collection is free by arrangement from 27 Pearce Street, on the corner of Tecoma Street, Berea, East London. Ring or WhatsApp first so the unit is off the shelf and on the counter when you arrive, rather than under three others.

Bring the old unit if you can. Putting the two side by side on the counter settles any remaining doubt about the fit in about thirty seconds, which is worth the boot space.

Hours are Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 13:00. Closed Sundays and public holidays. Directions and contact details are here.

Questions about delivery

How fast can you get an engine to Johannesburg?

Two to three working days is typical once payment reflects. We cannot promise next-day on a palletised engine and would rather say so than take the order on a timeline we will miss.

Can you deliver to a residential address?

Yes, but a workshop is easier. A pallet needs somewhere to be put down and someone there to sign for it during working hours.

What if the part arrives damaged?

Photograph it at the tailgate, note it on the delivery paperwork and send us the photographs the same day. We take it up with the freight company and sort you out.

Is delivery insured?

Freight is covered in transit on the terms of the carrier we use. Where a claim is needed we lodge it – you deal with us, not with them.

Do you ship outside southern Africa?

Not currently. Our cross-border service covers Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho.

Ready to order? Browse the catalogue or read the warranty terms before you buy. Fitting is a job for an RMI-accredited workshop.

What a delivery quote is based on

Two things: weight and destination. An engine on a pallet is typically 120 to 200 kg, a gearbox 60 to 120 kg, a cylinder head under 40 kg and a set of four rims around 40 kg. That is why a head to Cape Town costs a fraction of what an engine to the same address does.

Destination matters less than people expect inside the main freight corridors. Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town are all well served. Small towns off those routes add a day and sometimes a surcharge, which we quote up front rather than adding later.

Orders over R25,000 ship free inside South Africa, which covers most engine and gearbox orders. Below that you get a firm number before you pay.

Delivery to the main metros

Gauteng is usually two to three working days from the day payment reflects. KwaZulu-Natal is two to four. The Western Cape is three to five, and Gqeberha and the rest of the Eastern Cape are often next working day because the yard is here.

Those are working days, not calendar days, and they start when payment reflects rather than when you send the proof. An EFT sent late on a Friday afternoon usually starts moving on Monday.

We send a tracking reference by WhatsApp as soon as the unit is collected from the yard, and we would rather you chase us than the freight company – you bought from us, so the freight is our problem to manage.

About Torque Yard

Torque Yard is a used-parts yard at 27 Pearce Street, on the corner of Tecoma Street, in Berea, East London. We strip low-damage running vehicles and sell the engines, gearboxes, cylinder heads and rims that still work, to workshops and to private buyers, across South Africa and into the neighbouring countries.

Delivery is handled as our problem rather than yours. You bought from us, so if a pallet goes astray you chase us and we chase the freight company.

Ten makes and 139 models are on the shelf at any time, weighted towards what actually works for a living here: Toyota, Ford, Isuzu, Nissan, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Mazda, VW, BMW and Mercedes. Bakkie and taxi units carry most of the turnover, with a steady run of hatchback, sedan and German stock behind them.

What every part on this site comes with

Four things, on every unit, whether it costs R4,000 or R90,000.

• A test before it was listed. Run, compression and leak-down on an engine; every gear on a gearbox; pressure-tested cold and hot on a head. The process is written up here.
• The code on your invoice. Read off the casting, recorded against the stock number, so a fitment argument takes one message instead of three phone calls.
• A free fitment check before you pay. Send a VIN and a photograph and we confirm or decline the same working day.
• A written warranty. Three months on used stock, twelve on new sealed units, with the exclusions listed rather than buried. Terms here.

Prices include 15% VAT and every sale is invoiced. Payment is EFT or card, a 50% deposit holds a unit while a workshop books you in, and orders over R25,000 ship free inside South Africa. Fitting should be done by a qualified workshop – an RMI-accredited workshop gives you the invoice the warranty needs.

None of that is unusual in a well-run yard. What is unusual is putting it in writing on a public page, where a customer can hold us to it, rather than describing it differently to each caller depending on how the conversation is going. If we ever fall short of what is written here, say so and we will fix it.

Where to go next

If you know the part, search the catalogue by engine code – it is faster than browsing by model. If you are still deciding, the FAQ answers most of what people ask before they buy, and the delivery page tells you what it costs to get a unit to your door.

And if you would rather just ask a person: WhatsApp 068 694 1332 with your VIN, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00 or Saturday morning. Full contact details and directions are here. Someone who has actually handled the delivery will answer you.