FAQ: Buying a Used Engine or Gearbox

This FAQ collects the questions we answer on WhatsApp every working day, grouped so you can find yours quickly. If yours is not here, ask us and we will add it.

Short answers, no hedging. Where the honest answer is “no” or “we cannot know that”, it says so.

FAQ: buying a used engine or gearbox

Are your used engines actually tested?

Yes. Every used engine ran in the donor vehicle before removal, and was compression and leak-down tested on the stand. The full process is here.

Is everything on the site in stock?

Yes. If it is listed, we have it in the yard in East London and you can order it. There is no per-order limit, and trade buyers regularly take several units at a time.

Can you find a part that is not listed?

Often. Stock turns over weekly and what is not on the shelf today is sometimes in a donor vehicle we have not stripped. Send the model and engine code and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.

Do you sell to the trade?

Yes, workshops and panel shops are a big part of what leaves here. Ask about repeat terms if you buy regularly.

Can I reserve a unit?

A 50% deposit holds it against your name and fixes the price while your workshop books you in. Handy if the job still needs approval.

FAQ: making sure the part fits

How do I know it will fit my car?

Send your VIN and the code off the unit you are replacing before you pay. We check it against the unit on the shelf and come back the same working day. The check is free.

Where do I find my VIN?

On the licence disc, on the plate at the base of the windscreen, and usually stamped into the body under the bonnet or in the door shut.

Where is the engine code?

Stamped into the block, usually near the gearbox mating face or on a machined pad on the side. Photograph the area and send it to us if you cannot read it.

Two engines are listed for my model – which one?

That is exactly why we ask for the code rather than the model year. Send it and we will tell you which one is yours.

Will my ECU and immobiliser still work?

Usually, because most workshops move your ancillaries and ECU across to the replacement unit. Ask your workshop to confirm before the old unit is stripped.

FAQ: testing and condition

Do you publish mileage?

No. We cannot verify an odometer figure on a stripped or imported unit, and neither can anyone else selling you one. We would rather give you a tested part with a warranty than a number nobody can prove.

Can I see a test video?

Where one exists, yes – ask before you pay. Every unit is photographed as it stands regardless, with no cleaning up for the camera.

Are the photographs of the actual unit?

Yes. We do not use stock images of cleaner examples. What is in the photograph is what arrives on the pallet.

What condition are the ancillaries in?

They come as they were on the donor unit and they are not part of the warranty. Most workshops move your own across, which is cheaper and keeps the immobiliser matched.

Is a second hand engine a safe buy?

It is if the seller tested it, will tell you the code, and puts a warranty in writing. Those three things are the whole difference between a good buy and an expensive one.

FAQ: payment and pricing

Do prices include VAT?

Yes, every price on the site includes 15% VAT, and a full tax invoice is issued on every sale.

How do I pay?

EFT or card. A 50% deposit with the balance before dispatch is fine, and is required on cross-border orders.

Why are there no call-for-price listings?

Because hiding the number wastes your morning and ours. Every listing on the site shows what it costs.

Do you negotiate?

On a multi-unit order, yes, and on a swap kit the bundle is already priced below the three parts separately. On a single unit the listed price is the price.

Is there finance?

No. EFT, card or a deposit and balance are the options.

FAQ: delivery and collection

How long does delivery take?

Two to five working days door to door inside South Africa, five to ten across the border. Full detail is on the delivery page.

Is delivery free?

Free inside South Africa on orders over R25,000. Below that we quote on weight and destination before you pay.

Can I collect?

Yes, free by arrangement from the yard at 27 Pearce Street, Berea, East London. Ring first so the unit is on the counter when you arrive.

Do you deliver to Zimbabwe or Namibia?

Yes, along with Botswana, Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Import duties are for the buyer’s account.

FAQ: warranty and returns

How long is the warranty?

Three months from invoice on used engines, gearboxes and cylinder heads. Twelve months on new factory-sealed units.

What does it cover?

Internal mechanical failure – block, crank, bearings, gears, shafts and valve seats. Ancillaries, sensors, injectors and turbos are excluded. Full terms here.

Do I have to use a workshop?

Yes, if you want the warranty to stand. Keep the fitment invoice – it is the only document we ask for on a claim. An RMI-accredited workshop is the safest route.

Can I return a part I no longer need?

Seven days on an unopened, unfitted part in its original packaging. Once opened or fitted, the warranty terms apply instead.

Do you fit parts?

Not in-house. We work with partner workshops and can quote fitment alongside the part.

Question still not answered? Send it through – we read every message ourselves. Or go straight to the catalogue.

More questions from the FAQ inbox

Do you buy vehicles?

Yes, low-damage runners – insurance write-offs, hail cars, rear-enders. If it starts and drives, send photographs and the registration details.

Can I get a part shipped to my workshop directly?

Yes, and it is usually the better option. A workshop has somewhere to put a pallet and someone there to sign for it.

Do you supply invoices for insurance claims?

Every sale gets a full VAT invoice with the part, the stock code and the price. That is what assessors ask for.

What if I order the wrong part by mistake?

Seven days to return it unopened and unfitted. Tell us before you ship it back so we know it is coming.

Are imported units cheaper than local ones?

Sometimes, and we list them as imported when they are. The trade-off is that we cannot verify their history, which is why we do not publish mileage on any of them.

How often does stock change?

Weekly. Donor vehicles come in continuously and units come off the shelf as they sell, so a model that is not listed today is worth asking about tomorrow.

Do you do engine swaps or conversions?

We sell matched engine-and-gearbox swap kits so you are not chasing an adapter plate, but the work itself is a job for a workshop.

Can I get a discount for paying cash?

No. Prices are the same by EFT or card and every sale is invoiced with VAT. We are not a cash-in-the-yard operation.

Who do I speak to about a problem?

The same number you bought from. Contact details are here, and messages are read by the people who tested the part.

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.

This FAQ exists because the same questions come up every working day, and because the answers are the same whether you are a workshop buying ten units a month or someone replacing one engine in a family car.

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 faq will answer you.