Leading engine reman specialist Ivor Searle saw a great deal of interest in its products from Land Rover owners at a major show this summer with enquiries continuing.
Ivor Searle has been at the forefront of engine and major unit remanufacturing for over 70 years. At this year’s Land Rover Owner International Show, our experts were on hand to give visitors the best advice for solving engine related problems for classic and later Land Rover and Range Rover models and there was a great deal of interest in Ivor Searle’s product range.
According to the 2018 reliability survey carried out by What Car? both the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover featured at the bottom end of the rankings for large SUVs. In fact, the Range Rover (2013-present) came last with more than half of owners citing a problem with their car, although only a small percentage was engine related. Just six years ago, the Land Rover Discovery was ranked as a vehicle with one of the highest number of breakdowns. Insurance company Warranty Direct, found that 85% of owners had claimed repair damages.
When it comes to problems with OE major units, you may be tempted to search online for reconditioned items as the perceived cheapest option but how do you know what you’re really buying? It’s important to understand the differences between ‘recon and reman’, as there are many. A reconditioned engine, for example, has been stripped down either partially or fully, then cleaned and possibly had some damaged components replaced prior to being rebuilt. It’s not always the case that the engine has been fully disassembled but the term is still often used to make the process sound more ‘in depth’.
In marked contrast, a remanufactured Land Rover engine from Ivor Searle, cylinder head, gearbox or turbo has been completely stripped and then returned to the vehicle manufacturer’s original factory specification through an extensive, audited process. As a result, all of our remanufactured units provide levels of performance, reliability and lifespan which are equal to or better than those of the original.
Another major distinction to note is that a remanufactured engine must conform to BSI AU 257:2002. This is a British Standard Automobile Series Code of Practice that applies to the remanufacturing of internal combustion engines. This standard, which Ivor Searle helped to develop, fully details the procedures and operations for the remanufacturing of both spark (petrol) and compression ignition (diesel) engines.
These processes include the detailed inspection and checking of components against manufacturer tolerances. Key parts, including pistons and ring sets, big and small end bearings and bushes, as well as gaskets, seals, timing chains and drive belts are all required to be renewed, while items such as tensioners and dampers are also inspected and replaced if necessary. Failure of the timing chains, which have been known to happen on older model Land Rover engines, can cause the camshafts and crankshafts to go out of synchronization. If the engine is not shut off immediately, catastrophic engine failure occurs as the pistons and valves slam into each other. A driver will likely hear unusual engine noise caused by a loose or worn timing chain before it completely fails.
Further important remanufacturing operations, such as crack testing machined components and the deburring of reworked oil pathways are also undertaken to ensure the original specification of the engine is achieved with full reliability.
In addition to having all key clearances, tolerances and end floats checked after assembly, the BSI standard also requires reman engines to be checked for oil pressure and compression.
All remanufactured engines built by Ivor Searle have their own unique serial number, which provides an audit trail for all components that have been renewed, as well the remanufacturing completion date and test records. The business also offers an unbeatable warranty service on all its products. Ivor Searle sells remanufactured engines, cylinder heads, gearboxes and turbochargers for up to 40% less than buying brand new.
Below is a list of remanufactured Land Rover engines available from Ivor Searle. For more information about our Customer Own Units programme, where you have an engine, gearbox or turbo in need of remanufacture, please give us a call.
Filed under: Ivor Searle engines, reman engines, reman Land Rover engines