Remanufactured

Remanufactured means to make a product as close to new as possible. Remanufactured is rebuilding a product to specifications of the original manufactured condition. It is tested to original equipment standards.

What this means is that the part has been remanufactured to the complete standards as if the part were new or out the crate. The block casting, crank shaft, and camshafts have been inspected to ensure they are defect free and remachined back to OEM tolerances. If those tolerances cannot be met they will be discarded and either replaced with ones that can be machined to replaced with new ones. All internal wear prone item will automatically be replaced with brand new components.

On remanufactured engines all units come with a new oil pump and on certain applications a high flow oil pump is used when applicable. All remanufactured engines will come with a complementary gasket set to help you complete your install.

You will find that most of the time remanufactured parts carry a longer and stronger warranty, covering parts and labor for longer periods of time, compared to rebuilt parts.

Rebuilt

Rebuilt means that the item in question is torn down and repaired only to the point of failure. Often many ware parts are reused and there is very little to no testing done to the product. This directly means that the part has been repaired up to the level of failure for which there was a need of rebuilding but otherwise the components are left intact.

Mechanical wear is relative. Before rebuilding, all of the components within the unit are equally worn. After rebuilding, some of the components are new and some are “used”. This could cause problems to come up later, resulting in a premature failure of the “repair”. These type of products are not recommended so make sure the remanufacturer meets ISO 14001 and IATF 16949 Certified.

Used/Recycled

Used parts or also called recycled parts have been taken directly from what is called a donor vehicle. They often come from vehicles that are in salvage yards. These parts sometimes are cleaned up and tested to the capabilities of the salvage yard if the vehicle was operable. There is generally no quality control for salvage yard parts. There are no provisions for disassembly, internal cleaning, or inspection with a used part. These parts usually have a short warranty on them compared to rebuilt or remanufactured parts. They typically have high mileage on them as well. You may choose a used part due to the cost savings but in the long run this can have a damaging effect as the warranty will run out and leave the owner in a financial bind which would most likely result in the purchase of another unit. There is a new trend in this segment with companies like Go Powertrain focusing on the inspection process at the time of disassembly to ensure a quality component is shipped. This process reduces the warranty rates by 75 percent and with a deep cleaning the product arrives looking closer to remanufactured than used.

What should you buy?

Remanufactured parts, or Used parts? You first need to determine exactly what plan you have in mind for your vehicle. Do you want to keep it long term? Mid term? Or just get by until you're ready to replace the vehicle? For most people that do not work on their own vehicles, it is your service advisor’s job to determine what you need based on the plan for the vehicle. They will ask questions such as who drives the car? How often? Is it used on long trips frequently or a lot of short trips?

All of these factors come into play to help you make a wise repair decision.