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I'll offer my experiences, hopefully you will avoid the mistakes I made.
First, try to find a shop that specializes in import motors. You want someone who is familiar with the engine they are working on. This means you might find a local shop, or you might have to ship your engine somewhere else in the country. Whatever the extra effort, it's worth it to get it done how you want it, by someone with experience on the engine you have. Going to a Honda shop does not mean they will add performance parts to your motor. They will build it to OEM specs if you want it that way. They will use OEM parts, OEM specs, nothing fancy. If you are going to pay someone to do something, make sure they do it the way you want.
Second, there are many companies that remanufacture engines and sell them to the public. You can find these engines for sale on eBay and by searching google. Sometimes local shops will sell engines to the public (good luck finding a VX motor local though). Online is the route I went. I bought a remanufactured D16Y5 for my HX from a company called Engines Direct. They sell on eBay. They had good feedback and all of their customer reviews were good. The complete longblock was $1500, shipping was about $250, and they do have a core charge ($500 I think). The engine was at my house within 5 days after ordering. They send you a crate, when you are done swapping the engine just call the shipping company and they pick it up for free.
The lesson I learned?
A lot of the companies that sell nationally use generic parts to rebuild the motor. Sometimes they build motors from all makes and models. They might not specialize in a certain brand.
- My headgasket went at 10,000 miles
- My rear main oil seal started leaking at 50,000 miles
- My timing belt snapped while I was driving 70 mph on the highway at 65,000 miles
Other than those 3 critical failures, the motor has been great lol. The company is fantastic to work with. Shipping was quick, the motor was clean. Luckily I am extremely handy working on my car and was able to perform the repairs myself, with good quality OEM parts this time. Thankfully the valves were not damaged when timing belt snapped (miracle). The motor is almost at 70,000 miles now.
Bottom line: Whoever builds your motor, have them use OEM parts or at least high quality aftermarket parts. A remanufactured motor is an investment in your cars future. If you want it to last, you need quality parts where it counts. Don't cheap out in this department.
BTW, most places I researched only offer very short warranties. Mine was 90 days. The quality of the build will not show until after the warranty has expired usually. If you can find someone who offers a 1 year, or 2 year warranty, that is fantastic.
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