I was told they had available a used engine for my 2002 Camry. They said the engine came out of a car that went to auction and was sold for parts, had not been involved in an accident, had only 37,000 miles on it and they would warranty it for 3 years. The selling price was $2,000. I was told that, upon delivery, I would be provided with all the information on the engine, including test results and most importantly the VIN and odometer reading. I went back to my mechanic and told him what I had found. He advised me that I might be taking a chance and that he could get me a used engine for less with 50,000 miles on it but the warranty would only be 6 months. He did say that he's been dealing with his supplier for 25 years with great results. I bought into National Parts' Better Business Bureau schtick and the 3 year warranty and made a decision I now very much regret.
The engine was delivered on June 2 with no verification documents. There was a large hole in the timing chain cover, a cracked oil pan and other broken parts.in over 25 years of replacing engines, my mechanic had never seen an engine delivered in such a state. He knew he had to take parts off my engine, but he was concerned that there were broken pieces of the timing chain cover inside the engine I just bought. We took digital pictures and sent them to searchparts.com.""Partsologist" Jamell (more on him later) negotiated a $200 credit from his supplier. It was going to cost me at least that amount to have my mechanic take everything off this engine and have him do the tests that I was told I would be receiving verification of.
With my mechanic advising me to send back the engine, I talked to Jamell about my concern that the engine had obviously come out of a wreck. Jamell said that no one ever said that it didn't come out of a wreck. At that point I knew the kind of people I was dealing with. I told Jamell that since the engine had come out of a wreck and I had no verification of how many miles were on the engine, I did not want the engine. I had no idea what I was buying! It was obvious the engine had never been tested prior to delivery because it could not hold oil in its present condition!
Jamell became very contentious and told me that if he took the engine back and it tested and ran, I would be charged freight charges (about $500) and a restocking fee. The first thought I had was that I would have no way of knowing if their "test" was successful but I knew for sure they would try to screw me out of about $750. I told him I had to get back to work and I'd think it over.in the meantime, I asked Jamell to fax me the docs that did not arrive with the engine. At 4:20PM I called Jamell and told him I didnt recieve a fax. He said that he had sent it, so I told him I'd call him right back after I ran downstairs to recheck the fax machine. Jamell again got contentious and said his supplier wasnt going to wait much longer for my answer. I told him I would call him right back. I called Jamell back at 4:22PM and gave him my wife's office fax number to try. She receives faxes daily from every state and internationally. Still no fax arrived.
Jamell continued to pressure me, saying he was just going to issue the return of the engine. He said he had faxed the doc and there was nothing else he would do. I told him I would not authorize him to spend my money for me. I told him that if he had sent the fax to my wife's office and recieved the fax confirmation he claimed he had, something is not adding up. I then asked for him to read me the odometer reading on the paperwork he was sending me. He said nothing into the phone. I asked him again. He then refused! At that point I knew he hadn't sent me anything. I asked him to simply mail me the document. He refused!
Over the week I made numerous phone calls to Jamell, his Supervisor and the Vice President. None of the higher ups have returned my calls. At one point Jamell put me on hold for 45 minutes and never got back to me, leaving for the night instead. That was the same night my wife stayed in her office over an hour late waiting for a fax that was never coming. After a week of this I was beyond upset. Any reasonable person would be! I admit that in my next phone call to Jamell I used curse words I don't ever use talking to a sales rep. You would too if you had spent $2,000 and had no idea if the engine you just purchased had 37,000 or 137,000 miles on it.
Yesterday I finally got the document in the mail. I did a CarFax on the VIN number. It came back as "odometer reading unknown". I now know why Jamell got quiet on the phone and then refused to tell me the odometer reading. The document doesnt contain it!!! AND they will not tell you!!! If you are foolish enough to buy an engine (or any other part) from these people, do not expect them to verify the quality or odometer reading of what you are about to purchase!!!
The first National Parts deception is their claim of an A rating from the BBB. It has been downgraded to an A. Http://northeastflorida. BBB.org/report.html? ID=9000575&wlcl=y#Complaints Even an A rating is nothing to brag about. National Parts has had 110 BBB claims against them in the past 12 months. That 2 a week! To compare, the company I work for does $30 mil in retail sales. There has never been a BB claim against them in the 30 years I've worked there! I am filing a complaint with the BBB. Perhaps my claim will be the one that drops their rating further. I will post their decision here.in the meantime, I urge you to learn from my experience. Do not do business with national parts!!
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