• octobob@lemmy.ml
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    9 days ago

    My roommate is rebuilding his Volkswagen 2012 Golf R’s engine right now. We were watching on YouTube, you can get a whole engine on Alibaba for like $500. Seems like it’s 50/50 of it working and being like a brand new car, or just a huge clusterfuck that won’t run and turns into a shitshow disaster

    • moldy_rice@piefed.keyboardvagabond.com
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      9 days ago

      Sourcing parts from China requires skill. Look for reviews, get samples, and don’t go cheap. You can get great quality stuff there. They will build to spec. So if you know the exact geometry and thickness and grade of material, you can be very specific and get something great.

      But if you just buy something cheap without discussing it with their engineers and confirming specs and tolerances, you’ll get something cheap.