WWGRM do? An ethical question

About a month ago I was adjusting the valves on my E30 (140K, no rust) and I noticed this:

A crack in the cylinder head that curves up and is about 2 inches in length.

Ugh.

I showed the devastation to my mechanic and he didn't seem to be very concerned about it. He suggested that I do nothing for now and see what happens. The engine does not appear to be mixing coolant in the oil or oil in the coolant. This thing still pulls like a train.

But, this piece of german engineering has been nickel and dollaring me to death lately.

I am contemplating throwing in the towel, cutting my losses, and maybe buying a sensible car.

My question fellow GRMers,

Have you ever sold a car with a known major defect, without disclosing said defect to the potential buyer?

No.

Something like that I would have to tell them about, otherwise I wouldn't sleep good at night.

It that a lifting eye bolted next to the crack? It almost looks like it might have been lifted wrong and put too much stress on the eye.

If you're selling it privately, I would certainly disclose it.

If you're trading it in, I wouldn't bother. They'll just take it to auction anyway.

You have to disclose that to the potential buyer. You'd have much bad mojo if you didn't.

On the bright side, said buyer may want to do an engine swap and not care about the damage.

Toyman01 wrote: No. Something like that I would have to tell them about, otherwise I wouldn't sleep good at night. It that a lifting eye bolted next to the crack? It almost looks like it might have been lifted wrong and put too much stress on the eye.

Yeah, you are probably right on both counts.

hrdlydangerous wrote: You have to disclose that to the potential buyer. You'd have much bad mojo if you didn't. On the bright side, said buyer may want to do an engine swap and not care about the damage.

Yes, Carma is a bitch.

Hmmmm..... Maybe I should do an engine swap?

Oh wait, I am a ham-fisted troglodyte.

I'll give you 500 right now and you can keep all the good karma you want.

Wouldn't sell it without disclosing something that potentially costly. However to an enthusiast I don't think its a huge deal. It probably wouldn't discourage me too much if discussed.

Also if this is making you consider selling I wouldn't worry too much if its not getting larger. I would probably spend 10 minutes and jb weld it. Likely more then strong enough to keep it together. At worst a new head would be fairly cheap.

In reply to xflowgolf:

Beat me to the JB AND the

JB weld or just slap a new head on.

No reason to ditch the whole car.

(Coming from a guy who sorely misses his last 2 E30s)

z31maniac wrote: JB weld or just slap a new head on. No reason to ditch the whole car. (Coming from a guy who sorely misses his last 2 E30s)

Never did a cylinder head swap before. Maybe I should give it a shot. If nothing else, It could make for an interesting story some day.

Toyman01 wrote: No. Something like that I would have to tell them about, otherwise I wouldn't sleep good at night. It that a lifting eye bolted next to the crack? It almost looks like it might have been lifted wrong and put too much stress on the eye.

+1

Disclose what happened and that you did the JB thing (if you do) and encourage them to keep an eye on it.

xflowgolf wrote:

The head on my GT6 had a similar crack I discovered one day while cleaning, which had been fixed with JB Weld. Asked Dad about it (it was his car originally) and he said he did that fix almost 30 years earlier.

Never leaks, no coolant or oil mixing, no issues. Worked fine for 30 years, won't mess with it :)

I'm firmly in the "you have to disclose it" camp unless it is fixed before you sell.

I can't see if that crack extends anywhere but it looks like it could be ground out and welded on the car. You might need a lot of elbow grease filing the weld to get the valve cover gasket to seal but it can be done.

Due to the fact that you asked on here, I suspect that you already knew what the answer was.

aussiesmg wrote: Due to the fact that you asked on here, I suspect that you already knew what the answer was.

So far most of the replies have been what I probably felt in my tiny heart/brain.

Thank you GRM for restoring my faith in humanity.

I asked this question because it seems to me that when someones car appears like it is ready to break or becomes unreliable, the standard remedy is to sell it to someone.

      Without full disclosure.

First thing i dont think its major really second as you stated the car is nickle and dollaring you now. I wouldnt even try the jb weld leave it alone like your mechanic told you. If you decide to sell it yes point it out but i wouldnt make a big deal out of it. Just tell them the facts it does not seem to effect anything at this time and move on.

I think you are ready to move on to another car. Sometimes it takes something like this to let us justify why we should sell a old friend

cutter67 wrote: First thing i dont think its major really second as you stated the car is nickle and dollaring you now. I wouldnt even try the jb weld leave it alone like your mechanic told you. If you decide to sell it yes point it out but i wouldnt make a big deal out of it. Just tell them the facts it does not seem to effect anything at this time and move on. I think you are ready to move on to another car. Sometimes it takes something like this to let us justify why we should sell a old friend

I guess that is part of my quandary, this old jalopy is like an old dog to me, sometimes things break and sometimes it smells funny, but it is an old friend.

I always market a solid vehicle for a fair price and keep haggling to a minimum. I also try to practice full disclosure. The only things I omit are racing history.... not that I did race just the number of passes (unless they ask)

I bought a truck from a seemingly honest guy and it literally almost killed me when the non fuel rated lines burst and the supposedly new brakes faded in the mountains of VA on my way home. If I lived closer to him I would have had some things to say....

What goes around comes around. Plus not telling the truth is lying and that makes you a d*^%

I would put some JB in the crack and drive it.

No leak, no worry = sell

If a leak comes to be then I would tell the buyer.

You say you have a no-rust E30.

Swapping on a good head is easier and FAR, FAR cheaper than bodywork on a rusty E30.

FIx it or don't...truly rust free cars are nice to have around (and easy to sell).

But yeah...point it out to your buyer if you decide to sell.

Clem

Honestly, that's barely a JB fix. That's a black RTV silicone fix. But yeah, you still have to tell the buyer.

Or swap the head. That's an involved job, but it's not terribly difficult.

I just sold our Kia Soul in a private sale and told the buyer about a bent wheel so yeah, I mention it to a potential purchaser. Karma...

Jeff

At least here in MA if you sell it for more than $1000 and did not disclose it the new owner has recourse against you. If they prove that you knew about it and sold it then they are entitled to allot more.

Simple answer. Forget about karma and how you feel about disclosing it or not. If you don't your wallet could be subject to a cashectomy.

You posted it here. If the buyer finds proof that you knew about a major defect (say, he or she finds this post) your butt could be in court and you could loose a LOT of money on the deal. The last guy I sold a car to, I would not want to have him at my house disgruntled, so that is also a concern. He kinda looked like this: