You have finally paid off your car when the engine dies. There are seemingly two options: you could send it to the mechanic to get it repaired, or you could buy a new car altogether. But, there’s another, third option.

There’s a Third Option That Trumps Them All

You can do an engine swap yourself. You’re not alone: chances are, some of your neighbors also have cars sitting out waiting to be repaired. Or they have already started repairing them. You can join them in the quest to get dead cars off the blocks. There are benefits of doing an engine replacement yourself: you’ll save money, it’s convenient, and you’ll have that satisfaction of having done it yourself.

Official manual

Swapping an Engine Yourself Saves Money

No one likes to have to take their car into the mechanic shop. You pay to have your car diagnosed, and, moving forward, you’re paying the mechanic by the hour for labor as well as for the engine itself. Those fees add up! The cost is so high for something you could do yourself at a fraction of the price.

If you buy a new car, it’s obvious that you’d be spending so much more money. You could end up spending 3x the amount of what you would spend at the mechanic shop (which is still more expensive than swapping at home). Not to mention the fact that you throw away all of your investment in the old car. All of that money and time you invested into that car goes down the drain. At home, you just pay for tools and the engine.

Graph comparing prices of new cars, shop repairs and home repairs

This graph compares the prices of a new car, vs taking your car to the shop, vs replacing that engine yourself. The price of the mechanic shop, of course, varies depending on the car. The price pictured above (in gray) is based on the quote the mechanic gave to us.

Replacing Your Own Engine Is Convenient

Swapping your own engine may not be the easiest thing you’ve ever done, but it is convenient. How nice is it to keep that same car that’s stuck by you all this time? You get to have all of the control of the situation of your car, which can only happen if you replace your engine yourself. If you send it to the mechanic, you’ll have to wait for them to finish it in their own time. You can restore your own car yourself in your own time.

If a mechanic finds something else wrong with your car, you must first approve the repair (and price) before you can get that repair. If you can’t afford to repair it now, you are driving on borrowed time until you can. But if you find something extra wrong with your car, you have the option of repairing it right away, before it becomes catastrophic.

Doing Your Own Engine Swap Brings Peace of Mind

The engine swap also comes with the peace of mind that you did it yourself. A dead engine will no longer intimidate you if you know how to deal with it yourself. It will no longer be such a big problem.

You could stare a problem like this in the face and get the job done. You know exactly what’s going on with your car firsthand, and be able to fix anything else that may be wrong with it without having to pay even more of your hard earned money to the mechanic. Learning to swap an engine yourself ensures that you won’t have to be worried about problems like this again.

tools

Could Swapping Your Own Engine Be a Bad Idea?

If you’re still doubting whether the engine swap is a good idea, here are a few reasonable concerns.

It is Hard Work

The amount of work that goes into an engine swap may seem to be too much. It is true that the engine swap is not an easy job. But, if you weigh the amount of work against the amount of money you will save from it, there’s no question as to whether or not it’s worth it. It is worth the effort.

Don’t You Need an Expert?

Maybe you’re worried you won’t be equipped to do the job. Mechanics, after all, are the real professionals. Again, an engine swap is not easy, but it is not outside of your reach. Fortunately for you, you don’t actually need a certificate to complete the job. Certification and experience are two different things. You have experience maintaining your car. If you can change your oil, you can learn to swap that dead engine.

Why Not Buy a New Car?

Maybe you want to get a new car instead. There are no problems in a new car, and you won’t have to worry about them coming anytime soon. But, if you buy that new car, then you’ll lose all of the investment you put into this one. Those hours of repairs, and oil changes, and dollars spent, all put to waste. And what if the engine dies in your new car as well? What happens then? The right choice is to swap the engine yourself.

You Can Do an Engine Swap Yourself

The choice is not difficult. If you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to swap your engine, here is your answer. You really can replace that dead engine in your car yourself. You can drive that car again at a fraction of the cost of one of the alternative options. This job not only saves you thousands of dollars, but it is also convenient, and gives you peace of mind. Any man with his car out there on the blocks should understand how much better he could live if he swapped that dead engine himself.

Thinking of doing an engine swap? Download our free Engine Swap Checklist.