Reman’ versus Recon’: The benefits of remanufactured engines

David Eszenyi, commercial director at remanufacturer Ivor Searle, examines the difference between remanufacturing and reconditioning

Reman’ versus Recon’: The benefits of remanufactured engines

The Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse (CRR) defines remanufacturing as: “the process of returning a used product to at least its original performance with a warranty that is equivalent to or better than that of the newly manufactured product”.

As such, remanufacturing must not be confused with concepts of repairing, reusing, refurbishing, reconditioning or recycling.

Reusing means simply the reuse of a product without any form of modification. Repairing is fixing the faulty part of a product to restore it to a useable condition, but with no particular guarantee on the product as a whole.

On the other hand, refurbishment is mainly the aesthetic improvement of a product that may involve making the product look-like-new with limited improvement in functionality.

Sustainability

Central to the Circular Economy, remanufacturing has a long history in the UK and in respect of the automotive industry, Ivor Searle is one of the leading exponents of remanufacturing engines and other major units, having been established for over 70 years.

Remanufactured units offer a much more sustainable solution compared to purchasing a brand new OEM product, as considerably less energy and materials are used in the remanufacturing process. For example, engines remanufactured by Ivor Searle conserve approximately 55 kilos in core metal and around 85 percent of the engine’s original components are returned to OEM specification.

Engine remanufacturing process

Remanufacturing and reconditioning are sometimes used as equivalent terms where engines are concerned, however they are completely different. A reconditioned engine is a unit that has been fully stripped or partly disassembled, cleaned and may have had some damaged components replaced prior to being rebuilt.

In contrast, a remanufactured engine has been returned to the vehicle manufacturer’s original factory specification.

Furthermore, a reman engine is required to meet a specific standard for it to be described as such under BSI AU 257:2002. This is a British Standard Automobile Series Code of Practice that applies to the remanufacturing of internal combustion engines. The standard fully details the procedures and operations for the remanufacturing of both spark (petrol) and compression ignition (diesel) engines.

These processes include the detailed inspection and checking of components against manufacturer tolerances. Key parts, including pistons and ring sets, big and small end bearings and bushes, as well as gaskets, seals, timing chains and drive belts are all required to be renewed, while items such as tensioners and dampers are also required to be inspected and replaced if necessary.

Further important operations, such as intensive cleaning, crack testing machined components and the deburring of reworked oil pathways, are also undertaken to ensure the original specification of the engine is achieved with full reliability. In addition to having all key clearances, tolerances and end floats checked after assembly, the standard also requires complete engines to be checked for oil pressure and compression.

Benefits of remanufactured products to workshops

The main advantage of buying remanufactured engines, turbos and gearboxes is the cheaper price, with quality replacement major units from Ivor Searle costing around 40 percent less than a brand new OEM product. This helps to minimise the cost for customers for what is a ’distress purchase’ and also it provides garages with a competitive edge when it comes to securing repair work.

Quality remanufactured products also offer the advantage of warranty protection. For example, engines, cylinder heads and gearboxes from Ivor Searle are provided with a transferable 12-month unlimited mileage parts and labour warranty, while a two-year warranty covers all turbochargers.

Ivor Searle offers an all-makes range of remanufactured petrol and diesel engines, cylinder heads, manual gearboxes and turbochargers for cars and light commercial vehicles. We are constantly expanding our range to meet the latest trends in the UK’s vehicle parc and offer over 90 percent UK vehicle parc coverage.

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