Thrust bearing toasted my engine?

[toerag]

My dual mass fly wheel went bang on a foggy saturday morning at 7am. After waiting for the AA with my blanket I towed the car to the mechanics and they changed the dual mass fly wheel and the clutch. All appeared fine with the car when i left the garage however after a few day I noticed that the clutch pedal was vibrating when depressed slighly and there was a rythmic knocking noise when the clutch was depressed. I took the car back to the garage thinking it was a clutch issue. They suspected a something was wrong with the thrust bearing and dropped the sump... They found metal shards in the oil and told me the thrust bearing had  gone due to excessive play in the crank shaft. They told me it is not easily accesible and the money to get to it and fix it was a bit of a gamble with the metal that had got into the engine could of caused extensive damage.

Anyway I am sort of resigned to having to spend a large chunk of money to get this fixed. Firstly I would just like to confirm that replacing the engine in this situation makes sense. and secondly does anyone know a good place to source and fit a refurbished engine for these cars? Im not looking to cheap out on this and would be looking to sort some of the auxiliaries that have been giving me trouble (thermostat) but would like to also like to know items for preventative maintinence if i go down this route that are easy to do with the engine out but hard while in.

Thanks in advance
H

[Clarkj93]

Where are you based? Some one will know a top shop who does this stuff all the time that's not a million miles away I'm sure.

[toerag]

I am located in Harlow (South Essex)

[Clarkj93]

Aks Tuning is not too far from you? Never used them myself except for parts as they're too far but heard lots of owners highly rating them on here. Check out their website, they mention on there they do re-building.

[LC5F]

That's not a great situation - if the engine has eaten the the thrust bearing there will be metal throughout the engine, wearing the cams, cank, pistons  - so yes replacement is the best way forward.

I can appreciate the sentiment of doing it properly, but be aware a fully reconditioned engine will run into several £k -
Just as an example, not a recommendation, I did recently spot a German company that listed rebuilt engines https://mikmotoren.de/products/austauschmotor-bwa?variant=40798450188443 choosing fully refurbished and old part not available takes the cost to €4,650 +shipping - but their engines come with balance shaft delete and they have reinforced pistons...If you want to go all in and add more power, they do race engines, you could enquire about forged rods to go with the reinforced pistons.

But a more wallet friendly option would be sourcing a good used engine and get that rebuilt locally.

[ald1717]

that sucks really sorry to hear that, i always thought that dmf would start shaking and making noise when they start to go never realised they could just go bang,

[toerag]

LC5F I have got a quote from a company online for a rebuilt engine fitted for 2K locally. It sounds too good to be true to me?
I am leaning to calling AKS tuning to see if I can figure something out tommorow as the seem to be universally recommended.

[LC5F]

LC5F I have got a quote from a company online for a rebuilt engine fitted for 2K locally. It sounds too good to be true to me?
I am leaning to calling AKS tuning to see if I can figure something out tommorow as the seem to be universally recommended.

The German link has new pistons and a clever balance shaft delete set up - that's probably £1k of the price there alone.

You need to confirm what they are going to do - ask them what is being replaced new, what used items will be retained and what serviceable items they will use (belts/chains) -lastly what sort of warranty they provide.
Also see if there is any online feedback on them - don't rush into anything.

It does sound cheap - I suffered cam belt slip late last year, I did it as cheap as I could for: head rebuild, injector clean, gaskets, fixings & a DIY turbo rebuild all came in just over £1k, for the extra £1k they need to rebuild the bottom end and make a profit.

Yes AKS do seem to be very good, I would ask their advice - they will know who is trusted engine builder - more money, but I would be tempted to get balance shaft assembly delete from AKS.