Engine failure? We can help
Engine repair done properly. Once.
When an engine fails, the advice you get in the first ten minutes decides how much the next year of your life costs. We are engine repair and engine rebuild specialists with over 45 years of experience. We repair rather than unnecessarily replace, we use OEM parts on all our repairs, and every rebuild is documented with a photographic report and test certified before it leaves the workshop.
Fully repaired after failure from £2,495, with a 12 month warranty that transfers to the next keeper if you sell the vehicle. We collect directly from your home or garage anywhere in the UK.
Five star rated. Hundreds of engines rebuilt for drivers across the UK
Every rebuild documented and test certified
45+ years
Over four decades of hands on engine experience.
OEM parts
Original specification parts on every repair.
12 month warranty
Transferable if you sell the vehicle.
From £2,495
Fully repaired after failure, fixed quote.
What we do
Engine repair, engine rebuilds and engine reconditioning
We work on all makes and models sold in the UK, petrol and diesel, cars and vans. Whether you need a straightforward engine repair, a complete engine rebuild or full engine reconditioning in our machine shop, the approach is the same. Find the real cause, show it to you on video, quote a fixed price and rebuild it properly with OEM parts.
Engine Repair
From a failed turbo to a seized bottom end, we repair petrol and diesel engines for every make and model sold in the UK. Honest diagnosis first, then a fixed quote and OEM parts throughout.
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Engine Rebuild
A full strip down and rebuild restores your engine to factory condition. Every rebuild is photographed, documented and test certified, and it carries our 12 month transferable warranty.
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Engine Reconditioning
Our machine shop reconditions cylinder heads, blocks and crankshafts to OEM tolerances. Skimming, pressure testing, boring, honing and grinding are all done in house.
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Van Engine Repair
A van off the road costs you money every day. We prioritise working vehicles and rebuild Transit, Sprinter, Vivaro and every other UK van engine with fast turnaround and nationwide collection.
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Repair rather than replace
A proper repair beats a used engine with an unknown history
When an engine fails, many garages reach for the phone and order a used engine from a breaker. It sounds cheaper, but you are buying an unknown history. That engine may have been neglected, overheated or run dry of oil, and there is no way to know until it is fitted. If it turns out to be faulty, you pay the labour twice. Once to fit the bad engine and once to take it out again.
A documented rebuild of your own engine removes that gamble. You know the vehicle, you know its history and you receive photographic proof of every new OEM part that goes into it. Read our full guide on why a repair beats a used engine before you let anyone talk you into a second hand unit.
Video inspection
Watch a walkthrough of your dismantled engine before you approve any work.
Photographic rebuild report
Every stage photographed and supplied to you as a permanent record.
Transferable 12 month warranty
The cover stays with the vehicle even if you sell it.
Collection from your door
We recover the vehicle from your home or garage anywhere in the UK.
Ford EcoBoost wet belt specialists
Wet belts and timing chains are our daily bread
As Ford EcoBoost wet belt specialists we see the full life cycle of these engines, from preventative belt replacement to complete rebuilds after belt failure. The same goes for the Peugeot Citroen 1.2 PureTech, the BMW N47 and every other UK engine with a known chain or belt weakness.
If your engine is still running, a preventative replacement with an OEM kit is the cheapest money you will ever spend on it. If it has already failed, we can almost always rebuild it. Read our guide to common timing chain and belt failure causes or browse the engines we repair every week.
The process
How your engine gets rebuilt
Tell us what happened
Call or send the form and describe the symptoms. A rattle, smoke, a warning light or a complete failure. We will ask a few questions about the vehicle and give you an honest first view over the phone.
We collect the vehicle
Our collection service picks the vehicle up directly from your home, your workplace or your garage, anywhere in the UK. Non runners are no problem. Recovery to one of our workshops is all part of the service.
Strip down and video inspection
We dismantle the engine and record a video inspection of every component. You see exactly what failed and why before you spend a penny on parts. Then you approve a fixed written quote.
Rebuild with OEM parts
Our engineers rebuild the engine with OEM parts and photograph every stage. The photographic rebuild report becomes your record of the work and supports your warranty and the vehicle’s resale value.
Test certified and returned
Every rebuild is test certified before the engine leaves the workshop. We return the vehicle to your door with the report, the certification and a 12 month warranty that transfers to the next keeper.
Collection service
We collect from your home or garage
An engine failure usually means a vehicle that will not drive, and arranging recovery is the last thing you need. We handle it. Our collection service picks your vehicle up directly from your home, your workplace or your local garage and recovers it to one of our workshops in Reading, Manchester, Macclesfield, London or Durham.
When the work is finished and the engine is test certified, we bring the vehicle back to you. The whole repair can happen without you arranging a single journey. For vans and working vehicles we prioritise turnaround because we understand that every day off the road costs you money.
Proof, not promises
Documented, certified and warranted
Every rebuild we complete is documented from the first bolt to the final test. You receive a photographic rebuild report showing the worn parts, the new OEM components and the finished engine. You also receive the video inspection of the dismantled engine, so you know exactly what failed and what was done about it.
The finished engine is test certified before it leaves the workshop, and the work carries a 12 month warranty. That warranty is transferable. If you sell the vehicle, the new keeper keeps the cover, which makes your car or van worth more and easier to sell.
- Photographic rebuild report included with every job
- Video inspection of the dismantled engine before you approve the quote
- Every rebuild documented and test certified
- 12 month warranty on all repairs, transferable if the vehicle is sold
Simple to obtain quotes
Get a fixed quote in minutes
Tell us the vehicle and the symptoms and an engineer will come back to you with a clear price. Most full repairs after failure start from £2,495, and the quote you approve is the price you pay. If you would rather talk it through, tap Call Now and you will speak to someone who rebuilds engines for a living, not a call centre.
We are friendly and approachable, and we explain everything in plain English. You can also email the team at repairs@howardbasford.co.uk. Every enquiry is answered by a real engineer.
£2,495
Fully repaired after failure
12
Month transferable warranty
45+
Years of engine experience
Reviews
Five star rated by UK drivers
Five star rated engine repair and rebuild service
“The video of my stripped engine showed exactly why it failed. The rebuild was finished in a week and the car has been perfect since.”
“My Transit is my living. They collected it from my depot, rebuilt the EcoBlue and had me back working inside ten days.”
“Two garages told me to scrap the car or fit a used engine. Engine Repairs rebuilt it properly and the warranty transferred when I sold it.”
Engine knowledge
Engines we repair every week
Ford · Petrol
Ford EcoBoost 1.0 Wet Belt
Read the guide
Ford · Diesel
Ford Transit 2.0 EcoBlue
Read the guide
BMW · Diesel
BMW N47 Timing Chain
Read the guide
Volkswagen Audi Group · Diesel
VW and Audi 2.0 TDI
Read the guide
Vauxhall · Petrol
Vauxhall 1.4 Turbo
Read the guide
Peugeot Citroen DS Vauxhall · Petrol
Peugeot Citroen 1.2 PureTech
Read the guide
Mercedes Benz · Diesel
Mercedes OM651 Diesel
Read the guide
Land Rover Jaguar · Diesel and Petrol
Land Rover Ingenium 2.0
Read the guide
Nationwide coverage
Engine repair near you
With workshops in Reading, Manchester, Macclesfield, London and Durham and a nationwide collection service, we cover the whole of the UK. Read about our service in your area.