First-hand "brand new" GEX experience.

[bljones]

I had the opportunity last week to meet a gentleman, a VW novice, on a quest- to go racing. His budget is tight, but his cause is noble, and he thought he had found a chance to save some money by buying a longblock, rather than building up the engine himself. He proudly told me about the engine he had bought from a company he found on the 'net....
...GEX.

"what? why are you looking like that?," he asked.

Y'all can probably see what's coming around the bend in this story.

I explained that the company in question has a less-than-stellar reputation in the VW world. Now he is unsure about his engine, so I tell him, "hey, maybe you got lucky. Not every engine a company with a bad rep makes can be bad, right?" He decides the only prudent course of action is to tear the engine down and find out what he has really got. I made arrangements to see the engine last Sunday.

The class his team will be racing in has an 1835 cc displacement limit, so, logically, he bought a GEX 1835 longblock. From the outside, it didn't look too bad... from 10 feet. Getting closer, the first thing I noticed was the spray painted case...and studs. mmm, this is not looking good.. Then I noticed the buried case saver, the scoring marks, and the liberal use of permatex.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=214922

Now, I had heard the horror stories about GEX, and found that they were usually a) an engine owned by a friend of a friend of a friend's brother's baby momma's cousin, or b) an engine with some miles on it. This is the first time i had had the opportunity to examine a pristine GEX engine in captivity.
Damn, it be UGLY.
We pulled the drain plate, and my heart sank, but i thought i'd better keep it to myself.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=214925

did i mention this engine is a NEVER RUN long block?
We get the valve covers off, the mis-shimmed rocker assemblies out, and find that at least all the pushrods are the same length, even if the pushrod tubes weren't. ( 6 stock tubes, 2 "windage" tubes) We find the heads are torqued WAAAY past spec, and when we get the heads off, find the news doesn't get any better.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=214924 Both heads are beat rebuilds, with "GEX 041" stamped on them...whatever that means. the valves in one head were a mismatch, and the left head bears signs of previous damage and repair, who knows how long ago.
In any event, they ain't new.

At least the pistons appear new and installed right, with decent ring stagger, even if the cylinders themselves show signs of a rehoning or two. but once we get the P and Cs off, that ol' sinking feeling in the stomach comes back...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=214926

How long has this engine been sitting, anyway?

we pull off the flywheel, and, well... the novice racer goes ballistic.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=214928
well, i guess we know why the case had THREE GEX stamps. this must be the third time this case has been whored out by the same pimp.

At this point neither one of us wanted to split the case. But, hey, it's like a car crash... you gotta look, right?

Well, we looked...and then started ordering new parts. new case, new crank, new bearings, new dizzy drive, new cam (customer thought he was getting an Engle 110 cam- he got a reground stock cam with "110" written on the gear in red paint.)

And now, he's gonna do it right, rather than trying to do it cheap. It's an expensive lesson, but one well-learned.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[Glenn]

At least it didn't explode.

Whenever I hear about a GEX engine with a problem, I tell the owner to expect a total loss and to save for a new engine.

Of the 3 i've worked on, all of them were total loss and not major parts could be used.

I've seen mismatched pushrods, mismatched pistons, missing wrist pin retainers, beat to crap cases, burnt rods, cracked heads and cracked cranks that were repaired.

All 3 of these engines were sold as NEW.

GEX = boat anchor
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[bljones]

It didn't have a chance to explode... but the evidence points to a ticking bomb, if it had been fired up.

Bottom line, it is (was) a $1600 doorstop.

I'd heard the stories, but never had the chance to take one apart... until now.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[Glenn]

Is he gonna send GEX the pictures and ask for a refund?
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[Kaferfiend]

Dang, man. This should be a "sticky". Thanks for the input...not that I ever wanted to buy a GEX, but if I had, your work would have changed my mind. Thanks again!

-kf

[bljones]

he received no specs, and no build sheet. After reading all the info on GEX's website, it looks like he doesn't stand a chance, although he has filed a claim with his credit card company. let them duke it out.

If you take a gander at the GEX website, you see that they are very clever at covering their ass. You never actually see the words "new' or "rebuilt" used- they simply tell you what wonderful go-fast things they do to parts, and let you assume that they must be using new parts.

https://www.gex.com/09stdeq.htm

see what i mean?
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[Randy in Maine]

But they are covered by the 12/12 warranty...

http://www.gex.com/mainframe.htm

"Each GEX component is carefully selected for it's reliability and it's contribution to the ultimate performance of your engine. These engines come with:

GEX Standard 12 / 12 warranty
Big Valve Dual Port Heads
Heavy Duty Oil Pump
GEX 110 Cam
Bolt on Aluminum Valve Covers
Cima Mahle Piston & Cyl. set
Double Thrust Cam Bearings
8 Dowel Crankshaft & Flywheel
Hi Carbon Steel Pushrods
Heavy Duty Swivel Adjusters
Solid Rocker Shafts"

I don't know of anyone who ever collected a dime on the warranty.

Persoanlly I would send an e-mail off to Mike Beebe over here

http://www.arkansasag.gov/index_high.htm

or try this one

http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/GetWhatYouOrdered.htm

[Glenn]

[bljones]

From their "terms and conditions' page:

https://www.gex.com/content/terms.htm

Warranty Procedure -
GEX PREMIUM stock engines are warranted for a period of 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first. See individual warranty cards, that are supplied with each engine, for details. Our engine sales are tracked through the WARRANTY CARD NUMBER. If a problem should occur, it should be brought to the attention for the GEX Warranty Manager at 800 423-1869 before any repair work, other than diagnosis, is started. You will need to supply the WARRANTY CARD NUMBER before any a repair authorization can be given. Authorizations will be given over the phone and followed by a purchase order. All authorized repairs will be reimbursed at a rate not to exceed 100% of the Mitchell Repair Manual's published flat rate schedule. Hourly rates will be paid in accordance with the original installation rate, not to exceed $ 36.00 per flat rate hour. Parts will be either supplied or reimbursed at cost. Warranty claims should be submitted on the repairing garage's work order with our P.O. attached. Unauthorized repairs will not be considered for reimbursement.

Oops... too bad this guy didn't get a warranty card. and no one is returning his phone calls.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[Glenn]

$36/hr.

On Long Island the going rate is $78/hr.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

[bljones]

In any event, at this point, there is no warranty issue, and if you take the time to puzzle out GEX's website and practices, what is in his engine is what they said would be in his engine... it just isn't what he was led to believe would be in his engine.

it's like the old brainteaser:
A man has three coins in his pocket. the three coins total 76 cents. all three coins were minted in the united states in the last half century. one of the coins is not a penny. what are the three coins?


The coins are a half dollar, a quarter and a penny.

think about it, and you nderstand why GEX wins.
_________________
OG JHC
Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"

2%

[quattlebum]

GEX = Shit.... that should be the name of the sticky thread...

[oicdn]

[Gary L.]

ROY.... Hmmm... I guess he's not going to be popping up anytime soon?
Oh well, at least this post will bump this back to the top so HOPEFULLY, someone who is looking for a quality engine here will get some info....

[Volksman66]

[truckersmike]

I have some advise for this fellow. Until recently, my position at a rather large bank was working debit card disputes with merchants and fraud cases. Though we would all love to consider this fraud, technically it is not. Some things he may want to do that will help his case is to show some proof that he has tried to resolve with the merchant. Also, he needs to print off any warranty info that is listed on the web site and or provide info that came with the motor. Next, he will need to write a detailed letter explaining what he expected, what he received (or didn't receive) and how he tried to resolve with the merchant. In some cases, he may even need to attempt to send the motor back but I wouldn't do that right away. Visa has a clause that if the merchant isn't being cooperative, then the merchandise can be "available for pickup" at any time. Lastly, take it to a reputable VW pro shop and have them state in writing on their letterhead what is wrong with the engine and why it should never be run and how much a comparable engine would cost. With all of this info, your friend should get is money back.

Good luck on ripping that company a new ass hole!
_________________
59 DD panel. Former Romano's TV delivery bus
67 Westy SO-42 pop-t

[myb356]

I bought a car with a GEX engine a couple weeks back. It had around 10k miles on it...so I figured it was time for a rebuild. It had a new case...so no problem there. Reground lifters with heavy scratching (like 80 grit sanding scratches) on all surfaces including the bore riding surface. the genuine engle 110 was showing signs of pitting and weird wear. The engine was prerun, so cam break- in was done at GEX. One small rod end was extremely loose fitting (not worn...but loose) and it had two cracked intake seats...yes intake seats not exhaust. I think I got lucky compared to what most people get. I think my engine would have gone at least another 500 miles before the rod started knocking or seats fell out. I bought the car for the body not the GEX engine.

[danimal]

[Tkisner]

[bljones]