Does Engine Damage Mean a Totaled Car? And When Is it Worthwhile to Repair?

The engine, like the 6.0 powerstroke, is the heart of any vehicle. It is the organ that creates the force that pumps and turns the wheels of the other complicated machinery that gives a vehicle the power to do what it does. Like a heart, however, it is susceptible to problems and complications that could compromise or downright kill a vehicle. Engine damage is very serious but when does it mean that bell’s going to toll for your vehicle?

The engine of a car is the most important and complicated piece of machinery in it. It uses gasoline to create hundreds of tiny explosions a minute through a process called internal combustion. These explosions force pistons to move and thus power your car to move as well.

Many engine problems are an arm and a leg to fix or could leave your car considered totaled, which is more expensive to fix than the vehicle is worth in most cases. It is best to take good care of your engine through routine oil changes and other maintenance expenditures to prevent a bad engine from totaling your car. There is not just one engine problem, and several things could cause a damaged engine.

Floods can have an impact on your car and mess with your engine. If on inspecting your car and you see the air filter and intake are wet and damaged, the engine is damaged, and you should look for any other indicator of water entry. 

Taking your car to a mechanic and the cost of repair could run you around $3,000 to $8,000. You can attempt to fix it yourself and there are guides online that can help you, however, I’d only recommend you are ok getting your hands dirty and working on the engine yourself.

If the vehicle was caught in a fire, severe damage can be done to it. The damage can leave your car totaled and beyond repair, but if the damage is not too serious it could be fixed up. Most of the time if the fire reaches or originates in the engine it probably will be beyond repair and need to be replaced, totaling your car.

Another terrible thing to happen to your sweet, beloved engine, is it seizing and locking up. This could happen due to a lack of oil or if the oil is poorly circulated. Engines lock up because massive amounts of heat and friction get produced from the lack of lubrication that should be coming from the oil. This will cause your engine to turn off and never start up again.

Even if you have been changing the oil routinely another problem might keep it from lubricating the engine. There could be a malfunctioning oil pump or serious failure somewhere else in the engine.

So, what to do when your engine has seized? Sadly, there isn’t a happy answer. Repair costs can be astronomical for this problem and in most cases it’s cheaper to just replace the engine. The cost of this could well exceed your vehicle and end up totaling your car.

If your car is totaled by an engine problem, you should probably try and get rid of it for a new one. There is no sense in paying exuberant repair costs to get a few more years out of a vehicle when it is possible to drive a new one. Selling a totaled car is always achievable as there are people and businesses that would buy it off you.

Of course, your engine could be damaged in a serious accident and that would probably also cause your car to be totaled. Even if the engine block looks relatively healthy, different accessories and utilities in your vehicle would be compromised from a powerful collision.

It seems that engine damage can result in a totaled car in some cases, and in others it can still be saved through professional collision repair services. Just like the heart, without the engine, a vehicle can never function, so it is very important to take care of it. Some damage is inevitable though and some is life-ending, sadly. If your vehicle is totaled from engine damage, you can always try to sell it, so it is not a complete loss.