In February 2016 my grandson experienced a major engine failure while driving my 2005 Ford F250 from Stillwater to Tulsa (the engine suddenly started hammering loudly, smoked, and locked up) . Since I live in McAlester, about 2 hours away, I arranged a tow truck through my insurance, and asked the tow company for a recommendation for someone that I could trust in Tulsa to check it out. The tow company said Southwestern Motor Rebuilders was about the most capable operation for major engine work, so I asked them to tow the truck there. A couple of days later, I received a phone call advising that the engine was in fact destroyed and would require a complete rebuild. They quoted a firm price which was significant, but very fair for a total rebuild (I had checked some local sources that I trusted for comparison), and I told them to go ahead with the work. A week or two later I got the call that the truck was ready, and I drove up to Tulsa to pick it up. The invoice was exactly what they quoted for their labor and engine rebuild kit, and it carried the 3-year, 36000 mile warranty provisions on the back. The truck ran great and I was completely happy. After eighteen months and 7000 miles of perfect operation, the truck suddenly developed an engine miss in August 2017. A local mechanic in McAlester found that something had happened in the #2 cylinder damaging the spark plug; he replaced the plug but that did not correct the miss. I called Southwestern Motors and they said the engine was under warranty and they would be glad to check it out. I transported the truck back to them and they found that a valve had broken in the #2 cylinder. After pulling the engine they replaced the valve and the #2 piston which was also damaged, and my truck runs perfectly again. Even though the written warranty actually provided for 50% labor charge during the second year of coverage, the manager advised that the actual mileage driven was low, the failure shouldn't have happened, and there would be no charge for repairs. My experience with this shop is that they did exactly what they said they would do, they charged exactly what they said they would charge, and they went above and beyond in honoring their warranty a full year and a half after they first repaired my vehicle. In my experience that is more than you can normally expect in this day and age, and I have no hesitation in fully recommending this operation for major engine repair. read more
