Legal Problem

[Shackleton]

I'm gonna go talk to the Gardai anyway and see what they have to say about the whole thing.

Does any body know what the UK Police procedure would be in this case?

[Eightpot]

Don't know if there's a different process there, but my 90 was registered without an engine number, and they weren't particularly interested in taking it when I later changed the colour with DVLA and had another engine put in.

Chassis/VIN number is all they were interested in.

The police won't be particularly interested as there's no way to connect it to anything stolen unless you volunteer a whole load of information and force them to act on it. Depends on how keen you are to potentially lose your money and return something to someone who's probably been paid out anyway, but even then other than a missing engine number you don't actually have any information that indicates this is a stolen engine.

Put your paperwork through best you can, get legal, and you have nothing to hide - it's not illegal to buy an engine without a number unless you suspect you are buying stolen goods, which presumably you didn't.

[Shackleton]

As ashamed as I am to admit it I genuinely didn't think to check the engine number when forking out the considerable lump of money I paid for the truck. I got completey mesmirised by the fact I'd found a Td5 already in a RRC and for the same money as you'd pay for a Td5 on a pallet without loom or ancillaries. Plus after some unforseen delays I arrived to the car at the time I should have been leaving for the drive back to Holyhead, I had minus time to check the car and then get it up onto the trailer and strapped down and I concentrated on the engine being in good nick.

Approaching the place I was going through a list of things to get through as quickly as possible to assess the engine and it's origin just didn't come into it. I started the car, listened to it, drove it about 3/4 mile and wham, bam, thank you I was out of there. To be honest I didn't check it properly - I really relied on my perception of the guy, the car on startup and how she drove (It drove better then a much newer Defender I sometimes have the pleasure of driving). I had told him I'd walk away if it wasn't right so to tell me anything I needed to know over the phone.

I believed the guy was a decent sort, I still do. If he isn't then watch out Cambridgeshire cause he's Verbal Kint / Keyser Soze.