Funbgs
Selling defective heads they knew about!!!!
I had to really think about this before posting my review. After everything I had to pay out of pocket, this whole experience was heartbreaking. I have a Volvo Penta 5.0 GXi marine engine that needed cylinder heads. After looking around online, I found this company selling refurbished heads for under $1,000. Seemed like a good deal, so I ordered them. They arrived quickly with no issues. I ordered them during the winter but didn't have them installed until summer. I had to hire a marine mechanic, schedule a marina crane, pull the engine out of the boat, and have the heads replaced. Not a cheap or easy process. After everything was installed, the engine ran perfectly on land. No knocking, popping, hesitation, nothing. Finally got the boat back in the water for the first time in over a year. We left the marina, went through the no-wake zone, and got the boat on plane. About 10 seconds later, the boat started losing power. I opened the throttle and heard a loud ping, pop, and terrible rattling. Pulled the throttle back and the engine shut off. Tried restarting it and heard the worst noise you could imagine coming from an engine. Ended up drifting with the current and had to pay the marina to tow us back. Had the mechanic check everything. Found a bent exhaust pushrod on cylinder #8. Replaced it, but the engine still barely ran. Did a compression test and every cylinder was around 195 PSI except #8, which had ZERO. Called the company about the warranty and this is where things got interesting. The guy told me the heads actually came from Clearwater because they were short on inventory. He admitted they had been having problems with these marine heads because the wrong exhaust valve guides were installed. Apparently they used automotive guides that were too tight, causing the exhaust valves to stick once the engine warmed up and reached higher RPM. The piston would then hit the valve. So basically, they knew these heads had issues! They agreed to take the heads back and repair them. But now it's the middle of July and I have to pay AGAIN to haul the boat out, hire the mechanic, schedule the crane, pull the engine, and remove the heads. After shipping them back, I didn't hear anything for over a week. Called for an update and the guy barely seemed to remember who I was. I brought up reimbursement for all the additional expenses, especially since he admitted this was a known issue. He immediately got an attitude and told me their website says they're not responsible for labor or other expenses. I explained that this wasn't some random failure. They were selling heads they already knew had problems! Then he actually threatened me over the phone, saying something along the lines of, "You're not really all that smart calling and making these claims while I'm sitting here holding your heads. I don't have to send them back to you. I can tell you to go f yourself." (I can't post what was actually said because it flags it). Real professional. So because of these heads, I ended up paying for a tow, another haul-out, additional crane fees, and a mechanic to do the same job all over again. Not to mention paying for a marina slip that I barely got to use because I lost most of my boating season. I understand parts can fail. But when a company admits they knew about an issue and then refuses to help with the expenses it caused, that's a problem. What started as a set of heads for under $1,000 ended up costing me thousands more. I really wish I had done more research before buying from them. Have to add this since the company responded. Never took down the reviews from anywhere. But I am to make sure everyone knows the shady dealings this company does. DO NOT TRUST THEM!!! Also weird how the company knew about a random reddit post that someone posted a few years ago asking other redditors about this company. Makes me think that they have fake accounts going around to boost themselves. Other wise my exhaust system was BRAND NEW from volvo with all new OEM gaskets. Engine ran perfect on a hose for over 2hrs. The heads sat in it original packaging. Sealed untouched until summer. There was ZERO water intrusion. They guaranteed that the valve guides were the issue. Since they had MULTIPLE RETURNS. The company is back peddling on it's claim because they know they are in the wrong. Hence why they sent brand new heads. There was 0 rust anywhere on the heads when I had to send them back. It took them over 2 weeks to send the heads back after being promised it would only be with them for a couple of days. This company does not stand behind their products what so ever! Also industry standard is 1 year warranty. With covering any excess damage done by failing product. Sierra, mercruiser, volvo, even auto stores all have the same policy.
Response from HeavydutypartscompanyOct 15, 2026
Owner of Heavy Duty Parts Company here: This guy is going around trying to slander us. He has posted and we responded to his Google review. Well he must have not liked our response because he took his Google review down and now hes posting on Reddit and trust pilot. I will post our reply down below. We’re sorry this turned into such a headache for him, but this review leaves out a lot. He bought these heads over a year before he contacted us, so they were well outside our warranty. Our warranty on marine heads is parts only, which is standard in this industry. When he called, we told him honestly that we had gotten some heads from another supplier with improper valve guide clearances. We also told him there was no guarantee that was his problem, and that we couldn’t know unless we got his heads back and inspected them. Even though he was a year out of warranty, we agreed to take them back and warranty them anyway. The conversation kept coming back to money. Before we even had the heads in our hands, we offered to go beyond our warranty and replace the marine head gasket set and head bolts at no charge. We explained that we don’t cover labor, and he kept pressing for reimbursement anyway. When the heads got back, we inspected them. They did not have the guide problem we had speculated about. What we found was heavy rust on the valve guides and valve stems, and signs of water intrusion from the exhaust side. By his own account, he bought the heads in winter and didn’t install them until summer. Rust on the guides and stems can make valves sticky, and water coming through the exhaust side points to something like a bad riser, manifold, or elbow, which is a common problem on these engines. We did not repair his heads as we originally said. We replaced them with two brand new heads at no cost to him. To be clear, nobody here told him to go f himself, and nobody forgot who he was. Anyone who has done business with us will tell you how we treat customers, and our other reviews say the same. We went well past what we owed him on this one. If he wants to talk it through, my number is 727-609-1700