Cowichan Small Engines is a Canadian importer of used Japanese Domestic Market drivetrain. We buy at source in Japan, bring units in by container to Metro Vancouver, test and catalogue them ourselves, and ship them across Canada from our own building. There is no third-party warehouse and no drop-shipper between you and the engine you are buying.
That structure is the whole point. Most used JDM sold in Canada has passed through two or three hands before it reaches the customer, and each one adds margin while subtracting information. By the time it is listed, nobody selling it has seen it run. We hold our own stock, so when you call and ask about a specific unit, someone here can go and look at it.
We are a registered Canadian business importing under our own licence, operating from 7188 Progress Way, Delta, BC. You are welcome to visit, inspect a unit on the floor, and take it away the same day.
Units come from vehicles taken off the road in Japan, where strict inspection cycles push cars out of service long before the drivetrain is worn out.
Units are assessed in Japan before purchase. We pass on the ones with signs of overheating, accident damage, poor storage or missing identification, however cheap they are.
Shipped by sea into the Lower Mainland and cleared under our own import licence, then trucked to the Delta warehouse.
Every complete engine is inspected on arrival. It is photographed, given an inventory tag, and only then listed for sale.
Every unit is inspected before we list it. Ask us about a specific unit and we will tell you what we know about it. If a figure is marginal, we say so and price it accordingly rather than burying it.
Where a verified kilometre figure exists, we publish it. Where it does not – and with a pulled engine it often does not – we say so instead of inventing a number. Cosmetic condition is described as it is.
Palletised, wrapped, strapped and photographed before the carrier collects, moving through carriers who handle automotive freight daily. 2–7 business days anywhere in Canada.
Japan takes cars off the road early. Shaken inspection cycles get progressively more expensive as a vehicle ages, so perfectly healthy cars are deregistered and dismantled at mileages where a North American car is only halfway through its life. The drivetrain that comes out of them has plenty of service life left, and it was maintained under a stricter regime than most.
It is not magic, and we will not pretend otherwise: these are used engines with an unverifiable service history, and they need their service items renewed at installation. Done properly, they are the most cost-effective way to put a healthy drivetrain in a car that is worth keeping.
Keeping a good car on the road when the engine has gone. Send us your year, model and trim and we will confirm the right engine code free of charge, before you spend anything.
Trade pricing, straight answers on fitment, and units crated for a shop with a forklift. We do not fit engines ourselves, so we are not competing with you for the job.
Repeat supply on common platforms, with sourcing to specification from upcoming containers. Tell us what you go through and we will buy toward it.
We will not hide freight behind a quote you only see after you have committed to the unit. We will not publish a kilometre figure we cannot support. We will not sell you an engine we think is wrong for your car, even when you are ready to pay for it – we would rather lose the sale than process the return.
What we do instead is put the awkward parts in writing. Our Warranty page states plainly that coverage is parts-only and that labour is yours. Our Returns page states who pays return freight and what the restocking fee is. Our Shipping page tells you to inspect the crate before you sign, and why signing a clean receipt costs you the claim.
None of that is flattering copy. It is there because the alternative – finding out after the engine is on your bench – is how people end up out of pocket and angry at an industry that had already taken their money.
Call ahead on 672 763 0632 and tell us which unit you want to see. Engines live on pallets and racking, so a couple of hours notice means it is pulled and on the floor when you arrive rather than three rows back.
If you are collecting a purchase, bring your order number, photo ID, a vehicle that can take a palletised engine, and your own tie-down straps. We load with the forklift; securing the load is your responsibility.
Buying remotely instead? Shipping & Delivery covers freight, transit times and what to check on arrival.