Reconditioned engines

G'day,

After the mild disaster on our 'holiday' my HiLux needs a new motor. It's the 5L 3.0L diesel. The cam shaft has broken in 3 pieces and the piston faces have shiny valve patterns worn into them and the internals of the head are warped and worthless - the belt skipped a tooth before it 'went'. This after I paid someone to fix the sudden loud tapping - I got about another 24km out of it! Anyways, $1100 for the work done (they replaced the injectors and assured me the ongoing noise would resolve itself), a wrangle with the nation-wide franchise and life without a HiLux is pretty tough! I should also add the wife's not too pleased.

I'm wondering what I can expect out of this exercise? It'll cost me about $7k for swap over, + freight. They generally offer a 12 month warranty on the motor. Is this 12 month warranty a sign of what I can expect?

The local Toyota dealers will be doing the swap when it arrives, that's if I don't hear from the franchise in question by COB Monday. I'm just wondering what others have experienced. Are they reliable? Is it a sound investment, or should I reconsider my choice?

Thanks all.