Lessons learned?: Buying a "used low mileage engine".... - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

BigOlJohnson · 10-19-2009, 12:35 AM

Have we learned anything?

I have a 2.6 engine with IMS failure and I am leary of sending it to
any shops until names are named.

What happened in the thread to get it locked? I read it a couple times
and couldn't figure out why...

BIGGY

BigOlJohnson · 10-19-2009, 02:10 AM

I'll be pissed to find out that I shipped my engine to the same guy that
deserves *Rookie of the Year* for building Dr. Phil's engine.....

BIGGY

Jake Raby · 10-20-2009, 09:15 AM

It gets better... Much, much better. Unbelievable.

BigOlJohnson · 10-20-2009, 10:49 PM

I'm interested in knowing why thehighheelsgirl jumped to the aid of the seller
and distracted the thread....

Anyone know anything about the relationship between THHG and the seller of
this engine in question?

Is THHG and the seller the SAME person?

An internet search of posts by the username THHG reveals QUITE a LOT of
disturbing(at least to the general/non-wierdo public!) info!

HE uses the same avatar also.......

Anywho, I was contacted by a forum member about his company rebuilding
my engine and I found out that he does NOT represent the username he
was using.....
VERY DECEPTIVE!

And for some reason, he has NOT responded to any of my later PMs..... maybe
he is banned?

Anywho, Jake is getting my business, as he seems to be the most forthcoming
and honest about his work.

Thanks Jake!

I'm done here....I found a rebuilder who isn't in it for the $$$ in my wallet.

BIGGY

Jake Raby · 10-21-2009, 03:25 AM

Biggy,
Lots of things are still unanswered.. I received a letter in the mail yesterday that makes things even more interesting and confusing.

Who knows whats going on, but I will say that I had to buy another core engine with a blown piston to get pair of usable heads from to get Phil back on the track. Even after a piston explosion the heads were better than the ones that came from the engine assembled by the "Phantom".. In fact the head that was from the cylinder bank that suffered the piston failure only had one cosmetic flaw that Len easily addressed.

Brucelee · 10-21-2009, 04:44 AM

I locked the original thread. The back and forth behind the scenes is not something that I want to get into. Suffice it to say, there is controversy and disagreement.

The best take away here is not big news.

1-Be VERY VERY careful buying ANYTHING used, esp an engine.

2-Be very very careful who you place your trust in when you dish out the kind of money that an engine rebuild entails.

Due diligence is ALWAYS recommended in these matters and that can rarely be done over the Internet.

So, again, no flamming or name calling please.

10-21-2009, 04:52 AM

Jake, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing this info with us. I've been in the shoes of needing a replacement engine, and when you're facing a huge financial decision like this, information like yours helps.

I also want to thank the board owners, who, have created a place where we can learn about, and hopefully avoid the major pitfalls and expenses associated with an engine failure.

Thanks again

Brucelee · 10-21-2009, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred Demara

Jake, I just wanted to say thanks for sharing this info with us. I've been in the shoes of needing a replacement engine, and when you're facing a huge financial decision like this, information like yours helps.

I also want to thank the board owners, who, have created a place where we can learn about, and hopefully avoid the major pitfalls and expenses associated with an engine failure.

Thanks again

My hats off to Jake also; good work, as always.

And thanks Fred. We do try and it is nice to be acknowledged.

As I have said many times before, we have the best members on any forum I have ever been a part of.

Jake Raby · 10-21-2009, 05:00 AM

Quote:

I also want to thank the board owners, who, have created a place where we can learn about, and hopefully avoid the major pitfalls and expenses associated with an engine failure.

I want to thank them as well, they do a great job.

In appreciation for this we'll keep all the "information" about this engine thats not mechanical off the topics of this thread or any others here.

The rest of the details are not of any concern to the others here and will only create drama that no one needs.

All that matters right now is getting Phil back on the track, we'll worry about the other details later.

Brucelee · 10-21-2009, 05:26 AM

Phil feels the need for speed.

Go Phil!

pcs5978 · 10-28-2009, 06:07 PM

If you're going to buy a used M96 to replace your blown one, make sure to get the VIN from the car it came out of and the engine case # BEFORE YOU BUY IT. With the VIN you then call your local Porsche Dealership and confirm that the car it came from was indeed delivered with the engine case you are buying. Having the VIN and working forward to get the engine case # is easy. Having the engine case # and working backward to get the VIN is hard.

With the VIN you can then get various reports, on-line, that will provide information about the history of car and the motor came from. It'll tell you if the car it came out of was stolen, track registration history, track milage history, on-line sales efforts, service facilities used , and establish any salvage titles. Call the places that serviced the car, and with the VIN, confirm milage and what was done to the engine.

If the engine seller doesn't have the VIN and the engine case number or won't provide the numbers, walk away. If you are buying on line, make them send you pictures of the engine case numbers and the stampings on the head and cam covers. And by all means if the motor show's up at your doorstep and the engine numbers are different from the one you bought, demand your money back. The price of shipping is cheap.

I didn't just pick these recommendations out of the air. This comes from leaning a very hard and expensive lesson!

Jake Raby · 10-30-2009, 07:33 PM

Some new details today..
The story has gone full circle. Its going to get really good, really soon!

Howdy Phantom!

Frodo · 10-30-2009, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Phil feels the need for speed.

Go Phil!

I'm sure crios will slam me for 'ripping' the thread, but I couldn't resist...

Go Phil(lies)!

Jake Raby · 11-09-2009, 03:48 AM

The behind the scenes work and investigating has paid off.. I guess the Phantom didn't expect Phil and I to take the time out of our busy days to trace every ounce of this engines prior history..

He made several mistakes, one bigger than all the rest.. Just wait till you read this chapter of the book!

11-09-2009, 07:01 AM

how were you able to trace the engines history? is there a vin on the engine?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake Raby

The behind the scenes work and investigating has paid off.. I guess the Phantom didn't expect Phil and I to take the time out of our busy days to trace every ounce of this engines prior history..

He made several mistakes, one bigger than all the rest.. Just wait till you read this chapter of the book!

pcs5978 · 11-09-2009, 07:42 AM

There is no VIN on the engine case. The VIN is on the chassis. As I said in my posting on this thread, if you have the VIN, confirming the engine case # is a relatively straight forward matter. Porsche dealerships have a database - Porsche POSES - that allows them to access information about a given car using VIN. If you only have the engine case #, getting the VIN is much harder.

With a VIN you can pull a CarFax. CarFax reports are not always comprehensive, but currently it's the best source. They can contain a lot of information that's handy if you're thinking about buying a used motor.

For example. Right now there's a 3.2L M96 listed for sale on e-bay. The seller says it's from a car that had 200 miles on it. Pulled by Gemballa with some sort upgrade. The listing says it should be selling for >$15000, but he has it listed for $4995. So, the guy's in to charity for Boxster owners with blown motors? I asked the seller for the VIN. Guess what, he didn't have it. Anyone who buys this thing is asking for trouble.

Remember. As long as there is no illegal activity associated with the chassis of the car - the part with the VIN, then there is virtually nothing illegal with any transactions involving auto parts that come from that chassis - almost anything goes. Motors, transmissions or any other high-end part can be patched up and sold with false representation, and there is no criminal legal recourse. If the chassis is stolen, that's another matter.

jmatta · 11-09-2009, 09:13 AM

Howdy Phantom!

In my best CaddieShack voice, I say "Well, we're waiting"

Great story and education; unfortunately a costly one for those involved.

Brucelee · 11-10-2009, 04:20 AM

Again, I want to remind all invovled not to reveal any names of the parties to this transaction. Since there are legal considerations, the forum can take it in the shorts.

So, sanitize the information so that the instructive lessons remain while avoiding this legal calamity we all want to avoid.

Thanks much!

jmatta · 11-10-2009, 12:16 PM

I think it is appropriate to respect our host; afterall, this is a great forum.

How about posting details on the Flat 6 website?

Jake Raby · 11-10-2009, 01:11 PM

No worries..
No names will be mentioned in the forum.

This guy is in enough deep crap that we don't need to embarrass him in front of his peers to get our satisfaction..

It'll all be a matter of public record soon enough :-)