h4rry

iTrader: (3)

hi guys,

Scooby started making some strange noises the other day on its way to be serviced. Got to the garage and my mechanic agreed with me that the noise didnt sound good. He has told me that i have done some damage to the crank, maybe spun a shell???

Looks like it could need a bottom end rebuild, can anyone recommend anywhere to take the car for the work to be done, and roughly how much its gunna cost me?? Im up in wrexham, north wales, so it doesnt wanna be too far away cos the car isnt drivable......

Any help would be much appreciated guys!

steve0

API is the place to go, but im not sure how far away it is from you.

I think its £1200 for a standard engine rebuild from them.

Hope this helps.

h4rry

iTrader: (3)

Cheers mate, Do i need a full engine rebuild or will it just be the bottom end??

steve0

Not sure bud, David at Api will be able to tell you what you need over the phone id imagine; if you explain what the car is doing. Give him a buzz...

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Speak to David at APi mate. If I understand it correctly a decision about what needs to be binned and what can be salvaged can only be made when the engine has been stripped and inspected. You don't want to cut corners though, best to get the job done right first time and pay once than let the car get a couple of hundred miles down the road only to fail again.

David will do a proper job!! He will also advise even if you take your business elsewhere; he's a nice bloke.

Brace yourself, most quality rebuilds are around the 2k mark. Sorry!!

Ns04

harry007

Is it me or more and more people are getting strange noises and needing rebuilds after a service? Something to do with the oil change etc?

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Ooooh, that's a can of worms!!

Ns04

Pete

I`ll second that, he and the lads are doing my car now, fantastic bunch, David is a genuine guy he,ll give no bull and that,s what i respect him for.

swtmerce

If you do your homework you'll find prices start from as low as £1300+VAT for the most basic bottom end rebuild. A more thorough bottom end rebuild (assuming no damage to your heads) will cost between £2000 and £3000. I went with Special Scoobys in Colchester (very far away from you, I know) but they did an incredible job. I opted for Cometic competition gaskets, the latest v9 crank, ACL race bearings, RCM oil pump. That came in at £3000.

scoobboy

iTrader: (3)

Jesus, cheaper buying a low mileage engine and dropping it in

Pete

And then that one goes pop....

scoobboy

iTrader: (3)

Not if you know its a good one and you know the source and there is a bit of comeback on it you ****.

If you keep the engine well ie regular oil changes, have the car properly mapped withing safe limits, cool the engine down and warm it up properly shouldnt go pop as you call it

Pete

Now now, no need to get touchy

It was only writen as a joke, are you having a bad day??

scoobboy

iTrader: (3)

Sounded like you were trying to make an idiot out of me.

No worries, having a good day mate as its friday

swtmerce

How can you know it's a good one? Do you have x-ray eyes and are you a car engine 'medium'? lol I decided to do the rebuild so that I knew exactly what I was getting, and a 12 month warranty too.

scoobboy

iTrader: (3)

Funny **** arent ya mate.

I know a local garage to me that only sells low mileage engines and gives you a 3 month warranty also, so dont need the xray eyes.

A whole lot of people dont have 3 grand to throw at an engine rebuild thats all im saying before any more wise comments from *****ers come my way

swtmerce

Yes I may be a funny **** and a *****r however, unlike you, I have a sense of humour. Are you a paranoid by any chance? Is the whole world out to get you? Do you have a stressful life?

scoobboy

iTrader: (3)

Dont have time for the little ***** like you on this site anymore, its getting worse every day.

Someone gives a comment then you come along and make a fool out of it.

Not paranoid, no my friend.

Just keep your comments to yourself if nothing good to say

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Not having a go at anyone here, but this is the bottom line as I see it.

You can of course get a 2nd hand engine put in probably for around the 1.5k mark. Most reputable places will also do a 3 month warranty. BUT short of stripping the engine down, you won't know if there's much life left in it. You could be laughing your nuts off at the money you saved 3 years down the line, or the car might expire again in 6 months! Then, you either pay another 1.5k for another engine, or 2-3k for a proper rebuild.

The big advantage of a properly done rebuild is that you can be assurred that everything is in good order as the engine will have been stripped and comprehensively inspected. It should outlast the rest of the car! It will cost you more, but the replacement engine method can be a false economy and cost you as much, if not more, in the longer term.

What you must not do is get a half arsed bargin rebuild that doesn't even identify the cause of the failure. This WILL end in tears and a big falling out with your bank manager.

Unfortunate though it may be, if you can't afford a proper job, it may be best to cut your losses and just get shot of the car before it inflicts any more financial damage.

Get the job done right first time, pay once!

Ns04

st3v3

How many miles had your car done m8?
And what mods did it have?

scoobboy

iTrader: (3)

Fair comment mate, if you have the money it would be a rebuild everytime, but some people may not have 3 grand.

If i had 3 grand and the engine has gone i would not be building a 2 litre though i would go the 2.33lt route for big power but not eveyones cup of tea.

h4rry

iTrader: (3)

Fair play, this web site gets better each week. Im not a regular user of the site as i dont have the net at home but i posted my problem up at the back end of last week to find 20 + replies offering advice (And the usual ranting) but would just like to say thanks to everyone offering advice here. I will now be checking this site daily and will be making a decision by the end of the week as far as what to do.

Just to answer some questions/ask more questions (sorry, but trying to build as clear picture as possible):

Whats the number for dave at API & is he a member of this site? ALso where is API and is there any other garages anyone can recommend close to me so i can get some quotes.

The car is an 02 plate, done 61K miles and has k&n panel filter and prodrive full system including decat pipe.

What would the car be worth to sell in the condition its in now? Bearing in mind as soon as the noises started i got the car home at very low revs (max 6 miles)

Im a bit gutted really as i was planning on putting the car up for sale this week and upgrading to a newer STi now my insurance has dropped.

Talking about insurance, would i be able to claim for something like this through them, especially as ive got protected no claims??

Once again thanks for all your help guys!

Pete

API are based near Leamington warickshire

Number is 01926 614333

.........Pete.

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

With a shagged engine it'd probably be only worth half of its book value mate.

Insurance, very unlikely to be interested: it's not accident damage - it's mechanical failure.

I note that you've removed the resonator on your car. I may be mis-remembering here, but I seem to recall somone saying that this was not a good idea as the different airflow could adversely affect the MAF. Faulty MAfs are potential engine killers. I wonder......

Still, bit late for that now. My advice would be to go over your options with David and decide whether it's worth having your car rebuilt and then just sell it on and use the funds to subsidise an Sti purchase or simply get it upgraded to Sti power in the process of the rebuild!

Ns04

finchyboy

Pay your money take your chance !! Simple fact is buy the best you can afford !!

dezmondo

I feel for you.

I am going through the same issues at the moment, only mine was failed MAF (told it would be fine to drive until the new one arrived at main dealer in Nottingham) one week later new MAF, another week later, blue smoke and a melted piston.

Much advice has been sought since then and one or two major conclusions become apparent:

1) If you can afford it, deffo get a rebuild done, a s/h motor may last longer than you have the car or it may last 3 months and 1 day, you really don't know what you are getting and also by fitting a new engine you may not identify and cure the initial problem (ie MAF probs, fuel pump issues, ECU problems). Finally, the engine may have a 3 month guarentee (many I looked at had a turn key warranty (if it starts on the first go it's a good 'un and further claims won't be entered into!) but the warranties never cover the £500 to get the engine fitted properly, so you will still have to fork this out if is goes within the 3 month warranty period!

2) Get a rebuild done by a reputable Scooby expert, I looked at many but the only one to actually say it will cost exactly £XXXX what ever we find was David at API, who also always sent a prompt reply to my questions (there were, and continue to be many) and on visiting him, he actually talked me out of a few options I was thinking of which has saved me the best part of £300 up to now, top bloke !

I've got a MY99 U.K. Classic and am now having a basic rebuild but with uprated Turbo (to TD05), fuel pump (255lph), 3 port boost solenoid, ported headers, lightened flywheel, FMIC, Apexi power intake, sports cat downpipe, middle decat and TSL group N backbox, followed by a Ecutek remap. This will set me back £4.5K by the time I finish but I will have a reliable STi bashing 320-330bhp and a brand new engine with a comprehensive 12 month warranty followed by, I am sure, years of happy motoring!

Get saving and get yourself a reliable STi beater !!!!

RVFRichie

Mate, my MY99 also developed a problem and it's sooo tricky getting the right advice. I think firstly - get a DEFINITIVE answer to what the problem is. My car started making what everyone thought was a big-end noise on the day I put 'For Sale' on it.

I went through the 'drop replacement motor' scenario and decided not to go through with it because you just don't know what you're getting. As others have said, unless you're going to sell the car on immediately (if your conscience can take it) I'm not sure I would.

In the end, I saved my money over 1 and a half years, sourced a 2.5 STi closed deck short block from the States, VF34 direct from Japan, modified oil pump and all the other bits needed from wherever was cheapest (not cheap bits!) It takes a LOT of effort but sourcing everything yourself can pay dividends.

Obviously, you can run into problems so be prepared for that - one of my heads was cracked so I treated myself to some STi heads which were supposed to be prepped and 'ready to use' from a 'reputable' company. My engine builder disassembled these as a matter of course and found poorly lapped-in valves and more worryingly; a bent valve (as well as all the shim clearances being out).

Make sure your builder keeps you informed of any developments - if they just go ahead and do things without consulting you, it can add £££'s to your final bill. Keep copies of all correspondence!

At the end of the day, if you love your car and are able to; try and save the cash and buy the best stuff you can once you have an idea of how much the labour’s going to cost you. The difference in theory is what you can spend on goodies. Get someone who knows their stuff and they’ll give you a car mapped safely which should be better than new.

My car’s only on a running-in remap with little boost and I can honestly say that it’s twice the car it was already and I’m only allowed to tickle the ‘go faster’ pedal.

Best of luck mate,

Richard

P.S. Once you have a definate diagnosis it'll be easier to make a decision - I found out that my problem was a piston failure due to the MAF sensor failing AFTER I bought all the replacement parts!!

h4rry

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the advice guys, ive just sent some e-mails now and am waiting replies from the companies, see what they have to say.....

R4LLY

iTrader: (1)

Give Paul from Zen Performance a mail too, they're pricing will always be very competitive, with service second to none.




Zen Performance - Engine Builds

h4rry

iTrader: (3)

Spoke to Dave at Api earlier and have recieved an e-mail from him detailing what would have to be done. Sound chap who certainly knows what he's talking about!

Looks like its gunna cost me just shy of £2500 for the rebuild unfortunatly. Im gunna have to speak nicely to my bank because at the moment i dont thing i can afford that sort of money.

Any idea how much i could get for the car as it is now, and where i could sell it. I dont really wanna sell it in this condition as im gunna loose a lot of money, but it is an option.

The other option is to go the full hog with dave at api and spend the bit extra to get the car around the 300bhp mark, hopefully then the car will be worth a bit more money meaning when i come to sell it i shouldnt loose as much as i would now.....should i??

More comments will be appreciated. I will be discussing my options with Dave further tomorrow.