Hello all

Well it finally happened to me! Just had the service, cambelt and clutch changed last month on my my99 V5 sti and thought she's running brilliantly!

On the way home, I heard a tapping noise from under the bonnet and noticed the oil light kept flashing. The revs then began to drop and the engine cut out. Luckily I steered it onto a side road. Attempted to restart and it did. Managed to get home which was about a mile away and call the AA. Upon his arrival and hearing the engine he said "it's f**ked". There was enough oil in the car, but he reckons it hadn't been getting into the engine.

Now i've got the car sitting on the drive and i need to get something done.

What do people recommend? New engine or rebuild? And does anyone know of a good garage around west london? I have to source a flat bed to get the car there. I've been qouted £1000 plus parts from torque of the devil.

Alternatively I'll sell the car for £3000 as is.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

Bad luck, horrible feeling. Unfortunately we can't make the recommendation you're asking re. rebuild or engine without knowing what the mode of failure was and how bad the damage is.

Sounds like an oil pump failure, or possibly the after effects of the well-known transient oil starvation after oil change (does the place that did your service know how to change the oil on Subarus properly?).

Might be worth a call to APi or similar as you weigh up the options. Aside from anything else, being able to describe what your engine's doing, and answer questions on the phone, will make it easier to get a rough diagnosis.

 

I know how you feel mate. It was this exact situation that led me down the path that I am now well travelled on.

Had a mint RB5 500miles after a £550 service from a well known tuner my bottom end went. Went back to said tuner and had a £9k rebuild. At the time I didnt know any better. I could now have done the exact same build using the same compents for a 3rd of the money.

I now build my own engine's (latest is aiming for 600bhp) and have never looked back to be honest. I was tired of paying extortionate parts and labour prices. £1500 for a set of pistons that I could have bought on ebay myself for £500!!!

A nice forged rebuild should cost no more than £2K in parts that will include, STI 9 niterided crank £600max , eagle forged steel rods £300 max , wiseco or CP pistons £300 max , ACL bearings £150 and OEM gaskets £300, modine, modified oil pump fluids and sundries and you're roughly at 2k plus labour. It's the labour that cripples. But that should give you an idea of parts costs.

I would highly recommend that if you're handy with spanners and have the room then have a go yourself. Plenty on here have done it including myself. The rewards are immence not to mention you'll save a sh*t load of cash in the process.

If you need any tips and advice feel free to PM and ask

 

Agree with Daz,

my engine let go so decided to upgrade. fortunately i managed to get an engine that had already been built with no miles.
Swapped engines over etc myself and saved about 1k in labour

you need to think what you want. at moment your prob really depressed with it and want rid.

it took me 9 months to get it back on road etc but im glad i stuck by it

Good luck mate

ps

David @ API was awesome on the phone as was Alan Jeffery @ Engine Tuner

 

thank you all for the advice. I've got it booked in with Torque of the devil this monday. They're going to take it out, take it apart and source the probs. Once they're done, re-assemble and re-fit for 1k + parts. Lets hope the parts aren't too bad!

I'm very suprised the block went, as it's been running awesome the past month. I'm not really good with 'hand on' mechanical work! better off leaving it to the pro's!

I just want it back to normal and keep the price down as much as I can. Was looking to sell it in March!

Either way many thanks!

 

This sounds way too cheap to me mate. I STRONGLY suggest you talk to David at APi.

Would suggest more like 3+k including parts would be more realisitic!

I know it's tempting to go for the cheapest quote, but if you're not in a position to DIY like Daz, then you want to be sure you're gonna get the job done right! 1k is not cheap, if you then have to pay a specialist properly to do it right!

A quote for 1k + parts is not good enough IMHO Far too much latitude for them to rachet the price up subsqeuently.

You want a quote ALL IN!

Remember, get the job done right, pay once, leave happy!

Ns04

 

I've had a feeling in my water since your first post, and this comment has made it recur. What do you mean by "running awesome" and "running brilliantly" from post #1? Do you actually mean it's been better (i.e. faster or some other way) than before?

If so, I have a theory (and it's one you need to rule out as if it was the cause of your problem, it'll screw your new engine too).

Echo NS04's comments re this quote you've got too. I wouldn't charge £1000 to remove, rebuild and refit an engine, wouldn't be worth my time. If you can, get some second opinions on the work this company have done before trusting them with your car and hard-earned.

 

when i said running awesome, it was mainly down to the fact i had a new clutch and a cambelt fitted. just felt smoother than before (not that it wasn't running crap before).

spoke to api earlier and he qouted me £1700 for replacement of the crankshaft, or nearer the £3k mark for a full rebuild. Just a little matter of convienience as i need the car for work, and the guys are based down the road in uxbridge. They've carried out a fair amount of work on my mate's scooby and he seems really chuffed.

i appreciate all the comments. guess it's obviously such a big job and i need to give it someone reputable.

many thanks

 

That's not what I feared you might say, but all the same, you need whoever rebuilds your engine to know enough about these cars to be able to accurately pinpoint a cause, rebuild the engine properly and make sure it isn't going to recur.

That's inclusive of parts, isn't it? That £1000 quote for the labour you've got just ain't enough to cover the time necessary to do the job properly IMO. So the implication is that either an element of rush or bodge will be involved, or that they'll be on the phone to you halfway through saying they've underestimated what's involved. Neither is good.

Either way you're going to be without the car for a few days so the "needing car for work" issue is going to have to be addressed no matter where you take it. Then you need to weigh up the "convenience" of the mob down the road doing the work, and the mob an hour's journey with a trailer away, but who have a good rep, know these cars like the backs of their hand and have stocks of the parts likely to be needed. That could result in a quicker job than your local lot waiting until they've stripped the engine before ordering components.

Full engine diagnose and rebuild?

The do it right, do it once principle applies big-time here. Aside from anything else, a good rebuild done by a firm with a good rep will stand you in good stead if and when you decide to sell. In the short term, the least you should get is a car that you can rely on.

 

As above

 

£1000 per build just for labour?

I'd happily charge that and I'm fecking meticulous

 

That was on the basis of taking the engine out and putting it back in too. Even considering that, do you have a workshop to pay the mortgage on, insurance and employees to sort out? If you want the job why not make the man a proposal (seriously!).

 

Take heed of the wise words being posted here & take the car to a respected reputable garage, like Api or engine tuner. Enginetuner rebuilt my engine & Api did my gearbox, it wasn't cheap but it was done right & both companies were up front about the costs and produced the goods. Do it right the first time & it will save you money in the long run.

 

As daft as that sounds I probably would But I'm already currently doing one for a paying customer. I have considered offering a rebuild service to the masses but if I do it will be on a strict one at a time basis.