hartech rebuild reliability - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hi I was wondering what peoples thoughts are on buying a car which as had a hartech rebuild 4 years ago for IMS failure. It is a 986 boxster. I have tried searching and can't find many examples on rebuild cars failing. I know hartech have an excellent reputation so this is more about rebuilds in general rather than hartech rebuilds. Do people think a rebuilt engine is worth a premium? Are there any negatives to buying a rebuilt car? This is all based on the assumption the rebuild is documented and done by a reputable specialist. I'd appreciate any thoughts. Thanks

Why not call Hartech and discuss directly with them?

There are rebuilds and there are Hartech rebuilds. A lot of the work that Hartech do is rebuilding engines that have been rebuilt elsewhere. I'm not suggesting for one minute that Hartech are the only organisation that can do a thorough job, but if you are so inclined to read their website, you will find a lot of what they say about using different components and materials makes a lot of sence. I should add, I have no association with Hartech and have not yet had cause to use their services.

also be worth finding out if they paid for just enough work to get it going again or the full works

Althouth Hartech did the rebuild, how much was done would have been driven by owner at the time as they were paying for it. Either find out what supporting paperwork is available from the seller or see if Hartech are prepared to tell you what has been done to the engine.

As said above, the general rule is that hartech do good work but it does depend on what the owner instructed them to do - the full monthy or just enough to get it running again. I looked into one a while ago and called Hartech to confirm the scope and they wouldn't tell me without the authority of the original client. In this case this was not the owner, but the garage that had the car and subbed the rebuild to Hartech. I understand why hartech adopt this policy but it all became a bit of a faff so if you are looking at a car a few owners down the line you may never find out what was actually done. Plenty about, so if you get caught in this trap there will be another.

My experience of Hartech with previous Porsches, and even a BMW bike engine (which they sorted out as a favour), is that even if you asked them to do the cheapest possible job it would end up being no worse than Porsche would do, otherwise they would refuse to do it if the owner was asking for a bodge. They value their reputation too much. They do a lot of research into the few design weaknesses of Porsche engines and have a better solution than Porsche if you want it. The IMS bearing is a particular speciality of theirs. I would always opt for a Hartech rebuilt engine if I had the choice when buying.

anonymous said: [redacted] I'd take an engine rebuilt by Hartech over one rebuilt by Porsche every single time.

One example of Hartech's high standards: We had a 924S in the 1990s, it needed a new water pump, we took it to Hartech. A common problem when replacing the pumps is corroded retaining bolts shearing off, so it's common to find pumps held on by 2 of the 3 bolts as a result. Hartech discovered this with our 924S and instead of just leaving it with 2 bolts they made a small jig which located on the 2 good bolt holes with a guide for the third hole, and with a specially purchased right angle drill they drilled out the number 3 sheared bolt hole. Then tapped it and inserted a helicoil, so that it would take an original sized bolt. We knew nothing of this until collecting the car, when he explained it all to my wife and I. I was fascinated, my wife was losing the will to live and whispering to me about how much this was going to cost! In the end Barry Hart charged us the standard price for water pump replacement and reasoned that he would be able to reuse the special equipment on other cars and would save time in the long run. There are plenty of other examples I've heard over the years, but I rate them highly based on my own experiences.

anonymous said: [redacted] I'd call them just to check they actually did the work. I've heard stories of people faking trips to well known Indies to try and boost the value of their car.