Any engine savy guys around Newport/Costa Mesa, CA

Anyone live around the 405 and the 55 freeways in newport/costa mesa area that would be up for taking a look at an engine for me and see if they are a decent shop clean etc and seem reputable. Porsche Strasse Auto

I've had both my 993 and 996 serviced there and would definitely recommend them. Jeff is one of the techs there and is knowledgeable about our cars.

Where are they located?

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The address I have is: 729 Ohms Way. Phone: [phone removed] They have a 996, 1999 engine down there and Robert (which seems in charge) said it has around 6000 miles on it and said it was removed to upgrade his car to a 3.8 engine etc just wondering if the engine looked like it had that many miles or a serial number can be found on it which is located underneath. He said it was a porsche rebuild which should be marked as such. If th engine seems to be on the up and up that's all I am trying to find out.

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Thanks and good to know, but I have only spoken with Robert which seems alittle disorganized and does not seem to follow up with return phone calls etc.

Steve, here is one in the San Francisco Craigslist. It is a 99 996 engine with 39,000 miles for $5,999 or best offer. The price seems high, but if he is open to offers.... The front motor mount does not appear right for a 996 (maybe a boxter transplant) nor is the claimed 325 hp power rating. Good luck. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/pts/641468336.html On closer inspection, the intake system doesn't look right either. Boxter engine or transplant...see the intake hose coming off the back of the engine on the passenger side. If it really is a 996 engine that was put in a boxter (the entire intake appears to be the wrong one), you might get a better price and just swap your intake system.

Yes, that's the place. Robert is the owner who bought over the business from the founder several years back, so Robert doesn't really turn any wrenches. Jeff is the one to talk to if he's still there. It's been about a year since I've been there.

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Good eye mfletch! It does look like a boxster engine and he just does not know the difference. I would not take the chance on that one it also looks like that stuff on it is fire extiguisher retardent. The porsche dealer here said they would not match the price I can get at another dealer for rebuilt, but did say if I bought another new car that they would take the difference off! Now why did I not think of that before.... getting a new car to save $2000 off new list price. Jolly Jokers. I do wish I could find away to search all areas on craiglist at the same time.

Steve, that is the major drawback to Craigslist. I just search LA and SF. How is Sunset on a factory engine? It is a shame the dollar is so weak. Autofarm's solution looks like the way to go, especially if you could bump the displacement up to 3.7.

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Sunset is $8622 (minus core $2500 mine has a chip in bell housing and shipping) up $400 since last month so I am seeing deminishing returns here on rebuilt from porsche. - I could buy 2 for the price of one from porsche but with 1 year warrenty. Autofarm if it is the one in the UK would be more after shipping and euro exchange and any repairs if problem arises ect. The 3.7 sounds nice but a 3.4 with supercharger is nice power also.

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Thanks good to know they have been there for awhile, does it seem they can do the rebuild work and are competent. I asked for photos of the engine but they never got around to getting those for me. That's why a visual of the engine helps me.

i just put brand new motors in both my 996's. i bought them both from Ein Malig in huntington beach. very very satified. i saw what they do; they totally take it apart, send everything to the machine shop, and put it all back with new everything. then they put on the intake, wiring harness, fuel rail, alternator, water pump, etc. etc. etc. it really saves time on your labor. i didn't have to buy a belt, plugs, coils, oil filter or anything (no headaches)... both my cars drive substantially better than ever before. i paid $6750 for each engine and they give you back $1500 for your core (maybe less cuz yours is damaged) so ideally you would pay only 5250 for everything. it may be worth keeping your old motor around for parts. ac compressor, alternator, starter, and wiring harness alone are worth a ton.

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Thanks for the tip. I did call them and they had 6 month guarentee vs Autsse with one year and Ein Malg wanted $500 bucks more to make it a year. How long have your engines been in and miles driven? Also did you say they transfered your alt, ac comp etc from your old engine to new engine or are these new parts?

I'm in the same boat as you guys and I just ordered my new 3.4L from Sunset porsche. Yes it was $8600 and there's a $2300 core but everything (besides exhaust and AC condenser) will be new. I have a 2 year warranty with unlimited mileage. Most importantly I will have the peace of mind when I start to break the new engine in in 2 weeks.

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ya well i took a chance on the first motor a few weeks ago but when i ran into a snag during the install i was able to speak to their tech and he talked me through it. so i bought my second motor shortly thereafter. 6 months, 1 year, 2 years warranty, i don't really care. the original engine lasted 9 years, i am sure this one will be fine for a long time, and they gave me the updated 3.4, not the one in my coupe that was manufactured in '98. they didn't transfer my stuff, they give me the complete engine with everything on it. rebuilt water pump, plugs, thermostat, belt, hoses, gaskets, ac compressor, wire harness, fuel rail, injectors, intake, steering pump, etc... makes the job soooooo much faster (i've done a lot of R&Rs) that's why it might be worth it to keep your core for spare parts or to sell on rennlist or ebay. anyways, for me, there is a big difference between sunsets 8600 which i have to ship and wait vs. ein maligs 5250 which i can pick up in person and easier to deal with if i have a warranty issue or need tech support. whew.... just sayin....

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Small world and thanks for the reply here and Pelican. For me $11700 without core exchange and shipping is pricey for me, but would bring piece of mind. Enjoy your new found power.

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HA! On your first engine what did you do to fix the cam actuator problem? I was also wondering did they put new rings on? And did the engine case look like it was clean like it was hot dipped? Forgot Ein Malig number do you have?

Mother, I told you my experience with Einmalig....I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole after the two alternators they sold me as new, that were in actuality ruined cores. After almost a year of playing with them on the phone, I settled for a partial store credit. Here is an old post from a fellow Rennlister that had a similar experience.... "Bad Experience with Einmalig -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i called them on the phone and gave them the exact part # for a 10x18 turbo rim and they sent the wrong one. Keep in mind it was COD and i had to pay for shipping and handling and COD on top of that, the cost for the rim which was 500$ which they promised was the FINAL cost shipped to my house. The UPS guy said if its not the right product u can cancel your check. So i payed 30$ to cancel my check. I called Einmalig and they said they sent the right rim that i asked for. LIE LIE LIE. They asked me to ship it back and they will send the right one back to me. I found out it was 50+$ to ship it back and they wont pay me to ship it back for their mistake. So i drove to Huntington Beach myself to find out they sold the rim i wanted yesteday! LIE LIE LIE. The only thing that happened while doing business with them is that it cost me 90$ and still no rim. I dont recommend anyone buying products from Einmalig! Save you a headache." __________________

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after they took apart my first motor (i have yet to drop off my second core) they discovered that piston number 6 and 2 was damaged. something came loose, like a spark plug electrode or something, and they charged me 350 bucks so i got back 1150. this second motor i am giving back (tomorow actually) has a blown head so i am told to expect 1000 even, not much but i also don't feel like keeping a big oily motor around my garage on the off chance i'll need a spare part.... i also don't have the energy to ebay the parts.... good thing is, if u don't like his offer after he takes it apart, u can come back and pick up ur core and keep all the goodies. the place is very disorganized and PACKED to the brim with porsche parts so i wouldn't be surprised if people order a single part and get the wrong unit in the mail. you have to physically GO THERE IN PERSON to get your ****. owner is brian farmer [phone removed]

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oh and the engine case is sometimes new, sometimes not. my first motor, the heads were clearly brand new and the rest was not. but i physically watched them take apart another motor. they really rebuild them from top to bottom, no scams. on the second motor i got, it's a completely new case so it really looked like a brand new crate motor. thats why you need to go there in person, he has four or five of them, and you can pick out the one you want, and make sure you have the proper wiring harness for your car (tip/6spd/year)

I bought my motor from Brian at Einmalig, but when it came up with an oil leak, they sent me to Auto Strasse to have it repaired. Jeff there knows his stuff more than anyone I have ever seen. He rebuilds the motors, but does it from parts from other broken engines. I am surprised to hear that Einmalig could assemble or disassemble anything. For me it was a no brainer. I was already planning to sell the car when I needed the motor, so the shorter warranty was worth the savings in $$ to me. If you are planning on keeping a long time, I recommend the PCNA motor for piece of mind.

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Not sure you answered my question or I missed it? You got one of your new engines back from Ein Malig and you had a problem with it, what was the problem and how was it resolved?

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well, the first motor was an updated 3.4 that came out of a 6 spd and i was installing it into a tip so the wiring harnesses and intakes were different. i didn't know this or what to change and what not to change so jay (the tech) talked me through that. the mounting bracket it also different on the later model 3.4. on my second motor, i got a check engine light for an actuator fault. i gave back my second core today and spoke with brian and i am driving the car down tomorrow and they are going to repair it under warranty. if i bought the motor from sunset i'm not exactly sure how my warranty issues would get resolved since i live in CA. you need to find out if you have to drop the engine and ship it back, or if you can have it repaired at any porsche dealer, etc...

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It is nice that he is close at least you will find out what his warrenty covers regarding the engine removal etc. I am from out of state and can see the complications, but just guessing here that if local Porsche is installing the eng then they would pay costs of R&R but just not sure. Let us know the results. I also PM'ed you. Best of Luck