Rebuild costs

[dnalunchie]

Hey guys, I'm edging closer and closer to the point when I can finally get my new car and I had a question about rebuild costs.

What I'm wondering is this.

Say I buy a V7/8/9 sti and the motor s***s out, drops a piston, something.

I say to myself "haha but I have a warrenty"

So I take it along to Mr mechanic who takes the engine out and sends it to a rebuilder who funnily enough..... rebuilds it and sends it back and then Mr mechanic pops it back in my car.

Yay

But now the question is. Most insurance policys have a 5,000 claim limit. I know a FEW dont but say mine does

What would we expect the cost of this process to be?

I would guess maybe 5-8 hours dropping the engine and then the same to pop it back in.

So thats what $1,000 gone

What would the rebuild cost?

I know there are different types and the basic one would just be rings and gaskets etc etc

But say there are pistons involved

What sort of costs would I be looking at if I say cracked a piston and had to replace them as well

Also am I correct in saying that if you punch a hole through a block in a late model subbie then kiss goodbye to like 7k at least for the full rebuild?


Any experience in these matters would be great as I'm just trying to plan out the purchase with as much info as I can.

I have posted this up in CLUBSUB too but you guys often seem to have more hands on knowledge in these areas.

Cheers guys

Lunchie

[Mr Revhead]

Way too many varibles.
If it needed a complete rebuild worth 5k, it won't get one. It'll get a 2nd hand engine.
fwiw 10k to rebuild a Group N engine

[AE92-5ONIC]

I don't know about subaru part prices (i've heard they can be expensive though) but general rebuild incl. rings, bearings, gaskets, cleaning, hone you'd be looking at around $1600 labour and GST inclusive, not too sure on how much they'll charge to assemble the long block (do it myself) but did get it priced on my last build and it was around $500. As for new pistons, assuming fairly standard allow ~$80ea.

So for everything, i'd say you're looking at around $4000, assuming you do it at a engine reconditioner, garages & mechanics can charge like a wounded bull.. possibly upto $8000 ? and also assuming $1000 to get out and put back in (which sounds fairly reasonable).

[strx7]

in that situation, cheapest option is a new genuine short block from subaru, put your heads etc on it and away you go.

even a second hand motor for one of those is selling for $3000-3500+ gst less turbo etc.

[d1 mule]

your factoring in engine rebuild costs into a car that you want to buy because of the likelyhood of it blowing up i reasonably high.........

is it me or does that sound a little $&#$% that you still want to buy one??

[dnalunchie]

your factoring in engine rebuild costs into a car that you want to buy because of the likelyhood of it blowing up i reasonably high.........

is it me or does that sound a little $&#$% that you still want to buy one??

I don't think the probability that it will blow up is any higher than say a ST205 or an Evo, but should it do so I would like to know what I am getting myself in to.
Thats all

[strx7]

I'd say as high as an EVO, which is considerably higher than an ST205.

About the same as an ST215 GT-T I'd say. Fairly high if you dont do the right things with them.

[MR2BOY23]

Friend just got the motor from his v4 type r rebuilt. Cost him about 3.5k and he did a bit of the work himself

[Leon]

Didn't you swear off Subaru after the second bottomless pit of money Legacy?

[dnalunchie]

Didn't you swear off Subaru after the second bottomless pit of money Legacy?

I swore off old Subaru.

New Subaru are a whole new bottomless pit of money just waiting to be explored

Also if I brought a new one I would keep it stock as a rock.

In stock form I would assume they are pretty robust.

[iOnic]

Really depends on how you break it as to whether they'll even pay for it but factor in about 30hrs labour from start to finish. Possum Bourne Motorsport sell (or used to) forged 2.0 and 2.5 short blocks for around the $4k mark so that could be another way to go if you're gonna be spending $5-6k anyway on a rebuild.

your factoring in engine rebuild costs into a car that you want to buy because of the likelyhood of it blowing up i reasonably high.........

Actual lol

[Lloyd]

The rebuild will be the expensive bit. As far as the engine in/out thats not actually much work on a Subaru. If it was insurance then I would be picking they'd be throwing a second hand engine at it, if you didn't like that then they'd probably tell you to pay for it yourself then. Which would be pushing more than 7k I would expect, but as Warwick said there are a lot of variables

Buy it, blow it up and let us know. Or buy my Honda and live knowing it'll be fine however you drive it

[Leon]

In stock form I would assume they are pretty robust.

Hmmm.

Maybe.

Though the number of them for sale with rebuilt engines might make one wonder about that.

I guess it is down to how you drive it + how anyone who owned the car before you drove and maintained it.

Place bets now!

[MAD FX]

You may want to look into warranties properly, I've got a Lumley one that pays for pretty much anything up to the value of the car. I now work there and from what I can tell they're good. A guy at work ran a bearing in his 1994 Legacy GT, Lumley just said you've got up to the value of the car (only $4k in his case) and so he was left to negotiate with the repairer, they would've paid for new shortblock if his car was worth enough (quoted $7k all up) but he opted for second hand engine as it came in at $4k.

So in your case you could go with whatever going by his experience given the value of the car. Key is to get them to agree beforehand, but they just believed what the mechanic said, they didn't question any of it.

And pretty sweet conditions, service at MTA approved place every 10,000kms or annually, whichever comes first, not even a requirement to go with factory recommendations.

But thats just my experience of them and its not even mine.

BTW if you think he got special treatment being staff, very much doubt it, we don't even know where they sit in the building, apparently its only 2 guys work in the team.

[dnalunchie]

You may want to look into warranties properly, I've got a Lumley one that pays for pretty much anything up to the value of the car. I now work there and from what I can tell they're good. A guy at work ran a bearing in his 1994 Legacy GT, Lumley just said you've got up to the value of the car (only $4k in his case) and so he was left to negotiate with the repairer, they would've paid for new shortblock if his car was worth enough (quoted $7k all up) but he opted for second hand engine as it came in at $4k.

So in your case you could go with whatever going by his experience given the value of the car. Key is to get them to agree beforehand, but they just believed what the mechanic said, they didn't question any of it.

And pretty sweet conditions, service at MTA approved place every 10,000kms or annually, whichever comes first, not even a requirement to go with factory recommendations.

But thats just my experience of them and its not even mine.

BTW if you think he got special treatment being staff, very much doubt it, we don't even know where they sit in the building, apparently its only 2 guys work in the team.

I spoke at length with a friend who had one through a company called VERO

He owned a 2001 Blitzen legacy

O2 sensor shat itself , repaired under warrenty

Knock sensor, repaired under warrenty

Auto transmission, repaired under warrenty 4,500

Each time all he had to pay was 150 excess and on the gearbox about $200 for fluids

Seems fairly reasonable but my fear is that with modern cars the cost of repairs would be higher and I can see any modernish car having a big gearbox or engine repair job shooting above 5k.

Hmmm so much to consider, why cant cars just be fast, reliable and practical?

[Dell'Orto]

They can, they just cost in excess of $200k

[Lloyd]

Haha, those cars usually aren't practical or reliable either. Though usually fast

[GDII]

Won't you be trying to get insurance for the WHOLE car when you drop it into a ditch or wrap it around a tree? That will happen well before you pop the engine.

[Dell'Orto]

Haha, those cars usually aren't practical or reliable either. Though usually fast

Dunno, some of the high end BMW's and Porsches are reasonably practical. Probably quite reliable while new too

[dnalunchie]

Won't you be trying to get insurance for the WHOLE car when you drop it into a ditch or wrap it around a tree? That will happen well before you pop the engine.

Nar I'm a nana, if anyone puts it into a ditch it will be your brother.