Independent, family-owned specialists in Bolton since 1984. Engines are assessed, stripped, machined and rebuilt in our own workshop, and priced per car once we know what they need.
01204 302 809 Mon–Thu 07:15–17:45
Three kinds of work, three different conversations. Start with the one that matches your car.
For IMS bearing failure, bore scoring, cracked cylinders, crank bearing failure and timing chains. The engine is stripped and assessed first, then you choose how far to go, from the essential repair to a full strengthening rebuild.
Start with an assessmentIf an M96 or M97 engine needs a rebuild anyway, an oversized rebuild adds capacity: 3.4 to 3.7, 3.6 to 3.9 or 4.1, Cayman S 3.4 to 3.9, 997 3.8 to 4.1, Boxster S 3.2 to 3.7. More torque everywhere in the rev range, built on the same Nikasil cylinders.
See what a conversion involvesFixed-price servicing, MOT preparation and pre-purchase inspections in a nine-ramp workshop with dealer-level diagnostics. The Lifetime Maintenance Plan spreads servicing, MOT and most repair labour into a monthly payment.
Book a service or inspectionFive failures account for almost every M96 and M97 engine that comes to us. Each is described plainly, with what we do about it. None of them is a reason to panic, and the first step is always to confirm the fault is really inside the engine.
The intermediate shaft in the M96 and M97 engine runs on a sealed ball bearing that was too small for the job.
Boxster 986 and 987, Cayman 987, 911 996 and 997, 1997 to 2008
Scored or scuffed cylinder walls in the original Lokasil bores.
Mostly the 3.4, 3.6 and 3.8 M96 and M97; scoring and seizing is also seen on Gen 2 9A1 engines
Cracking and ‘D-chunking’ of the cast-in Lokasil cylinder, where a section of the liner breaks away.
M96 and M97 engines
Main and big-end bearings wear through their overlay, and the debris then circulates through the oil system and into everything else..
M96 and M97 engines
Chains stretch, sprockets wear and the plastic guide rails break up.
M96 and M97 engines
Read the full common faults guide, or download Barry Hart’s report, The main problems with Porsche engines (PDF, 174 pages).
There is no flat rate. The sequence below is why: the price comes after the assessment and strip-down, not before.
Ring the workshop and describe what the car is doing. If it sounds like an internal engine fault we book it in for a first assessment.
Before anything is stripped we confirm the fault really is inside the engine: oil analysis, cylinder bore imaging, a DME read-out and a combustion gas test. Several cars have arrived for a rebuild where the fault lay elsewhere.
Engine and gearbox come out as one unit. The engine team strip and assess it, then set out the essential repair and the optional strengthening work, priced item by item. You decide how far to go.
Components go through three cleaning processes and any machining in our own machine shop, then the engine is assembled in a plastic-lined clean room, away from the workshop floor.
Ancillaries are checked and refitted, the engine goes back in, and at least five test drives follow. You leave with running-in guidance and a 24-month, 24,000-mile guarantee on parts and labour.
Photographs from our own engine room. Every component is measured, labelled and kept in order from strip-down to assembly.
Thirteen videos filmed in and about our workshop by other people: a YouTuber’s two visits, a customer’s ten-episode rebuild diary, and our suppliers. Three to start with.
View all technical videos · Guides and downloads · Questions we are asked
Most enquiries start with a phone call. If you would rather write, the form goes to the workshop office.
01204 302 809
Option 1 for engines, option 2 for servicing and the workshop
