Frequently Asked Questions

Phenomenal question, thank you for asking!  This is perhaps the most daunting task of the entire endeavor.  It doesn't have to be!  There are basically three options here for you.  Option 1: Take your Porsche baby to your favorite service shop, have them pull the engine, put it on a pallet and ship it to us!  We will gladly clearly communicate with your service shop and explain exactly what pieces we need and do not need in order to make your shipment as cost effective as possible.  Option 2: For the hardcore Do-It-Yourself'er, give us a call.  This will involve you getting the engine out of the car, getting a pallet (easier than most people think), strapping the engine down and arranging with us to have a shipper to pick up your engine.  If you give us a call, BreitWerks has a standard plan that will be easy for you to follow!  Option 3: Call us, we can talk about getting your car on a trailer and you just send us the whole thing!

Great question!  There are a plethora of reasons that your engine may need to be rebuilt.  There are different tests that can be run (and BreitWerks can do them) by you or your preferred Service Shop.  However, the simplest way for you to determine if this is even a consideration for you is to look under where you park the car and in your rearview mirror the next time you accelerate onto a road.

Drips and spots under your car are your baby's way of telling you it wants attention.  We typically tell people that one leak on an aircooled Porsche engine is normal (watercooled should not leak a single drop) .  As long as it isn't a big leak!  However, if you have two or three or more spots of oil on the ground, it's time to investigate what is going on.  I have personally had to rebuild a motor that passed all of the classical tests, but was literally leaking from every single mating surface.  A previous mechanic had used an improper sealant that literally weeped oil everywhere after a certain amount of time.  

As you accelerate onto a road, look in the rearview and see if you have a smoke trail.  Blue smoke is oil, black smoke is too much gas getting in the engine and if your baby is water cooled, white smoke is indicative of a coolant leak inside your engine.  Some of these telltale signs can be worse than others.

You know your baby.  You know what the acceleration should feel like.  You know what the typical vibrations feel like.  When you feel something that isn't quite right, don't ignore it.  Little issues can turn into big problems very quickly with these high performance engines.

Regardless of the symptom, BreitWerks is happy to talk to you and hear about your concern.  Sometimes a quick, cheap visit to your favorite service shop can fix the issue.  Give us a call, we are happy to help!

A1. It’s funny you should ask that question. We get it a lot! While Porsche engine rebuilds are our focus, our passion is with Performance Automobiles. We have been known to take on Special Projects related to other marques when we meet a customer with a passion and focus that matches ours. Rebuilds and restorations take planning, research and competent execution. BreitWerks considers all projects and will let you know if we are the right resource to perform your project. Give us a call, we love to hear from passionate “car people”. If we aren’t the right match, we can certainly provide you with some ideas on how you can get your project on track. And yes, we have been known to work on “American Muscle” on occasion (having owned two of them in the past, Jason has a soft spot for big power Mustangs).

A2. We also work on anything attached to the engine, typically referred to as “the drivetrain”. An engine without a transmission or differential or driveshaft or axles is kind of useless. So yes, we rebuild transmissions, axles, etc. Call us with your specific questions, especially if you need a clutch and your IMS Bearing has not been upgraded.

A3. With regard to service, that is not our specialty. There are a number of very good service shops located all over the place. However, if we build your motor or restore your car, yes, we will service your baby. We understand the importance of the relationships built during a major refurbishment activity and strive to maintain those relationships as long as your baby is still chewing up miles of asphalt.

Wow, talk about a loaded question!!!  Every experienced rebuilder is going to give you the same answer, "we won't know till we take it apart."  That's all well and good, but how long is it going to take them to get it apart and assess the situation?  At BreitWerks, once we accept a job, we will have your motor disassembled and assessed within a week!  

So, I'm sure you want a better answer than this... ok, well once the motor is disassembled and everything is assessed, the amount of machine work required will drive a lot of the cost and time it will take.  If you have a clear goal for the engine, it could be as short as two or three weeks.  This is because we can pre-order parts to meet your desired goals and have materials ready and waiting for your engine.  If there is an unknown problem, there are scenarios where it could take 6-8 weeks for machine work on the pieces in your engine.  We have visited and had extensive conversations with our vendors, so we know from the start that you will be getting the best service possible in the least amount of time.  

As far as cost goes, the pieces and parts and machine work required to meet your objectives can vary greatly.  A simple valve job could take two weeks whereas a twin plugged fire breathing monster might spend 6-8 weeks just having the cylinder heads prepared.  All of these parts and machine shop time cost money.  That is a constant cost that any rebuilder is going to have to pass along to you as the customer.  But, ask them what their markup is on the non-labor portion of your bill! Give us a call, and ask us about our fixed labor price for an engine rebuild.  Not many rebuilders are willing to quote you a fixed price, but in certain scenarios BreitWerks is happy to provide you with a solid, fixed price cost for the labor.  Oh yeah, if you get a quote for a complete engine rebuild that is less than 100 hours, ask them to break it down for you.  We can show you where the time will be spent if you ask.  We bet you'll like our hourly rate also!

All types, from the current Porsche models (991, 997, 996. Boxster, Cayman, Panamera, Cayenne, and the Macan) to the classic models (930, 911, 914, etc).

After much consideration, BreitWerks is now accepting Credit Cards.  However, in an effort to keep our overheads as low as possible, and pass that savings along to our customers, we charge a 3.0% processing fee for all credit card transactions.  Many customers prefer to pay with cash or check and we want to make sure that our rates are as competitive as possible.  If you prefer to think of the corollary, we offer a 3.0% discount to cash or check transaction customers!

Although the company was founded in 1931, the first Porsche model, the Porsche 64, was not developed until 1939, using many of the components from the Volkswagen Beetle design.