XRedXSe7enX

iTrader: (1)

for starters, i have an s5 n/a with 176k mi. my homeboys friend told me he'll build the motor-streetported or bridgeported with headers to straightpipes to factory mufflers for 2500 with a garantee that if anything on the motor breaks he'll replace it. on the other hand, i want to do a turbo2 swap but for that he said he'll charge me 3500 if the engine doesnt need to be opened and the engine runs good. the downside to that is that it doesnt have a garantee and if anything goes bad, i'd have to send it back to him. i was tryin to get some advice on this situation and curious on what yall would do

arghx

iTrader: (3)

That is way too much money for a shadetree rebuild, especially since he'll probably reuse parts that are barely in spec. He is getting paid a fixed amount but he does not have an inventory of usable parts like a rebuild shop would. Since he has not torn the motor apart and spec'd everything out, he has a financial incentive to halfass it and reuse parts so that he can make more profit.

the thing about n/a rebuilds is that things don't really "break" unless there was an assembly mistake and it has low oil pressure or blown coolant seal or something. you will just end up with a motor that has loose tolerances and worn out housings, resulting in lower overall compression and a shorter usable lifespan. It'll be hard to make a "claim" on his informal warranty for that. He can simply claim that you didn't give him enough money or good enough parts.

You need to go to www.rotaryresurrection.com . Kevin Landers is in Tennessee and would do a way better job for the same price.

clokker

iTrader: (2)

Is he providing all the parts for the $3500 turbo swap?

Personally, I don't think I'd install an engine without rebuilding it first, so the $3500 would jump to $5-6k pretty fast.

As for the NA rebuild...
I've known "shadetree" mechanics who were geniuses and would have no problem letting them work on my stuff (would Aaron Cake be considered a "shadetree" mechanic?).
By the same token, I've seen the results of other home work that were absolutely appalling, so you never can tell.

In general I'd say that if you stay NA, keep it as stock as possible.
Unless you go absolutely nuts, the extra horsepower you gain seems like a poor tradeoff against the reliability you'd lose.

If you want the extra oomph, go turbo or V-8, neither of which is gonna happen for $3500.