mbackhand

I need a shop for a PPI on a 993 in Los Angeles areaAnyone have any ideas for me?

thanks

Matt

I found a 993 I like (I miss mine already)

goofballdeluxe

A great wrench in L.A. is 200 N. Motorworks on LaCienega Blvd., just south of Pico Blvd. Ask for Mark and tell him Philip in the C4S sent you. They are Porsche factory trained boys who do great work at a fair price.
310.358.5521

No affiliation, just a very satisfied customer.

mbackhand

thanks I'll give them a call tomorrow.

Matt

Chuck W.

Another option is Callas Rennsport; http://www.callasrennsport.com/. They are close by in Torrance. If you do a search they are highly regarded on Rennliet.

TheBen

Try Otto's in Venice Beach. Anybody else have an opinion on them?

Canyon56

+1

Definitely take to it Mark, Jon and Dean at 200N Motorworks on 1422 S. La Cienega (1/2 block south of Pico Blvd.) 310-358-5521. 9:30 to 6pm M-F.

Otto seems more into pre-993s, imho. And engine rebuilds.

Matt, where in LA is the car?

Martin S.

I have an opinion of Ottos, a very fine shop run by John Williamson (Otto). He is an incredible Porsche driver as well...does great bread and butter work as well as incredible race car preparation. Tony Callas also runs a great shop. Both of these guys will do a great job for you.

tarobbs

I can vouch for the type of work Tony Callas does, If you are looking for a really thorough PPI Callas Rennsport will find everything and give recommendations on what really needs attention.

Tom Robbs
1996 C4S

CorrdoBrit

Price I got from Callas' was a little high. Didn't really want to to drop $7-800 on a PPI even though he gets lots of props here. I'm sure he's very thorough and so he should be.
I went with another recommendation and chose TRE Motorsports. http://www.tremotorsports.com/
They were also closer to the seller. I found them to be very thorough and detail orientated. They spent 2 hours with the car and charged $230.00 not incl leakdown and compression testing. The 98 C2S with 68K miles had had a top end rebuild 18 months and 7K miles prior so it was felt an unnecessary expense. Work had been done at Don & Aurels. Much to everyone's surprise the engine was leaking from the RMS and lower engine case gaskets. Another leak found at steering pump. They said the remedy would require the motor to be dropped for a reseal.....$10K, at which point I walked away. It was a bit depressing as I'd negotiated the price down to $28K prior to the PPI. I guess the seller already knew about the issues.
They emailed me plenty of pics and even rechecked the motor after the owner returned to D&A for an explanation and some repairs.

soltino

What was Callas' rate/charge?


tino

CorrdoBrit

Depended on what you wanted to do but incl comp and leakdown was quoted $7-800, but he was a bit vague. He did say that if they found a potential 'deal-breaker' early on that the engine tests wouldn't be performed.

goofballdeluxe

Tony Callas has a great reputation. And he'll make sure you pay dearly for it. Although he may be one of the best in the business, my experience has been he also charges more than anyone else in the business.

In my humble opinion, there are other great Porsche indies that are 99% as good, and charge 50% less.

Martin S.

His rates are about the same as everyone's, estimate $95 to $125 an hour. His PPI is very, very thorough...it's sort of like a physical exam. Dr. A gives you a EKG and a occult blood test.

Dr. B. gives you Echocardiography and a Colonoscopy. These two (2) tests are damn detailed and will detect a problem that could be missed in a static EKG and a strip test for occult blood. Me? I'll pay extra and get the thorough diagnostics...Tony Callas is analogous to Dr. B., in my opinion, humble as it may be. He went through my car with a fine tooth comb. In fact, before he takes on a new customer, his process is that each and every car get a thorough diagnostic check out. Tony found a few things that needed correcting, and I am glad that he did. He is a 993 specialist.

goofballdeluxe

Does he charge extra for that?

There is no doubt Mr. Callas is a master mechanic. I have the utmost respect for his knowledge, dedication and talent with these cars.

That said, I humbly disagree with your assessment of his fine shop offering service at comparable prices, as I'm looking as I type this at his estimate for a clutch job he quoted for me a year ago. Your quote of his shop hourly labor rate of $95-$125 is incorrect. According to his estimate to me, his hourly charge, as of a year ago, was $145/hour, some $45 more per hour than some shops I got estimates from. His quote to me was, by far, the highest of the half dozen shops I got estimates from, all very competent shops. Also, he charged the highest mark-up for the clutch kit and other items than any other garage I shopped around for. I wound up getting the same quality work done elsewhere for much, much less than what Mr. Callas would've charged me.

So, to use your analogy, if your car is on life support and needs the most intensive care, such as a complete engine rebuild, he might be the go-to guy. But if all you need is a check up and a flu shot, there are other, and equally competent providers, at a much less expensive price. Paying a huge mark-up to Mr. Callas for things like oil changes or 15K service to me is akin to buying clothes for the label.

As I said, Tony Callas is a total pro and one of the best around. But there is no doubt, in my mind, that one pays much extra, for the Callas "label".

soltino

So with Callas you take it up the A**.

Boy with friends like you....


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tino