Reman vs. rebuild
 

I have an 04 AT with over 100K and have low compression. I've owned the car for 4 years and was a rotary newbie when I purchased it. I've learned a lot about it the hard way, and even more through this great website. I wanted some experienced thoughts on a rebuild vs. a reman. There are two RX-7 shops in fairly close proximity to me. The first one I called recommended a Mazda reman at around $5K, installed. The second said they could do a rebuild for half that. This car is an everyday driver and I would like to get another 100K out of it (wishful thinking?). My queston is, with a regiment of maintenance (decarbonings, tuneups, premix?, and of course, frequent oil changes) which is the better way to go? I would love to save $2500, but it's a question of what is the best choice for longetivity of the car.

The Mazda remans are suspect, some last a while, some do not. A quality rebuild is only as good as the builder. that said, a good builder will assure the clearances are all where they need to be to help your engine last long and a quality builder will offer a warranty and stand by it. My vote would be www.mazmart.com just based on the people I have talked to who used them.

also i do on my reman engine that it was not up to specs at all and some bolts were lose, some get good engines some get bad engines. so the next time it went i took it to a build so i know it can be reliable to me.

Basically, the result is the same: someone rebuilds the engine, ether Mazda or an independent guy.

Mazda rebuilds are sketchy. Lots of people have been having problems with them. Find yourself a quality builder and have them do it for you. Mazmart is a good choice. Pettit Racing supposedly does good work too. I know BHR will do them as well and I haven't heard of any problems there either.

Maybe if you say where you are someone can offer a better recommendation.

Yep, sorry, I guess I should add that info to my profile. I'm in SC. I think I'm leaning toward a rebuild. I've heard remans can be hit or miss, and I'd hate to miss. This guy is offering a 2 year warranty, unlimited mileage.

Make sure your warranty includes low compression, not just a complete breakdown.

I would still contact Mazmart first. The price might surprise you, given the quality of the build and the builder's name.

Cool, all good advice.