Probe 427

[Snakecharmer]

I too have had bad experiences with Probe but the outcome was slightly different.

I ordered a 545, 700 bhp motor from them to stick in my Superformance. Luckily, the plan was for them to ship it directly to the wonderful guys at RPM (Reed Performance Motors and Superformance Dealership) in New Orleans. When the motor arrived, the guys at RPM called and said that the intake was loose and that there were missing galley plugs. They also commented on the engine sounding funny when they got it running. I called Tim at Probe and he said that these things were normal. I took his word for it and picked up the Cobra shortly afterwards.

A few months later, while giving a friend a ride, the motor started making clunking noised and spewing smoke out of the right side pipe. I eased it back home and called Probe. They said to drop the pan and see if there was anything wrong. I did so, and found a small pile of brass in the pan. Probe said to send the motor back and they would inspect and fix the problem. I pulled the motor and called Probe when it was ready to ship. They sent a truck to pick it up at their expense.

It turns out that I had chewed up a rod bearing. They replaced the bottom half of the motor and sent it back to me, at their expense.

I installed the new motor and put another 1500 miles on the car without any problems.

I looked at the whole ordeal as an honest mistake that was fixed to my satisfaction. After all, everyone makes mistakes and, as long as they take responsibility and do the right thing, they deserve a passing grade.

All that being said, I'm not suprised to hear of more problems from them. They seem to have a QA problem.

Best of luck,

Charmer