Timing chains. Head gaskets. Full rebuilds.
The repairs that scare most independent shops and the average dealer service writer. We do them in writing, on the bench, with the engines on stands.
The hard jobs belong on a stand.
A timing chain done in the car is faster, cheaper, and twice as likely to come back. We don’t do them that way. Heavy engine and transmission work at Miami Benz comes out, goes on a stand, gets photographed, and is rebuilt with torque values written down and verified before anything goes back together.
Mercedes M-series. BMW N- and B-platform. Audi EA888 and FSI. Porsche flat-six and turbo-V8. We work on the engines that built each marque’s reputation — and the transmissions that finally translated all that power into something you can drive home from Coral Gables on a Tuesday. Below: what we repair, the engine and transmission families we know cold, and how a typical engine job moves through the shop.
Six jobs that belong with us.
The repairs that justify a master-tech bench. Each is quoted in writing before the wrenches come out and warrantied parts-and-labour after they go back.
Timing chain & guides
The M271, M272, M276, BMW N20/N55, and Audi 2.0 TFSI all eat their chain guides. We replace the chain, guides, tensioner, and seal on the stand — not buried under the manifold.
Head gasket & cylinder head
Failed head gasket, warped head, valve recession, or coolant in the oil. Decked, pressure-tested, and reassembled with new bolts, gaskets, and ARP hardware where appropriate.
Turbo & supercharger
AMG biturbo failures, BMW twin-scroll wastegate rattle, Audi K03/K04 service, Porsche turbo-V8 overhaul. Rebuilt or replaced with genuine OEM cartridges where rebuild is no longer supported.
Complete engine rebuild
Block, crank, rods, pistons. Decked, line-honed, balanced. Hand-assembled to factory tolerances or improved on documented owner instruction. Dyno verification available on request.
Transmission & mechatronic
7G-Tronic, 9G-Tronic, ZF 8HP, S-Tronic, PDK. Mechatronic and valve-body work in-house. Full case-off rebuilds through specialist partners. Factory adaptations on PIWIS / ISTA / Sentry after every job.
Oil leaks & gasket renewal
Valve cover gaskets, oil cooler seals, rear main, oil pan, vacuum pump. The ten leaks every M276/N55/3.0 TFSI eventually grows. Found, photographed, quoted, fixed.
Four manufacturers. Forty engine codes.
The platforms that pass through the shop every week — and the quirks that come with each. If your engine code isn’t listed, ask: we likely service it too.
M / OM Series
- M2711.8 SC / TC
- M2723.5 V6
- M2763.5 V6 TT
- M2784.7 V8 BT
- M157 / M177AMG 5.5 / 4.0 BT
- OM6423.0 Diesel V6
- OM651 / OM6542.1 / 2.0 Diesel
N / S / B Series
- N20 / N262.0 Turbo I4
- N52 / N533.0 NA I6
- N54 / N553.0 Turbo I6
- N63 / S634.4 BT V8
- S55 / S58M3 / M4 BT I6
- B583.0 Turbo I6
- M30 / M50 / M52Classic I6
EA / FSI
- EA8882.0 TFSI I4
- EA1132.0 TFSI Mk5
- CGXC / CREC3.0 TFSI V6
- 4.0 TFSIS6 / S7 / RS6 V8
- 2.5 TFSIRS3 / TT-RS I5
- 4.2 FSIR8 / RS4 V8
- 3.0 TDIDiesel V6
Flat & V-Engines
- M96 / M97986/996/997 Flat-6
- 9A1 / MA1991 / 991.2 Flat-6
- 9A2992 Flat-6 TT
- MA1.20 / MDB718 Flat-4
- 4.8 V8Cayenne / Panamera
- 3.0 / 2.9 V6 BTCayenne / Macan
- Air-cooledClassic 911
The boxes behind the engines.
Modern European automatics are computers in oil. Mechatronic, valve-body, and software work happens here. Full case-off rebuilds go to specialist partners with our master techs handling removal, reinstall, and factory adaptations.
7G & 9G-Tronic
Mercedes torque converter automatics. Mechatronic conductor plate, valve body, torque converter renewal. Factory adaptation via Sentry on every job.
BMW 8-Speed
BMW 5/7/X-series & M-spec. Mechatronic, valve body, full fluid service. ISTA-coded after every adaptation.
Audi S-Tronic
Dual-clutch transversal & longitudinal. Mechatronic seals, clutch packs, hydraulic accumulator. ODIS-coded post-service.
Porsche Dual-Clutch
911 / Boxster / Cayman / Panamera. Mechatronic refresh, clutch service, fluid & filter to factory spec. PIWIS adaptation.
Six symptoms not to ignore.
These are the early warnings of the repairs that get expensive fast if you wait. Diagnostics first, quote second. No surprises.
Rattle on cold start.
Timing chain · guides · tensionerTwo to five seconds of metallic rattle when the engine first fires usually means the timing chain guides or tensioner. Catch it before the chain skips and the valves meet the pistons.
White smoke or sweet smell.
Head gasket · coolant lossWhite exhaust smoke that smells sweet, disappearing coolant with no visible leak, or oil that looks like a milkshake on the cap — head gasket failure on the way.
Boost loss or check-engine.
Turbo · wastegate · charge pipesSluggish acceleration above 3,000 rpm, P0299 underboost, or a whistling sound through the intake. Wastegate rattle on cold start is a similar warning.
Harsh or delayed shifts.
Mechatronic · valve body · fluidHesitation between gears, jerky low-speed downshifts, P0700 / P17BF / 4F86 codes. Usually mechatronic or valve body, occasionally a fluid issue caught early.
Oil on the driveway.
Valve cover · oil cooler · rear mainA drop a day from your driveway is normal once a car passes 80k. A puddle isn’t. We trace it on the lift, photograph the source, and quote each leak separately.
Lurching idle, stall, or hard start.
Carbon · injectors · coilsDirect-injected engines (Mercedes M276, BMW N54/N55, Audi EA888) all build carbon on intake valves. Walnut-shell blasting, injector service, or coil pack work usually solves it.
Five chapters. From drop-off to delivery.
Diagnose
Factory scan plus borescope or pressure test where needed. Symptoms verified, cause located.
Quote
Itemised written quote — parts, labour, timeline. Approval before any wrench turns.
Build
Engine out where the job calls for it. On the stand, photographed, torqued to factory values.
Adapt
Factory tool adaptations after reassembly — SCN, FA, S-Tronic, PDK. Software to current level.
Verify
Road-tested over a 30-minute loop. Pressures, temperatures, codes logged. Photographed receipt with every part number.
The big-repair questions.
If yours isn’t here, the phone is the fastest way. Lester or a senior tech picks up most weekdays.
Call (305) 740-3440 →A rattling sound on cold start, P0016 / P0017 / P0019 timing correlation codes, or lurching idle on Mercedes M271 / M272 / M276 platforms is usually the chain or its guides. We diagnose with a borescope and factory scan before recommending the job.
Mechatronic, valve body, and fluid service happen in-house. Full case-off rebuilds on 7G-Tronic, 9G-Tronic, ZF 8HP, S-Tronic, and PDK are done through specialist transmission partners we have worked with for over a decade, with our master techs handling removal, reinstall, and factory adaptations.
On a W124, W126, R107, or any pre-2005 Mercedes with a clean body, yes — the cost of a quality rebuild is almost always less than the cost of an equivalent replacement, and the resulting drivetrain typically outlasts the rest of the car. We give an honest opinion at quote.
A typical 4-cylinder rebuild runs 4 to 6 weeks. A V6 or V8 with carbon-fouled heads is 6 to 10 weeks. Restoration-grade rebuilds (M130, M117, air-cooled flat-six) can run longer. You receive a written timeline at quote.
Yes. Parts and labour on all major engine and transmission work, in writing. Length depends on the job — typically 12 months / 12,000 miles on repairs, 24 months / 24,000 miles on full rebuilds, parts manufacturer warranty on OEM components.
Yes. M156 hand-built V8, M157 / M177 biturbo, S55 / S58 BMW M, 4.0 TFSI Audi RS, Porsche flat-six GT. The bench is current on every modern AMG, M, RS, and GT platform. Tunes that void factory warranty are quoted with that caveat in writing.
Bring the car in. Get an honest read.
Diagnostic first. Written quote second. No work until you approve. The kind of conversation big-repair clients have been having on Commerce Lane for two decades.