Positive New Firewall Forward Experience
This thread is from a long time ago, so i'm adding a little summary of our positive experience with The New Firewall Forward, for those that are looking at engine overhauls:
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As the new owners of a older cessna turbo 182rg, which we got with a run out engine, we spent a while looking at different shops for the rebuild project.
Our first instinct was to use a local shop, so that we could check on the progress of the work. We met with and talk to quite a few places across Southern California. We also thought about doing an engine exchange and having our local shop install it.
Knowing that our plane sat for a long time before we bought it, we were worried about the gremlins they could be hiding in the project.
At the end of the day we selected Frank and Tom from the new firewall forward because of their expertise and their commitment to quality. We spent a lot of time on the phone with them talking through the details especially in light of the mixed reviews they'd had in the past.
Tom came and ferried the plane back to Colorado to their shop, and they did all the work. Originally the project was scheduled for 6 to 8 weeks, knowing that every project have some uncertainty. In the end it took 8 weeks plus another week to schedule time to get it the plane back to Los Angeles. We also ended up having to redo the exhaust system which was rusted out. Tom and Frank sent it out to the shop to get done at cost. We also had them install a JPI 900, which is been very helpful both for the break-in of the engine as well at the monitor overall performance.
First impressions were great (and continue). Tom flew the plane out to our hangar, since we didn’t have time to go pick it up. Then he walked us through everything they did, the functioning of the JPI, and took us up for a couple test flights together. The engine looked like it was brand new, painted, all the cables and wires perfectly tied down.
We have flown about 150 hours since the New firewall forward rebuilt our engine. Compressions have been very strong across the board. Temps have been quite even (~50 degrees). Engine starts every time without any problems (thanks to the new starter they recommended and put in). We’ve called them a few times with questions and they’ve always been quick to answer. We had one problem with a bad wiring harness from JPI which was hard to troubleshoot. They worked with our local shop to figure out what was wrong and coordinate with JPI for a warranty replacement. The engine burns less than ½ quart every 25 hours (our conservative oil change interval).
The final bill was what they quoted us, plus the exhaust and a new ELT that we needed to install. Timeline was on par with the original estimates, despite some extra work. No deposit was requested.
We couldn’t be happier with the project, how it went, or how Frank and Tom took care of us.
They took a beating from some previous customers who didn’t have the same experience we did, and they are making sure it doesn’t happen again. If someone has questions about the quality of service at The New Firewall Forward, we’d be happy to share our experience.