Was thinking of getting a COA to determine if the engine that came with my car is original or not.

Reading posts on other sites, it seems that Porsche may no longer be providing COA with an engine number. This seems counter productive.

Anyone have recent experience ordering a COA and information on what was provided back from Porsche?

Dope move on my part. Meant to post to Garage

@SirAndy .

The COA still has the engine number. I think the change is that Porsche is asking owners to provide the number and they’ll verify it...rather than offering it up first. I guess it makes sense from an authenticity standpoint, as it prevents someone from getting the number and then stamping it on the block themselves. Though I’m pretty sure that would be obvious.

I got my COA last summer I think. I provided both the engine and trans numbers and the COA that came back verified matching numbers for the engine and something like "information not available" for the trans. Checking with others, it seems they either don't have records, or don't check numbers for the trans. But yeah, if you provide the engine number, they should tell you if it is a match.

Sort of makes sense . . . but let's say my engine doesn't match what they have on file. I wonder what they do in that case? Provide no info, a blank field, or N/A, or Sorry try again.

Likewise, seems to be of no use if for example I were to want to try to locate the original.

I suspect I'll probably have to pay the fee and see what I get.

Anyone with more specific, recent COA, please chime in on what you got.

Brent, thanks for your experience. Somehow I think my screen didn't refresh before I just posted.

I've wondered about that also. There are a few threads here and on the originality forum on COAs and Porsche doesn't seem to be very consistent about what it report. I'm pretty sure I read of some people having known matching numbers engines but not having anything about it showing on the COA. I may have gotten lucky with mine.

I especially feel sorry for those with genuine sixes looking for their long lost engines. Hard to find something unless you know what you are looking for.

SuperHawk -

What they're trying to do is to not give a 914-2.0 COA to a 1.7 or 1.8 car with a 2.0 swap - ergo they ask for you to send a pic of your engine case number - otherwise they'll just give you a COA listing it as "914" - period, with both engine & trans nos. blank or not available.

They've been doing this for years now since at least 2009 when I got mine, but they didn't tell me to send in my engine number pic beforehand, so I had to fight them on that & the interior color code error (engine # pic solved the former, then I had to find docs showing that THEY had the interior color code wrong!).

I really don't know why they cannot just look at their Kardex or Microfilm/Microfiche or digital records & see if the car's record shows it as originally as a GA engine (or GB, GC) for a factory 2.0, & then make the COA based on that as the evidence that it was a factory 2.0.

Denying 914-2.0's without the engine code being provided is just BS, they don't seem to do it on most other Porsche models' COAs, & can easily just list the engine as "GA" (or GB, GC) with the rest of the original case number not provided. After all - Porsche should have the record of it's engine type!

IMHO - it's just as important to show the car & ALL of it's original equipment numbers, & then you know if you have numbers matching or not, but it's still what it was when the factory built it. They don't do that for the far more pricey 914-6's & give out their engine numbers on the COAs, so why play games with the 914/4 2.0s!?

You could ask them to confirm that by looking on the Kardex/etc. records if it shows a GA (or GB if it was originally a Euro/RoW 2.0 car), & say that they should have the original records correctly, & that you should have the ability to rebuild as needed now (or prior owner) without PCNA denying it is a 2.0.

If you already know that your current case doesn't match, then it will be up to you to get old sales &/or service docs showing it was originally a 2.0, & whenever they swapped in the current 2.0 as a replacement - which was also very common practice.

Usually this was done by both P-dealers &/or local shops with a good used engine case to rebuild the engine - sometimes even with the original head(s) if not damaged - but then it would carry the old original engine case number stamping, although some rebuilders would provide their own case number tag for their rebuilt motor (probably for their own warranty tracking). In this case, you'll want to find the invoice for that work, & hopefully it or another earlier invoice will show the original case number.

However, if yours has an "X" or "EX" at the case number, then it is a Porsche Factory Exchange engine or case, & you should be able to ask them to look at their records on your car by VIN to see when it was replaced with a factory rebuilt or new motor.

BTW - apparently they never or very rarely put down the trans no., so all the ones I've seen have not available or similar.

Hope this helps!

Good Luck!
Tom
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Thanks Tom! Great background. I'll plan on sending them my GA engine number + the trans number and we'll see what they do.

Found this recently and was wondering if it would be more helpful than the usual COA. They're $500 but if they provide more/more accurate/specific information, maybe it's worth it....

https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessoriesands...calcertificate/

EDIT - after looking into this a bit more, it doesn't appear that it gives you the original engine/trans numbers if the current items don't match. In other words, if you don't know the original engine number, this won't tell you what to look for. But if you have the original installed, it will confirm.

Just had a long conversation with a muckety muck at Porsche Classic about this. My COA on a 911 was just a waste of money and I didn't get anything I needed.This is the the way to go for all the info on your car. Porsche over the years has changed how they keep records many of which were hand written. Some are lost so if they don't have the info you won't get it on a COA.
I am told though that they will get the info when they do this "better" certificate. You have to take the car to be inspected.

A qualified Dealer has a certified Classic technician and a certified Classic service advisor to perform the Porsche Classic Technical Certificate.

I like that a "qualified" dealer must perform the inspection. I suspect that even the least knowledgeable on this site have a far better knowledge of 914's than my local dealer. The highly knowledgeable on this cite certainly know more than a "qualified" dealer with a "certified" technician and service advisor.

I do see that apparently there are only a handful of Porsche Classic Partners. How convenient . . . Sure I'll ship my 914 cross county so someone can have a peek at it.


Thank you for the information. At least there appears to be another option.

The more I think about this the more I'm inclined to say screw it; 914's were always the highly bastardized redheaded step child of Porsche anyway. Why change now?

I originally bought this car for the purpose of saving one otherwise headed to the grave and to not feel bad about swapping in a six later on. I think I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

Those blood suckers have some balls!

Exactly! I haven't been a big fan of of the "new" Porsche since they developed the Cayenne. Love the early cars and always will but the new stuff leaves me cold. I can't justify putting that kind of coin in their pockets given the value of the information to me.

I dont see where there is a list of these specialty qualified inspection dealer locations?

Scroll to the bottom and there is a list. Mobile version shows a drop down.