Mike J

Are you in Europe or the US?

If they replaced the drive shafts and some of the pivots etc. on the roof, you should be good for quite a while.

BTW, what is the mileage on the car?

Cheers,

Mike

mgianzero

Jibble,

I am not sure what area you live in, but, like Mike and I both said, you'll find these fixes that garages (or dealerships) do on our tops can get quite expensive. The top, in my opinion, is also a bit complex, but not impossible to fix. It certainly helps to be mechanically inclined to fix these cars. They are overengineered and have a few flimsy parts, but I'm still willing to keep it do to all the benefits of owning a targa.

I think the BIGGEST reason why they are so expensive to fix is because no one is really trained to work on them. So their time gets to be expensive. But once you learn how to work on them, they are not that bad. I can get the glass out of my car doing it solo, in less than 30 minutes. I've also had EXPERT garages replace parts on my top that didn't need replacing. As a test, now that I've learned so much more about these cars, I put some of the old parts back in my car and it worked perfectly. You just need to know how to repair and adjust them.

If you wouldn't mind, could you post (or PM) me the invoice so I can see what they replaced. I'm curious.

Marc

Jibble

Mike: I am in NY, and yes I think they replaced some of the parts that would potentially result in problems for me in the future while they were in there anyway, after figuring out that the problem was the "drop bolt" or what not.

MGianzero: The invoice simply listed the parts as I listed---plates, motors,axles and pins. That was the extent of the description that they posted on the bill. I should have asked for better clarification, but I'm sure its in my car's "file" in their shop. When I do go back there next, I'll try to get a copy of it and I'll PM you if I recall to do so.

Agree with you both, and yes, certainly the cost is mainly because most people dont have experience with the darn roof, its overly stupidly complicated, and the car is getting older by the day. Oh well...thanks.

Jim

FlyingDutchman

Can you please send me the pdfs?

Thanks!
Arthur
1997 993 Targa

Mike J

Not sure what you mean, what docs are you looking for ? The TSB's and help documents are on my web site:

http://www.pcarworkshop.com

There is also a Porsche shop supplement for the Targa.

Cheers,

Mike

Q8drill

Sorry i missed the problem with your roof, Targa repairs are very expensive as Mike said it takes too muck time due to lack of experience, You paying someone to train. They estimated mine for almost $8000, I wonder if they gave you your old motors after replacing, I also wonder if they installed the new style axle plates which are better quality and strength than the old style, Also new style cables better than old.
I had to change all 4 cables, new style axle plates and screws, mounting plate, visor mechanism.
I will inspect everything just for loose screws or blockage in the drainage hoses.

espanolie

i'd like to compliment all for your input to this subject. very insightful especially for the targa owner.

i have a 993 targa and really no serious problems....yet. i remember reading 'bout its complex operation, from an engineering perspective, and it's potentially high repair costs if it should not be operative. i bought the car anyway 'cause it liked it and it was a good deal - at least at that time.

after a few years of ownership, i, too, have the clicking sound when the shade is placed back to cover from the sun. although still operational, to keep it's use to a minimum, i keep the shade to the front position allowing the sunlight to enter the cabin.

i remember hearing or being told when opening the glass top, one should open it completely and not intermittently half way or just a bit. open it all the way or not at all. does this make any sense to anyone? looking for opinions/thoughts and feedback.

Q8drill

Any up normal sound in the roof should not be operated till it's inspected and solved, That's including the sun shade, That's the best way to prevent further expensive repairs. The shade is attached to rails on both sides with a small plastic keepers which can get loose from the rail or the visor. It could be the plastic rails or the spring type rod holding the rails. You have to remove both side covers and inspect the operation slowly.
Good luck

mgianzero

Yes, anytime there are additional sounds (especially clicks when using the sunshade) it "usually" signifies the shade is not fully working properly. You should have everything checked out before you continue to use it. If you wait, you maybe causing more problems (and cost) down the road.

Not necessarily. As long as everything is in working order, then keeping the glass partially open is fine. I have heard many say that it is not good to operate the top (glass or shade) while driving the car. I do it all the time, but I constantly check that my top is in good working order and tracks are clean. For somebody that doesn't want to risk damage to occur, it is probably good advice since the car top flexes and any loose pieces can move where they are not wanted.


Good advice! I agree 100%.


If you want, send me a message and we can plan a day to look over the top (glass and shade) to check everything out. I'm not too far from you living in Tustin area. I've done quite a few repairs on these tops for RL'ers. We can take it apart to where we can check everything (and order any needed parts) in about 2 hours. Unfortunately, most Porsche dealers have little experience with repairing these targa tops.


Marc

Dafreak

I am new to Rennlist and the Porsche community. I have been looking for a 993 and found and negotiated a price on a Targa that I am ready to pull the trigger on BUT I have no idea if it is really a good price or not. Any input would be GREATLY appreciated, here is the link:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Porsche-911-...US_Cars_Trucks
Carfax is a clean 1-owner vehicle, dealership seems reputable with good reviews. Thoughts?

This is the other vehicle, a converted 964 with a questionable title.

http://www.topnotch-auto.com/vehicle...70b661a654bdf/

If this is not the right place to post I apologize, both of these are intriguing for different reasons.

Cheers,

Chris

Leander

Hi Mike,

I'm hoping you can help with what should be a simple question. The wide (~2.5 inches) rubber strip on the back of my targa roof is becoming detached on one side. How on earth do I get it back in again? Simple manipulation was ineffective.

luckyJ

I had this same problem a couple years ago....was told the easiest way was to take the glass roof off...

this is how I was able to fix it...

1) slide/open glass roof 1/5 way
2) get a small flat head screw driver wrapped in towel and gently push in the rubber piece back into the groove, working slowly from the section where part of the rubber is already inserted towards outer side of the glass...you need to be crouched in the back seat with your head tilted sideways to see all of this...also helps if you have small hands!

be really patient and work it bit by bit to get the rubber snug into the groove....took almost a half a day to learn this but finally got it done!

it started b/c the allen head bolts on one side got loose and opening/closing of the glass roof was causing this rubber piece to hit against end of the spring mechanism at the rear...

I learned a lot about the targa from RL and especially mgianzero...notice u r in LB....I am in PV if you wanna swing by for some help, lmk...

hope this helps and good luck...

Leander

Thank you so much, lmk. I will give it a go. I'll let you know if I get stuck.

mgianzero

Yes, I worked on LuckyJ's targa top and part of the rubber strip did come out. LuckyJ was very patient with it and just massaged it back in ... it's a pain but it can be done. For me, I just pull the whole glass out since it's quicker for me and it gives me the opportunity to evaluate and / or replace any seals that are needed.

The other thing to consider is the fact that the rubber strip usually comes out when something else is either catching on it or something is out of alignment. So you may spend a lot of time fixing the rubber to have it come out again since the cause was never addressed.

Let me know if you're overwhelmed and you can drop by (I'm in Tustin) and I'll evaluate it for you and give you an estimate of cost for parts and time to fix. I'm not really looking for work, but I'd hate to see you spend all your time and money and not have it working properly. I find these tops are a bit complex and many times there are several parts that wear (or bend) and are a setup for more problems if the job is not done right.

I'm in the process of redesigning some of these targa top parts to be made out of stronger (yet lighter) material that should not cause the usual failures that we see in these cars. Keep your fingers crossed we can make a successful replacement set of parts that are more robust than Porsche's original design.

Good luck -

Marc

Mike J

Marc, great idea on redesigning some of the parts! I did not want to pay Porsche the silly $$$ they expected for those crummy axle plates that broke on my car, so I had a local foundry use the originals as a mould and they cast me a set out of a bronze alloy (not sure which one), a bit of light machining and installed those on the car - and no problems after that!

Cheers,

Mike