Georj

I just did 60K service on my 1997 993 C4S. It has 57K miles on it. I replaced the following parts.

Spark plugs (12) ( Bosch FR5 DTC)
Distributor caps (2) (Bosch)
Rotors (2) (Bosch)
Fan belt (Porsche)
Alternator belt (Porsche)
AC belt (Porsche)
Air filter (Mahle)
Fuel Filter (Mahle)
Rear Diff/gear oil (Mobil 75w90 Delvac Synthetic)
Front differential oil (Mobil 75w90 Delvac Synthetic)
Clutch flush (ATE SuperGold DOT4 Type 200)
Power Steering Fluid flush (Pentosin CHF202)
Front brake rotors (Porsche)
Front brake pads (Textar)
Flushed brake fluid (ATE SuperGold DOT4 Type 200)
Wiper Blades
Cleaned ISV

I purchased the brake rotors, belts and brake shims from Sunset.

Mobil Delvac gear oil from Lufteknic.

Rest from Autohausaz.

Since this job was beyond my DIY capability I took it to Josh, a trained Porsche mechanic.
Since we did this in his home garage, we did not have access to a lift. It took us approximately 8 hours for everything.

Total cost = $1500 (Parts and labor)

I had recently changed engine oil and both oil filters and cabin filters, that is why they are not in the list.

After everything was done, we went for a test drive.

WOW! What a difference.

The car runs much smoother. I can tell the difference, especially when shifting.

I think the Mobil Delvac synthetic gear and differential oil has lot to do with the smoothness. At first I was hesitant to use Delvac because Mobil website states it is not for lsd. I was very confused so I called our resident expert Steve Weiner, who convinced me that Mobil Delvac was the way to go.

Thank you Steve

In the process I also found a great Porsche wrench. He is factory trained on Porsches, Ferraris and Maseratis. He also has trackside experience with race teams. He knows what he is doing. I saw him work on my car, and he treated it as if it was his own car. And the best part is that his charges are very reasonable. If you live in the Bay Area and you are looking for a reliable mechanic who will not fleece you, and will do an expert job, I highly recommend Josh Bare (480) 287-3517.

Georj
1997 993 C4s

Cactus

What was the condition of the plug wires? Were they ever replaced?

skl2

I just did my 60k service this past winter as well...did it myself...the plugs were by far the worst part, but I noticed the same thing you did - the car runs so much better! After reading your list, the only thing I didnt do was the power steering fluid, so now I must do that

element

I just did the plug wires... mine had some cracks (cali car.. 55k) It was a PIA to do, but a fun project and am 100x faster now :P.. getting access to the upper passenger side was the hardest part with removing the engine tray.. and routing the pass side wires over the engine :S

I need to do brakes + PS fluid and im 100% complete with 60k.

phil.

Mike J

That sounds like a good deal for all the work involved.

The spark plug wires, IMHO, are not a scheduled replacement but should be inspected, especially on the lower side - the right hand side lower cover has the wires take some nasty 90 to 180 degree turns which is where typical cracks develop.

Cheers,

Mike

JPP

Hey Georj, Josh's number must be a cel phone? Area code 480 is Arizona .. what area in the Bay area is he located? Work out of his house?
Also, yes, sounds like a heck of a deal especially with front brakes done and all .. nice find :-)

77'3.6vram

$1500.00 is totally unrealistic. Most shops will charge twice that for the work listed.

95 C4 993

Here was my 60k tune from 2007.......You name it, I had it done. I spent around $6k or so this trip to the shop.

Walking into a 60k from my experience, I took zero short cuts and just went for it. Its about 23 hours worth of labor and $3400 in parts ($1950 suspension, $1400 in 60k mandatory and misc parts)

For those creaping up on their 1st 60k tune, food for thought on the following.

TO BE DONE
(Note: * denotes parts supplied by me)
1. * Suspension upgrade:
a. 4 X Bilstein HD shocks (with 30mm extra threads)
b. 4 X ROW M030 Springs
c. Front 22mm M030 Sway Bar
d. Rear 20mm M030 Sway Bar
e. Rear Drop Links
f. Front Drop Links
g. KLA Strut brace install

2. * Change spark plug wires-Beru
3. * Change air inject check valve (SAI check valve)
4. * Change both cabin air/pollen filters
5. * Change the engine air filter
6. * Change all 12 spark plugs (yea, esp. # 12 that, I know, is a PITA)
7. * Change both distributor caps
8. * Change both distributor rotors
9. * Change fuel filter
10. * Change engine oil (I will supply 10Q Mobil 1 - 15W50)
11. * Change large oil filter
12. * Change small oil filter
13. * Change A/C compressor drive belt
14. * Change Alternator drive belt (inner)
15. * Change Alternator drive belt (outer)
16. * Change power steering belt
17. * change ignation coil wire
18. Change manual transmission fluid. REDLINE
19. Bleed/flush the clutch hydraulic system
20. Bleed the brakes
Note The brake system was completely flushed less than 7 months ago so the
(ATE super blue)
21. Please perform all the (remaining) normal checks, lubrications etc. as
specified in the
60k service interval. In particular, please re-lubricate/check tolerances of
the manual
transmission gear-shift linkages/bushings etc.
22. Remove and Clean ISV
23. Replace front hood shocks

**THE UNEXPECTED**
-belt tension indicator-bearing was froze.
-Ignition coil-shot for the most part
-Distributor rebuild

Georj

Since a number of questions were raised, I will answer all of them here rather than reply indvidually.

1. I did not change the spark plug wires. Did not see any cracks. Also it is not listed in the 60K service. I believe it is a 100K service.

2. Josh's number is (480) 287-3517. This is not a typo. This is his cell phone number. Yes he moved to the Bay Area from Arizona where he worked for Porsche dealership. He lives in Petaluma, CA and works out of his home garage. The only drawback is that without a lift, it takes longer to do some of the work under the car. I live in Fremont and it was over an hour drive for me to go to him. But it was worth it. As you can see I not only saved a decent chunk of money, I also got top notch pro service.

3. "1500 is unrealistic for all the service". Yes, it does sound like that. But that is because we have all gotten used to paying unrealistic labor rates applied to factory quoted labor hours for a job. Leave alone the "Stealers", even most Indies charge for each job at the factory quoted hours even though they may be doing all of it at the same time and it does not take that much time to do it. An honest mechanic (rare breed) does not do that and only charges fair rates for the actual time spent. This was my experience with Josh.

Also I forgot to mention in my post that he did complete inspection of the car. Found my steering rack boots are torn and need replacing. OUCH! Left bank chain housing is leaking, but not too bad and front diff is leaking but not too bad. And yes my AC evaporator is leaking too! I guess the car is showing its age

Renn Wrench

Hey George, thanks for the kind words. Its always a pleasure to meet a fellow Porshche lover. To all the others viewing, there is a good reason for the discounted labor rates. Like George mentioned I am currently doing work out of my garage so the lack of overhead is the main reason, second is the fact that for most people Petaluma is a big drive. This is a side business for me at the moment (which will grow soon) and since I dont have a big beautiful shop to attract customers so I use my Pride in my work, my experience and a discounted rate. Like George said I have many years of dealer experience along with time working for one of the best Porsche tuners out there. So whether you need some routine maintenance or need your turbos upgraded keep me in mind. PM me or give me a call

P-daddy

You service the eastcoast?

jnoble79

Those on east coast should do a "group buy" where in we fly Josh out to the tri-state area to some bulk scheduled maintenance! What a ridiculous suggestion. . . . . But seriously. . . .

dhc905

Btw, just got my car back from Josh (he opened his own shop called bare European). He's still in the business and is just getting it up.

I wrote him a 5* review (and there's a picture of my 964 on the website now!). Prices and workmanship are stellar.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bare-european-petaluma

I know this is an old thread, but since I rennfaxed him on this thread, figured I would return the favor.

Doesn't hurt that he worked at both Porsche and Ferrari dealerships as a mechanic before branching out on his own.

race911

Nice to see guys making it at this level. Of course I did the opposite in opening the Porsche/BMW shop out of college in Phoenix (30 years ago???), then the home garage thing five years later when business just started appearing in the driveway, and it was a great diversion from law school.

dhc905

hmm, how did I miss that you ran your own shop last time we got together?

But I agree, in a world of consolidation, it is refreshing to see a guy leave a secure job at Ferrari SF, move to Petaluma, and open a shop on a goat farm. I was definitely skeptical driving to a goat farm, but Josh has a lease on a barn and has his lifts/alignment machines in there. Kind of gives new meaning to barn find when he opened the (barn) doors and there's a grey ferrari and my porsche hanging out there...