Turbo Jonny

Hi Folks ,

I am looking at a couple of 1998 C2 3.4 996. One has just had a major
Hartech service with all weak points addressed. 88k miles
Arctic Silver

The other has just had an OPC major service but has not had
Any RMS/IMS and is all original . 66k miles ocean Blue
My preferred colour and sportpack included. Can i trust the OPC
That there are no issues there ? Is it necessary to get a leakdown/
Compression test / boroscope if the owner is willing ?

Both private sales and priced similar

Vasir

This vague post is vague.

Spokayman

In the US, we don't really understand what a Hartech service and an OPC service is all about. You guys across the pond will need to weigh in here.....

Turbo Jonny

I like the first one and feel confident with the Hartech gold service ,
New clutch IMS etc

I prefer the second but dont know how much value i can put in an Official Porsche Centre
bill of health that has not recommended any upgrades .

Hartech could be seen as a UK equivalent of Jake Raby

fpb111

Hartech all the way

Macster

Does the Hartech service include sleeving the engine block to address the D-chunk issue?

Not sure about this borescoping. Seems in the UK borescoring has become the new IMSB.

My advice is to always experience the car as you intend to use it, briefly with the engine running and the car on the road being driven in a variety of ways.

The engine should be started cold and allowed to idle to nearly warm, say at least 10 minutes, all the while you listen to the engine as you walk around the car.

After this idling phase have the seller take you on a test ride and demo the car in a variety of ways.

The route should cover 15 miles or so. Back at the starting point then you take the car out and drive the same route and drive the car the same way.

Back at the starting point if you still like the car and you have found no reason to doubt its condition or suspect its condition is not what you would accept then give the car a thorough used car check out.

If after your check out you still like the car and believe you can buy it for a reasonable sum to both you and the seller, then have the car PPI'd.

A compression test won't even tell you if the engine runs and can give you a false sense of security or scare you away from an otherwise good car if the compression test is mishandled.

As for borescoping I think it a bit silly but if it makes you feel good… But ride in the car first, drive it second. Borescoping like compression testing won't tell you have the engine actually runs, sounds.

As for which car to buy you have to decide is what the Hartech treatment/service offers does this outweigh the lower miles original car with color and other options you like.

Turbo Jonny

Thanks for the good advice.
So if i went for the blue car , as i am suspecting , a regular PPI is unlikely to
Throw up much the OPC has missed and any invasive checks are probably overkill.
Trust my own instincts and get a new water pump ASAP and an oil analysis.

I dont think that Hartech re-sleeved , will check ,but did a top end rebuild. New tappets ect

Macster

It depends upon how good your instincts have been for you in the past.

A PPI after the test ride/drive is intended to have someone knowledgable about these cars view the car after it has been driven some. The idea is that if there are any leaks they will be spotted at this time.

There is the RMS but there is the water pump, the transmission, differential, and about a zillion other locations, anywhere there is a hose or pipe fitting, a seal, or a gasket.

You want to avoid buying a car that needs work almost as soon as you drive it away unless of course the PPI spots this and you get some mitigation by way of a lower purchase price.

Also, you want to avoid buying a car that needs new tires. While wear is an obvious condition you have to be aware the tires can be due to be replaced due to age.

There are brakes to consider. You want to be sure the brakes have plenty of life left or if not then you get an adjustment on the price to cover having the brakes done.

Then there is the DME over rev and engine run time readout. You want to get this report and confirm engine over revs are nothing scary and the engine run time agrees with the odometer to avoid buying a car that has the odometer tampered with.

The PPI can spot recent work on the steering, suspension, etc. that could have arisen from accident damage. It doesn't have to be the car was wrapped around a tree. It could have been run over a curb and all the damage was confined to the undercarriage.

The PPI will check the alignment adjustments and note if they are adjusted too far one way or the other which can be a sign the car was bent sometime in the past and alignment was used to straighten the car, which if so is a car to avoid.

And so on.

Oh, about the water pump. My philosophy has been to wait until something needs doing before doing it. That is I do not replace the water pump -- in this case -- until the water pump exhibits signs of needing replacement.

I am, or try to be, in tune with the car so I notice when something's amiss so I do not run say a water pump after it has started showing signs of trouble. This is asking for big(her) trouble.

However, you can of course follow whatever course of action you feel suits you.

The time to get the oil analysis is *before* you buy the car not after. This analysis would look for serious/scary levels of material that would suggest bearing wear or a pending IMSB failure or coolant in the oil.

After you buy the car it is my feeling oil analysis a waste of time and money, unless something is suspected wrong in the engine, say an intermix problem but one that is not able to be conclusively diagnosed based on other symptoms, in which case then having the oil checked for any presence of anti-freeze compounds can help make the intermix diagnosis when there are no other clear signs of such.

But would I do a regular analysis? No. What I would do it make it a habit to change the oil/filter at regular intervals that are based in part on how I drive the car and where I live. If you live in a humid area and take short trips and the engine never really gets fully warmed up or remains warmed up and the car driven a good distance then a shorter change interval could be called for as the oil will build up a goodly amount of water.

The only way to remove this water then is by draining the oil and replacing it.

In the case of my 02 Boxster I settled upon a 5K mile oil/filter service interval and it has served me and the car well. The engine now has over 276K miles and is original internally other than a VarioCam solenoid/actuator had to be replaced at around 220K miles.

Capt. Obvious

For those wondering, Hartech is basically the Jake Raby of the other side of the Atlantic.

Turbo Jonny

Thanks guys , i will bear advice in mind and try not to pull the trigger too
Quickly. As you know these are great cars at a bargain price if bought right .

Turbo Jonny

I had the 68k mile car Inspected following a favourable viewing . Looks great ,
Runs well , all warning lights go out , everything works . Faint whine from gearbox
Noticeable on quiet roads .

PPI picked up on quite a bit of stuff

Top mounts worn
Clutch heavy
Rear discs pads near limit
Air condenser damp , dented line but working
Exhaust corroded , may start blowing near downpipe / cat junction . Splits on silencers
Spoiler noisy
Cam cover leak
A few other minor things
No range 2 over revs

I accept the clutch as i would like an IMS bearing done
Tech said an oil change may sort the whine , but could be pinion starting

Overall i like it , but need to decide how much of this is expected and how
Much discount i should ask for.

Turbo Jonny

Owner is barely willing to budge on price so i will have to chalk this one
Down to experience . Shame , it had sports pack , M030 , sunroof delete.

The Hartech one looks good but is a cabrio