Justitia

I am original owner of a 86.5 944 street Porsche with 190,000 miles. Except for a couple of years in the early '90s, I have had great mechanics throughout and have taken care of almost every little (and big) thing that has gone wrong or worn out.

I love the car, and though I don't do any work myself, I now have a mechanic who is a true genius and absolutely trustworthy (and pretty well known in the Porsche racing field.) He works on my car (since 1996) on his own time (he is a professional mechanic at a Porsche dealer) and gets me the most discounted parts and just charges me actual cost and his straight labor time --$50/hr and always undercharges me anyway. We chat away most times while he works on it (I drive 1 hr 15 minutes to get there so if it is only an hour or so job, I hang around) and he educates me about the car and its mechanics while he works on it. The man is a genius, brilliant diagnostician and a walking encyclopedia and historian on this model car. Gives what seems sound advice as to what is worth fixing and when to do it least expensively. I love the whole experience but I could not afford to maintain it but for my mechanic.

Though I have a more elaborate tale below about keeping and maintaining the car, and would like to ask people's opinion, my immediate questions are as follows: (Not stuff I have asked my mechanic yet)

1. About 9 years ago, when for a couple of years I was with a really bad mechanic (smart but not the tools and deceptive and most things he fixed had to be redone), the seat rail of my driver side (Raccorro (sp?) leather seats) broke. He replaced it. He was not able to find the right part (as with many things--which is why I finally left and found someone else.) So he installed a seat rail that works, but it keeps the seat too low to the floor. (I think they were rails to another model Porsche but I don't know.) The problem is that when I slide it forward, it keeps bunching up the floor mat. I don't recall but I don't think the original one did this. If it did, it didn't do it as badly as this. Though I probably should have replaced the rails years ago if I was going to do it, I am considering doing it now.
Any suggestions? and the best way to get replacement rails?

2. The seat heating and a couple of the seat adjustment mechanisms on the driver side do not work any more because a car detail person sprayed on it once. I have lived OK without but now that I am considering refurbishing everything (all minor stuff--but it adds up) I was wondering what I should do. I asked my mechanic many years ago what he thought and back then he thought it was too expensive to be worth fixing--but things are different now. Perhaps I could purchase a used replacement seat with rails to install, if I can get one with matching leather.

3. The dash board light, always dim, I recently noticed, is gone completely.

4. Road noise has gotten worse (or my hearing is worsening.) The foam under the hood has pretty much disintegrated over the years--my mechaninc has said it is too tough to replace and later models of Porsche don't even use it any more. Any suggestions?

5. Floor mats--got to replace them again. I want good quality but I don't want any logos. Haven't found them yet on the net. I want ones designed specifically for this model Porsche, the wine or maroon or burgundy color (forgot what they call it.) Any one know where I can get them? I can't find the dealer I ordered them from 6 years ago. And all the ones I find come with logos.

Now for the general question:

I question sometimes whether I should keep the car up. My mechanic says the car is in good shape except for the mileage and the decision to stop should be when I get sick of being nickled and dimed or when a major job happens and I don't want to spend the money. For the last 8 years (since it passed the 100K mark) it has been around $1200, give or take $200 a year, to keep it going--that's everything--oil changes, new tires and various repairs, battery replacements, etc. Once I had a valve job because he mis-estimated the timing belt and it snapped --but he just charged me $1000 for the valve job --I think he just charged me parts and almost no labor because he felt so bad. It had just had its 30,000 mile check-up a few weeks before. But even that goes into the $12-$1500 annula average cost.

This year it has been more. Clutch job (second one) and some other items brought it up to about $3600. (I also did $1100 paint job on top of that because I stupidly dented it and while they fixed that, the body guy did some other touch ups, repainted spoiler, etc.--a couple of hundred dollars over-priced--but great job.)

I suspect that as it rolls towards the 200K mark I will have some major work to do. I did at 100K (the last clutch job.) The car runs great, drives great but there is this undiagnosed, extremely intermittent problem (the worst kind) my mechanic is not able to diagnose yet. The car, once every few weeks, particularly when it is wet outside, bucks or abruptly slows for 5 seconds, just once, after 5 minutes from a cold start and then continue on just fine. Then nothing will happen for weeks.

To pass Vehicle emissions test, I am putting in a new oxygen sensor $120. If that doesn't get it to pass, then it will be new fuel injectors (about $4-500, I think was the estimate was). My mechanic surmises but is only guessing at this point that this might also solve this mysterious buck.

He sometimes suggest that I buy a new used Porsche (he does not make any commission but probably would help me find a good one--i.e., one that has been owned by rich people who always garaged it and it has less than 100K -- he has a rich client who likes to fly around the country and find such deals). I am reluctant to take on another's car and I probably could not afford the price. And my mechanic works out of friend's home barn converted to repair facilites (another major Porsche racing mechanic but does it as a sideline) and that guy is not too far away from retirement--probably 3 years or so--and then moving away. I am not sure where my mechanic will take his work then. He may stop. I think I am one of his few remaining customers, he won't take on new ones (except racers). He does it more for pleasure and probably some extra cash and has known me for so many years and we have kind of bonded.

He also offered to help facilitate my buying a new car from his dealer if I wanted. He said if I did, now would be a good time because of some major model chageover and I could get a good deal on the older model. He probably would not make any commision but if I did this route, I probably would pay him $1000 on my own for helping me. I am just scared a little of the car payments. I am not poorly paid but I earn much less than a typical new car Porsche owner. (Back in '86 my relative salary was higher, I was married and we got a great deal on the car because of change in models and though it was fully loaded, it did not have Turbo, which was all the rage then.

I am sorry I don't remember what model he was recommending but it almost certainly was not the high end.


I do love my car; it is a perfect combination of useful room and sport car for me---not being a racer or speed demon. But I am wondering if I am about to go into a sink hole that I will find at some point it was not worth it.

Also I realize that now I am too afraid to take it on long trips. Over the last several years, I have not wanted to spend my time driving to my vacation. But lately I have gotten the yen to take road trips. I just would not trust another mechanic. (But mine probably knows good ones wherever I drive because he is flown all over the country to set up Porsches for racing all the time.)

So I am interested in feedback as to other people's opinions in general.

pete944

First off, welcome to Rennlist.
If the car is only costing you $1200 or so per year to maintain it that works out to $100 per month. That's not bad. Try to find a newer car for that price.
If you like the car and it meets your needs, then drive it as long as you can. These cars will last a very, very long time when taken care of and it looks like you take good care of it.

Your questions:
#1. Have your mechanic use longer bolts and some thick washers to raise the seat track slightly.

#2. The switches may be bad. Ther are many guys here who sell good used parts and can probably get you new switches.

#3. Very common. Do a search for gauge lights here and you'll find many solutions.

#4. The foam was discontinued just like your mechanic said. If yours is disintegrating it's best to remove it before all the little bits and dust get into the engine.
The road noise could be tires.

#5. Call Performance Products, Pelican Parts, or Paragon Products. If they don't have it, they will know who does.

Good luck!

500

The stock seat rails do have individual part numbers (I found them using the Porsche PET parts program) The number you need depends on the actual seat...i.e. power or manual, sport or standard. If you can post you actual seat type, I could tell you what the number likely is (but do confirm it before you buy). There are probably many sources of this part used (e.g. 944 Ecology) but it may not be much to just buy the part new. Your mechanic would have no trouble helping you on this.

As for the keep it or leave it decision, well, that is a personal thing that depends on many factors, including the car's actual condition. But, just to give you an idea, there are many people on this list with 944s that have well over 200K on the original engine. And certainly, unless there is some serious damage (like a scored cylinder), these engines can be re-built to a state of condition and reliability equal to new... These are fundamentally very good cars. There are issues to watch for, which I'm sure you know about, but basically they are very durable and long lasting. But, a 20 year old car with 200K will require continual investment in replacing and renewing wear items, which is just a normal fact of life.

ncpatriot

What pete944 said.

I'm envious on the mechanic find! 50 bucks an hour, wow! Did he do the bad belt job by 'eyeball'?, just curious, since that is the way Bill Driskell does it at his place in Floyd, Va.

As pete944 stated, you wont be driving anything new for a hundred a month!

Tony K

About the road noise, look at the condition of the motor mounts, exhaust hangers, and transmission mount. The gradual hardening of those over the years will contribute to noise inside the cabin.

The hardening of other rubber and plastic throughout the body of the car over the years contributes to noise in a small/minor way, too, as those things do not dampen resonance as well when they harden.

If the rubber boot under the leather shift boot is torn, and/or if the foam surrounding that area has chunks missing, you will get noticeablymore noise there, too.

Justitia

Thanks for your suggestions. Great ideas!

Just saw your photo's on your 85.5. Beautiful looking. Same as my car, white with bugandy interior. My dash is a different model--I think a little later. The color is wearing off my front seats particularly the passenger side. Started doing that earlier on. Your interior looks great. But I don't think I want a new interior, just to refurbish mine, refresh color, re-stitch leather around wheel. Any ideas?

Also, there are these stone guard plastic protectors two on either side of the door on both sides of car. When I had the car repainted, the guy replaced them with clear plastic ones. They yellowed over time. I replaced them once and they yellowed in a year or so. Looks not great on white. One body guy (great one but now has exclusive contract with Mercedes and won't do my car any more) said they didn't make the color ones anymore. He found some in some guy's shop--was supposed to order them for me and forgot. When I went to pick up the car, convinced me I didn't "need" them but I hate the way they look. Anyideas where I can get the white ones?

UDPride

Foam under the hood? You talking about the silver Reynolds Wrap looking sound dampening stuff? Thats like $50 from Tweeks.

Performance Products has burgundy Porsche factory colored floor mats. The PORSCHE logo is on the, but the embroidered logo is same color and "indented" into the mat. Not very noticable unless you are looking for it. I have these mats in the 951. I think they are genuine Porsche mats but dont hold me to it. Lloyds mats are more heavy duty and you can get em customized, but are also most expensive.

I must have forgotten heated seats were options in 86. I need to check my 86 Fact Book. Wish I had em.

Budget $200/mth for upkeep. Thats $2400 a year. You cant buy a Hyundai for $200/mth unless you finance is for 150 months. Youd be hard pressed to lease one for that. So if you spend under $200/mth on the car, you are driving for cheap.

Tony K

I think she is talking about the original brown waffle-like stuff..

pete944

The only stoneguards I've ever seen are clear.

I'm not sure if you were talking about my old 85.5 or Tony's but they are the same car. Tony bought it from me.
The dash should be the same as yours. The 85.5 was the late (oval) dash model.

Justitia

No, he tensioned and tested it. But he was actually taking over from his colleague (whose Barn/repair shop the work is done in) who originally started working on my car for a couple of years until he stopped working on 944. But my current mechanic is the one everyone calls in when they can't figure out a problem. But he did not notice how long it had been since it had been changed, since the other one changed it, and it was past its expected lifetime. And so it broke about 8 weeks later. Now I have a palm pilot and record religously everything that is done and when and at what mileage. And we always replace the belt within 5000 miles of its sell-by date (which has been once or twice.) It was just an oversight. And he is such a great and honest guy (they both are) that I couldn't possibly complain. We're all human, you know. And the car had over 120K then, so a valve job couldn't hurt even though it was a little earlier than it needed.

Justitia

Yeah, the waffle stuff.

Justitia

You're right! I rechecked--the dash is the same. I mis-saw the heating vents.

Re: Stoneguards. Apparantly in the first few years Porsche made replacement stoneguards that match the color paint of the car , which is what the car came with originaly. And then they stopped because tere wasn't enough demand to keep up all the separate colors. So they made clear for all cars, but on white it sucks, cause they yellow from the sun within a year. And they are expensive and difficutl to replace. My former body guy was part of some national network (this is in mid-90's) and found a guy who had an old pair on his shelf. Just forgot to order them and didn't want to bother tracking it down again when I came up to get the car. (All these great guys, mechainics, body guys all live near the border between Maryland and Delaware, in the middle of no where--strange!)

I was hoping someone knew someone who made them after market or how to find an old set. (Though they probably would be over 10 years old now.)

And how come this site has so many "sexist" remarks!?! Oh, I get it--hot cars--hot guys--hot chicks

Epic2112

Honestly I think all stone gurads were always clear, but I could be wrong. Also, they shouldn't yellow in just one year. I replaced mine over a year ago and they still haven't yellowed noticably. Maybe the ones you used were cheap aftermarket ones? The ones from Porsche are made by 3M (I think), and should hold up quite well. Plus, the technology has improved a bit, and they resist yellowing even more now, or so I was told last week by my body shop.

pete944

I replaced the rear passenger side stoneguards on the white car with new clear ones in 1998. Maybe Tony can check in and say how they're looking now.

Tony K

Still clear!