Thaddeus

Plenty of space is devoted on this board to the expensive, complex, difficult fixes that are endemic to 928 ownership. But what about the cheap-n-easy's?

Seems like there would be plenty of inexpensive googaws we could pre-emptibvely replace that would enhance the operational stability of the cars. relays, vacuum check valves, temperature sensors, things like that. But I'm not sure where to begin.

What would be a list of items that are inexpensive but a good idea to pre-emptively replace? Cost? What sort of error conditions would replacement avoid on our older cars?

Leave out things like changing the oil, sparkplugs-- the obvious maintenance items.

Thanks

Thaddeus

heinrich

plug wires and ESPECIALLY coil wires
hall sensor and crank position sensor
02 sensor
Temp II sensor
Fan switch in radiator
upper and lower rad hoses
expansion tank
tyres
brake pads and rotors
oil filter and fuel filter
any leaky window and door seals (a wonderful money saver and a really common gotcha)
battery (this well may be number one)
get the plastic film from Specialists for fogs and headlights .... will save you hundreds very quickly
coolant -- use the right kind
oil -- use synthetic or at least properly-rated oil (20W-50 per factory)
use ONLY distilled water - this is definitely the most common sin against the car
replace brake fluid
replace tranny fluid (definitely use synth here)
replace power steering (NOT fluid, but ATF per factory) .. this is the second-most common sin against the car
check exhaust leaks
check intake boot leaks
check and replace all vacuum lines and splitters
get a bellypan
shocks
tbelt and wpump are relatively cheap and then the rollers are relatively cheap too, so are the tensioner rebuild parts ... together they can set you back though, and you should buy them all together
Oh yes, maybe the cheapest ... unplug all 4 your sunroof drains
Wiper blades

And so-on ... how deep is your pocket? And these are the cheapies.

hacker-pschorr

Define "cheap"

A simple new intake gaskets / o-rings, hoses, wires, clamps, cap etc... ended costing about $1000 in parts.

heinrich

Also true. Notice I left caps/rotors off, because I think they are overpriced for the 928. And I don't really see that they offer much of a benefit unless they have a crack or the electrodes can't be cleaned.

Thaddeus

I was kind of hoping the Big 3 would chime in here...

Beth

In the first month of owning each of our cars we replaced every single fuse. Really cheap with amazing results!

SharkSkin

You could pre-emptively clean up the fuse/relay panel and give it a $60 Stabilant treatment. Check my Shark Attack Round 4 - Bzzzt page.

Sean79 5spd

best value (reduce problems) from electrical items. Fuel system items if CIS.

Shane

Anchor motor mounts
Air in the tires - real cheap
Hatch struts, my head was getting real sore.

macreel

And...

Vinyl & Leather cleaners/conditioners
carpet cleaner; glass cleaner (inside, too)
vacuum clean carpets, nooks & crannies, seats, etc
Did anyone say bulbs?; Beth said fuses.
(elec.)Contact cleaner for connectors & switches(& see SharkSkin, above)
Compressed air/vacuum - road grit, blow clean, as needed
White grease, here and there, A/R
Black chrome treatment
Plastic cleaner/polish for instruments

G'luck

Jfrahm

I'd suggest wiring in a relay to the AC compressor, taking the load off the tiny one in the climate control head. You can run a fused power lead from the jumpstart terminal.

Other cheap fixes:
Resilver the 'light tunnels' in the gauge cluster with reflective paint for brighter gauges
Paint your wheel centercap crests (paint markers from Wal-Mart)
Repaint your exterior door lock trim
Save wear on those potmetal door locks, install a keyless entry system

-Joel

Marc Schwager

I'd add replacing the heater valve ($25). See my recent post.
Wally's electrical PM.
Rebuilding the little felt window guides (time, $.10 of felt and some glue)
All Vacuum hoses (about $20)
Any other non-formed hose you can get your hands on.

IcemanG17

How about a broken interior dome light....50 cents for a bulb & a bit of super glue to repair it!

928FIXER

I'm sorry......i did't think that cheap and porsche went in the same sentence

John Krawczyk

Wow, no one mentioned the very cheap (as in $0) fix of cleaning all the ground points. This tends to solve a lot of little gremlins.