mj1pate

Folks;

My newly purchased 928 is in Oakland and I am in Maryland. The 86.5 is being prep'd for the driving trip back to Md (yes, 3k miles) by Devek. The car was owned by an enthusiast, has checked out well, and is in good hands. The A/C hasn't held pressure for any length of time, and the issue was no surprise. Devek's contractor's A/C estimate was pretty extensive (compressor, condensor, assundries) and may be right on with a 20 yr old vehicle, but I'm not going to engage in that kind of expense, without the benefit of a second opinion...and I'm presently still in Md. Can anyone recommend a good tech in reasonable distance to Devek that could give a second opinion? Else, I'll need to put this off until after I drive back with the car to Md. Thanks for any recommendations.

Mike Pate

SharkSkin

If they are recommending San Carlos Radiator, I know the owner and he is just covering his butt on the estimate(has he actually seen the car? If not he is likely just guessing what it needs based on his extensive experience with 928s) -- he is very fair and will really only do what is necessary. Do you have rear A/C?

Jim bailey - 928 International

Drive it home and get it fixed there because any issues of any kind and you probably have NO WARRANTY unless you drive it back to California .... do the minumum that is required so you get the car home and can evaluate what you wish to do....getting a boob job done for your mail order bride before you actually meet her can be a bad idea Limit your exposure.

mj1pate

Yes..it has rear A/C.

Original thoughts exactly....which is why I had Devek arrange a contractor est only. That thousand miles through Nevada and Arizona (maybe New Mexico too) may have me rethinking the trade-off of the repair expense, though.

mj1pate

....and have decided to drive it home as it (A/C) is. old A/C systems don't always enjoy being fixed for long. Shame to spend money (hundreds at minimum) and then likely have to dive in again as soon as I hit my driveway on arriving in Md. Devek is taking good care of everything else.

dr bob

With no A/C, take a nice northern route or plan on driving a lot at night.

+1 on Dave (Sharkskin's) recommendation on San Carlos Radiator. Check with Devek to see if that's who theye are using now. San Carlos is across the bridge from the new Devek Performance location, and they may be training someone closer.

With all the A/C issues apparent on these cars as they age, I'm suprised that Devek hasn't chosen to grow some A/C talent in-house. It isn't rocket surgery afer all. Just have to be thorough and careful.

Jim bailey - 928 International

From the Bay area interstate 80 is the more direct and more northern route so unless you have other points of interest along the way no need to head South to go East except in Winter ! In fact most prefer to avoid L A

mj1pate

I actually want to go the southern route to take my teen through Las Vega, Painted Desert, Petrified forest and the Texas Pan Handle. Mitigation is to split the driving day into early morning, later evening and spend the middle of the day outside the car. I'll peruse the threads and get into the A/C work myself more at leasure. As mentioned, its not rocket science and personal attention will save a lot of dough.

Jim bailey - 928 International

You can hit Vegas in 7.5-8 hrs by cutting through Bakersfield , staying well north of L A. should be a interesting trip!

macreel

What Jim said... after Vegas, drop down to I-40 for your other
sights. Oh, you'll LIKE the 'lively' I'state speeds east of Albuquerque,
into TX. We did, last October.

Take pics.

G'luck.

nosnow

Not sure I'd recommend this in a car that is not proven but going through the Nevada desert and all the famed UFO highways to Vegas is a lot more interesting than going through Bakersfield. Plus you get to stretch the shark out on some smooth empty desert roads

Charley B

The Bakersfield cut off dumps you out at Barstow. You won't miss a single UFO Highway or inch of Nevada desert. You just avoid a 100 miles of traffic and gasmask environment. No offense, SoCal.

IcemanG17

If you drive through Vegas you will need A/C....ALSO be sure to have the HVAC vacuum system checked........even if the a/c works if there is vac leaks the heater valve will be open all the time.....so if the a/c doesn't work you have a choice of "hot-hot-or hot" air coming out the main vent....drink lots of water!

mj1pate

Duly noted (thanks)....the car was owned by a mechanic/enthusiast who was dilligent in detailed maintenance. I probably won't have A/C during the trip. Upside is that on this kind of trip, the lack of A/C forces me and my teen to be disciplined in getting on the road very early, stopping at noon and back on in the evening. All this works better for the 928 as well, rather than the passengers taking solace in a climate controled environment at high noon, while the 928 feels the heat. (I'll keep reminding myself of this "advantage" while driving through Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas )

Jim bailey - 928 International

Just repeat after me ....But it is dry heat , dry heat at least until Texas It should be a great adventure and experience that you and your teen will remember forever. The Bakersfield / Mojave/to I-15 short cut just bypasses about 14 million people...