Ell

I think that PeteS put this in light. I would as this to someone who knows, A) Who rebuilds the "Premiere" Porsche water pumps? B) Who makes the bearings and seals? Like I said in my first post, NAPA is still in business not because they are less expensive the AutoZone and the likes, but because they have quality parts. Ted you didn't mention where you bought your remanufactured pump.

Porsche is not in the field of making their own nuts and bolts. They like the other manufactures buy them from subcontractors. These subcontractors make and sell to other automakers. VW, Audi, and Porsche are tied very close at the hips and some parts are interchangeable. Does this make the VW part less dependable then the Porsche part? What is the difference, 100% mark-up in price and 300% in labor.

Ell

Ted928

Ell - Vertex was the supplier. More recently I bought a rebuilt MAF sensor from them that I returned immediately because it was not within spec. A brand new unit solved the problem. I also had my LH brain checked and rebuilt by Part Werk and it also came back incorrect (it probably never needed to be rebuilt since it turned out to be the MAF that was bad). They got it right the second time after a few months. I think that screwup may not have been due to their rebuilder but instead due to Part Werk's lack of inventory control.
I would suspect that the majority of rebuilt parts from all these places are fine, but its the size of the minority that distinguishes, and it sucks to be in the minority.
Last year I would have bought the NAPA pump. From now on I will be much more selective about buying rebuilt.

Bernie

Close to what Ted is saying, you CAN take this bargain hunting too far for comfort. There is a multitude of parts on my shark that I have no problem swapping out for aftermarket alternatives but the cost of the waterpump is minimal. How much risk are you willing to accept to save 50.00????

I agree that it would be nice to see the big three offer up alternatives to those of us who don't wish to play by all the rules. I think all of them carry the low-cost Kempf tool for T-belt adjustment. Wires can DEFINATELY be much cheaper than what we are paying. I bet there are many pieces that can be substituted with other parts for a significant savings. Hoses are another thing that cost a lot. If I had a chance to walk through a hose suppliers shop, I bet I could find dozens of replacements for the high dollar hoses on the 928. There was one I replaced for 3.00 that would have cost about 25.00 from the BIG3.

IMHO
Of Course

BC

I will be spending three times the price of a NEW replacement LH computer on an aftermarket ECU so I do not enter into a situation where I will be at the behest or whim of an overseas (or domestic) supplier that has no issue with stopping the supply of a low-numbers part.

Its all about making sure that I do not rely on institutions that may not have the staying power that my involvement with a 928 will have.

reno928s

I bought many parts from Vertex when I had my 944 Turbo, and to tell you the truth every single item I bought from them either leaked worse than the original one I had in there or was not made to Porsche standards. example: waterpumpsss, it took three and then it lasted less than a year, power steering pump twice, calipers that leaked, fuel pumps twice. I argue because the person that suffers the most is the consumer. With all that wasted time and money sometimes you just have to give in and purchase Porsche parts. And when I went to the dealer for wires he told me 100.00 US dollars per foot and that they have to make each wire by hand. So when I saw that Devek was selling them for 190-250 you bet I was happy. Sal