New Owner and Member '89 S4 Auto
11-12-2015, 04:43 PM
#1
8th Gear
Thread Starter
New Owner and Member '89 S4 Auto
New blood for the shark...
Finally realized my dream of owning a Porsche 928. Purchased an '89 S4 with 166k miles. Black on Black. High miles, but I have all maintenance records since '99 and know the PO and was aware of how the car was maintained.
Needless to say I am very excited, growing up in the late 80's and early 90's, this to me was the ultimate super-car, and I cannot express how excited I am about this car. I told my wife that I never thought I would own something that I could love near as much as my family...but I was wrong.
I joined rennlist as a full member today to introduce myself and the car, and show support for the community (b/c I know I'm probably going to need your support). Hopefully this post will not be too long, but I get long winded when discussing this car...
I will post pics below, just keep in mind that these pics are before the car was cleaned after a 750 mile drive from Chicago where the car was purchased, to SW Virginia. I know I could have made a huge mistake of not having the pre-purchase inspection done, but knowing the owner I felt pretty confident. I took the car to our local German service to have a run through (mechanically) and over all he felt the car was in good shape and had been well taken care of so here's what we are dealing with...
Mechanical Inspection:
-Front left brake caliper sticking, he thought he would have to rebuild it, got it unstuck and seems to be working, although it squeals and both front brakes dust badly.
-Small Oil leak, looks like it is coming from the manifold, near the oil filler neck which he said is common for these cars.
-Steering bushings bad (since replaced)
-A/C system had been converted by PO, he charged the system and the rear air is nice and cold, no front air, have a vacuum issue in the dash.
Of course I would not be a true 928 owner if other things did not appear AFTER the inspection:
-Small transmission fluid leak (drop or two on the garage floor)
-ABS warning light (after moving froward) haven't tested anything but assume it's a sensor.
Other issues:
-Noisy blower motor (louder on low speed)
-Window switches, work but the passenger side and rear wiper switch needs to be replaced or repaired, have to push really hard to engage.
-Rear hatch...motor works, but does not release the hatch
-rear spoiler bolts loose (since repaired)
-Seat memory does not operate
-Power mirrors do not move in all directions
-Tach does not work for the first 10-15 minutes then functions correctly.
-A few cosmetic things...body and paint in great shape, drivers seat needs to be recovered, small hairline cracks in dash, digital clock sporadic.
-Plus a few other minor things, but I feel like I've rambled on to long already.
I've worked on vehicles before, restored a 67 Camaro as my first car. I inherited an 87 Pontiac Fiero GT and I always said that if you can change a water pump on a Fiero you can do anything...then I bought a 928. So its a little intimidating but I would like to do a lot of the work myself, just a little apprehensive (as messing something up on this car can get expensive fast). Small steps I guess.
Anyway...Thanks to everyone for the help you have already given me and the help yet to come. Was so excited to post, I started this thread without doing a signature or any bio...that info will come (don't worry I have read the new member posts and my owner's manual...repeatedly.) Looking forward interacting with the 928 community. Thanks again!
Mike
Finally realized my dream of owning a Porsche 928. Purchased an '89 S4 with 166k miles. Black on Black. High miles, but I have all maintenance records since '99 and know the PO and was aware of how the car was maintained.
Needless to say I am very excited, growing up in the late 80's and early 90's, this to me was the ultimate super-car, and I cannot express how excited I am about this car. I told my wife that I never thought I would own something that I could love near as much as my family...but I was wrong.
I joined rennlist as a full member today to introduce myself and the car, and show support for the community (b/c I know I'm probably going to need your support). Hopefully this post will not be too long, but I get long winded when discussing this car...
I will post pics below, just keep in mind that these pics are before the car was cleaned after a 750 mile drive from Chicago where the car was purchased, to SW Virginia. I know I could have made a huge mistake of not having the pre-purchase inspection done, but knowing the owner I felt pretty confident. I took the car to our local German service to have a run through (mechanically) and over all he felt the car was in good shape and had been well taken care of so here's what we are dealing with...
Mechanical Inspection:
-Front left brake caliper sticking, he thought he would have to rebuild it, got it unstuck and seems to be working, although it squeals and both front brakes dust badly.
-Small Oil leak, looks like it is coming from the manifold, near the oil filler neck which he said is common for these cars.
-Steering bushings bad (since replaced)
-A/C system had been converted by PO, he charged the system and the rear air is nice and cold, no front air, have a vacuum issue in the dash.
Of course I would not be a true 928 owner if other things did not appear AFTER the inspection:
-Small transmission fluid leak (drop or two on the garage floor)
-ABS warning light (after moving froward) haven't tested anything but assume it's a sensor.
Other issues:
-Noisy blower motor (louder on low speed)
-Window switches, work but the passenger side and rear wiper switch needs to be replaced or repaired, have to push really hard to engage.
-Rear hatch...motor works, but does not release the hatch
-rear spoiler bolts loose (since repaired)
-Seat memory does not operate
-Power mirrors do not move in all directions
-Tach does not work for the first 10-15 minutes then functions correctly.
-A few cosmetic things...body and paint in great shape, drivers seat needs to be recovered, small hairline cracks in dash, digital clock sporadic.
-Plus a few other minor things, but I feel like I've rambled on to long already.
I've worked on vehicles before, restored a 67 Camaro as my first car. I inherited an 87 Pontiac Fiero GT and I always said that if you can change a water pump on a Fiero you can do anything...then I bought a 928. So its a little intimidating but I would like to do a lot of the work myself, just a little apprehensive (as messing something up on this car can get expensive fast). Small steps I guess.
Anyway...Thanks to everyone for the help you have already given me and the help yet to come. Was so excited to post, I started this thread without doing a signature or any bio...that info will come (don't worry I have read the new member posts and my owner's manual...repeatedly.) Looking forward interacting with the 928 community. Thanks again!
Mike
11-12-2015, 04:55 PM
#2
Burning Brakes
New Owner and Member '89 S4 Auto
Nice car Mike! Welcome. Don't be intimidated by the car. You have more applicable experience than I did and some others here as well, so you'll be just fine. You'll find most of the answers within these threads and from the other members of this great community.
11-12-2015, 05:06 PM
#5
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Welcome, Mike - nice intro!
When you get a moment, add your car info to your signature line so we know which model year you have when we are answering your tech questions and perhaps also your city in the Location field.
When you get a moment, add your car info to your signature line so we know which model year you have when we are answering your tech questions and perhaps also your city in the Location field.
11-12-2015, 05:18 PM
#6
Rennlist Member
Nice! Welcome to the fold.
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11-12-2015, 05:49 PM
#8
Chronic Tool Dropper
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Definitaly one of the better intro first-posts I've seen over the years. Hit the hot buttons well: Always wanted one, finally found it, knew what you were getting into, recognize limitations, acknowledge support available, posted pictures, RL membership taken care of. Add in your location as you compose the signature section.
Don't for a minute think that you'll want to love the car as much as you do your family, lest you end up without one or even both. We have good case law from single former owners to back this position.
Welcome to the group!
Don't for a minute think that you'll want to love the car as much as you do your family, lest you end up without one or even both. We have good case law from single former owners to back this position.
Welcome to the group!
11-12-2015, 06:50 PM
#9
Nordschleife Master
Welcome. Congrats on fulfilling the dream.
Nice job posting pics in your intro post. It keeps the "This..." "Thread..." folks in check.
Window switches and hatch release not working properly are known issues. The switches can be taken apart and cleaned (or replaced), the hatch release has a simple MacGuyver fix with zip ties. Threads on those can be found with a search.
Blower motor is replaceable with a VW setup. Roger (928s R Us) has the motor and modified harness at a reasonable price - You will get to know him and the other "usual suspects" rather well.
Those three projects are, IMO, a good place to start. Fairly simple, well documented on here, not terribly expensive.
It's always good to tackle the easier stuff first. Gives you a couple successes to build your confidence.
Tach issue is a bit odd. The speedo is known for that sort of thing, but I'm not sure what would cause the tach to do it. Dwayne's Garage has a really good writeup on pulling the pod and getting at the instrument cluster (it has really good writeups on a lot of things). You can find a link to it in the "New Visitor" sticky at the top of the forum. There's a lot of other really useful stuff in there too.
Bob Budd is a really good place to have your seat done. He's a known and well regarded interior guy. His shop is "Classic 9". A google search will find it.
Nice job posting pics in your intro post. It keeps the "This..." "Thread..." folks in check.
Window switches and hatch release not working properly are known issues. The switches can be taken apart and cleaned (or replaced), the hatch release has a simple MacGuyver fix with zip ties. Threads on those can be found with a search.
Blower motor is replaceable with a VW setup. Roger (928s R Us) has the motor and modified harness at a reasonable price - You will get to know him and the other "usual suspects" rather well.
Those three projects are, IMO, a good place to start. Fairly simple, well documented on here, not terribly expensive.
It's always good to tackle the easier stuff first. Gives you a couple successes to build your confidence.
Tach issue is a bit odd. The speedo is known for that sort of thing, but I'm not sure what would cause the tach to do it. Dwayne's Garage has a really good writeup on pulling the pod and getting at the instrument cluster (it has really good writeups on a lot of things). You can find a link to it in the "New Visitor" sticky at the top of the forum. There's a lot of other really useful stuff in there too.
Bob Budd is a really good place to have your seat done. He's a known and well regarded interior guy. His shop is "Classic 9". A google search will find it.
11-12-2015, 09:47 PM
#12
Vegas, Baby!
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
An 89 is the best year. Welcome.