NY32

It turns out I have a leak in the evaporator coil on my 1997 cab and will need to have it replaced. The non-Porsche part is about $500 less expensive. It comes with a 1 year, 12000 mile warranty. Any opinions or advice on which part to specify?

Falcondrivr

Your profile doesn't say where you are. I went with the griffith's kuel evaporator as many here have. It is great in the Florida heat. When I did it about 4 years ago, it was $550.

NY32

Houston--very warm. Thanks for the advice.

Falcondrivr

Do a search on here for the griffith's kuel. Lots of great reviews. You need it in Houston!

Linnm

Try AutohausAZ. Evaporator, made by Behr(OEM), for $391 and change. Put one in my '96 before summer--works fine.

911PERVY

Go OEM or Kuel, I just changed mine for the OEM one but I wish I had gone down the Kuel route really. Its a days work getting one changed so you done want that expense again if the aftermarket one leaks in a few years!

gaby1088

I went with OEM here in south Florida in December. No problems with it. I believe it was less than 500 but the labor was 1200+

jhummel68

+1. Did it on mine 3 years ago and it is still running strong.

geolab

but, if you are on a real tight budget and you want to DIY it ...
I bought one from the first seller on ebay link below for $100 in 2006 and installed it for a friend.
my friend did have the water evacuation tube stuck with debris, and accumulated water and debris on his
evaporator, killed it.
The evaporator we installed is still perfectly functioning since.
It looks like it would cost you ~$135 shipped from germany
and it is Behr, (at least what we received from him in 2006) without the fancy package and foam.
regards

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sop=...os=77098&gbr=1

As for the Kuehl, I am sure craftsmanship is tested and proven by many rennlisters, and quality too, but I would keep some reserves concerning claims
that serpentine format has better cooling and more surface area etc. etc.
Serpentine config for evaporators is jurassic today, parallel flow is way better ...
Serpentine is less prone to leak, yes , but parallel flow has far better heat transfer...
anyway

griffiths

Opinions are always welcomed, however facts speak for themselves.
The Kuehl Serpentine unit does have more surface area. Serpentine designs typically have 15%+ greater efficiency, and the cooling fins in a serpentine design are brazed to tubes whereas in a tube and fin they are pressed on and do have have as good heat transfer. Since there are far fewer brazed joints, only 2 with the Kuehl unit, as opposed to many with the first generation (OEM) tube and fin and the later plate and fin (parallel or PF refers to condenser designs), the Kuehl serpentine design is more reliable. Assume a typical R&R is anywhere from 11 to 15 labor hours, it is not logical to put back in something that is prone to failure and less efficient. And, with further regard to plate and fin, for example: plate and fin evaporators were introduced with the boxster/996, the field is seeing many of the these OEM units fail because they are fragile and have much more brazed surface area.

However, the choice is always yours... what ever floats your boat.