88clbsport

I just helped a friend buy a '95 993 cab. The car was in great shape and the PPI came back virtually spotless. Her cable just snapped for the top and ripped the top AND bent the frame. She found out that the same problem just happened to a couple of other people that get thier cars serviced at Bev. Hills Porsche as well as when she checked with Stuttgart (independent service) in West LA.

Is there anyone else out there with the same experience? 50k and the cable snaps, leading to a lot more damage. Sounds like it could be another wiring harness situation based on the frequency here in a 10 mile radius of So Cal. I am going to talk to some other service writers and my independent garage. It's going to cost her a couple grand!!

I feel terrible for her because I talked her into getting a 993 vs. a new boxster. She has also had a couple other bad luck things happen to the car....and it's only been a week!

adsc4s

Jason, sorry to hear. When I had my 964 C2 Cab, I was very reluctant to alway put the top down and then back up and then down, etc. In my mind, there was always a chance something would break, stop working, etc. Unfortunately I don't think PCNA will accept any responsibility as the cars are approaching 9 years on the road.

Shooting hoop tomorrow?

Speedraser

Unlikely to get a recall IMO. Unlike the wiring harness issue, with the power top there is no potential threat of fire or other serious mechanical malfunction.

David in LA

The cables get shorter each time the top is opened and eventually they break and need replacement - I've just replaced them on my 94 cab. Helping to lift the top as you raise it does lessen the wear to some degree. Porsche will probably take the view that it is a normal wear and tear issue.

Interesting that the snapping of the cable damaged the top and bent the frame...when my cable broke (it broke behing the rear panel) my top just stopped working halfway up. Was the car on a level surface when this happened?

Stevarino

David:

How many miles were on your '94 when you replaced cables? Do you remember the cost? Who did the work? My '95 has almost 30k miles, so I'm wondering if this wouldn't be a good thing to do before, you know....

Thanks in advance.

hn

I am not sure what cable we are talking about here but I assume it's the shafts that is driven by the motors behind back panel to turn the transmissions. I agree with David that if the shafts break, it should not damage the top/frame unless one side is stuck and she still try to push it causing a twist on the frame.

Usually, if something blocking the the top from going un/down and the driver, without paying attention, still holds down the button the motors will grind the square ends of the shafts thus cause the damage and lose the grip. Or in a lucky case, the shafts will just come loose without damage.

I bought new shaft from Sunset for a very good price. Also, I occasionally oil all the pivots on the frame to help reduce friction so the motors don't have to work too hard.

David in LA

Steve - This car is my Euro-spec cab that is located in Hong Kong so that info would not be much use to you.

The wear on the cables is more a function of how often you open and close your top, and also how much stress is put on the cables, rather than the mileage on the car. You can remove the back panel and see if the cables has shortened materially and if a replacement is in your near future. I believe there is a DIY on Robin's website.

Stevarino

Thanks David. My car is a Midwest transplant, so perhaps the top didn't get much exercise. But I'll check out the DIY.