F4GIB

A recent post about the 150,000 timing belt replacement (on the writer's son's '96 Isuzu) got me to thinking about Porsche maintenance and reliability.

As I've been reading the 928 board over the past 4 months, I've been amazed at the little crap that seems to regularily go bad on these very expensive cars. I just read a post about the poor design of the 928's electric window switch and the Xacto knife repair (same POS switch used for 17 years). My ten-year old 928 has the lettering wearing off on the central switch panel (at 28,000 miles?). For $100,000 you should get as much reliability as Kia supplies (at least for low-stress, low-tech stuff like switches, door hold-opens and handles).

One does have to wonder about Porsche's inability to get the little things to work flawlessly and nearly forever.

I have an 18-year old FORD Taurus. All the switches are still marked and work, none of the electrical grounds have failed, the lights shine, no fuse or relay has needed to be replaced, the radio/cassette player sounds like it did on day one, the a/c blows cold, the transmission shifts flawlessly even under hard acceleration, the 3.8L engine has never been opened, etc. Stuff subjected to hard wear and intended to wear out has (surpentine belt once, brake shoes once, battery thrice, tires once) and all suggested lubrication and maintenance has occurred as scheduled (never more than $500 at a time).

Why doesn't Porsche buy the "behind the scenes" stuff from Ford or GM (even VW), standardize on 10 screw sizes/styles and concentrate on the performance parts that really make the car a Porsche?

It would even reduce their costs and increase their PROFITS.
Oh, but not the Dealer's repair shop profits.

Daniel Dudley

I have owned Fiats for over 29 years. I believe them to be solid and reliable cars. But they hate to be parked. The more you drive them the better they run.

I find Porsches to be remarkably similar, except they feel as if they were hewn from granite and not from old dog food cans. There is also the matter of relative complexity, Fiats being more like model A Fords, and Porsches being more like the space shuttle.

I myself am not very suprised that old switches and relays go bad. I do sometimes question the costs involved. I have restored some very nice Fiats for less than the cost of a rebuilt transmission for a Porsche. I'm talking fast and hard running Fiats here, with good looks and handling.

The real problem is that I have beccome quite used to the solid hewn feel of the Porsches, the power and the unflustered capability. And I have a theory.

You can get a nice car, like a Fiat for very little money. It will do 90% of everthing that you would want a car to do for less than 10% of the cost. It is that last 10% of what you want that takes 90% of the cost. And then some. The joke goes like this. It's the first 90% of the job that costs the first 90%. And it's the last 10% of the job that costs the other 90%.

You have a Taurus, and you like the switches. So why do you have a Porsche? I hate the switches on mine. I'm just grateful that I can still get a new one, regardless of cost.

I expect there will be a Porsche in my garage for a while. Probably for as long as I can afford to run them. But I'm keeping a Fiat just in case.

F4GIB

1. I can pay the cost so that's not the problem.. It's the irritation.

2. I understand that high-tech, innovative stuff can have problems. I'm not talking about that part of the car. I'm talking about low-tech, standarizable stuff. Door handle hinges and so forth.

3. I'd mind the expensive repairs to the high tech stuff less IF the low-tech crap worked flawlessly and forever.

4. I find it hard to accept that Porsche management apparently doesn't actively seek the cost savings of reduced design expense, reduced inventory (new and replacement), reduced warranty expense, etc.

ehall

These cars MUST be driven. No doubt about it. A week can cause a leak. as for the Taurus, my sisters lasted barely over three years without needing MAJOR warranty work. You got lucky. Must have been a Wednesday car.

Daniel Dudley

Yes, drive them ! I think my biggest misconception about expensive cars has been that they should be flawless and perfect. A fabulous car is like a work in progress. It will never be finished, and it is always about the journey, not the destination.

When I am dissatisfied with a car usually it is because it is not the right car for me, not the switches. It can be hard to admit that something you have wanted most of your life doesn't really fulfill your dreams. If that is the case, keep the dream and ditch the car.

callmethewanderer

sell it to me! I have an '89 944S2, it has a few of those little annoying problems, but it's the most fun i've ever had out of bed, so if those details bother you (and i really do think you have a legitamate beef), and you wanna unload the lemon, cheap, let me know!

F4GIB

I'm neither dissatisfied with the car, nor is it a lemon, nor do I want to unload it.

I want the basic stuff (not the innovative, high tech stuff) to work flawlessly for the life of the vehicle. Why attach one item with 4 different types of screws? Why install door handle hinges (haven't they made 1,000,000 or more) that breaks long before expected life of the car. If the 90% of mundane stuff worked flawlessly, it would be easier to put up with the "work in progress" element on the advanced items.

gerry100

Porsche builds limited production racing capable cars "luxurized" in order to gemnerate enough sales to keep the doors open.

Unlike GM who manufactures 20,000,000 doors a year, Porsche (100,000 doors/year?) does not have the engineering resurces to spare for door handles, they use them on performance.

" Door handles" are a necessary evil, for GM they are integral to their identity.

Steve Jensen

Strange, everythign on my 356 still has original labels (none to begin with), but the switches all work, etc.

Of course, with a 40 year old wiring harness, bullet connectors, etc. and a 6v electrical system I expect the occasional problem, but I've really had none.

ibkevin

My 83' has sat covered in the drive for eight month's. Monday afternoon I put the battery back in her and within three revolutions she started and purred. All her parts work, AC still blows cold and strong and to my knowledge (I'm second owner, first was Dad) it has never been recharged, but the retractable ant takes a little extra care. Before her sabatical, she handled 120mph like a champ.

My 951 is a slightly different story, but forced induction is a different animal.