Keys
Because of the age of the 928 and the complexity of the key, it is basically impossible to have a key made at a regular locksmith. I have a stubby key that requires a sturdy key ring to be able to turn the key in the ignition. According to Rennlist, the best place to get a replacement key is a place in Australia (yes, down under). You send them a couple of pics of your key and they make a key from the pic. Supposedly they’re very good and highly recommended. The other option is to go to the dealer, go thru the Spanish Inquisition about ownership, fork over hundreds of $$$, then the VIN is sent to Germany for a key.
So I sent a pic to Australia and got a quick reply back. He can make a replacement key from my pic and presented me with several options from a duplicate Porsche key with a light, to a key with a head on it that’s just plastic. During our correspondence, he mentions I have the ‘short’ key and I know what he’s talking about because I’ve seen the various keys that come with a 928 in the owner’s manual.
However, I didn’t know the significance of the short key and my new friend explained it to me. It’s kind of like a valet key in that it will start the car but won’t let you lock the car with it. Now it makes sense why in one of my earlier posts, I found the key wouldn’t unlock the trunk. If I wanted to send a lock to Australia, he could decode the 4 extra tumblers and create a ‘long’ key for me. I needed to think about sending my trunk lock half way around the world.
I got an idea. There’s a guy in Atlanta that’s parting out an 89 S4 that I’ve purchased a few items from. I asked him if he’d sell the ignition cylinder, 2 door locks, the trunk lock, and the key(s) for those locks. He said he would. Right after I rifled off my IM to him, I did a search on Rennlist and found a thread from 2002 where a current 928 specialist will take your VIN and create a key, after proof of ownership. I contacted the specialist and yes indeed, they still do the service. It will cost $135 for the key.
Thinking over the options, I think the prudent selection is the 928 specialist key. The cheapest option would be replacing all the locks, but I’m not looking forward to removing the door cards with their 30 yr old clips. Plus, the next owner would not be able to do the VIN type key replacement anymore. The 2nd best option is Australia, but with COVID, I’m a bit uneasy having my lock circumnavigating the globe. The only ‘issue’ with going with the specialist is they want proof of ownership. Since my shark has been comatose for so long, I haven’t been able to go to the DMV yet for a title in my name. In Neb, if you buy a car from out of state, it must be “inspected” before they issue a title. It’s basically a VIN check to see if it’s a stolen car and the chance to add $10 to their coffers. The specialists weren’t too keen using the title from the previous owners along with the bill of sale. So I’ll have to wait a bit longer before I get the long key.
Windshield
It appears some youngster took a bat to the windshield, so it needs replacing. Or maybe it was the previous owner who snapped at a routine maintenance job that took 4 days. I’ve called my glass place twice. The nice office lady has taken all my info, says she will give it to the owner, and he’ll get back to me. Which he hasn’t done. My last call to him was a week ago Fri. After talking to the lady, I did a search on Safelite because an old thread on RL mentioned them. I surf thru the various option pages and get to the price - $300. To be fair, I gave my glass guy til Tue to get back to me. He didn’t, so on Wed I rifle thru all the Safelite pages and order up the windshield. They going to come this Sat to put it in. In the words of Wesley Snipes in ‘Major League’, “This is good, this is really good”.
An hr later, I get a call from Safelite. They no longer have that windshield in stock. The only option is for them to go thru the dealership and it will be $1500. Ouch! His recommendation was to just go to the dealership myself. It would still be $1500, but if they order the wrong windshield, it’s their fault not mine. Pretty honest on his part, turning down $1500. But I’m not ready to spend 5X what I originally was going to spend. I contacted my key guy in Atlanta who was parting out the S4. I asked if he was interested in selling his windshield. He said he was planning to sell it. Great! I mention mine has the radio antenna embedded in it. He responded and said his didn’t. I think the 89 928 had the shark fin radio antenna on the roof, so his wouldn’t work in mine. Rats! The search continues.
Steering wheel
I’d removed the steering wheel because the stitches had come out of the leather.
Took it to my leather guys who said they couldn’t re-stitch it because the leather had shrunk. I thought maybe they could find a hide that matched and stitch it up. Except they’re not that kind of shop. Did some searching on Rennlist and found a place in MI that did steering wheel leathers. Contacted him and he had several potential options for my color. Just like the outside color that changes in various light, the interior has that same kind of properties – it can look grayish green to brown depending on the light. He was going to send me some samples. I should note the interior code for my car is QG. From my searches, QG is a no-description code that doesn't have a name associated with it, like burgundy or blue or black. I haven't been able to decode what it translates to, so the code is basically worthless.
I’ve also been following the adventures of Casey Putsch on YT since he recently bought a 928. His 928 also had the steering wheel that needed re-skinning. He got his new leather and did a video of him stitching it up while his wife gave him a haircut in the driveway. He mentioned the place he got the leather from and I went out to the site. He listed an available color of gray-green. I contacted the guy and he sent me a pic of the color.
That’s my color! I ordered up the leather and it’s on its way. Once it arrives, I’ll have to decide whether I’ll try stitching it myself or take it to my leather guys. Stay tuned…