Anybody Try AAMCO?

[ralegen]

Anyone try AAMCO for replacing the clutch? Does anyone even trust them? I called them, and the guy who picked up was very salesman like. (you know, like the really nice just to make a sale type; fake personality). I didn't like it, but maybe they can give me a decent price on replacing the clutch.


Either that, or does anyone know of anyother place to get it done down here in Orange County?

I remember calling a Porsche mechanic down in Huntington Beach, but their service was really bad. I think they quoted me $2k for a clutch job.

[MNBoxster]

Hi,

I would think this would be a large risk. I can't imagine they even have the proper equipment to hold the engine in place after disconnecting the Box.

At a Dealership or Porsche Specialist, they would be trained to look for other issues while they're in there as well such as RMS or Int. Shaft. And, they will reassemble the Electrical, Coolant, Suspension and Half-Shafts properly, if AAMCO doesn't, do you really want to trust them to try and subsequently make it right?

Certain things on these cars require that one just Bite the Bullet and IMHO, this is one of them. Living in OC, you must have waay more options than many owners elsewhere before resorting to AAMCO I would think, and these are whom you should be considering. The potential for problems just outweighs saving a couple hundred $$...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[Finallygottaporsche]

True. If you are having the clutch replaced, you should have the rear main seal checked. This is the seal between the engine and trans. This is the achilles heel of the new porsches.

The seal is only a few bucks. You might as well have it checked/replaced while its apart. adrressing it later will just cause you to pay for the labor twice.

I would absolutely not take it to Aamco. They wouldnt know what to look for in regards to RMS failure. They would probably create an RMS leak just by taking it apart and putting it together.

This is probably gonna cost you about 1,500.00. I highly suggest you pay to have the stealership do it.

[KRZTACO]

Originally Posted by ralegen

Either that, or does anyone know of anyother place to get it done down here in Orange County?

Hergesheimer Motorsports in Lake Forest....Only Porsche service.

Have had great sucess using them. Not as much as the dealer, they're not that cheap either. You pay for the best and you get the best.

www.herg.net talk to Laura or Mark (owner's)


KRZ

[Marc Gelefsky]

I would not let AAMCO change the air in my tires, but... thats me.

[Brucelee]

AAMCO on a Porsche clutch??

I don't think so Tim!

[ralegen]

LOL. I had a bad vibe with the idea anyways, but thanks for giving your input. Here are some quotes that I got so far.

I just quoted $1450.00 parts and labor including the RMS at http://www.hergesheimer.com/.

An ex-Porschedealer mechanic in Riverside said anywhere from 500-1400 including the RMS replacement.

Both were estimated for an all day repair. (i.e. 8am-5pm).

Any thoughts?

BTW my estimates were for a 98 boxster


Honestly, I want to do it myself, but I'm starting to lack the courage. Who here did it themselves? And is anyone up for helping me? hehe.

[RandallNeighbour]

My mechanic will do it for $550 plus the cost of parts, which are about $275 I think (I can't remember what I paid, but it was around this amount). Just thought I'd give you a comparison number.

[ralegen]

I would definately go for that, but you're mechanic is in Texas right? Thanks for the input Randell. Anyone else know of a cheaper place in Socal?

[KRZTACO]

Originally Posted by ralegen

Anyone else know of a cheaper place in Socal?

I know there is another Porsche only mechanic in Huntington Beach....I'm not sure of the name though.

I think your only other option is to find a Stealership mechanic that does side jobs and you would need to pay him cash.

The big thing here is cost vrs. quality. I'm sure the Jiffy Lube will be glad to take care of everything for $1000.......but is the additional $400 too much to ask to be done correct the first time? Or would you prefer to go back and forth multiple days bringing your leaky RMS back to the Jiffy lube for the next couple months before you then, take it to the stealership or Herg. to be done correctly. Correctly for another $1400 ON TOP of the wasted time, and dollars already spent.

BTW...it's a perfect time to change out your flywheel and clutch to a Lightweight fliywheel and performance clutch from Sachs.

KRZ

[KRZTACO]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

My mechanic will do it for $550 plus the cost of parts, which are about $275 I think (I can't remember what I paid, but it was around this amount). Just thought I'd give you a comparison number.

Your spoiled

haha

KRZ

[RandallNeighbour]

Originally Posted by KRZTACO

BTW...it's a perfect time to change out your flywheel and clutch to a Lightweight fliywheel and performance clutch from Sachs. KRZ

This is a little off-topic, but begs to be asked...

Does the lightweight flywheel feel different on the clutch pedal? I've heard it's pound for pound lighter than a normal flywheel, but does create a far stiffer clutch.

Anyone with experience want to chime in and edumakate me?

[MNBoxster]

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

This is a little off-topic, but begs to be asked...

Does the lightweight flywheel feel different on the clutch pedal? I've heard it's pound for pound lighter than a normal flywheel, but does create a far stiffer clutch.

Anyone with experience want to chime in and edumakate me?

Hi,

A typical Lightweight Flywheel will not feel appreciably different. You may find it grabbing slightly earlier.

But it should be mentioned that this is a Speed Part. It only serves to reduce the rotating Mass, and consequent parasitic Crank Loss, allowing more energy to be transmitted to the Tranny, and therefore the Rear Wheels, and in less time. In a Car like the Boxster, any speed advantage is really negligible, maybe 0-60 in 0.05 sec. less.

But, as with many Speed Parts, there are some Trade-offs.
The one thing never mentioned in the same breath is that these lightened Flywheels usually are not as robust as the OEM Part and will wear out sooner. It's common sense really, reduce the Mass and the wear characteristics are also reduced.

In the Past, this was less true because much of the trimmed Mass was from the outside circumference which didn't contact the friction plate. But, OEM Manufacturers today are machining better Flywheels leaving the Aftermarket to use lighter metals (often Aluminum Alloys w/ Steel inserts in the Friction Path) which don't wear as well or react as well to heat. Also, many of these may actually be priced less than the OEM Part by the AfterMarket in order to coerce Market Share from the OEM, but this may be a false economy.

If you have a genuine need for a lightened Flywheel (read regular Track or Auto-X use), they're great. But for a Street Driver, IMHO, it's really just another form of Automotive Jewelry which has the potential to increase your Maintenance costs in the long run.

Also, it could affect Re-sale Value as this part signals the Car was driven harder or used for Speed more than the average prospect might like. Consequently, it might not be something you'd wish to include in your Ad description...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

[KRZTACO]

Good point Jim.


I would also like to pose this question specifically for the boxster:

With a lightweight flywheel are you less likely to have an RMS failure due to the fact that the flywheel is incurring less stress to the drivetrain?


KRZ