Suncoast vs Pelican Coolant tank price
 

I know the site is now ran by Wayne of Pelican Parts, but is there any difference between Suncoasts expansion tank or Pelicans? I am seeing on Pelican it says it is genuine Porsche, is that the difference?m Pelican price is $345, Suncoast is $237

I have been dealing with a intermittent coolant loss for a little while but it dumped a lot the other night. I unbolted the tank from the trunk just enough to get a mirror behind it and was able to see a pin hole size stream coming from the tank. Looks like I'll be changing it.

I have the car for sale and someone interested in looking at it this weekend. I guess I would like to get the cheaper of the two unless someone else on here says otherwise and to avoid it.

Also does anyone know what all comes with that? Does it come with a new bleeder valve or do I have to change over the old one?

Thanks, Jake

It is now run by Wayne.... ;) And they should be the same. Check the part numbers. I doubt there are more than one or two manufacturer's of Boxster reservoirs.

I have priced items at both websites and find it ironic that Sucoast is cheaper than Pelican on certain items. Not all, just some.

No irony. Very few vendors are cheaper on ALL items, all the time.

At least in my experience.

Wow, that's kind of a really BIG price differential...

Call Sunset Porsche 503-364-1860 and ask them to beat the Suncoast price. Consider shipping charges too, so it's an apples to apples comp.

Why? Buy the item from the vendor who offers the best price or service. Let the high-priced vendor compete on the front side.

As you can see, the bleeder valve is part of the replacement coolent expansion tank. You won't need to swap the old bleeder valve over to the new tank.

Reference: PORSCHE BOXSTER GENUINE ENGINE COOLANT RECOVERY TANK - 1 REQUIRED PER CAR. - R99610614707

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...9610614707.jpg

Maybe since this is a common failure some will raise the price and lower it on others. Coolant tank is an expensive job on labor so the near $100 price difference has to factor into the decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coreseller (Post 265775) Sorry to ad a bit of editorial to the topic but; Please remember the help / guidance you receive from this website. Hopefully that will enter into your decision as to who to support with your dollars.......JMHO.

I completely agree expect that I have the car for sale and I can't really justify spending an extra $100 for a tank on a car I might not own by this time next week. At the same time you'd think they'd check each others prices and be a little more competitive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap (Post 265801) Maybe since this is a common failure some will raise the price and lower it on others. Coolant tank is an expensive job on labor so the near $100 price difference has to factor into the decision.

I was dreading changing the tank, and thought I'd mess with it some tonight to see how bad it was going to be to change. Once again I was disappointed in how much whining I've heard on the board about how hard it is to change. I had the dumb thing out in probably 30-35 mins tops with a pair of vice grips and a flashlight. No fancy spring tool or all the other stuff I've read. My hands don't look like they've been though a blender like I've read on here multiple times. My only complaint was I was looking at the tank and burnt my forearm on the stupid trunk bulb. I wrenched on cars for 5 years through college and either I am a better mechanic than I give myself credit for, or people blow things way out of proportion on here..

I had a similar experience with my top. Read all about how its SOOOO difficult to take off and whatnot. I had it off by myself in about an hour.. Had new vinyl sewn in. Reinstalled in about 1.5 hours. No big deal

Suncoast Porsche sells only Porsche parts. I have found them more aggressive in replacement parts than most other dealers. You can buy a water pump from them for nearly $100 bucks less than other suppliers.

Thanks for the response. I was wanting to help contribute to the site and by from Pelican, but like I said, the car is for sale and the guy seems pretty interested in it. Either way its going to have a new tank in it now so he will be happy with that. Otherwise I will be. I just can't afford to throw an additional $100 on the same part regardless of how much I like this site.... I'm Porsche rich and cash poor, the reason why I have it for sale in the first place

Some Porsche dealers have been very competitive on price lately, trying to win market share. This has happened at various times over the past 13 years, and typically lasts until the dealership realizes that it can't sell stuff for that cheap and eventually raises it's prices (or goes under). In this case (just guessing), Suncoast would have to order the part, get it in, and then ship it out several days later. Pelican has 36 available to ship right now. In addition, I think Suncoast charges a 15% handling fee + shipping costs on top of that ($32 shipping when I checked out their site). With the purchase of a tank from Pelican, you get free shipping, and this tank would also qualify for free 3-day shipping anywhere in the continental US.

We're constantly reviewing our pricing on various lines. In this case, I did some more research and discovered that our current supplier for this part is way overpriced! So, I have lowered the price on this part down to $250. Not as low as the other guys, but now in the ballpark. You can order the part here: Pelican Parts - Product Information: 996-106-147-08-OEM

Thanks for pointing this out to us,

Wayne

Wayne - IMO your response quite clearly explains why you are successful in your business!

Crap.... Well thanks for the response Wayne. I appreciate it. Unfortunately, I got antsy as I have the first possible serious buyer wanting to look at the car so I pulled the trigger on Monday evening. With the tank and a new cap and I guess shipping I got everything for $272.45. Received an email this morning saying it shipped today.

I will continue to shop your site and hopefully next time, if there is a next time, I will be purchasing from you.

Thanks again.

Dang, its always cool when the boss man (Wayne) shows up and takes care of business! :cheers:

Just trying to keep it real! :)

-Wayne

Wayne, good job on your price adjustment. That's good business.

Places like Sunset Porsche and Suncoast Porsche are excellent vendors and parts suppliers to the Porsche community. I have NEVER been charged a "handling fee" of 15%. Their shipping charges are very competitive, and can be fast ($$$$) or slow ($) depending on the customer's requirements. For very common, every-day, routine maintenance parts, they are in-stock and can be shipped the same day.

IIRC, Sunset and Suncoast's pricing model is approx 15% over thier costs. No sales tax (if you live outside of thier State). Most of our local dealerships charge double the price paid to Porsche.

The last few years, I have almost exclusively purchased from Sunset. Phil Coy has my cars on file, and credit card number. I send him an e-mail with my request. Within hours he confirms everything, and ships the part(s). If I find the same item on the internet, for a lower price (does not happen often), he will price match it or beat it slightly. Drama free. If I order a part they don't have, I am not charged until the part arrive to them, and they ship it to me.

I only purchase OEM Porsche parts.

Free Shipping?
 

Wayne, thank you lowering your price and offering free shipping. Is the free shipping still being offered? When I go to place my order, the Pelican website asks me for a zip code and is charging me $14 for ground and $35.50 for 3-day shipping.

Do I need a coupon code or did your prior free shipping offer expire?

Thanks,
~Seppe:dance:

I have made several purchases from Wayne in the past, not because he's cheap. He is usually fair in pricing and competitive. I have made a couple of purchases from Sun Coast and also have had a good experience. I trust both for my Porsche parts. Now, with Wayne you do get choices, with Sun Coast, it's only Porsche parts. Your choice.:p

Example:
Pekican Parts: 4 new Balo rotors, Mintex Pads, 2 liters of Gold brake fluid...$300.00
Sun Coast: OEM Porsche Parts would have bee around $1000.00

I just ordered mine last week and I had to pay shipping...

I know this is over 5 years old but now it is $372

$320 on Suncoast. Prob even less at Sunset Porsche.

Suncoast Porsche Parts & Accessories Coolant Reservoir

Not really
Reservoir for 2002 Porsche Boxster|996-106-147-08 : Genuine OEM Porsche Parts | ************************************************************************.com

I stand corrected. They used to beat out Suncoast prices, but maybe that was a while ago...

If the reason for replacement is a leaking Bleeder Valve , it is usually because of failed "O" rings(2) .These can be replaced for pennies. There is a post elsewhere on this.Part of the diagnosis is to wrap each component of the Coolant tank in cling film to see where the condensation occurs.That pinpoints the problem(s).
If the tank has cracked ,I have no better suggestion than a new one from Pelican.

They have just gone up that much
 

I shopped around and Pelican is within 10% of everyone selling OEM Porsche tanks....and for what looks to be a knuckle buster of a job why use aftermarket. I don't mind aftermarket on some things....but when it comes to cooling your engine....use the best

PS my coolant cap is blue and I have had my car just over 3 years....which is the newest cap ???

Sunset:

996-106-447-04 Reservoir Cap $21.80

996-106-147-08 Reservoir $298.74

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Parts prices often make no sense. ;)

For example, the trunk/frunk/engine bay (some models) light assembly is $8.75 from Pelican (OE), which is fairly reasonable. Compare that to the glovebox light, which is the same exact part except the bulb holder inside is made for a smaller festoon bulb.

$198.50

Yes, you read that correctly. :eek: That's about the same as what others are charging as for some reason the price exploded in the last year (I recall it being around $20 before). I mean it is a 928 part versus a 996/7 for the trunk light... I replaced the glovebox light in my 911 with the trunk assembly, fits perfect.

Genuine parts prices fluctuate and change over time, as you can see this pricing was posted about 4-5 years ago.

Here are other options: Pelican Parts - Coolant Expansion Tank

For reliability on the brands other than Genuine, I did a search in our system to back in 2014 and 2015. 996-106-147-08-Y-INT has no returns due to failure. It does come with a 12 Month / 12,000 Miles warranty as well. It is ordered from us often.

When I do this I will use a Genuine Porsche, I have a question one you have listed as German is even more expensive than a Genuine Porsche ???

The one listed as German is $220, which is over $100 cheaper than the Genuine Porsche part price listed.

Plug in this part number to Fleabay and you can find one for $50 !
About a year ago I did that. What a fiasco . There were many faults with the tank and it may have caused catastrophic overheating. For example :- the tank is assembled from several different mouldings. These are bonded together.There are a variety of orifices that connect the various chambers. Unfortunately these holes did not align .Some were effectively blocked One other just leaked.
If I had not examined the tank very carefully before fitting it ,the consequences could have been expensive.
My point is this - the cost of the tank is a trivial issue. The question is the difference in price between tanks that work correctly. That difference is small.
The other point is the labor in R&R of the tank.It is a horrid job because of limited access to the hose connections on the other side of the firewall.
If you go to all the trouble and expense of fitting a defective tank and then having to return it and replace with a good one, you will waste a lot of time - at best. You will certainly get a trunk full of coolant and if you overheat the engine....it will be a very expensive mistake.
The other expense to factor in is the cost of a Mayhew plier set for the impossible-to-reach connections, an Airlift to burp it and lots of fresh coolant.
You did check the water pump for leaks/weeps didn't you ?
At least if you buy from Pelican, the parts are good, they are decent about any problems and they are fast. The Fleabay guys, not so much.
I still have the old defective tank that I use for Show-and-Tell. Pelican should have a Show-and-Tell type response to these Threads. Dickering about part costs is fun but it is only a (small) part of the story. Pelican (and Forum members) would benefit from reading the rest of the story. It would make for a great YouTube video !

Wonder why no one ever marketed a comparably priced tank in aluminum. The tank is easy to remove but a PIA to install, Would be nice to know you didn't have to do it again.

Pelican
 

you have one listed as a German Part

Part #: 996-106-147-07-INT

$435 and no image or info....this is the one I was talking about

Pelican has really good customer service. They have my support.

That is a Genuine part from a different supplier. It is not searchable through the catalog and pops up when you put in the part number for the tank (also has a different part number, ends in 07 instead of 08). We may not have as good as pricing from that supplier on that Genuine part. The part that comes straight from the dealer, with the associated dealer warranty, is 996-106-147-08-M100. That is the one you'll want to purchase.

Many Thanks Luccia

Dwight

The big mistake was locating the hose clamps high and tight up against the rear bulkhead. If the hose connections/clamps were in the trunk it would have been easy to change.
There are so many jobs on the Boxster where Porsche severely compromised access for the mechanic to create a little more space for the owners stuff. A poor choice looking at my skinned knuckles.