Check out my new 986! And several questions...

[ScottAZ]

Hi all,

I picked up this sweet 02 S last night. I'm about to drop it off for its "peace of mind" service. It's time for the clutch, so I'm doing the IMS retrofit as well. The RMS will be changed and I'm also being charged for cam bolts(?) and a flywheel bolt. They are telling me that unless the car is blowing out smoke that the AOS doesn't need to be replaced and the flywheel SHOULD be fine. Am I missing anything else that I should address now while it's opened up? The car has 75k miles.

Thanks!

[JFP in PA]

Replace the AOS. With the gear box out, it is a 5 min. job; with it in the time frame changes to hours...………..

[ScottAZ]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

Replace the AOS. With the gear box out, it is a 5 min. job; with it in the time frame changes to hours...………..

That's what I was thinking. Thanks!

[A8ked]

You might also want to look at the coolant tank. At 16 years of age, if it has not already been changed it may be time.

[kk2002s]

How much money do you have to spend?
The list is directly proportional to the size of your wallet, line of credit, credit card balance or home equity loan.

You could just drive it. Oh No I didn't just say that did I?

Sorry, Congrats and pretty car

[tonythetiger]

Yes, beautiful car.
AOS replacement is easy and part is cheap. I would be prepared with transmission and engine mounts as well, but only if you confirm they are worn or bad. You can buy the 993 part and bolt it to the bracket to save money and replace just the bushing on the engine mount.
Ive heard the flywheel and pressure plate bolts should be replaced, and it helps to read what your mechanic is about to go through...check it out here:

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/44-TRANS-Clutch/44-TRANS-Clutch.htm

Have you decided on which IMS fix you are going to use? Just curious since I am preparing to replace these on a couple of 986s and would like to hear the debate from you and others...

[ScottAZ]

Originally Posted by tonythetiger

Yes, beautiful car.
AOS replacement is easy and part is cheap. I would be prepared with transmission and engine mounts as well, but only if you confirm they are worn or bad. You can buy the 993 part and bolt it to the bracket to save money and replace just the bushing on the engine mount.
Ive heard the flywheel and pressure plate bolts should be replaced, and it helps to read what your mechanic is about to go through...check it out here:

https://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/Boxster_Tech/44-TRANS-Clutch/44-TRANS-Clutch.htm

Have you decided on which IMS fix you are going to use? Just curious since I am preparing to replace these on a couple of 986s and would like to hear the debate from you and others...

Thank you. I'm going with LN's for the simple reason that the shop that I trust has done over 200 of them (according to them) and know the process, have the tools, etc.

AOS will definitely get done, thanks for the advice.

I'll see what they say about the flywheel. $800 is a lot on top of what this is already costing, but of course I'd rather it get done while it's already torn apart.

[Luckyman01]

The condition of the flywheel may dictate a flywheel. Be prepared to see what you have once its out

[ScottAZ]

Originally Posted by tonythetiger

Yes, beautiful car.
AOS replacement is easy and part is cheap. I would be prepared with transmission and engine mounts as well, but only if you confirm they are worn or bad. You can buy the 993 part and bolt it to the bracket to save money and replace just the bushing on the engine mount.
Ive heard the flywheel and pressure plate bolts should be replaced, and it helps to read what your mechanic is about to go through...check it out here:


Have you decided on which IMS fix you are going to use? Just curious since I am preparing to replace these on a couple of 986s and would like to hear the debate from you and others...

I thought I replied but I think the URL made it bounce because of my newbie status.

I will definitely get the AOS done at this time. Good call.

I'm going with LN's IMS retrofit kit (not the more expensive permanent Solution). The shop I'm using claims to have done over 200 retrofits, so they have the tools, knowledge, etc.

[steved0x]

Nice wheels! My favorite 18" Porsche wheel.

[Cunningr]

Disclaimer this a personal opinion: I think you should go ahead and change fly wheel as well with the clutch. Why well you are already inside doing everything else so only adfitional cost is for the flywheel, when finished you know all those pieces are fresh.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by steved0x

Nice wheels! My favorite 18" Porsche wheel.

+ 1 :-)

These where the original wheels on my 987 and really like them

[MWS]

First...beautiful car with nice color combination and it would appear (at least from the pic provided) that it's pretty much stock; nice to know that any PO hasn't been mucking around too much . Second...you are WAY above the curve on asking about maintenance; I've read many posts that read something like "so I bought this car, is there anything I should do?" or "I bought this thing, what's an IMS?" or "where's the engine?" . Looks like you've done some research, know what to expect and how to prioritize. Huge kudos.

Oh, and welcome to the madness.

[ScottAZ]

Originally Posted by MWS

First...beautiful car with nice color combination and it would appear (at least from the pic provided) that it's pretty much stock; nice to know that any PO hasn't been mucking around too much . Second...you are WAY above the curve on asking about maintenance; I've read many posts that read something like "so I bought this car, is there anything I should do?" or "I bought this thing, what's an IMS?" or "where's the engine?" . Looks like you've done some research, know what to expect and how to prioritize. Huge kudos.

Oh, and welcome to the madness.

Thank you! It's bone stock other than a (crappy) aftermarket head unit and the wheels.

I tend to over-research so I feel pretty good about what's going on. From a mechanical perspective, a lot of it is new, but I dropped her off this morning and am waiting for them to tell me how the flywheel looks, etc.

Thanks again!

[MWS]

Three other quick things: Water pump...if is unknown when changed, it *might* be worth doing as pump failure is not uncommon; I would also agree on coolant tank...if it's heavily yellowed or seems aged, go for it, otherwise it can be put off (at least check what version of coolant cap you have...another notorious point of failure). Lastly, maybe check the spark plug tubes...if they are already poking around the engine (and are going to check plugs), it's a "might as well".

[ScottAZ]

I asked the shop to add in the AOS to the work order and they’re claiming that it will add two hours of labor. There’s no way, right?

[MWS]

Originally Posted by ScottAZ

I asked the shop to add in the AOS to the work order and they’re claiming that it will add two hours of labor. There’s no way, right?

Regarding the "2 hour" time and quote...if your at a Porsche shop, I'm guessing you've been speaking to the "service advisor"; they only quote from lists that show how much time (and how much to bill) for an item, regardless of what is being done and what access might be granted that could shorten this amount of time...this is why it's called a "quote". If the list shows 2 hours, that's what they will tell you, if it takes the mechanic 15 minutes, that's what they *should* bill you. I say "should", because that's the difference between an honest shop and one that, well, is just seeing a way to make some extra money. For reference (and yes, I get a lot of grief for this), I have always had my service done at my dealership and I'm always given a bill that is much smaller than the quote...granted I also have 2 Audis that they also service, but I believe that they have always been fair to me and have never been over billed. Regarding the argument of dealership vs independent shop...it's dependent on what's available in your area; where I live, there are few places that I really feel comfortable having service done, and the couple of times I've had quotes from other places, the dealership was still the lowest...and the actual bill was far lower than the quote.

In your situation, I'm not sure how to advise you. You could speak with the "service manager", but I'm sure he would follow the same line as the "service advisor". Perhaps go ahead and have the AOS done, and if they bill you for the 2 hours, well, you know that they are billing the maximum...if the bill is less, then perhaps you have found a shop you can trust. IMHO, finding a shop you trust is just about the most valuable relationship you can make....and for what it's worth, the dealership I've been using for service I've been going to for 25 years, but I've never bought a car from them as the sales side I've found to be overpriced and unflexabe. The shop knows all my cars are from other dealers, but still treats me like family...sometime they joke about if I would like to change my plate holder (which shows another dealer), and I'll tell them that if you have a plate frame that reads "serviced by", and we have a good laugh.

Anyway, sorry for the long response.

[ScottAZ]

Originally Posted by MWS

Regarding the "2 hour" time and quote...if your at a Porsche shop, I'm guessing you've been speaking to the "service advisor"; they only quote from lists that show how much time (and how much to bill) for an item, regardless of what is being done and what access might be granted that could shorten this amount of time...this is why it's called a "quote". If the list shows 2 hours, that's what they will tell you, if it takes the mechanic 15 minutes, that's what they *should* bill you. I say "should", because that's the difference between an honest shop and one that, well, is just seeing a way to make some extra money. For reference (and yes, I get a lot of grief for this), I have always had my service done at my dealership and I'm always given a bill that is much smaller than the quote...granted I also have 2 Audis that they also service, but I believe that they have always been fair to me and have never been over billed. Regarding the argument of dealership vs independent shop...it's dependent on what's available in your area; where I live, there are few places that I really feel comfortable having service done, and the couple of times I've had quotes from other places, the dealership was still the lowest...and the actual bill was far lower than the quote.

In your situation, I'm not sure how to advise you. You could speak with the "service manager", but I'm sure he would follow the same line as the "service advisor". Perhaps go ahead and have the AOS done, and if they bill you for the 2 hours, well, you know that they are billing the maximum...if the bill is less, then perhaps you have found a shop you can trust. IMHO, finding a shop you trust is just about the most valuable relationship you can make....and for what it's worth, the dealership I've been using for service I've been going to for 25 years, but I've never bought a car from them as the sales side I've found to be overpriced and unflexabe. The shop knows all my cars are from other dealers, but still treats me like family...sometime they joke about if I would like to change my plate holder (which shows another dealer), and I'll tell them that if you have a plate frame that reads "serviced by", and we have a good laugh.

Anyway, sorry for the long response.

This is great advice and unfortunately, the service adviser is the owner's wife. I challenged her on the 2 hour quote several times and she is insistent on there only being a 15 minute savings by having the trans out of the way. Oh well.

[BYprodriver]

Originally Posted by ScottAZ

This is great advice and unfortunately, the service adviser is the owner's wife. I challenged her on the 2 hour quote several times and she is insistent on there only being a 15 minute savings by having the trans out of the way. Oh well.

That is B.S. if it is being exchanged before the other one fails, major access difference! No reason to change it I would cancel the AOS replacement

[BruceH]

Beautiful car, love Black and Tan