Top 5 common and costly repairs on a 928 (that are somewhat common)

[sugarwood]

What are the top 5 common big ticket repairs/service for a typical 928?
Not rare 1 in a million catastrophes, but stardard stuff.
It could even just be maintenance (like cooling system overhaul) that is not cheap.

Also, if you know what a typical euro mechanic would charge, add that info.
I'm just curious what a 928 newbie who does NOT wrench
can expect to potentially encounter, and what the repair costs.

[Danglerb]

Its not so much top 5, as the most expensive aren't that common, more like the 100 things that can cost a grand.

Education of a typical Euro mechanic on how to repair a 928 can be VERY costly, from ridiculous to insane.

Most find one of the dozen or so good 928 mechanics and/or learn to work on the car.

Back when dealers still routinely worked on 928's the annual cost varied for most people between $2k and $3k for cars that were well taken care of.

[sugarwood]

Can you name some of the more popular $1000 repairs?
I heard the radiator is costly?
Clutch job is a b*tch?

[stepson]

Number 1:Removing, recovering and/or replacing the dash to cover cracks would be upwards of $1000.

[LummoxPG]

2 0f 100 The radiator is costly...like 3000 for a new one from Porsche...there are after markets for less although they may require modifications to get them to fit...when mine went I had a muffler shop build me a replica out of copper and brass for 1500...the advantage to the copper and brass rad over the aluminium and plastic one Porsche sells is that it is repairable.
next...

[stepson]

Number 3: Repainting the car. At the very least $2000 but usually more.

[stepson]

Number 4: Recovering the front seats. $1500 and up

[JhwShark]

Water pump/Timing belt/tensioner...you would also want to do these when doing a radiator replacement

Torque tube bearings..routine job that requires time and labor

The only good P-wrench on a 928 is one with experience and lots of it! There is nothing typical with an aging classic for a current "P" mechanic...a lot of us are gear-heads who wrench on our own except for major machine work.

[sugarwood]

#1. Many car dashes are going to be a $1000 job with the glass and dash apart.
This doesn't seem unique or worse on the 928.

#2 $3000 radiator seems like a perfect example. OUCH.

#3. Repainting the car is not unique or exaggerated for a 928.

#4 Recovering seats is going to be a $1500 job with most any car.
This doesn't seem unique or worse on the 928.

Is the water pump/timing belt/tensioner any worse or more expensive than on other cars?

[The Deputy]

My suggestion is...(and I’m not trying to be rude…but…)

Unless you know how to do some wrenching...or have extremely deep pockets...or you can tinker with it for several years without losing interest...this car is not for you. There is no in between...in my opinion...since this car will eat you alive...in parts alone...or let alone paying for repairs also.

But, if you have one of the previously mentioned attributes...then go for it.

Just remember...each repair planned is a slippery slope...and others will materialize "while you are in there". That's why giving a dollar amount to any repair is difficult. Example...If you do the motor mounts, you will want to do the oil pan gasket, and you'll probably want to go through the steering rack while you have it out for this job and so on and so on. You have to keep in the back of your mind that most of these cars are well over thirty years old now...and they need lots of repairs, mechanically and aesthetically.

Good luck, with your decision.

Brian.

[stepson]

I was posting based on your original post:
"What are the top 5 common big ticket repairs/service for a typical 928?
Not rare 1 in a million catastrophes, but stardard stuff.
It could even just be maintenance (like cooling system overhaul) that is not cheap."

You didn't say unique anywhere in that post.

$3000 for a radiator is exaggerated. It takes less than 30 minutes on a slow day to replace a radiator. Radiators can be bought new for 1000 or less and can be repaired for less than half that.

[Mrmerlin]

Top 5
1 timing belt and water pump 3500.00
2 MMs and OPG 1200.00
3 shoxs Bilstiens 1600.00
4 BrakesX4, MC and booster 1500.00
5 A/C system refesh freon or 134 1600.00
6 Fuel lines and power steering and oil cooler lines 1200.00

[sugarwood]

Hey Deputy,

To clarify, I am not shopping for a 928. I personally am active on the 911 forum, and absolutely agree that you should do some wrenching if you plan to own a classic car.

I am asking to gain some information for a friend who will not be doing repairs himself, yet keeps citing cheap 928's as a deal.
I wanted to know if the 928 has uniquely crippling maintenance costs associated with it that may explain some of the price discounting (b/c they seem like a deep value compared to 911 prices)

[sugarwood]

Why is the timing belt and water pump $3500
Do you need to remove the engine?

[Landseer]

parts costs have gone thru the roof since just pre-vw merger. Porsche adopted financial policies that have driven prices way up, both those from Porsche and from the aftermarket guys as they became opportunistic again. huge difference since 2008/9/10, the golden years of value.

[sugarwood]

Does this apply to all Porsche parts across the board?
I did not own a 911 until 2014, so I have no context of parts prices inflation.

[Landseer]

Its true for 928. Unique parts, old, lots of impact on balance sheet. I hear they cleared it, then shifted to a made-to-order strategy, ganging up orders before subbing a new run of parts, plus, completely discontinuing a massive number of parts. waterpump went from 500 or so back in 07 to over 1000. aftermarket has creeped up to 400. rebuilts are dangerous for reasons you can research yourself. cam gears whuch are wear parts went thru the roof too.


you need a 928-specific mechanic to repair the cars, or need to become one like some of us have. weve seen a dealer gouge a 928 owner in northern va /dc area for 10,000 for a tb job. 928 ownership --- your friend needs to be all-in or deep pockets.

[Mrmerlin]

What Chis said

[sugarwood]

Ok, so part of the price depreciation for the 928 is the parts cost and also NLA issues.
Do you think this is partly what keeps 928 prices so low compared to the 911 ?

[JhwShark]

Yes, and other non-appreciative "P" car owners...some of whom are now driving water cooled siblings. Though, I do have to say I really enjoyed the 914 2.4.

The 928 is a unique classic with a visionary style which can be seen emulated on other GT types today...it will be appreciated by others (am I dreaming?) and is by us!