[polizei]

Hello all,

I have finished the PPI, head stud check, leak down, and compression test on a 1987 911 Coupe. The Porsche mechanic (well renowned and specializing in air-cooled) said the car is spectacular, but it's going to need a valve guide job in the future.

The car smokes on startup "more than normal" and a little bit on idle. The compression and leak down tests came back overly positive, so the mechanic's conclusion is that a valve guide job EVENTUALLY needs to be done. The car burns 1 qt. of oil for every 700-800 miles.

Question #1: How much should I expect to spend on a valve guide job? I've talked to a couple of air-cooled Porsche mechanics, and they both indicated $5,000. I've got the money to do that, and I like the idea of having the peace of mind that the car is closer to 100% mechanically sound - especially after investing a good bit already into the car. Should I not be losing sleep over this yet? This leads to my 2nd question...

Question(s) #2: At what point do I perform the valve guide job? What indicators should I look for? Am I hurting the car by not doing it immediately? The car has 60,000 miles on it.

Thanks for all your help!
Andy