[flash]

dealerships have become the training grounds for mechanics. they generally move on to other shops after their "apprenticeship" at the dealership. it's pretty rare to find a mechanic there now that has been around for a while.

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[rxter]

I found a local guy that had "graduated" from the dealer. He even owned a 968. Know what he wanted to work on? Cayennes.

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[mbardeen]

Supply and demand... there's no shortage of Cayennes. Here the Porsche section of the largest car classifieds is replete with them, they're easily the most common Porsche in the country (and consequently, cheap as chips relatively speaking). With many of them having failing cooling systems and possible engine damage, it's a gold mine for a mechanic.



When I called one of the only dealer Porsche service centers in Chile for a <acronym title='pre purchase inspection'>PPI</acronym> on my 968, they told me they couldn't do it. I'm not really surprised, I think there's only three 968s in the country -- all special imports from the US.

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[Cloud9...68]

All this does make one question ones' sanity in owning what's essentially an "obsolete" car, doesn't it? With the availability of parts dwindling, and mechanics who can work on them being as rare as rocking horse poop, it almost forces us to learn how to fix them ourselves. There are exceptions of course, but unless you live in the Northeast or SoCal, good luck finding someone reliable who can take care of them. All the more reason to keep this forum alive as a source of knowledge and information on these uber-rare cars.

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[ds968]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1387550008' post='153723']All this does make one question ones' sanity in owning what's essentially an "obsolete" car, doesn't it? With the availability of parts dwindling, and mechanics who can work on them being as rare as rocking horse poop, it almost forces us to learn how to fix them ourselves. There are exceptions of course, but unless you live in the Northeast or SoCal, good luck finding someone reliable who can take care of them. All the more reason to keep this forum alive as a source of knowledge and information on these uber-rare cars.[/quote]



Agree re parts, the prospect of not finding new, rebuilt, used, or switchable (other car makes parts which could work ok in ours ) scares the crap out of me. But as far as finding a mechanic to work on your 968 anywhere in the country I imagine ANY highly competent and reliable ( both attributes being essential here ) mechanic , regardless of what cars they're trained on or specialize in would be able to fix most, if not all that's needed on a 968. Sure , a handful of things may be trickier than others ; correctly timing cams for example, but with access to the right " how to " info ( a huuuuge + 1 on yen value of keeping this forum's technical library well preserved and alive ) it should be no problem.

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[flash]

lol - i'm used to it. every project or toy car i have had has had the same issues. even back when i had the charger parts were hard to find. back then though, there was no "interweb". now, sites like this one make it feasible for many more to maintain cars that are disappearing. heck, nowadays i can practically build a car from parts i can get online, and download all of the "how to" instructions, usually in nice easy to print pdf files (which is needed for any DIY guy in the garage), and don't even have to scroll through pages of websites.



that's exactly why we set this site up the way we did. it's all about it being "the book" for the 968

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='ds968' timestamp='1387552385' post='153726']

Agree re parts, the prospect of not finding new, rebuilt, used, or switchable (other car makes parts which could work ok in ours ) scares the crap out of me. But as far as finding a mechanic to work on your 968 anywhere in the country I imagine ANY highly competent and reliable ( both attributes being essential here ) mechanic , regardless of what cars they're trained on or specialize in would be able to fix most, if not all that's needed on a 968. Sure , a handful of things may be trickier than others ; correctly timing cams for example, but with access to the right " how to " info ( a huuuuge + 1 on yen value of keeping this forum's technical library well preserved and alive ) it should be no problem.

[/quote]

I agree in principle, but I question how many mechanics would be willing to take the time to familiarize themselves with some of the quirks of the 968, when they can much more easily make money wrenching on cars they're already familiar with. It's far from a crisis stage yet, but over the next ten years or so, it will probably get more and more difficult to keep these cars running, given their very low volume, and somewhat specialized nature.

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[williamoss]

The main reason I bought the 968 from Pete, was simply I could fit in the car and i could afford it. I have extremly long legs. Untill they lenthened the boxter or the hard top versun, (name elludes me currently,) I could only fit in the 911's and I could not afford t the 911's

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[968Syncro]

[quote name='williamoss' timestamp='1387589314' post='153743']

The main reason I bought the 968 ...., was simply I could fit in the car

[/quote]

About 15 years ago I bought a 914 -- for one day. Great car, it was in my heart, I really wanted it, still do. But no matter how well the test drive went, too big, there was no way to use the shifter/stick effectively. Sleeping on it one night, on my request, the seller graciously returned the check before I picked it up.



On a more optimistic note: some of you know I am also into Vanagons. A few years ago the VW dealer network had a blank stare -- but VW started a new program where they now support and help the older VWs -- they work with the aftermarket parts providers. It is slam dunk clear marketing, when it comes to brands like Porsche and VW, they are legacy brands, a family, heartfelt brand. VW recognized that their new car sales rely on the company's recognition that people loved them through all the years.



Does anyone know how Porsche dealers handle other older models? If they are not so supportive of 968s, how are they with mid-70s, mid-80s 911s, 944s, how about 356s, 912s, etc. Since VW now owns Porsche, do you think they might do the same with 968s as they now support legacy VWs?

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[flash]

generally speaking, at least around here, they turn them away. too often they become huge headaches, with problem after problem. they sit in the shop too long waiting for parts, and often way too many things are discovered that just don't make the mechanics comfortable. i used to deal with the same issues with the old british stuff. a car would come in, and needed a whole lot more than the owner had any clue about, or was prepared to pay for. that never ends with a happy customer.

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[ds968]

The local dealer here had a GT in the yard for close to a year, IIRC , parked adjacent to the service area doors, not in their used car lot. I stop by twice or three times a year to pick up this or that ( mostly accessories ) so seeing it there all the time and nothing on it to indicate it might be for sale, I asked one of the dealer dudes what's up with the GT. He said they've trying to fix some things on it but 1) have had a hard time scheduling a specialist mechanic to fly in for the repair, and 2) various parts are not readily available, have to be custom made and the typical wait time for them is three to four months. And when they're available, the mechanic isn't, and vice versa, LOL. So if that's how the dealer supports a $ 600,000 car, can you imagine what interest they might have in dealing with our 968s or a 914, or any of the old and rare tin cans mentioned in the above post ?!

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[Eric_Oz_S2]

Here in australia (at least at some dealersh they have a special deal for classic porsche service. They recognise that there is a market for the older cars that may otherwise be lost to the independents, hence they provide discount servicing to attract business on the older models.



See link



http://www.porschegoldcoast.com.au/files...urebig.jpg

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[Bulti]

If you got the cash, all classic models could be fully restored to factory spec in the Porsche Classic department. They can turn a mangled heap of rust into a brand new, original car. They even started to search and buy up the original machinery (even from former subcontractors) to remanufacture the parts that don't exist anymore . I believe smaller projects are accepted too.



You can check out one of those restaurations here, wich was done for the PCA:



http://www.porsche.com/international/acc...storation/

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[Cloud9...68]

I guess my cynical answer to the title of this thread would be, "Was it ever...?" <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/huh.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[ryker]

Cloud, that is funny! And sadly, perhaps accurate.

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[ds968]

Yes indeed, the 968 - the car, the myth, the legend...in our own minds. :-) But hey, we all know it's true, the rest of the world is just ignorant.

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[Kaj Hallstrom]

Yes that is the problem with young Porsche mechanics. I am lucky to have a local independent Porsche shop close by. Hi-Tec Automotive of San Rafael. They handle all Porsches from the 959 to the 968. They are experts in the field, incredible service.

Deven and Dana gives incredible customer service.

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[Inkedupfatboy]

After I bought the car and my local European specialist (he does all my work on all my cars now)  got it running, we found it had a bad pinion bearing. I Called the Local Porsche dealer in Melbourne, FL several times to ask about the transaxle rebuild. They never returned my calls.

 

I called Brumos Porsche to ask about the transaxle rebuild...they never returned my calls. You would think a racing dealer would be more interested in a high dollar repair but I guess not. I found a better guy who was local that did the work with a 2 year warranty.

 

After that I drove an hour to get to the Melbourne dealer to get new keys cut for my cubbys and extra ignition keys. I stood around for 20 minutes waiting to talk to someone and then they stared at me with the deer in the headlights look. They sent me to a local locksmith and upon arriving he said he quit doing cars 6 months ago.

 

That was in 2013. I will NEVER visit the Local Porsche dealer again.

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[williamoss]

When I first bought my 968 in 2010 the starter went out about 2 weeks after I got it. So I drove over to Sunset Porsche, (this is the place to buy parts as there prices are the best) and I was told that the starter was available in Germany and I think it was about $600. But they would not work on a 968 as "The car is older than many of the mechanics."  So I found an independent shop. I also bought a starter from Autoworks (Local Parts Store)  which was only $160 and it came with a lifetime warranty. This was great as that starter lasted 5 years and I had to get a replacement. I brought the old one in and they gave me a newly rebuilt one. And no core charge.

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[ds968]

Even if a dealer agrees to service a 968, although I seriously doubt you will find any , I would be hesitant to let them do anything more sophisticated than changing the oil , lol ; unless they still have a near-retirement mechanic in the shop with extensive experience working on 968s in the old days ... I have a co-worker with a first generation Boxster who needed some engine work and she said that two local dealers both told her they don't service anything " that old " . So if a Boxster who is about as common as a Honda Civc ( sorry Boxster folks, I only mean it in the context of familiarity with the car by mechanics ) the 968 must be no way near on their radar screen. Hmm, I wonder if you bring a 993 to the dealer , or better yet, a 356 , if you'd get the same story ..

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