Re: 951 swaps - back to reality

[John Larson <jdlarson@ix.netcom.com>]

Not to start a war, but my point is still there. So the tool has come
down some. I bought mine in '84 and they were nearly unavailable at the
time. I suggest a quick check or even a retensioning of the 2 belts is
something completely different from the complete reconditioning of the
front of the engine. At 40K, most of the rollers are beginning to make
noise, some or all of the seals are beginning to seep, and most shops I
know of replace the water pump and flush/replace the coolant at the same
time as the pump doesn't seem to like what happens when the belt is
replaced. We frequently have to reseal the oil cooler at the same time. 
I'll grant you that 2 days is a stretch (even an exaggeration), but in a
small shop without a large inventory, and where the owners are not only
wrenches but businessmen as well, things move at a slower pace than when
you've got some guy on flat rate, racing the clock for his paycheck. I
used to be fast, too, 20 years ago. Trans overhaul and a clutch on a
100LS and drive the car to lunch when I was done. 914 clutch and
flywheel in an hour and a quarter. Young and hungry. IMHO, the 944 in
it's various iterations is among the most expensive of all street
Porsches to own and operate relative to the cost of the cars and the
niche it fills. Most BMWs are cheaper to operate over the long haul.
John
AudiQtroCp@aol.com wrote:
> 
> << I heartily concur with Scott. And wait 'til you get to that 40K timing
>  belt replacement, front end reseal, and water pump. We love 'em here at
>  the shop 'cause it keeps my partner busy for 2 days (at $64/hr) and the
>  parts are outrageous. Kiss 13 to 1500 bux good-bye, providing there
>  aren't any complications. Just the tool to set the belt is close to
>  $500.
>  John >>      Two days?   wow, this guy needs a jump start.
> 
>      This is what I really like to hear.  Please scare away all potential
> buyers of the 951.  I want them all to go cheaply so I can have them all.
> This whole Timing belt thing is a bit of an urban legend.  Tonight after
> work, in less than a half hour My Porsche mechanic buddy and I had the belts
> exposed and inspected,  this job aint quite what its made out to be.  If the
> parts had been on my doorstep tonight we would have finished it up before
> dark.  The only truth of the myth is the tensioning tool.  It is expensive
> and single purpose.  But $500 it aint,  I have seen it repeatedly advertised
> in the Porsche publications for mid $300 range, not that this is cheap, but
> just shows how things get blown out of proportion.
>     In closing, I advise strongly to avoid the Porsche like the plague, do
> not buy one under any circumstances or at any cost.  Not everyone should have
> this much fun with their clothes on.