From: NIGEC ABB PIP'N DES5 - [L9ESC189@chevron.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 6:53 AM To: 928 Subject: [928] 928 BUYING TIPS (LONG) Hi All, I'm producing a list of 928 buying tips (SEE UNFINISHED ARTICLE BELOW). Can anyone thing of anything I've missed? Thanks in advance, Stephen (In Nigeria until April 13th) Ex-Porsche factory 1995 1928 GTS in Aremettviolet 1986 928 S2 Auto in Sapphire blue metallic (Girlfriends Lynne's car - she's had over 12 years in Porsches) STEPHEN TAYLOR: CHAIRMAN INDEPENDENT PORSCHE ENTHUSIASTS CLUB (UNITED KINGDOM) : www.tipec.org.uk I can be contacted in Africa at UK rates on phone number : 0207 4878100. Ask for ESCRAVOS extension 3810. I am usually available 7 days a week from 6am to 11:30am. 12: 30pm to 6pm & 7pm to 10pm Nigerian Time. PLEASE NOTE NIGERIA IS CURRENTLY ONE HOUR AHEAD OF THE UK. 928 BUYING TIPS Never buy a 928 on impulse they are thirsty and expensive to service. A good car can be marvellous but a bad one can be a money pit. The majority of cars have Automatic gearboxes with Mercedes Benz components and failures are rare. Cars up to and including the 928 S have a 3 speed Automatic box. Later cars have a 4 speed version. Drive failure is rare. Some manual cars with Porsches DOG-LEG gearbox exist including ALL the GT's, Club Sports and Sports. These can suffer from synchromesh problems and can be expensive to repair luckily this fault is not that common. A little notchy-ness is normal. Porsche claimed to have refined the box in the GTS. On manual cars the Clutches wear and replacement can cost up to 1000 pounds shop around and verify if the car you're looking at as had a new clutch. GENERAL HPI check the car. Check with Porsche for repairs and while you're at check that all current safety recalls have been carried out. Check the car has the got it's full service history AND a Porsche printout or bills to back this up. Histories can be forged so check the service book carefully if you don't have the bills to accompany it. Check if the service book is a duplicate- it will say so if it is. Official stamps can by copied by rouges using a scanner and a PC. The pages from the service book have to be removed to allow the new forged stamp to be printed on them. Porsches "spiral wound" service books make this a simple task BUT luckily the spiral binder is fragile plastic. Check that it's intact. If it's not check further. In theory interrogating the onboard computer with a suitable "BOSCH HAMMER" diagnostic tool will show up if the electronic speedometers been disconnected but apparently the same tool can also be used to cover the dirty deed. So check for signs that anyone's been at the instrument panel. Ring the previous owner and the garage that last serviced the car. Verify mileage and history. Check that all important required work was carried out before it's sale. EXTERIOR Check the panel fit. The 928 was made at Zuffenhausen like the 911. The panel fit is as good as you'll get on any car. Any repairs will show up on inspection as Porsche standards are very difficult to achieve. Check that all the engine undertrays are in place and that the front spoiler shows no signs of the car being "off-roaded" in an accident. Check the edges of the front wing arches. Early cars had a bent edge at right angles to the wheel arch. Later cars had a rolled edge on the arches. One of each means a replacement wing. Open the bonnet check inside in front for little rectangular stickers from factory QC etc. if they are not there its been painted for some reason. 928 models being constructed from galvanised steel and aluminium rarely rust but known points are the petrol filler cap and surrounding area, in the metal panel in front of the windscreen an of course the bottom edges of the wings and doors. Check the condition of the discs and that they are not binding. Corroded callipers can be expensive to replace. Check condition of tyres including spare. Pay attention to the inside portion of the front tyres for uneven wear, indicates misaligned front wheels, an all too common 928 problem due to garages not knowing or not bothering to do it properly. ELECTRICS Put the ignition on but don't start the car. Check all the warning bulbs are illuminated. Dash bulbs warning that the belts need tensioning or other problems have been know to disappear. Check the electric operation of the windows, door locks, headlights, mirrors, seats and hatch back. Check the A/c unit is working and that the compressor is fitted. The air conditioning, if you are in need of it is very expensive to fix, neglect, or not running it at least once a month, allows rust and debris to form on the whole system, remember the oil in the freon gas is the only lubrication there is. The restriction valve seated by the windscreen motor is £200 and if not carefully taken off the rad can cause £1000 of damage to condenser matrix. Wiring on early models work hardens through current and time, and is complex. Auto heating with several servos, circuit boards and values, once gone wrong can cost £2000 to fix whole thing. Ensure that the hot/cold valve in the drivers foot well moves in time with the dash slider heating regulator control. Lots of people say feel the cold air in the car with the a/c switch in the on position. Don't trust this test method. See the clutch mounted on the front of the a/c compressor is spinning. Or look at the sight glass to see if gas in its liquid state is present by bubbles forming. INTERIOR From experience:- Tatty inside is easily sorted as all the hand build interior panels unbolt, or screw off. Leather is easily peeled off and re-stretched, renewed. Check the wear on the seats, steering wheel and pedal rubbers match the vehicles mileage. Check the safety belts carefully. We have known of Club cars that have been purchased with home sown repairs on them. Check tool kit is complete especially the tow ring and that the compressor works. Check the luggage cover is in an acceptable condition as new ones cost about 400 pounds from Porsche. Check in the fuse board for the sheet with fuse/relay list, there are dozens of fuses and relays and if you don't have this you're lost. MECHANICAL Check that the belts have been changed at the correct intervals and are recorded as being so in the logbook. People often put different registration plates on Porsches in the UK and the reciepts could be stolen ones off another car. Check underneath for signs of both oil and water leaks. Radiators are nearly 750 pounds. Ask the owner when the anti-freeze was last changed. Waggle the steering wheel roughly and push the edges backwards and forwards to check for play. Porsche steering wheels are designed to collapse in a collision to are the driver serious injury in the event of an accident. When the steering wheel collar has been removed you will see that a section of the hub is laced with a fine network of perforated holes. The force of a driver who is involved in a near accident and braces himself on the wheel has been known to be enough to start the collapsible section snapping. They should be replaced after an accident or close shave. But often are not. We've heard of at least one case of the steering wheel parting company with the dash. Luckily at a low speed. Jack up the front of the car, grasp the tyre in the 9 and 3 o'clock position, and attempt to move the wheel. Repeat with 12 and 6 o'clock position. Movement indicates a loose or worn wheel bearing. Believe it or not, the Haynes 928 manual has a pretty decent explanation on servicing the bearings since there has been little change in the design in years (at least in the 928). It's really very simple to do yourself and if it hasn't been done in a while that you know, probably worthwhile to pursue it, loose or not. Check the Headlight aiming system, pre '89 cars have a hydraulic system which usually lost fluid after a few years, if it works you're lucky. POINTERS TO PROBLEMS Misfire when engines cold that disappears when the car warms could be the early sign of a blown headgasket. A notchy gearchange on a dog-leg manual car accompanied by a clunk from underneath when the clutch is released could mean a faulty clutch friction plate. A whine from the rear end of a manual car could be faulty differential bearings if the noise only appears on acceleration or deceleration but disappears when the car is driven at a constant speed. Verify by grasping the driveshafts from under the car and check for up and down play. If is in excess of 6mm then it's too much. If the noise is constant and not affected by the above. Suspect the gearbox main pinion bearing. A whine from the rear of an Automatic or Manual car could be a torque tube. Generally the noise is just a nucence and can be easily cured by the replacemnt of the torque tube for about 1000 pounds. A differences in the handling when going through both left and right handed bends a reasonable lick of speed could mean worn suspension bushes or accident damage. A slight vagueness in the steering at the straight ahead position is normal but excessive lack of feel could mean wear in the top universal joint on the steering column.