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New 944 owner

Howilearnedtostopworryingandlovethebomb

Howilearnedtostopworryingandlovethebomb

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Hi there,[attachment=Screenshot_20181028-081508_QuickPic.jpg]

Have just purchased a 1989 2.7 944 lux for a bit of fun as my second car. Live in Clapham in London. Want to get it looked over and have all the big worries sorted on it now and have set aside some money to do so. 93k on the clock (though you never know what to believe). I think it's in good nick but imagine the clutch etc will need doing soon.

Plan to use it every weekend and occasionally to commute to work

Any suggestion on where to get it taken for its first major overhaul. MOT due in June and it is tempting to wait until then and get everything done at once.

I work in Buckinghamshire and will be looking to move that way so would have a definite bias to that direction.

Advice gratefully received!

 
Hello and welcome

My S2 has done almost 120k and is still on its original clutch, and I've heard of cars going to over 150k without changing. Just depends on how it's used, perhaps, and as it's an expensive job it's worth waiting until it needs doing? Also worth checking when the cam belt/balance belt/rollers were last done.

Enjoy your car!

 
Oh, and by the way I've used Northway for the 12yrs I've owned the car...they're at Beenham near Reading, so not really close to you? However, excellent with transaxle cars...Ray trained at Porsche in the '80s and Paul used to own a 968, and they have a refreshingly pragmatic approach. A friend in R19 who lives in Bucks gets his 968 done at JAZ I think.

 
Thanks very helpful. Yes I probably ought to get the belts and rollers done as it is less than convincing about when this was last done! My other major worry is rust. The sills look ok but wanted to get it formally inspected and is there any preventative treatment I could apply now to preserve it as I am going to park it on my street in London and worry about corrosion ... Thoughts?/advice. Will check out Northway as I have heard good things

 
Take the vents out the B pillars, stick your camera phone down an take a few pics

Depending on what you find you can then use a Bilt Hamber product to soak out the sills, or POR15 product

And love the very short and sweet user name,

And of course welcome

 
Another garage to consider is Hillcrest Specialist Cars at Nettlebed (just outside Henley). Simon Hope is another one who was Porsche trained many years ago and knows the older cars.

William

 
Great. Thanks for all your help!

I have just sorted out the insurance which was pleasantly surprising via Adrian Flux even allowing 'occasional commuting' :) occasional :)

I am also intrigued by this Nash character in Banbury at Retro restorers. Seems like he only does 944s.

So paranoid about rust over the winter (it's not paranoia if it's real!). Wish we could coat the whole thing in wax every year to protect it. Will get it inspected and take it from there!

Rob

 
I’ve heard very good things about Nash at Retro-Restorer, particularly for sorting out Sills and rust. Get the whole thing waxolyed inside the box sections, mine‘s Just been done and it is fine.

 
I have heard good things about Nash but also very poor things too. I believe that the work he does personally can be of a good standard but there are things he offers as part of the service that either aren’t his forte or are farmed out and this is where problems have occurred.

As the Yanks love to say; “Your Mileage May Vary”

 
Rob,

As a fellow London-based 944 owner I feel qualified to comment on your thread. I'm in Bow (E3) and have kept my S2 on the streets here for the last 13 years.

Rust-proofing is a must. I rate Bilt Hamber stuff very highly and it's easy to apply. Stick some in your sills as soon as you can before the tin-worm gets hold. My sills are original and not showing any signs of bad rust so it's quite possible to keep them as you intend.

I do my own maintenance but have had contact with Jon at Tower Porsche just by Tower Bridge. They are pragmatic and good but no frills whatsoever!

On a more general note, buying a 944 now when the forthcoming ULEZ is nearly upon us is brave. Are you planning to be a long-term owner?

Oli.

 
Oh nice. I would be interested in doing my own maintenance. Do you use any workshop manuals or anything? I'm in Clapham and west facing so unless I try and drive it into town (never good for the clutch) I am unaffected for now and plan to move to Ascot or Beaconsfield in the next year or so. Then she'll have a garage.

I'll check out Bilt Hamber... Thanks!

 
Rob,

For manuals, all you need to know is Clarks Garage.

https://clarks-garage.com/

Click on 'Garage Shop Manual' on the left hand side and you'll have instructions for pretty much everything you'll need to do to your 944. A good 10mm, 13mm and 17mm socket spanner will be essential but nothing on the car is hard, although some procedures are quite involved.

All the best with it!

Oli.

 
Hi ,

Id thought i would chip in as i am in the middle of the 'worst case' sill scenario. My '89 2.7 has been off the road for nearly two years due to MOT failure ( holes around the drivers side jacking point and rear passenger suspension mount) and is currently with Augment Automotive. I had spoken to Mr Nash, but Augment are closer to me in Gloucester. The main sills on mine were ' replaced ' in 2010 according to the invoices and paperwork, but when she was opened up last week it became apparent that the rusty sills were simply bashed in with a hammer and a made up sill piece welded over, filled and painted. So the rust lay hidden there eating out the inner sill and working its way into the floorpan.

Now the only thing i didn't do is put and endoscope down the sill vent or start stabbing the underneath of the car with a screwdriver, which would've shown up the extend of the rust. The car looked mint from the outside.....

But hey ho I'm putting her right now. This reminds me i must update my thread!!

 
Much the same story with my 1989 2.7, the sills had been patched and bodged at least a couple of times. Matt Fahy at M J Fahy Paint in Long Eaton, Nottingham has done all the restoration work on mine including complete new Sills on both sides and he’s now just finished an amazing respray in Porsche Nacht Blue metallic to replace the very faded and flat Azure Blue that it was originally. Can’t say enough good things about Matt, he is an absolute craftsman and completely passionate about what he does.

 
Update. First 944 niggle. Was heading out to the office Xmas party (wasn't going to drive home dont worry), and the driving windscreen wiper goes... Typical. Anyway. Have done a bodge job... Not sure I would rely on it in a downpour on the M4 but it may make it through the MOT.
wshwJmt


 
To replace the ball you need the whole assembly which in about 2004 was about £80 which for a quite intricate casting (overly some might say) seemed reasonable. I think 99.5% of the time a new arm solves the issue.

I have seen it fixed temporarily with cable ties / elastic bands and the clear plastic from one of those flexible CD covers squeezed into the assembly worked on mine and others for a while. It was a few months before I obtained a replacement arm, which was under £15 for Porsche. The new arms do seem to work even with previously quite corroded 'balls'. In theory you can replace the arm with the mech insitu but I gave up and took the heater fan out, releasing many trapped leaves etc. and did it on the bench. If you go this route you need some mastic or similar to reseal the heater fan. and I think there was one or 2 awkward 10mm fixings on the wiper mech.

Once done it is sensible to apply some grease to the area occasionally, the water can run off the screen into the ball/cup as the plastic cover in the scuttle area falls slightly short for RHD cars wipers.

Tony

 
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