964 C4 distributor belt replacement

[kedrick davies]

Hi
Has anyone had any recent experience on this matter. OPC is looking something like for nearly £1700 to replace but that involves whole distributor etc etc which does not sound reasonable or sustainable given we are talking about two rubber belts. OPC states that Porsche original specification belts on their own are no longer available and after market belts are not reliable or robust.

 

[Gordon Attar]

Total rubbish

Talk to your local specialist who will point you in the right direction

 

[deano911]

Sounds like they don't want to tackle the job, what a load of shite.....£1700!!!!!!! Certain you can buy the belts and the pins from the OPC classic parts catalogue, so what they're saying is they don't trust their own parts.
The OPC's do me laugh!!!!
Thinking about looking at mine on the C4 but I believe it was replaced about 10 year ago.

 

[tim_haskins]

I think there is a diy guide on rennlist

tim

 

[mcgc0]

That's OPC's for you - most never get much business for air cooled, prefer more modern in keeping their hands cleaner and rarely have anyone old enough who gets proper 911's.

Never used any OPC in London and never will. Found two elsewhere (Hatfield and Nottingham) that I trust with guys in the spares dept that are really helpful with all the adhoc small parts ordering i do. They do a lot of business with specialist indies and restos.

 

[Steve Brookes]

I believe it's Porsche practice to only exhange the dual distributor if there is a component failure (except for the caps and rotor arms). Hence, why you can't buy the belt or the hall sensor from Porsche...or Bosch for that matter. It's only independents that will offer to rebuild them. My independent use to fit an exchange unit a few years ago because they were only £250 and there was not much in it cost wise when you accounted for the labour involved to refurbish one....how prices have changed!

 

[Dekker]

Copied from the Feb 2014 PP

The vent kit is available from OPC's for £10 and relatively easy to install.
The belt is much the same price but isn't a Porsche part, they only list the distributor at £1k!!!
The belts can be supplied from OEM sources. Pro9 in Redditch sell them for £9 including a pin that is often destroyed when disassembling the distributor.
According to my research these often overlooked belts should be replaced at 50k miles or at 5 year intervals, whichever comes first.
If you get yours serviced regularly at a garage, you might want to ask some questions.
For those of us who do our own maintenance, where possible, check out the excellent web articles on pcarworkshop and rennsport.

 

[colin129]

That's OPC's for you - most never get much business for air cooled, prefer more modern in keeping their hands cleaner and rarely have anyone old enough who gets proper 911's.

Never used any OPC in London and never will. Found two elsewhere (Hatfield and Nottingham) that I trust with guys in the spares dept that are really helpful with all the adhoc small parts ordering i do. They do a lot of business with specialist indies and restos.

I remember when I got my 944S2, I used to go into an OPC and feel special, part of a slightly exclusive club. Now, I feel really out of place, even the receptionists, who are generally called Jemima or Beatrice, appear to look down their noses at you. I am sure a receptionist in an OPC is a fine way to earn a crust, however, we are the owners, who have invested fortunes in genuine parts over the years, and I don't remember ever looking down on them.

I am going to the Boxster (I refuse to call it a 718, it's a model in its own right, a very fine one at that, and has been for 20 years) launch in Mayfair next month with my friend. I sincerely hope he wears his usual shorts & trainers for the event.

 

[bernard tester]

I have changed lots of these belts in the past not a difficult job but a bit fiddley the hardest part is compressing the shaft/spring to get the pin in, sure I have some photos somewhere.