Gearbox mount - is that all I get for my money?

MJL944 · Dec 15, 2013

I've just received (via courier) a genuine Porsche gearbox/transaxle mount for my S2 (along with other goodies to make my gear change more in keeping with such a wonderful car).

This is what I've received (mobile phone included in pictures to provide scale):

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Is this 1 piece all I'm supposed to receive?
I was expecting it to come with the metal bar that the mount sits in as seen in this current eBay ad:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1992-GENUINE-PORSCHE-944-S2-TRANSMISSION-GEARBOX-MOUNT-MANUAL-/221292572517?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item338610af65

The OPC box shows "To pick QTY - 2 PC" - does this not mean '2 pieces'?

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I'm asking because:
a) whenever I've seen used gearbox mounts on eBay they've always come with the metal bar as in the eBay example above and
b) this small piece of rubber and metal cost me an eye-watering £192 so I want to make absolutely sure I've got everything I've paid for!

Thanks

Kongsodoken · Dec 15, 2013

yes that looks right,

that mounts onto the cross member, you need to use the 2 end plates of your old mount

MJL944 · Dec 15, 2013

Thanks Ken,

'Cross member' is the term I should have used when referring to 'metal bar' in my original post!
Is the cross member something that can be purchased separately if required?

Not sure what you mean by '2 end plates off the old mount' though. These 'end plates' - are they likely to be salvageable from my current 24 year old mount?

I'm hoping the mechanic that's doing the job for me can do it in 1 day so I'm anxious to avoid making him find other parts mid way through the job.

Ta

colin944 · Dec 16, 2013

Its an easy job to replace the mount. Although it is alot easier if you have access to a ramp. Lift the car and remove the drivers side rear wheel. Place transmission jack under the gearbox.Remove the 2 bolts holding the mount to the gearbox and the mount for the fuel filter ( then tie it up out of the way). Next remove the bolts at either end of the cross member and slide the cross-member out past the disc hub etc on the drivers side. Then change the mount and replace in the reverse order.

Frenchy · Dec 16, 2013

The price of some of the genuine bits is nuts !
A friend paid well over £15 for the little piece of rubber that sits in the diff oil clamp, it must be 2" x 1", they want 30 odd quid off me for a throttle body return spring with the little rubber sleeve, it still works fine without and has done for a few years it is on my "to get" list and rear MO30's along with fronts must be made out of platinum now.
Porsche need to get their prices sorted out, i always call them first and buy most of my new parts from them but as said some of the prices are silly, especially when you consider some parts are generic to a lot of German Marques of the era, window motors being an example
I try to support the original parts suppliers but sometimes the prices being asked see me buying elsewhere.

944 man · Dec 16, 2013

Rear M030 dampers used to be about £65 each plus VAT!!!

Frenchy · Dec 16, 2013

Simon,
I have a receipt here from around 10 years ago £49 plus vat each.................go figure [8|]

944 man · Dec 16, 2013

Front wings were £235+VAT when I last bought one, too.

944 man · Dec 16, 2013

ORIGINAL: Frenchy

Simon,
I have a receipt here from around 10 years ago £49 plus vat each.................go figure [8|]

You used to buy replacement rears and have the fronts rebuilt, didnt you? It must have been £65 including VAT, which just makes it worse.

Indi9xx · Dec 17, 2013

I am shocked by the price of some bits myself.

We recently replaced the plastic tray which sits in front of the windscreen, it did not cost a fortune, but seriously, it's the kind of item which gets used as packing in the box that a B&Q BBQ might come with that you throw away, it must cost 20p to make. Yet it came in a box that you would expect a front wing to come in, which thinking about it, probably cost more than the plastic tray.

The gearbox mounts are a silly price, and yet they are something we are changing often in the workshop at the moment, it seems like one in ten 944's we see at the moment need one.

The prices of 944 clutches have also increased by about 25% in the last year as well, water pumps, sensors etc, all shooting up in price.

They have also culled a few parts, which have not been put back into production on some older models, I have been trying to get 924 and 924 turbo engine mounts for a while, which seem to have been discontinued.

944 man · Dec 17, 2013

I can remember when Porsche-VW parts were usually cheaper from an OPC than from VW! I compared several in the early nineties when Merlin Chatsworth did all three makes.

simkin911 · Dec 18, 2013

I bought a new 968 steering wheel a fortnight ago. Not cheap but when, out of interest, I asked for a price for M030 hubs/spindles and calipers for my 968....nearly £4k. Hubs and spindles £1500 a side and calipers around £450 each. [

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'Not this Christmas' I thought. I'll refurb what I have!

Ex Skyline · Dec 18, 2013

ORIGINAL: Indi9xx

I am shocked by the price of some bits myself.

We recently replaced the plastic tray which sits in front of the windscreen, it did not cost a fortune, but seriously, it's the kind of item which gets used as packing in the box that a B&Q BBQ might come with that you throw away, it must cost 20p to make. Yet it came in a box that you would expect a front wing to come in, which thinking about it, probably cost more than the plastic tray.

The gearbox mounts are a silly price, and yet they are something we are changing often in the workshop at the moment, it seems like one in ten 944's we see at the moment need one.

The prices of 944 clutches have also increased by about 25% in the last year as well, water pumps, sensors etc, all shooting up in price.

They have also culled a few parts, which have not been put back into production on some older models, I have been trying to get 924 and 924 turbo engine mounts for a while, which seem to have been discontinued.

We recently replaced the plastic tray which sits in front of the windscreen, it did not cost a fortune,

That "Plastic Tray which sit's in front of the windscreen" wouldn't happen to have been fitted to my car would it Jon'? [

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TTM · Dec 18, 2013

Good to see new gearbox mounts are available again, as when I checked some months ago it was no longer available.
The price some years ago was closer to £100 than to £200 tho'... [8|]

Eldavo · Dec 18, 2013

Isn't this why the yanks tape them up and fill them with goop to refurbish them at home.

pauljmcnulty · Dec 18, 2013

I am shocked by the price of some bits myself.

Late '70s through early '90s Porsche parts are a complete enigma. But, it's pretty rare that Porsche parts become unavailable, or priced at really ridiculous levels.

As I've said before, my understanding is that Porsche supply a run of parts at a fixed price. That might mean you find something in stock at a very low price, when you would have thought it was out of production. Dash trim parts are a perfect example: last time I looked it was about £100 to replace the whole lot with new parts, which is way lower than buying brittle old ones from breakers or fleabay. But, when stock runs out they have to decide whether to make a new run, based on demand, and prices will be determined on the size of the run. That's why there are the sudden "spikes" in prices.

The plastic scuttle cover is a great example. I think it was something like £30 recently, which is silly money for a Porsche-specific part that lasts 20 years at least. What would the same part cost on other cars from the '80s? Say, an XJS, a Cossie, an Esprit, a 3-series?

944 man · Dec 18, 2013

It was close to £100 but superceded by the 968 part which is about £70 from memory. Its ridiculously expensive.

simkin911 · Dec 18, 2013

I bought a scuttle panel early last year for my old 944t. It cost £68 which I thought was mental for a piece of shaped plastic. However, a positive bargain when compared to door hinges.

jasonp · Dec 18, 2013

just recently paid for rear gear linkage,,crossbar and some rubber gromits= just over £50 from p/centre,east london,and with the new gear [pinion wear in old one] lever fitted,,has made a massive improvment to the gearbox which was rebuild 15k miles ago,,jasonp

pauljmcnulty · Dec 18, 2013

It cost £68 which I thought was mental for a piece of shaped plastic.

But, it's all relative. You can pay £3, £30, £300 or £3000 for a bottle of wine, and they're all just grape juice!

I think you have to compare parts prices with comparable cars. What would that unique bit of plastic cost for other '80s cars with similar production numbers? Would you get the same part for an XJS for the same price from Jag? An M3 is a different car, as it shares parts with the mass-produced version. What about a Lotus, for example?

Thinking about it, what's the price from Ford for a plastic scuttle cover on a new Focus? I'd bet it's more than £68!