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New 944 owner advice

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WillRayden

New member
Hi,

I've been browsing this forum for a while as I have decided to get a 944. Went to look at one today and just have a couple of questions I hope you guys can answer.

Firstly I noticed a bit of whine from the rear diff when the car was cold, this all but went away after 20 mins of driving, is this anything to worry about?
Secondly the brakes seems to take a little warming up as well, they were fine when used a little, but pretty rubbish when I first jumped into it (although it has been sat for a couple of weeks, so there could have been some runst on the disks - I didn't check!)
Finally it needs a few odds to make it A1, so i just wanted to know how hard it is to get dashboards as it's a bit cracked on the top of this one...
Oh, its a 1989 2.7 LUX BTW.

Thanks in advance.
Will.
 
ORIGINAL: WillRayden

Hi,

I've been browsing this forum for a while as I have decided to get a 944. Went to look at one today and just have a couple of questions I hope you guys can answer.

Firstly I noticed a bit of whine from the rear diff when the car was cold, this all but went away after 20 mins of driving, is this anything to worry about?
Secondly the brakes seems to take a little warming up as well, they were fine when used a little, but pretty rubbish when I first jumped into it (although it has been sat for a couple of weeks, so there could have been some runst on the disks - I didn't check!)
Finally it needs a few odds to make it A1, so i just wanted to know how hard it is to get dashboards as it's a bit cracked on the top of this one...
Oh, its a 1989 2.7 LUX BTW.

Thanks in advance.
Will.
Click to expand...

Hi Will,

Welcome to the forum! Sounds from your description like the noise from the rear is no worse than expected, they're all noisy but a good negotiating point. Brakes again, sounds like a bit of use was all that's needed but it could need pads, fluid change or bleeding.

Dashboards are just beginning to go on the later oval-dash cars, the same way the early models went years ago. It's not hard to get replacements now, but I'd guess we'll be seeing many more over the next few years and good ones will be worth loads! There is a leather covering kit from the states, not a cheap option though.

If you've been following the forum you'll know the big potential problems like rusty cills, but you can set the "display topics from last" to a longer period of time if you're short of reading material! [:)]

Good luck,
 
Cheers for the reply, I went over it with a fine-tooth-combe looking for rust, and there isn't any, anywhere! Not bad for a 20yr old car! There are a few other cosmetic bits like seat bolsters and the steering wheel which are both knackered, and the paint is a little flat (it's white, so probably a general issue with the colour) but nothing a good wax won't sort out!

It's amazing how similar it is to the RX7 FC, I had one of those a few years ago and the look and feel of the two cars it very similar...

Rust does not bother me too much anyway TBH as I am a reasonably competant welder (my other passion, the classic Mini, has taught me to weld!) it's more the mechanicals that concern me, but in general this one looks pretty good... I just need to wait for my insurance cheque from my old car now, which was stolen a month ago!!
 
Black dashboards seem to be very easy to get hold of secondhand as they are far and away the most plentiful interior colour. Dark blue is a bit trickier, I have had two crack over the years so now make sure you keep your interior plastics well conditioned with creams desiged for the purpose.

Changing the dash takes about a day and a whole lot of courage but it's easy to do (just long winded)
 
make sure you keep your interior plastics well conditioned with creams desiged for the purpose.
Click to expand...

Brand names would be gratefully received by all the people I've sent panicking to listen to their dashboards slowly cracking....[&o]
 
ORIGINAL: Alpine

whereabouts do the dashboards crack ?
Click to expand...

I guess they're all similar, the one that I looked at had cracked above the istrument cluster in a 'front to back' type direction.
 
I've never had a dash crack (and I've never had a black dash though it is the most common as Paul said).

I think it's safe to assume it's a sun thing and for a car kept garaged it won't be such an issue as for one kept outside. Worth conditioning it regardless though. Some of my cars have lived outside, even if one of them rarely goes outside, so I expect conditioning was the reason I got away with it.
 
They seem to be going along the thin sections between the windscreen vents. I guess that's the thinnest point, and in the worst cases it spreads from there outwards. Anything else is likely to be caused by other damage.

Take a look at a 924, or an early Lux, and it's easy to spot the weak points. I'd agree that sunshine can't help, but I'd think that the way the heater sends hot air through the vents does as much damage over the years. It's a failure of the materials, and as it's the same material as the early dash it's only a matter of time.

Strangely, the majority of reported cases so far are the blue dash - both rarer, and later, than the black, and I'd think less likely to absorb heat? [8|]
 
ORIGINAL: pauljmcnulty
Strangely, the majority of reported cases so far are the blue dash - both rarer, and later, than the black, and I'd think less likely to absorb heat? [8|]
Click to expand...

The one i looked at is a blue one as well...
 
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