Should have listened to John Sims....

[mik_ok]

.....and that way the car would be back on the road as opposed to stuck on the jack for a week whilst the OPC gets a new eccentric front strut bolt (the camber adjust one) and I return from Stuttgart (where I won't have time to visit the Porsche museum again ) []

The gym sessions must be paying off - I don't think I've snapped a bolt that thick before [&:] []

On the upside, one front damper and one rear felt "a little tired" after removal, and the other two felt "more than a little tired" ~ so hopefully I'll notice the difference once it's back on the road. The history shows no damper changes, and they certainly look like 14yr / 80K mile old originals.

(After much deliberation I went for std replacment units as I'm not planning to track it, and the car has to carry the boys in the back, and the wife-with-an-iffy-back in either of the two front seats).

 

[John Sims]

[&:] Don't worry; most people ignore me.

I tend to undertake a risk assessment on jobs on the car when deciding whether to do it myself or subcontract.

The criteria usually involves the following considerations, not necessarily in the order stated.:-

1. If it goes wrong will it immobilise the car and what is the probability of failure.
2. Does it need special tools
3. Would it be easy on a lift but awkward on axle stands
4. Does it involve bolts which are likely not to come undone or will break awkwardly so will then be a pain to extract.
5. Does it need two people.
6. Is it a standard job that others have done 100's of times or an untried upgrade in which case I have no less experience than anyone else.
7. Would X do a better job than I would.
8. Do I have time.
9. Can I be bothered.

And finally, should you choose to do the job yourself, always get new fixings. []

 

[Fen]

Your #9 is my #1. That's usually as far as the deliberation goes....

 

[jr2015]

Hi John,
Totally agree with you and would add "am I likely to set me, the car or the house on fire if I do this myself"There seem to be a sprinkling of people who pop up on here from time to time who`ve decided to start their DIY on cars by fiddling with a Porsche, which never fails to amaze me.
regards,
jr.

 

[mik_ok]

My mental checklist is more like yours than Fen's John [] and for the porker now includes a "history" element ~ no point DIY-ing something if it's gonna ruin the history (which is why I've accepted the local-ish specialist (Motortune) will do the annual servicing despite me being certain that I could do it.

The Simsapproach (Tm) would mean the car wasn't stuck on stands for a week for the sake of a £10 nut & bolt....... the flipside I guess is that I've "saved" £60ish as the other umpty-dumpteen fixings were fine to reuse (once "worked" with the help of a little grease of course). Woo and indeed, hoo. []

jr ~ don't worry - I don't fall into your "1st time" category [&:]

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: jr

.............There seem to be a sprinkling of people who pop up on here from time to time who`ve decided to start their DIY on cars by fiddling with a Porsche, which never fails to amaze me....

I know what you mean. While a Porsche is no different to any modern car they do seem to be a lot more advanced (read complicated) than other cars of a similar age. As Tony has said, much is well made and can be disassembled without too much grief after 15+ years. The only down side is that many jobs involve taking half of the car to pieces before you start; but then you would expect that from a manufacturer who designs a car that has to have the engine dropped out to change the spark plugs.
To commence DIY on a 944 will be a steep learning curve, with all those ancillary bits and plenty of threads screwed into aluminium. My first tinkering were with a MkI Escort, a nice honest, simple, car. It had a nice Kent engine, where you can see all the bits, and most were available from the motor factors on the corner. Happy days.

 

[jr2015]

Hi John,
I wasn`t referring to you with my remarks about fiddling with Porsches, and I agree with all you`ve written.I would say that I spend more time with an A/vo meter than spanners keeping mine on the road and would recommend buying one to anyone with an interest in keeping up with whats working and whats not and it can save money in pointing the garage to what they should be checking out.
I too have fond memories of the kent engine and also the "A" series and that little coolant transfer pipe.
best regards,
jr.

 

[berg944]

I would add

10. Who can I trust to do a good job.
11. Will I end up doing the job anyway.
12 Will I get ripped off
13 What price can you put on the knowledge and experience gained..........or to replace the engine you have just wrecked.

Mike[:'(][:'(]

 

[Guest]

My philosophy......

is it bodywork? no, then do it! (i hate doing bodywork..... [:'(] )

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: berg944

I would add

10. Who can I trust to do a good job.
11. Will I end up doing the job anyway.
12 Will I get ripped off
13 What price can you put on the knowledge and experience gained..........or to replace the engine you have just wrecked.

Mike[:'(][:'(]

It sounds like you've had some bad experiences there Mike. I'm pleased to say that I have total confidence in both Autostrasse and Motorpreparation who have carried out work on Beaky.

I agree that you can't beat the experience of doing the job yourself. But there are some experiences I would happily fore go. Laying under a car on a cold damp afternoon, as the light fast fades, bits drop in your eyes, and that last bolt just won't come undone, isn't my idea of having a good time.

 

[Fen]

I tend to agree with that. My response on this thread was slightly tongue in cheek but realistically anything involving jacking my car up on my (sloping) drive and going underneath it I tend to avoid now. What I do have available to me after my project is the opportunity to work on my car with my indie on his ramp using his tools (often while he works on another car) which means I have learned a lot about the car and done a fair bit of the non engine rebuild work myself but with the safety net of someone who knows what he is doing available to assist when I come unstuck. I learned on Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts too - I used to enjoy it back then but I'm not sure even with the ramp etc. that I still do today.

 

[eastendr]

ORIGINAL: jr
and also the "A" series and that little coolant transfer pipe.
best regards,
jr.

[] [] Oh yes [] [] two minature jubilee clips.

 

[zeb]

ORIGINAL: jr

Hi John,
Totally agree with you and would add "am I likely to set me, the car or the house on fire if I do this myself"There seem to be a sprinkling of people who pop up on here from time to time who`ve decided to start their DIY on cars by fiddling with a Porsche, which never fails to amaze me.
regards,
jr.

having read all these i feel this one is closest to my mantra.....the fire ,pestilence and flood approach![]

 

[jr2015]

,
regards,
jr.

 

[Diver944]

Does anyone mind if I edit the title of this post?

It just seems morally wrong to be encouraging peope to listen to anything that John Sims says

 

[John Sims]

ORIGINAL: Diver944

Does anyone mind if I edit the title of this post?

It just seems morally wrong to be encouraging peope to listen to anything that John Sims says

I would object strongly, although I would have to agree with your sentiments. [] Law of averagessuggestss that I must be rightoccasionallyy though.