23rd May 1997
Subject: front airdams on 87 and later 928s
I've been driving 928s since they first came out. Currently on my sixth one which is an 87 S4 five speed. In the seven years I have owned it I have replace the front air dam four or five times. With one exception, they were all broken by restaurant parking lot attendants who drove them too far into parking places and smashed the air dams either on the way in, or when backing out. They now cost app. $500.00 plus labor to replace. Has anyone come up with a remedy for this aside from not allowing others to drive your 87 or later 928s? would appreciate and input, as I am currently waiting for a new air dam to arrive for installation.
Gene O'Rourke
26th May 1997
Subject: GTS Replica wheels
I was wondering if any of you guys have replaced the stock wheels on 87 - 90 928s with the GTS replica wheels sold by "The Tire Rack" I'll need to replace my front tires soon and have been thinking of buying a package the advertise of Borbet GTS wheels with Dunlop 8000 or whatever tires for less than $1800.00 I had to replace a wheel a few years ago and Porsche charged 850.00 for a single wheel. Also, I don't know if they are readily interchangeable without using spacers or whatever because of the different curcumference etc. I'd appreciate any input from whoever has done this.
Gene O'Rourke
27th May 1997
Subject: Re: 928 Digest for 27 May 1997
Re: Leonard Laub's comments on MPG: As a point of reference, I recall using the cruise control on my 87S4 five speed just once in the seven years I've had it. Set it at 78 MPH and drove nonstop on a single tank full of gas from Palm Beach FL to Charleston SC in seven hours. Took 21.7 gallons there and averaged 23.8 MPG which is just five MPG better than I average in normal driving.
6th June 1997
Subject: Miatas vs 928s
In the June 4th digest "Cadman" stated that he had to defend Miatas due to their similarity to 928s. I didn't realize anyone was attacking Miatas! They're cute little cars and they do bear a certain similarity to 928s in that they both have a wheel at each corner. Beyond that comparing them is like comparing a dugout canoe to a torpedo boat! Also, Mr. Cadman, welcome to the real world of driving. You have quite probably saved your own and other peoples lives by learning to stay out of the left hand lane on the Autobahnen.
Gene O'Rourke
6th June 1997
Subject: Mikel Evans
Mikel,
Congratulations, you couldn't have picked a better car for the twice daily insanity of Route 17. I don't know what the various strange noises emanating from your 928 are, but I do know someone in Santa Cruz who can probably find what they are without nailing you to the wall. About 18 months ago I drove to Florida from Aptos and thought that I'd replace the shocks on my 87 S4 as the car had about 80K on it and the original shocks were allowing the car to bottom out occasionally on hard bumps. I took it to Parnelli Jones in Santa Cruz and they put new Boges on.
They must have put them on with a sixteen pound sledge hammer because the next morning all my steering fluid was on the driveway under the car. Naturally they denied any responsibility and nothing would move them to admit they had messed the car up. I didn't have time to argue. I asked around and found a small company called "Hennings Werkstatt Inc", a father/son operation at 116 River St. in Santa Cruz. I related to them what had happened and told them that I had planned on leaving for Florida that day. They examined the undercarriage, and confirmed that someone had done fatal damage to the steering rack. They had a rack trucked in from LA the next day and the following morning I was on the road to Florida. They charged me about half the amount that the nearest Porsche dealer wanted and did it in one day rather than the two to three weeks the Porsche wanted. Hope your car works out for you. The muted whining sound could possible be a fuel pump but best to have the car checked out by someone who knows 928s.
Gene O'Rourke
6th June 1997
Subject: Terry Webster
Terry,
Would you call a Ferrari a "Ferrar" or a Chevrolet a "Shev" or a Maserati a "Mazz" ? just thought I'd ask. Having driven Porsches as in "Porsha" for a very long time.
Gene O'Rourke
8th June 1997
Subject: Chunk's directional signals
Re: Chunk's problems with his directional signals. Don't know for sure if this is the cause of his problem, but I had a similar problem on my 87S4 a couple of years ago. It turned out that the bearings in the steering shaft had come unglued and jammed the mechanism that operates the directional signals. The new bearing was very inexpensive but the only way my mechanic could get the old bearings out without dismantling the entire car was to put a little magnet on the end of a long skinny rod, slide it down inside the steering shaft housing and fish the bearings out one at a time. Sounds difficult but didn't take very long and obviated the necessity of dismantling the entire steering mechanism. One way to check is to loosen the locking lever for steering wheel height and shake the wheel and control pod up and down. If it feels wobbly or loose in any way, the bearing is probably shot.
Gene O'Rourke
9th June 1997
Subject: 928 Mechanics in San Diego
V.N. Rains asked about knowledgeable 928 Mechanics in the San Diego area. 928 International in Anaheim is, supposedly, among the best and if you don't want to drive up to Anaheim, call them at 714-632-9288 they can most likely put you on to someone in San Diego.
Gene O'Rourke
12th June 1997
Subject: Randy's denigrating comments on 928 five speeds
Re: Randy's comments on the fragility of 928 five speeds: I'm am currently on my sixth 928 and have driven them over three hundred thousand miles. Two had automatic transmissions and the other four including my current 87S4 had/has five speeds. I have NEVER had either transmission or clutch problems with any of the five speeds on which I've put about a quarter of a million miles jointly. That includes the 85K I have put on the one I'm driving now. I drive them hard but don't abuse them. I can only surmise that anyone who has constant problems with the 5 speeds is doing just that. I did have transmission work done on an 83 with automatic, but even that was only about three hundred dollars. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a five speed to any prospective buyer. I can think of a bunch of other things to warn about but the transmission isn't one of them.
Gene O'Rourke
17th June 1997
Subject: Dennis Wilson /belt tension indication
I can't recall a single 928 (and I've had six of them) that didn't flash the "Belt Tension" warning from time to time. After having the tension checked a number of times on a few cars I finally just ignored it. I have also had false indications of brake pad wear, tail lights out, and several others that I can't recall. That electronic nightmare up above the passengers feet should have been redesigned a long time ago. Its' one of the 928s worst weak spots in an otherwise superb automobile.
Gene O'Rourke
20th June 1997
Subject: Tim Rollins comments on belt tension indications
When I said that I had ignored the "belt tension" indications on several cars, I meant that the belts were either new or in "like new" condition and the warning light was on regardless. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has had these false trouble indications, as I've had six 928s and have driven them over three hundred thousand miles. I've had false warning lights on most of them at one time or another, particularly the belt tension, and upon having the belts checked, have never found any of them to be improperly tensioned. I believe that its' usually Porsche's elctronic manifestation of the boy that cried wolf.
Gene O'Rourke
12th July 1997
Subject: Motor Oil
I've been reading the various remarks made by members of this group regarding the relative merits of various types and brands of motor oil. I think that everyone involved should get a copy of the July 96 issue of Consumer Reports. They tested various types and brands of motor oil on a fleet of 75 N.Y.C. Taxi cabs for two years and roughly 60,000 miles each. Changing the oil in all of them at 6,000 mile intervals. Those of you who have spent much time in N.Y.C. will appreciate the horrendous conditions the cabs there are run under. At the end of the two years, they tore the engines down and tested them for wear on the various components that would be affected by the oil. Guess what they found! Oil is oil is oil! It didn’t make a damned bit of difference whether it was regular or synthetic, cheap or expensive, one brand or another. There was absolutely no difference in any of the engines with regard to lubrication etc. All it really boils down to is big time advertising hype, just like STP was for many years before it was discovered that the only benefit from it was Andy Granatelli's ability to buy big yachts and winter homes in Palm Beach or wherever.
If any of you guys are putting eight quarts of synthetic in your beloved S4 engines at eight or nine bucks a pop, you'd be a hell of a lot better of taking your wives or girlfriends out for dinner and buying your oil at the local cut rate store. It will be just as kind to your engines and may do wonders for your sex lives. I'm outta here until late August so don't waste your time flaming me, as I'm leaving in the morning to drive my old S4 on a 4000 mile trip loaded to the gills with cut rate oil. Which by the way, it has never burned a drop of in over 90,000 miles.
Aloha Gene O'Rourke
When I return my new Email address will be: abeo@worldnet.att.net
16th September 1997
Subject: Personalized license plates.
Regarding personalized license plates: Mine is ABEO, figure that one out.
Gene O'Rourke 87 S4 5sp
16th September 1997
Subject: 928 Radiators
With all the talk of cooling systems going on I think I should
relate what happened to me in July. I was a few miles north of
Wilmington, Delaware heading north at about 85 mph. The outside
temperature when I passed through Washington was 105. I had the
AC on max and the heat gauge was running a little over normal but
not up to the first white mark. The car which has 96K on it was
running smooth as grease. Suddenly the heat gauge literally shot
up into the red zone and smoke started pouring out of the AC
vents. I immediately pulled off onto the shoulder but the engine
died before I even rolled to a stop.
Lots of smoke, not steam, poured off the engine. At first I
thought that the engine was on fire and naturally, I had moved my
extinguisher to one of my other cars and had forgotten about it.
Fortunately, after a few minutes, the smoke died down. Meanwhile,
I was on my phone, to AAA and shortly a wrecker arrived. The guy
wanter to shove a hydraulic ram six inches high under my brand
new front air dam. I told him that I needed a flatbed and
explained why.
His grandson arrived with one a short while later and I had to
show him how to winch it up on the truck by putting wooden blocks
under the front tires etc. As he was winching it up he said;
"Don't worry mister, we'll fix it up for you. Does this one
have the engine in the front or the back?" As he said that,
I was talking to my mechanic in Pompano Beach and after he
stopped laughing he said, "Don't let them touch that car! So
I had it flatbedded eleven hundred miles back to Florida. End
result? The spring in the pressure cap on the radiator broke and
fell into the resevoir below. The water pump immediately pumped
all the water out of the radiator and the left hand cylinder head
cracked and the gasket for same blew. The head had to be welded
by an aircraft repair shop that does a lot of aluminum welding.
Two months later, I'm just getting the car back. While the head
was off, the mechanic discovered that one of the cam bearing caps
had a hunk broken out of it around one of the screw holes. A two
dollar part right? All the Porsche dealers in Florida said the
the cap was made of unobtainium and could only be purchased as an
integral part of an entire head assembly for approximately $1500.00.
So my mechanic had a local machine shop make a new one out of a
block of aluminum for $150.00. After driving 928s over three
hundred thousand miles since 1978 I thought that I had
experienced every thing that could happen to them. I was wrong.
My advice? All members of this group invest five dollars or
whatever and replace your radiator caps. Mine was obviously a ten
year old original.
Gene O'Rourke
20th September 1997
Subject: Vincent Soo, Ferry Porsche, Dr. Bob's quere on tire pressures and expected life.
Vincent Soo,
Thanks so much for adding a thousand lines or congratulatory
messages honoring Ferry Porsche. I'm sure that you are being
appreciated by hundreds of people all over the world for that.
This could possible result in his eventual canonization. Saint
Ferry, patron saint of funny little cars with engines that try to
pass the driver on curves and ignition keys that are just right
for us few lonely lefthanders. Having driven Porsches as long as
there have been Porsches I share your feelings but hopefully now
that you've gone to all the trouble to fete him 400 times, the
sentiment, extrapolated out to once a year will cover us until
the year 2391. With such a mountain of congratulations being
heaped on the poor man, could'nt you have saved just a few of
them for Enzo Ferrari, Carroll Shelby, Bruce McLaren, Augie
Duesenberg, Paul Daimler, Ettore Bugatti, Jim Clark, Colin
Chapman, Zora Arkus Duntov, and Briggs Cunningham, to name just a
few guys who designed some pretty good cars? Also, it may
interest you to know that you share birthdays with Jeffrey Dahmer,
Spiro Agnew, Charles Manson, Attilla the Hun, Hitler, Klem
Kadiddlehopper, and Alfred E. Neuman. Happy Birthday! Dr. Bob
asked about tire inflation and wear on 928s. Having driven them
since they first came out, I've found, at least for me, that if I
run them a couple of pounds over the factory listed pressures of
36 & 44, that they seem to last longer and handle at least
marginally better. Could be psychological. Underinflation
guarantees frequent trips to the tire dealers. I can't really
comment knowledgeably about tire life because that depends on
your driving type and habits as well as the tire brand and
running pressure. I'd say though that as a general rule, unless
you burn rubber and drive like a squirrel, you should probably
get at least twenty thousand miles on back tires and a few
thousand more on the front. Depends entirely on the weight of
your feet. Same holds true for clutches. I just had the engine
out of my car for some top end work and told my mechanic that he
might as well change the clutch plate as the car has 96k on it.
After examining it he said it hardly showed any wear at all, and
put the original back in. So that should'nt be a major problem
unless the previous owner thought he was Paul Tracey or some
other bubblehead of that ilk.
You don't have to baby these cars, but you should check both tire
pressures and wheel alignment quite frequently. Wheel alignment
has always been a 928 bugaboo, Its' a great suspension system,
one that Ford is just now copying for some of their cars 20 years
after Porsche did it, but all it takes to knock it out is that
unseen major pothole or speed bump. If in doubt, have at least
the front suspension checked, it'll only cost a few dollars and
may save you the four or five hundred that two new front tires
will cost, over and above the distinct possibility of having an
eighty five m.p.h. blowout at two a.m. 67 miles outside of South
Overshoe, North Dakota. And try to find a place there that stocks
225/50 ZR 16s!
Gene O'Rourke
87 S4 5sp
85 Celica GTS Convertible
93 Mercedes E300 Convertible
95 BMW 740 IL
97 Sable Wagon
97 Dodge Grand Caravan
21st September 1997
Subject: Kurt Gibbel's home wheel alignment instructions.
Kurt,
Just read your instructions for home wheel alignment. Sounds like you're either getting ready to launch a Titan III from Canaveral or build a full size replica of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile. Would'nt it be a helluva lot easier to take it to a pro and have him do it in fifteen or twenty minutes for $39.95?
Gene O'Rourke
22nd September 1997
Subject: Self inflicted 928 wheel alignment.
Re: the comments made by Mark DaVia, David Roberts, and James
Morrison on my message to Kurt Gibbel on doing whell alignments
at home. James, the last thing I would do would be to discourage
anyone from working on their cars themselves. Did it myself for a
long time on just about every kind of sportscar you can think of.
However, all three of you seem to be under the impression that
wheel alignment on a 928 is a mystical thing. I'm on my seventh
one and have driven them jointly over three hundred thousand
miles since 78.
During that time I've probably had six or seven alignment jobs
done on the six earlier ones and just had a two wheel alignment
done on my 87 this past Friday, as I had hit a major pothole and
threw the alignment off just enough to finish off my front tires.
This was the third alignment I had done on this particular car
because I've put over 80K on it in the past eight years. (87 S4 5sp).
The alignment cost $39.00. A four wheel alignment would have been
$59.00.
Maybe, because I was involved in the so-called exotic car
business for a few years here in South Florida, I learned through
trial and error, who the good mechanics and tire and alignment
places were. The most I ever paid for a four wheel alignment was
$89.00 at a Parnelli Jones franchise in Santa Cruz, Calif. and
they destroyed my steering rack in the process. With that single
exception I've never had any problems with people messing up
alignment jobs. Oh, and one other thing. I've seen guys take
several hours to do 928 alignments and I've also watched others
do them in a half hour or less. The fact that 928s are hardly
ubiquitous in most places obviously adds to the confusion, as
many people just haven’t worked on them before and have to
flounder around for a while in the process. But please don't
mistake my intent. After reading Kurt Gibbel's somewhat
protracted instructions, on how to perform this wondrous and
mystical task at home, I was merely attempting to add a note of
levity to the proceedings. The mere fact that I have had as many
928s and driven them that many miles surely tells what I think of
them. However, they're still cars and I think that sometimes
people tend to imbue them with a mystery they don't deserve. Hope
I did'nt offend anyone.
Gene O'Rourke
26th September 1997
Subject: Victor Ramondetta's Disgusted
Vic,
You have plenty of company. Several years ago I pulled up to a
traffic signal in Boca Raton in my beautiful triple black Ferrari
328. I had a georgeous creature with me who was terribly
impressed with the car as she had never been in a Ferrari before.
A guy in a 911 pulled up on my right in the curb lane and while
we were waiting for the light to change we engaged in a revving
contest. On green, we both floored it and were running neck and
neck when we were both suddenly blown into the weeds by a gang of
high school kids in a Buick that sounded like it had an Allison
engine in it, although it was hard to tell because the eleven
million watts of amplification they had pumping out acid rock was
doing permanent brain damage to everyone within several hundred
yards.
After I stopped laughing I got rid of the Ferrari and went back
to 928s like the good lord meant me to. Another subject:
Insurance. Maybe some of you guys should check out GEICO if they
operate in your state. I have full coverage on my 87S4 including
collision, comprehensive, glass damage, acts of war, uninsured
motorist, and tsunami damage. I pay 840.00 per year with no
mileage limitations. Driving the old turkey to Connecticut today.
Gotta get some sailing in before the weather in New England turns
ugly. Still too hot down here for human habitation.
Talk to you guys in a few weeks.
Gene O'Rourke
6th October 1997
Subject: 86 928S for sale
This is from Gene O'Rourke : abeo@worldnet.att.net, I'll be away from my computer in Florida until the end of Oct. but if anyone wants to contact me on this car I can be reached at 401-781-6137 until then. I looked at and drove an 86S five speed yesterday in Connecticut. Red/ black; apparently always garaged as the car looks like new. This young guy that owns it, paid 14,000 for it last year. At the time of purchase it had 59 thousand miles on it. It now has 72,300. He's getting married and the Porsche has to go so he can buy a house. He still owes 11,300 on it and will sell it for that amount just to get clear of the bank loan. It drives like a new car. Brakes and clutch both feel strong. Good rubber and the engine compartment looks clean . He bought it from a dealer and doesn't know the history. He's never spent a dime on it so doesn't know if the 60 thousand mile tuneup haas been done. I asked him if he knew whether the original timing belt had been changed and he knew nothing about it. From all appearances however, the car has been well cared for. If anyone is interested contact me at the R.I. phone listed above. There's no aanswering machine on it but I'll be there most of the time for the next two or three weeks.
Gene O'Rourke
4th November 1997
Subject: Phil Tong's crashed hard drive.
Phil,
Look at it this way. You should probably back up your drive at least every three or four years. In the meantime, think of all the crap you had accumulated on the drive that you did'nt know how to get rid of because some diabolical bastard deliberately designed it to be "Uninstall Proof". Also, think of all the time you did'nt waste messing around with tapes, and jazz drives etc. Further, you can now throw the old drive away and for just a few hundred dollars, replace it with a 9.3GB drive that will allow you to download even more useless junk! Progress! It's wonderful, isn't it?
Gene O'Rourke
10th November 1997
Subject: Serge's squealing brakes
Serge,
Brake hard a few times. The pads are probably glazed. If that does'nt work take the car to Igor. He told me that you were in to see him a few days ago. He'll remove the squeal quickly for practically no cost.
Gene O'Rourke
27th November 1997
Subject: Brian Malms lust for a 928.
Brian,
The price you mentioned, $10,500, would be very good for an 86
if it hadn't been in a collision. However, if there was extensive
body damage, you should stay far away from it. You could easily
double the price by the time you restored it to its' original
condition. For that kind of money you could get a good 88S4.
Check it out.
Gene O'Rourke
27th November 1997
Subject: Paul Hatziiliades problems wiith criminal insurance companies.
Paul,
You don't have to take the insulting amount of money that the
thieves who run your insurance company have offered you. There
are several things you can do. Tell them that they insured your
car for replacement value. Let them go out and find one just like
yours and buy it for you, or you find one and when you do, call
them and let them negotiate a price and buy it for you. You didn’t
quibble with them over the outrageous amount of money they
extorted from you to insure the car. So let them hold up their
half of the bargain and replace it. Further, contact the criminal
fraud division of the Massachusetts State Attorney Generals
office on this. Copy the Insurance carrier, and the state
insurance commission. Also, contact the Better Busines Bureau,
local newspapers, and any other members of the media you can get
to. Porsche dealers may be interested in adding their voices as
well.
The time is long past when people who drive so called "exotic"
cars should stop being victimized by the disgusting bean counting
actuaries who work for insurance bandits and who drive Chevettes
and hate everyone who does'nt want to be part of the same herd
they belong to. Maybe members of this group and others like it
should investigate the idea of starting our own non-profit
insurance company for owners of Porsches, Ferraris, etc. I'd be
willing to bet that a few hours research on the net would come up
with some surprising results vis-a-vis the percentage of
accidents that such cars are involved in as opposed to run of the
mill station wagons, SUVs, and pickup trucks that the vast
majority of people drive. Who knows? you might just throw enough
of a scare into them so they'll grudgingly treat you fairly for
fear that you'll become a major hassle.
Gene O'Rourke
29th November 1997
Subject: Ok74136@aol.com's message re: insurance
If the hypothetical 928 went to car heaven and nobody found out, I wonder if it would meet the mime who was killed when the tree fell on it in the forest and nobody really gave a shit?
Gene O'Rourke
6th December 1997
Subject: Jeroan Berloth
Jeroan,
Thanks for crapping up about eight hundred computers around the world. You have endeared yourself to every 928 owner in both hemispheres. I'm gratified that you looked up the correct spelling of "curmudgeon". Now go look up Cretin, Imbecile, Idiot, moron, and inconsiderate son of a bitch; then go take a long hard look in a mirror; then go out and play in the left hand lane of the autobahn. We have braindead assholes like you in this country too, but we shoot them here.
Gene O'Rourke
6th December 1997
Subject: Jeroen Berloth
My apologies to Jeroen Berloth. I've experienced similar things in the past, as I'm sure most of you have, and in a moment of anger, typed my caustic message. It didn't occur to me at the moment, that it was a software glitch. Please forgive me Jeroen, I just hope it's not too late to recall the Tomahawk cruise missile heading for Amsterdam. Gene O'Rourke
6th December 1997
Subject: Dave Cooley's quick reply re:my vitriolic response to Jeoen Berloths 200 odd messages.
Dave,
Thanks for crapping up about 800 computers around the world. I've already fired my only cruise missile at the Netherlands. Not serious.
I apologize to you also.
Gene O'Rourke
17th December 1997
Subject: Serge Ghattas's query on calibrating gas gauges
Serge,
Re: calibrating gas gauges. I've had a whole gang of 928s and can't recall a single one that had an accurate gauge. I know almost to the mile how far my 87S4 will go on a tankfull either on a trip or around town, and just reset the trip meter when I fill up. I usually fill up at about 400 miles with mixed driving, and 450 to 500 on a trip. One time just for the hell of it I decided to stretch it and see how far I could go. I drove from Palm Beach to Charleston, S.C., 530 miles in exactly seven hours without stopping. My low fuel light was on the last 50 or 60 miles. When I filled up it took 21 1/2 gallons. That was with my cruise control set at 78 mph. Roughly 24.5 m.p.g. Not too bad considering the speed, weight, horsepower, and the fact that the car hadn't been tuned for quite a few thousand miles. Incidentally, was that your black 87S4 that I saw in Igor's place when I picked my car up last friday?
Looked good.
Gene O'Rourke
17th December 1997
Subject: Groucho Date
Leonard,
Another to toughy that Groucho posed was: "What kind of an animal wears horseshoes?'
Gene O'Rourke
17th December 1997
Subject: Re: Eric Hoffman's post on the Jan. Ferraro club.
Eric,
Talk about not knowing what’s going on in your own back
yard. I live right down the beach from the Breakers and wasn't
aware of the Ferrari thing until I saw your post. I should have
been, but have spent most of the past six months in New England.
Also I've had several Ferraris over the years, so I think it
would be a kick to meet some of the members of this group.
Gene O'Rourke
17th December 1998
Subject: J.P. Rodkey's post on Richard Camp's Viper statement in Autoweek
I saw Ricard Camp's statement in the Autoweek Buyer's guide comparing his Viper to his 928. In it he stated that he had driven the Viper 1450 miles in one day and that it hadn't beaten him up. For whatever its worth, I borrowed a Viper one day last year from a friend and drove it from Palm Beach to Islamorada in the keys. A distance of about 250 miles. When I got there I was half deaf and felt like someone had been beating me in the rear end with a baseball bat. On the other hand, I have often knocked off 1000-1200 mile days in various 928s without feeling stiff or beaten. Richard Camp must have a cast iron butt. To each his own. The Viper is a fun car to drive for an hour or two but beyond that it's the pits. Comparing the Viper to the 928, is, in my not so humble opinion, analogous to comparing a Timex to a Rolex. They both tell time, so what? If that makes me a car snob, I happily plead mea culpa.
Gene O'Rourke
20th Decemebr 1997
Subject: Re: Thilo Cort's oil consumption
Thilo,
Your remark concerning oil consumption at an indicated 180 mph makes perfect sense. also, the blue smoke your friends noticed can easily be explained. An 87S4 with automatic transmission can reach 180mph approximately three seconds after if falls out of a C-130. The blue smoke your friends noticed was not coming from your car. It was seeping up through cracks in the autobahn from a place far below. If you heard any other sound over the anguished scream of the engine, it may have been Gabriel blowing his horn. Cruising at or below 150mph will dramatically decrease both oil consumption and tire wear. Now that you've identified yourself as an attorney, I'll reiterate my earlier remarks about playing on the freeway. Perhaps you should add some teflon coated rosary beads to your mirror. They may come in handy.
Gene O'Rourke
24th December 1997
Subject: Re: Anthony Bodin's rear hatch release.
A number of years ago I had an 86S that developed the same problem. It was fixed by merely loosening the hatch hinge bolts and realigning them. The fix took about ten minutes. The misalignment was so slight that it wasn't visible to the naked eye, but just enough to cause the latch to malfunction. Check it out, it could possibly by the cause of your problem.
Gene O'Rourke
24th December 1997
Subject: E.J. Porter's query on 928 maintenance costs
E.J. Your post immediately made me think of Alfred Vanderbilt's
reply to someone who asked him how much it cost to operate his
huge yacht,
"If you have to ask, you couldn't afford it". However,
its' difficult to come up with an average. I'm on my seventh 928,
and have driven them roughly 350 thousand miles since my first
one in 77. Some I spent next to nothing on, and a couple of them
were sort of like Vanderbilt's yacht. Much depends on the type of
driving, mileage, and climate. As far as tuneup costs go, when my
present car, an 87S4 5speed, approached the 60K mark, the local
Porsche dealer told me in a very cavalier manner, that the 60K
tuneup would run "somewhere between 12 and 15 hundred
dollars. Instead, I had the local mechanic I used at the time do
it. He charged $523.00 and apologized profusely for the big bill
which was largely labor.
I feel that if you can find an individual who is really
experienced with 928s and who isn't into raping you because you
drive an expensive car, that you're usually better off than
taking it to a Porsche dealer. I'm sure some of the members will
disagree with that, and I realize that there may be special
circumstances where a dealer might be equipped to perform some
services not normally available from an individual mechanic, but
in all my years of driving the breed I haven't found many of them.
Gene O'Rourke
25th December 1997
Subject: Christmas, oil types, fuel consumption
Happy Holidays to all members of the group. Couple of things.
In yesterday's post Bill Parrish mentioned that he averages 12
miles to the gallon. Bill, your car should get better mileage
than that at 150 miles an hour! Something is drastically wrong. I've
never had worse than 17mpg around town or 22-24 mpg on trips, and
thats in seven different 928s. Do you possibly have teen aged
neighbors who own a siphon hose? Secondly, all this esoteric talk
about the relative merits of different kinds of oil and which
brands last longer etc. baffles me. I can't remember ever having
to add a quart of oil to any of my 928s between changes and I
usually change the oil about every 6000 miles even though the
owners manual says 15000 miles is okay. Also, I don't baby these
cars, I drive them as hard as they were designed to be driven.
All members of the group who are constantly discussing the above,
should have a July 1996 copy of Consumer Reports. They did a
major long term test of motor oils. They took 75 New York City
taxicabs and tested them over a period of two years.. Anyone who's
ever spent much time in Manhattan knows the horrendous conditions
these cabs are run under.
Just for starters, temperature differentials of over 100 degrees,
constant heavy braking and accelerating, 24hour days, general
abuse, etc. They used all brands and viscosities, synthetics as
well as regular, etc. etc. they changed oil in the cabs every
6000 miles. They all had over 60,000 miles put on them during the
test period. At the end of that time they tore the engines down
in all 75 cabs, and guess what they found? Wonder of wonders! It
didn't make a damned bit of difference what brand or whether the
oil was regular or synthetic. All engines had about the same
degree of wear! The magazine obviously goes into much greater
detail. The article looks like it's probably at least four or
five thousand words, replete with charts, graphs, etc. as I
recall. I would imagine that copies could be obtained by
contacting the magazine. Lastly, several members have likened
driving their cars to wet dreams come true etc. I can understand
their feelings, after driving them for 20 years the damned things
grow on you like barnacles. I have other, much newer, quieter,
cars with all the bells and whistles but find myself driving my
ten year old 928 most of the time. They/it have/has become like
an extension of my body. When driving other cars I find myself
unconsciously reaching for controls, switches, etc. where logic
and Dr. Porsche deemed they should be, and being somewhat irked
at the obvious stupidity of their designers for failing to
recognize that simple ergonomic fact. I have therefore informed
members of my family that upon my demise, I wish to be stuffed
and mounted, with my Stirling Moss driving shoes, Juan Fangio
helmet, and Dan Gurney nomex driving suit on (which will prabably
come in handy where I expect to be), Sat behind the wheel of the
freshly detailed car with Linda Ronstadt and Nelson Riddle
playing softly on the stereo, and lowered into a 928S4 sized
resting place. Except for one brother who is also a long time
Porsche addict, the rest of the family thinks I'm sick, but wait
till they open my will and discover that I'm serious!
Merry Christmas and a great 928 "98"
Gene O'Rourke
27th December 1997
Subject: Clutch trauma by S.Lewis
You've probably blown your clutch cylinder. When that happens, the pedal goes to the floor the way you described. I doubt if its' your master cylinder. If it was, you wouldn't have any brakes now unless it was a slow leak between the master cylinder and the clutch slave, in which case your brakes will disappear shortly. You shouldn't be looking at a bill much larger than two hundred dollars to fix it.
Gene O'Rourke
28th December 1997
Subject: James Morrison's query on tires
James,
Re: your post on tires. I've been driving 928s as long as they've made them and have tried lots of different tires. I've had good luck with Pirellis, Fuldas, and Bridgestones. I've been running Toyo Proxes until recently. Expensive, and never gripped the road like some others. I replaced the front tires with Dunlop D40-M2s a few weeks ago and they drove me crazy. They sang like snowtires.
I took the car back to the dealer and he replaced them with SP 8000s which are considerably more costly but he only charged me the difference between them and the D40s which worked out to just under $100.00. Not a bad deal seeing as I had put a couple of thousand miles on them. The SP 8000s are much quieter and are better tires all around. A long winded reply to your query, but I noticed that D40-M2s were one of your possible choices.
Gene O'Rourke
29th December 1997
Subject: Brian Bentzen's query on Rain X and Wax.
Rain X really works and you don't have to worry about removing
it. Like wax, it wears off by itself after a few weeks of driving
and takes just a minute to re-apply. You'll probably get a bunch
of different suggestions about wax. Seems like everyone has a
favorite.
A close friend of mine runs a car detailing business and she's
done all my cars for the past six years. She thinks Zymol is
overrated, especially for the price. She uses MeGuiar's paste wax,
and it lasts at least a couple of months. Thats pretty good In
south Florida where we have lots of rain and periods of intense
heat. Its' been so long since I've tried to use the special
windshield cleaner that I don't even know it it works although my
mechanic says that it does. I think he has a tendency to romance
the truth from time to time on details that he doesn't deem
important. Anyway, the Rain X pretty much obviates the necessity
for it.
Gene O'Rourke
29th December 1997
Subject: John Carden's query on 83 928
John,
I woudn't touch that deal with the proverbial ten foot pole,
even if you can determine without a doubt that the car really
does have only 19,000 miles on it. If the car hasn't been used
for years, its' loaded from end to end with dried out seals,
hoses, gaskets, wire insulation, etc. It could wind up costing
you as much as an early 90s GTS. If you wanted to sell it after a
short while, a dealer will offer you about one fourth of the $20,000
you paid for it.
You have to understand how dealers look at cars in general. To
them a 1983 car is a 1983 car. The fact that it only has 19000
miles on it doesn't mean a hell of a lot to them. They mostly go
by that week's black book and if a fifteen year old car has real
low mileage maybe it will be worth a few hundred dollars more.
I dabbled in the exotic car business as a sideline for a few
years back around 90-93. It was a hell of an education. Unlike
most of the members of this group, myself included, who tend to
romanticize 928s and other great cars; to the average dealer, its'
just another hunk of iron to be disposed of as quickly as
possible for whatever the traffic will bear. If you shop around
you can probably get a pretty decent 89 with a reasonable amount
of mileage on it for that same $20,000 this guy wants for his 83.
Gene O'Rourke
30th December 1997
Subject: Chrome wheels
Re: all the talk going on about chrome plating wheels. A
couple of years ago some clown who worked in a car wash in Santa
Cruz hand washed my car and used some kind of acid to clean the
wheels. He took most of the finish off them.
Recently, the guys who work on my cars in Pompano Beach, went to
Champion Porsche in Boca, got some of the same stuff the Porsche
people use, demounted the tires, removed the balancing weights,
refinished the wheels, replaced the weights, etc. etc. They look
brand new and it makes a helluva difference in the car's
appearance. They charged me $300.00. I think it was a pretty good
deal because there was a fair amount of labor involved. They do
all my work so I don't know if they'd do it for anyone else for
the same price, but I think its' a good alternative to chroming
the rims and possibly weakening them.
Gene O'Rourke
31st December 1997
Subject: Porsches and naked women
Mike,
You must be under fifteen or over eighty. Or else your priorities are skewed somewhat. Any time a beautiful naked brunette wants to climb on the hood of my S4 I'll be happy to help her get up there. To hell with the hood, its only a hunk of aluminum.
Gene O'Rourke