Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi All,

I must have done something really bad in a former life after the unluckiest 8 days of S2 ownership. Grab yourself a brew, this make take some reading...

The day after I collected my S2 from having yet another power steering pump fitted, I notice a puddle of water dripping out the bottom of the car. I pop the bonnet and shooting over my right shoulder is a jet of hot water. The header tank had split at the top. No problem I tell myself, the car is 20 years old. Probably due a new one. New tank fitted, topped up, job done.

Couple of days later, I parked up on the driveway. As I shut the car door I can hear a whoosing noise. Stanley knife blade in my back tyre. (Malicous or picked up on my travels - unknown!). I was unable to get a replacement Pirelli P6000 tyre (I could but one place wanted £268 for it!!!). So had 2 new Pirelli P Zero Rosso's fitted on the rear. I arrived home yesterday an eyewateringly £300 lighter - ouch! The cost was easier to swallow however as the old tyres were down to about 2mm. So I tell myself, I would have ended up replacing them soon anyway. It'll be good to have a decent set of rear boots on with autumn fast approaching.

Just as I pull up on the driveway to admire my new boots on the rear, whats that puddle of fluid at the front? Dark red, uh oh! power steering fluid - you got to be sh*?ing me!!! High pressure hose has come off the pump.

So, today, the AA have taken the S2 back to the indie. I am absolutely livid with the amount of problems I've had in 1 year of Porsche ownership. She is my daily driver but she is a diva! I really do want to get rid of the bitch. And do you know what, even as she was going off down the road on the back of an AA flatbed truck, she still looked a million dollars. What has Porsche ownership done to me? It gets under your skin! Beware!!

I've written this whilst having a nice well earned cold beer.

Ben

You can go through cycles like this in classic car ownership. In a year or so time you'll laugh at this period Honest.
Also sometimes when you disturb one bit you set up a chain reaction in various peripheral bits which I suspect is what has happened here.
This is one of the advantage of doing your own spannering at least there is no one to blame but me!

If I were you I would buy as many lottery tickets as you can. With all that bad luck you are due a huge chunk of good luck surely?

Know where you're coming from Mine was just the same. JMG was getting sick of it turning up every few weeks, it spent more time there than on my drive, all the miles I clocked up were going to and from there garage. Blue Rocket was becoming Blue Bucket. She handled like she was on ice all the time, wanted to send you into the nearest hedge on acceleration. Like yours she leaked various fluids everywhere. Sometimes sounded like a washing machine on final spin I got locked inside the car outside Tesco one night, very and I could go on...... Gradually the faults have all been fixed, mostly under JMG excellent warranty (he really does stick to his word) and now a year down the line I can look back and have a smile about it even though at the time it was

Chin up and all that, just think the car will be like new when you're finished. It's got to come to an end soon

After I posted the above reply last night I dropped my laptop smashing the screen. Unlucky you could say? Whats more unlucky is its the third computer I have broken in two weeks!

I have an even worse story re a Volvo S60 D5 but since its about a boring old (reliable?) Volvo I wont share it with you here , suffice to say been there know your suffering

Ben. When I took my car to my mates garage. (He didn't used to be my mate but I've spent so long down there hes become one!!) He didn't drive the car over the pit. Just stood at the door & whistled. "Come on you should know your way in here by now." I've had a dismal first 2 years of ownership. Hence the eco car. But in the last year. £120 service (Full including brakes & parts. Try that from your indi') & £60 for a camshaft oil seal. Not too bad except that as I write this the cars off the road with the breather blocked solid & until a couple of orings come I can't disturb it. This is the joy of classic ownership & why so many don't use them as daily drives. My wife thinks I'm crazy & would swap it tomorrow for a Nissan Micra. I'd rather walk! So far this hasn't come to divorce. If I had the room I'd get a cheap Lupo or similar for when the '44s throwing a paddy.

Ditto all the above JJ. I am on first name terms with all the staff at the indie now. My wife now refers to my pride and joy as "that f#*kin' thing" and really wants me to get shut of it. However, the car I really want is the car I have at the end of the day. Its just a shame the power steering keeps cocking up all the time! It seems happiest in its natural habitat, on a ramp at an indie with the bonnet up - Diva! The car is brilliant and makes me when you give it the full beans, it just a shame it doesn't want to work any longer than a week. Theres loadsa folk on the forum using there '44's as daily drivers. I'm trying to keep the faith but its trying. I just hope the car can be mended for CITP on Sunday.

Ben (Not so bouncy at the moment)

In the same boat Ben. Cant get any o rings. They've been deleted from the parts catalogue. Also the OEM one. Probably the suppliers gone bust.... It's just the time factor.

A few seconds on Google gives these guys http://www.ashtonseals.com/index.asp I'm sure a ring around the local hydraulic repair places would be worth a try as well.

Thanks Jim. There is a local hydraulic company. They make seals to order. But they always want a sample. Then you have to wait a week. Hopeing John Mitchel can find somthing first!

The steering pump saga would wind me up... I'd be starting to wonder why it needed two new pumps and how a garage can fit a hose that comes off a few miles later.

Mind you im paranoid if i had the time and facilities id do everything myself.

Just want to give you all some faith, I have had two 944s both of which have been used as my daily drivers.

The first one (Guards Red, '86 2.5 8V Lux) almost constantly had one fault after the other but it had been stood for two years previously (which IMO is never much good for a car) my current 944 has only needed to have clutch master and slave cylinders replaced and some bodywork carried out after someone hit her in a carpark and ran off without leaving details

I will be giving Pixie a good service soon and will be looking into a few other faults - electric windows not working thought it was relay, replaced relay and nothing happened, I currently have a home made extra switch wired up to the two main parts of the relay (not ideal), she needs to go into the bodyshop again for some minor rust issues (which other people probably wouldn't call issues at all!!) and get rid of the nasty cheap tyres some previous owner put on her, theres a few more bits I can see coming up as well! When you first get a car it all seems to go wrong (well it does for me...)

Driving a classic as your daily driver can be done so long as you try to keep on top of things, I have the added headache of doing it to a very tight budget (I'm a student now)!

Whatever you do please don't listen to anyone telling you to get something boring and modern

Keep faith in your '44,
Nicola

Very true Pixie. You have to keep on top of things! The car I bought had done little mileage in the last year also. It had also been abused by a numpty mechanic. Lots of stripped threads & damage. It also had a full specialist service history including a recent engine rebuild. They'd even put some incorrect parts in there & used some second-hand parts!!! Thieves It's nearly sorted now. Had I known how bad it would be I should have scraped it & started again. Not the cars fault or the design. Just the problem of buying a 20+year old car that's only as good as the last person who worked on it. Fortunately I haven't heard of anybody else being so unlucky. By next week my replacement head & cambox should be ready Then it only needs a gearbox & diff rebuild. (Still working ok but after 150K it's getting a bit tired.) Even with all the grief it's not cost me anymore than a modern boring car. So yes. Stick with it!