When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
1) Tires - I don't know because my priorities are different than yours - but you will find lots of advice. Change them before you drive far - they are Way Old.
2) Make sure a potential mechanic actually knows something about 928s or you will pay him a lot for him to learn - while he makes mistakes on your car (don't do that)
Mechanics at the dealer will mostly be like this too! (the 928 may have stopped production before they were born).
Nice car,
so where do you live? that will assist in finding a local mechanic,
NOTE If you have an auto make sure to get a flex plate check done,
that includes retorquing front and rear pinch bolts and checking the crank end play.
If the rubber is that old chances are the service history has probably fared no better.
Stan has covered the flexplate check already- look up "TBF" in the 928 forum search engine. I would also suspect the timing belt has fared no better if the tyres are that old unless you know for sure it was changed out much more recently. Whilst dealing with the timing belt you need to check the cam shaft and oil pump sprockets for wear.
Besides the normal service items a coolant change may well be long overdue, same for ATF and diff oil. If you have no confidence in the service history just change out all fluids and the spark plugs.
If you can, see if you can identify a tech with specific experience with 928s. You will likely be able to find a good quality technician to work on a 928. They will likely be able to get access to parts diagrams and workshop manuals and figure out how to do the repairs. However, there are a lot of very specific repair techniques on a 928 and there are several common adaptations to repairs that are usually only known by folks with specific experience. So you may find some of these repairs being sub optimal, or worse, needing to be redone. Additionally, some of the troubleshooting, particularly with electrical systems, can be time intensive even for those who have that specific experience. These troubleshooting adventures can become quite costly for you. I have had several repairs that were done incorrectly (by the Porsche dealer) that ended up causing problems later on.
My recommendation is that you commit to learning to work on your 928. The build quality if fabulous and they really are a joy to work on. You sound like you have the raw skills to do the work, you just need the specific knowledge and that is where this forum comes in. Just about every problem and repair procedure is already documented. You can search it up and reply to old threads, or feel free to start a new thread because we all like to talk about the repairs and we could use some new content ;-). You will also need to find a good 928 tech to help you with work well outside of your skills as well. But being able to regular maintenance will be extremely useful.
Here is a link to my google drive where I have posted a wealth of documents, factory manuals, repair procedures, and tips. This information was given to me by fellow list member Wanye Strut and I have continued to add to it.
This has been my journey with the 928's, I am a newbe mechanic and the forum has been super useful in encouraging me to take on projects I feared were far too complex.
You got this!
PS, dont forget to post picks of your car, we LOVE pictures.
Last edited by Michael Benno; 06-17-2021 at 01:52 PM.
The rear tire size should be 245/45 R 16.
This tire size is really rare. If you like to drive an premium tire on the 928 and you should I recommend Pirelli or Michelin.
Tire Rack likes the Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive as an all-season Grand Touring tire. The reviews also seem to bear out their quietness and comfort. Of course, they are only available in 17" size, so I'd need new wheels.
The S4 cars came with staggered 16" wheel widths, so the wider rear tire is appropriate. The original 245/45-16 rear size was shared with period 911 turbo cars, so there's still some market to get them made. But batches tend to be smaller and gaps in availability are pretty common. Tire Rack reps used to keep waiting lists for them, and would call to let folks know when stock was available.
These appear to be the tires offered by Porsche dealers for fitment to the S4 with 16" wheels. These tires were developed in the late 1990s and are sold without any warranty. I have not yet found any reviews about them - particularly about noise and ride. Does anyone here have experience with these? They seem like the ONLY option for installing a 245/45 R16
06-16-2021, 07:27 PM
A newbie with a few questions
