Car Forum World

I'm a girl, own a Porsche 944 seem to get screwed on repairs, of course. Is there any way to avoid this?
As much as I like to think I know lots about cars, I can not fix Porsches. I do not have the know how to not screw it up, and I not can access a shop with the equipment I could have to bring help.
So I take it to a shop not many assert to be able to fix porsche here so alternatives are sparse . They all talk to me like I do not know what the hell is going on. when I explain to them I understand what they are saying without the dumbing down. I do not take crap for easy stuff like "rotating tires has nothing to do with the tire wear, you must get it aligned and we are the only ones who can do it, for $150". because I am not dumb. But when I know the clutch must be fixed and I end up with a new one AND master & slave cylinder for $2800 instead of "a max of $1600" theres not much I can do about it. it is not driveable, I need it asap, they did the work & can assert any amount for it .
Is there Anything I can do to avoid to get raped on repairs?
P.s no smartass "sell it" answers.

Shop around for the best quote. And agree on the price before they start work on your car :


If they do not then go elsewhere.

Remember they're working for you.

you could either get a porsche handbook and study or befriend an automechanic that can fix it for you without ripping you a new one.

you can attempt to get a manual here: themotorbookstore.com/porsche.htmlthemotorbookstore.com/porsche.html">themotorbookstore.com/porsche.

seems pretty hard although. good luck.

try not to wreck your car. or surely your dad or uncle or some other male relative or friend knows a just bit about cars, why not just call someone like them in?

seems chix have it tough than guys...get second opions

Okay so heres my advice.my bf is a mechanic right, and when I have been going to look at cars to purchase he goes with me so that the janky car salesman do not attempt and rape me with hidden problems and prices.same kind of situation. Have a man friend go who is a mechanic or who knows enough about cars to hold his own. Sad as it's, guys will not take us girls serious when ti comes to their " man stuff" so they will not bullshit with another man. Good Luck.

Well, I hate to say this but selling the car may be an answer. Porsche parts and repairs are some of the most costly in the auto business. Now, you're most likely to get jacked around some by the fix shops, but quite some the cost is coming from the fact that a Porsche is costly to fix and maintain.

The turbo bolts rust hard and the complete exhaust must be removed to get the bell housing off to see the clutch. The technician who works on 944 will have specially cut down wrenches to get exhaust bolts out. Porsche cars parts are like gold. Overpriced and hard to get. The technicians don't want to have to tow your car back because either the slave starts leaking or master cyl leak makes the clutch stay on the floor. really a good car back in 1988 the 944 today has its part of things like a 30/60 thousand mile clutch and engine coolant and turbo oil leaks. Overly complex drive line design has you paying lots for clutch work. Fix it and find it a new home.

I'm not trying to be a smartass when I "sell it."

If you decide to own a Porsche then this kind of thing comes with the territory. you're going to pay out the for each little thing. From parts to tires, insurance to servicing. there's no way around it. This is why a Porsche will hold its value for some years, then the value will plummet like a stone. Once this car gets to some age there's a good chance that one of the last holders will have driven it like a psychopath and thrashed it half to death. By the time you pick it up comparatively cheaply you're going to be raped on repairs. Sadly, lots of places will also go out of their way to rip off women too, which does not help.

I'm not sure what you paid for your Porsche and I'm a fan of Porsche BTW, however I think you could find something a little less exotic that's still sporty and fun, without the headache of the continuing fix bills.

Listen to the Nissan man.. I too have had experience in working
on 944's and unless you have a really good reason for wanting
to own this unreliable money pit... The parts for your Wanna
be Porsche are way overpriced and not readily available and tech's that know how to fix it are far and not many between. I know how to work on them and refuse to do so.get the picture.
Not trying to be mean or impolite. good luck

A fast suggestion. Join your local Porsche club then go to the meetings. You'd be surprised at how much info the fellow members will want to share.

Especially in which mechanics to go to which body shops and you'll find it useful. Besides you will make new friends.good ones.

it sucks being a girl when it comes to to get your car fixed.
unless you know some dudes who may help you work on your car, you do not really have most of a choice.

Porsche is one of those cars that demand high priced parts..it's not like a Toyota or a Honda where parts are easier to come by.
You can not get reman parts or used parts that easy as you could with some of the Japanese makes.

sell it and purchase another one ..those things are costly to fix..i recommend you purchase anotherone so you can have warranty

Get qoutes from different places, and if the person there acts all "Girl customer=stoopid" or "Ooh. A girl. I can rip her off." just walk out. Resufe to do business with a place that operates that unethically. I do. luckily I have found a place in my new home town that may charge me a bit more than average, but I know they would not attempt to pull a fast one on me, they respect me and treat me equally, and they give to the community they are in. Ask around other porsche holders in the neighborhood and see if there is any places that people recommend. Maybe get their name and use it. Something like "So and so said to come here. They said you'd treat me right."

I recommend you to get a boyfriend or boy__friend to go to the shop with you and let him explain the problem and communicate. Sry but it'll save you a couple hundred $ more I suspect.

I propose a Porsche club or forum. When you have a problem research it with other people that has had the same. Then you'll know a bit about what it'll need and price from others. Porsche's are great cars. Yes, costly to preserve but has it rewards. Take it and enter it into a local Porsche Club auto cross event and have some fun with it. Let the car pay you back for all the maintenance.

Go to alldata.com. They supply a technical, diagnostic and cost of fix service, as well as a full fix manual. ALLDATA can give you answers and technical help. Give them a attempt. Another good supply of info is the Porsche club of America, they have a technical part. Also the many Porsche news groups can be help full. The idea is to get info on the subject. Get yourself a shop manual from any of the auto parts stores. they're restricted in their explanations, but they'll give you the idea. I also own a 944 and I can tell you that the 944 is hard to work on. In the case of the clutch for example. The motor has to come out of the car to replace the clutch. The difficulty lies in the fact that the motor has to come out from underneath. I personally signed up with alldata it's well worth it. I hope this helps.
Cheers Gunter
If you have a particular question email me. I'll attempt to help.
grichtler@msn.com

Owning a porsche and being a girl/guy doesn't matter, the problem is that they're costly. I owned everything from Ferrari's to Rolls Royce's to Honda's, when you choose to drive something different from the crowd ie. honda/ toyota you pay the price. Here is the amount of reality, I have a 2003 porsche turbo, yes a twin clutch substitute was 7000.grand, and I'm a man. When comparison to the price of repairs on a Ferrari it's a big bargain, if you want dependability and looks and go fast, I also own a Acura NSX it's a great everyday beater, only costly on mine is tires about every 20kmiles..a low price of admission for such a fun car to drive. When I was younger I owned a Porsche 914, I really luved the car unpowered it was quite dependable, enjoyed the driving characteristics of the car not refined car as the 944, I may propose moving up to the 3.0 litre 911 built throughout the 80's or trying a Acura NSX they're devaluated, and lots of fun for daily driver.