Carpokes Porsche Forum

The newest euro 944 turbo coupe is around 34 years old now, it seems parts like the front bumper and bridge spoiler are no longer available from Porsche. So will Porsche hang 944 turbo/S2 owners out to dry now?

Porsche has essentially stopped supporting the transaxle cars about 10 years after stopping the manufacture of new ones.

Just try to find a good 89 turbo steering knuckle, or a 951 throttle position sensor.

Been NLA for ages. Will continue to be NLA unless PAG pulls its head out of its A$$.

If your car is not a 911 or a 356, it is an orphan.

gb951 wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:20 am Will continue to be NLA unless PAG pulls its head out of its A$$.

Yeah, right. Try to find a factory supplied part for a Chevy over 10 years old. Good luck.

Porsche is FAR better than most makes in supporting their older cars, including the transaxle cars, than just about any other manufacturer. Sure, they don't have everything. For example, they recently remade dash pads for 924/early 944s, and better than the original in the materials they used. Why don't you just give Chevy a call and see if you can get a dash pad for a 1985 Cavalier. Anxious waiting your response.

944er wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 8:17 pm

gb951 wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:20 am Will continue to be NLA unless PAG pulls its head out of its A$$.

Yeah, right. Try to find a factory supplied part for a Chevy over 10 years old. Good luck.

Porsche is FAR better than most makes in supporting their older cars, including the transaxle cars, than just about any other manufacturer. Sure, they don't have everything. For example, they recently remade dash pads for 924/early 944s, and better than the original in the materials they used. Why don't you just give Chevy a call and see if you can get a dash pad for a 1985 Cavalier. Anxious waiting your response.

Agree.

Outside of honoring warranties, manufacturers selling cars in the U.S. have no mandate at the federal level to maintain parts inventories for vehicles that are no longer manufactured. They can quit offering parts as soon as the model run ends if they want to. Of course, the reality is that almost all auto manufacturers worldwide will have parts available for 7 to10 years at a minimum after production ceases, many for much longer than that. Beyond that, the costs required to maintain the tooling and materials to manufacture and maintain a complete parts inventory for really old cars would be insane and likely would put any company that tried to do that into bankruptcy.

After manufacturing stops, we're left with NOS stashed at dealers here and there, aftermarket suppliers gambling that there's sufficient demand to justify tooling and manufacturing out-of-production parts, used parts that make their way to market, re-manufactured/rebuilt parts, junk yard parts, stuff that shows up at swap meets, junk sales or on places such as eBay, etc. Encouragingly, we can now add the miracle of 3D printing that fills a lot of gaps, maybe eventually all of them. The potential for greatly expanded 3D is huge.

The search for new ideas and workable substitutes, as well as other innovative ways of figuring out how to keep older Porsches on the road is one big reason why Carpokes exists - it's a place where good people can collaborate and find solutions. Tom and other talented people here are figuring out answers to the growing lists of challenges.

As an aside, imo automotive manufacturers are much better at maintaining parts for their vehicles than many of the other things we buy, especially stuff out of China with its business model of cheaply made, here today-gone today, use once and throw away mentality. I have a slew of wonderful, like-new 4-tube T-8 fluorescent fixtures hung from the ceiling of my garage. I can get ballasts forever I imagine or even convert the fixtures to LED if I want, but I have to treat the plastic wrap-around frosted diffusers as though they were made of gold because finding replacements is not going to happen - I've tried. Once the diffusers break, I'm left with a cheesy repair or a bare bulb fixture, neither of which would be acceptable to me.

blueline wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:31 pm As an aside, imo automotive manufacturers are much better at maintaining parts for their vehicles than many of the other things we buy, especially stuff out of China with its business model of cheaply made, here today-gone today, use once and throw away mentality. I have a slew of wonderful, like-new 4-tube T-8 fluorescent fixtures hung from the ceiling of my garage. I can get ballasts forever I imagine or even convert the fixtures to LED if I want, but I have to treat the plastic wrap-around frosted diffusers as though they were made of gold because finding replacements is not going to happen - I've tried. Once the diffusers break, I'm left with a cheesy repair or a bare bulb fixture, neither of which would be acceptable to me.

And my recent experience TurboTax won't support any software older than 3 years - so unless EVERY detail is in .pdf or Paper, your out of luck trying to recover old tax returns. And then you are stuck going through a pile of paper....

gb951 wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:20 am Just try to find a good 89 turbo steering knuckle, or a 951 throttle position sensor.

The TPS seems to be available from Porsche... for a price of course. Sunset shows them for $668.55. I purchased a spare Bosch equivalent, 0 280 120 400, on eBay in 2022 for $255. Just did a search and nothing show ups as available for that number. Pelican says the Bosch version is no longer available... but wait, if you search Pelican for 951-606-113-00, the Bosch F-026-T03-070 is available for $297.75. When I purchased my Bosch TPS on eBay I made a note of the number on the part and it's the F-026... so there ya go, a good deal (for a part that should cost $25). Seaching for the F-026 version shows most supplies do not have stock, so if you really need one now... Pelican looks like a source.

PS - the 1989 M030 steering knuckle is available... for (gulp) $2250-2285. Hmmm, way back in 2002 I paid $500 with hubs (used) for a set I installed on the 944 S2.

blueline wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:31 pm
The search for new ideas and workable substitutes, as well as other innovative ways of figuring out how to keep older Porsches on the road is one big reason why Carpokes exists - it's a place where good people can collaborate and find solutions. Tom and other talented people here are figuring out answers to the growing lists of challenges.

That is the real answer. Innovate and create.
When I first came on board as a 944 owner I was shocked by how many parts are still available straight from Porsche. You don't find that kind of support with my other 80s sports cars. Not to mention some of the top notch support from places like Only944, 944Online, 944Barn ... etc. They have been a God-send for me.
And of course, all of you lovely pokeans

PSU_Crash wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 4:08 pm

blueline wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 9:31 pm
The search for new ideas and workable substitutes, as well as other innovative ways of figuring out how to keep older Porsches on the road is one big reason why Carpokes exists - it's a place where good people can collaborate and find solutions. Tom and other talented people here are figuring out answers to the growing lists of challenges.

That is the real answer. Innovate and create.
When I first came on board as a 944 owner I was shocked by how many parts are still available straight from Porsche. You don't find that kind of support with my other 80s sports cars. Not to mention some of the top notch support from places like Only944, 944Online, 944Barn ... etc. They have been a God-send for me.
And of course, all of you lovely pokeans

Latitude48 wrote: Wed Nov 12, 2025 10:50 am

gb951 wrote: Tue Nov 11, 2025 11:20 am Just try to find a good 89 turbo steering knuckle, or a 951 throttle position sensor.

The TPS seems to be available from Porsche... for a price of course. Sunset shows them for $668.55. I purchased a spare Bosch equivalent, 0 280 120 400, on eBay in 2022 for $255. Just did a search and nothing show ups as available for that number. Pelican says the Bosch version is no longer available... but wait, if you search Pelican for 951-606-113-00, the Bosch F-026-T03-070 is available for $297.75. When I purchased my Bosch TPS on eBay I made a note of the number on the part and it's the F-026... so there ya go, a good deal (for a part that should cost $25). Seaching for the F-026 version shows most supplies do not have stock, so if you really need one now... Pelican looks like a source.

PS - the 1989 M030 steering knuckle is available... for (gulp) $2250-2285. Hmmm, way back in 2002 I paid $500 with hubs (used) for a set I installed on the 944 S2.

I just checked and pelican is actually out of stock for the F-026 lol

I have been very impressed at critical parts availability for the 944 and even the cosmetic parts. I recently did a full repaint on one of my 944s and every piece of weather strip for the doors was a week away after I placed my order. This included some of those bump rubbers for the hood and even the plastic water shield behind the door panel. Not one of the parts was produced before 2017 by the marked manufacture date and the cost for it all was about $1300. Show me any manufacturer that has that type of support for a nearly 40 year old car.