I have been trying to get some parts from Porsche. I run through and order what the dealer shows is available. As we all know, lots of parts are NLA. By using what I believed to be factory list, I was hoping to find out quickly what is there or not. What I am finding is just because it is listed does not come close to being factual. It seems that lots of parts are listed but have NEVER been purged from the listings. The other problem is where the item is located. Unless you have the parts person on the phone pulling up each item and location, it will take lots of emails to get it done.

GO live and order one time.

There’s a good parts guy at my local dealership. He doesn’t know 914’s but will spend time tracking down what I want. He usually piggybacks my orders on the dealerships overnight order at no charge. Porsche also has a 7 day free return policy when you buy at the dealer.

And the dealership always has coffee, cold water and all kinds of snacks.

Unfortunately, my local dealership is a 1,000 mile round trip but I've had very good customer service from Sunset Porsche. I have to pay shipping from Oregon of course, but they always reply quickly to emails about parts availability and are also quick to let me know of any parts that have to ship from Germany.

Mine is 8 miles from my house. Nothing in Delaware is very far away.

Sunset is a great outfit and my car was sold new from what was then Gateway Porsche Audi. Talk to Luke over there. Prices are discounted and service is excellent!

+3 on Sunset. Just ordered some stuff from them.

Usually check Sunset first for parts availability, then contact my local dealership. oft times they will come close to the same price and I get to know the local parts guy.

I literally, (2 minutes ago) just placed a big order with Gaudin Porsche in Las Vegas. I dealt with Ed in the parts department and he was all over my order. I will let you all know if everything shows up. Confidence is high based upon my contact.

This is a good point to be made and a post I hadn't thought about making.

For a lot of things, dealing with the parts counter is much better. When I'm buying from Porsche, I work through Hoen in Carlsbad. All of the people have been very willing to help me out when I call. The newer ones are intrigued because they are looking up vintage parts. There's one guy there though that knows everything about 914's it seems and just knocks it out of the park every time.

I'm always surprised but pleased that our parts guy will spend 15-20 minutes looking up and tracking down a $2 part. He never acts like it's a hassle and follows up like I just ordered a thousand dollar part.

We have a very close relationship with Porsche and they have many many many problems with their vintage parts lineup. Among them are:

1. advertising parts with prices, yet the parts do not exist
2. selling parts that they reproduced that are real CRAP and do not fit
3. Hyping their "classic" program which is nothing more than finding some old parts in a lost warehouse and say it is available again (like left brick weave door panels!!). They have no intention of ever making parts again, but want everyone to keep hoping. The parts that they come up with are never parts really needed, just parts, again, that they found in an old warehouse. THEN they price the "classic" parts out of sight as well!
4. Not stocking many of the parts here in the USA where all of the old Porsche exist for the most part. Takes three weeks from Germany
5. Their dealers having parts people that have no idea about the older cars, and not caring about serving the public parts but rather their service department. "down right" rude when you get one of them on the phone
6 Listing incorrect part numbers in their on line catalog, as well as not listing color codes
7 Making bad supersessions (for example the left and right windshield top seal gutter, they now sell two left ones for the left and right and they expect you to bend the one to fit and there is no way!
8 Not telling the customer that many parts do exist through the European dealer network, just telling the customer instead that the part Is "T-4" which means discontinued

Bottom line is that you are best to buy from a specialist who knows what is going on and will give you the straight scoop as to fit, application, quality, and adjust what you are buying to the quality of your car.

This is a little off topic because not Porsche, but the parts guys at my local Honda dealer are unbelievable. If you purchase a replacement headlight bulb, they will install it for you on the spot. First time they did this was in sub-zero temps and the parts guy insisted. They are super helpful for DIY guys like me. Once when I was buying transmission and trans-axle fluid to drain and replace, the parts guy went back and photo-copied the relevant pages from the factory manual for me even though I hadn't asked.

In contrast, I called my local VW dealer looking for an oil pump gasket for my 914. He didn't even know what a Type 4 engine was and couldn't give a shit about trying to find out. Worthless. Good parts guys are like gold.

Good customer service is like Gold.

Unfortunately the 2 dealerships in Alberta , Canada have no clue about customer service. I called them both about the Classic Service Program and NEITHER could be bothered to call me back. I'll never step foot into those dealerships again.
You guys are lucky to have dealerships that give a crap!!
Mike

I have been going to Circle Porsche/Audi and now Garden Grove VW since 1981. I always get good service.
One time they ordered a rear brake line for my Audi Coupe from Centric, because the brake line was NLA. I got it for dealer cost.

Greg W.

Having been playing with 914s since 1972, I hav3 been fortunate to interact it’s some great parts people. Before the days of computers, a well informed parts guy was a valuable asset. Now, most of them are much younger than my cars and only know how to type into a computer. George’s comments about Porsche Classics are pretty accurate.

I’ve bought a number of parts from the Porsche dealership in Marin Ca. as I put the car back together. Always at the counter mostly due to the fact I’m not that knowledgeable.
And as mentioned above a younger guy always very helpful seems to think highly of 914’s in fact he’s the one who turned me on to the Porsche classic catalogs. I might add paid good money for the chrome windshield trim (another vendor I won’t mention) that didn’t fit properly and replaced it with Porsche trim fits perfectly also the windshield again perfect.

I disagree, notwithstanding the above, Porsche has been a great resource for me on my resto project. Many of the parts are the right quality from OEM manufacturers such as door handles, transmission syncros etc... Other parts such as wheel caps...not so much.

Everyone plays a valuable role in the parts landscape and if you look hard enough, you can find almost everything you need from Genuine to NOS to reproduction. My vendor list is fairly comprehensive and includes the following in no particular order:

Member Vendors such as @914Sixer & @bdstone914
914 Rubber
Sunset Porsche
AASE Sales
Patrick Motorsports
PMB Performance
Retro Automotive Products
Auto Atlanta
dporschepartsman
Bug City

and I am sure there are others that escape me.

we all depend on them and want to be able to depend on them more for factory parts. That is one reason we never try to make anything that they are already making so they feel that there is still a market for their parts and so that they will not discontinue them. I talk to the guys monthly