Published in the May 2014 issue of “Die Porsche Kassette”

Every day it becomes more attractive to remanufacture parts because remanufacturing saves a big chunk of money over a new part. This is so because most of the part (generally the expensive part) can be reused. Not every part can be remanufactured, but many can.

Let’s take the front engine mount in the Boxster and Cayman as an example.

The fame is very sturdy, it’s made out of aluminum, has no moving parts and is held with four bolts to the engine block.

This frame suffers zero wear or damage and can be reused simply by replacing the center core which is made out of rubber and is the portion that suffers wear.

By replacing the center core we now have a remanufactured front engine mount which will perform better than the original piece at a fraction of the cost.

How can it perform better you ask?

The original unit was designed in 1995 and therefore uses materials from 1995.

When this piece gets a new core, the new core uses materials from 2014 which dampens engine vibration better and has a longer life than the original.

The same is true of other parts, such as a trailing arm.

The original used rubber material which deteriorates fairly quickly.

When remanufactured, a new space-age material is replaced which offers better handling and longevity.

The hydraulic pistons used to open and close the convertible top in the Carrera are VERY expensive and they will start leaking at around 8 – 10 years of use. Replacing them with new ones will cost the proverbial arm-and-a-leg, but replacing with a remanufactured unit will save you about 50% so it will only cost you an arm or a leg ;)

These remanufactured units also tend to offer a much better life when remanufactured because of the use of high-tech materials in the seals that weren’t available when the original parts were manufactured originally.

Remanufacturing a part requires specialized equipment and tools. It generally is not a DIY job. To replace the new core into the front engine mount described above, a 20 Ton hydraulic press and a special jig is required.

There are many, many parts that can be remanufactured advantageously, such as: suspension components, engine and transmission mounts, brake calipers, A/C compressors, hydraulic pistons and components, brake calipers, alternators, cylinder heads transmissions, and even complete engines!

But not every remanufactured part meets or exceeds the manufacturer’s specifications, so when purchasing remanufactured parts make sure that they are made with the highest quality materials and that the remanufacturer has a good reputation. Most, if not all remanufactured parts come with a limited warranty as well.

To learn more about remanufactured parts in general, please visit my website at: wwwPedrosGarage.com.

Happy Porsche’ing,