I ordered a set of H&R springs for my '13 C2S and took it to a local shop to have them installed. They quoted me $100/hr installation, which I was fine with, so I made the appointment. They have a former Porsche tech who works for them, and he previously installed springs on my old 997 and did a great job.

So 2 hours into the install the owner tells me he isn't comfortable with the potential liability of damaging something with disconnecting the PASM wire that attaches to the top of the spring. So they put my car back together and I drive home pissed off that I wasted a half day for nothing.

Is this a delicate task? I thought spring installation was fairly straight-forward. I've read numerous accounts of people swapping their own springs in their driveway in 4-5 hours, and this full-service shop is afraid to do it?

Any input appreciated. Local Porsche dealer quoted me $1600 for installation so that's out.

 

Find a different shop. Unplugging the PASM is not a big deal. They are probably not comfortable dealing with modern electronics.

 

Absolutely ridiculous. I wouldn't return to that shop. The PASM/PASM-S cable at the top of the strut does NOT attach to the spring at all! That is the first warning flag...

Perhaps the shop crew didn't look closely at the top of the front or rear strut assembly to notice a large plastic clip that you simply disconnect to release the cable? Perhaps they didn't have the proper strut nut socket (I believe it is a 21mm) to remove the strut nut without binding the cable? That's a $15 socket you can purchase from ECS Tuning.


If they couldn't get past this point, then I personally wouldn't want them working under the car....

The procedure for removal of the front springs is really not that difficult, and any DIYer with basic wrench skills can do a spring swap on a RWD car in their own garage. The only complications arise from AWD C4/4S cars in that you also have to disconnect the front wheel drive shaft to drop the wheel carrier far enough to clear strut mount opening at the top. But this isn't an issue in your case.

 

Here's a few pictures from my own C4S when I was removing the front springs.... You can see just how "easy" it is to unclip the PASM cable and remove the strut nuts without having to worry at all about the cable! Nothing electronic up here, just a cable.

1. Locate PASM cable connector...
2. Pull PASM cable connector apart....
3. Use strut nut socket to remove strut nut without damaging the PASM cable.