SSK from Brandywine - Installed!

just wanted to post you guys on my ssk experience. i bought the oem to keep my warranty intact and the 249 at brandywine made it a no brainer vs b&m. my experience with brandywine was a bit weird as when i called to order, i was told by a youngish guy - jason, i think, no more 249... it's now 299, and that they are out of the 299 allotment. tommy who made the 249 post here is no longer working there. i asked for some concession but he said no go. being the suspicious type, i called back a bit later and got an older guy - don't know the name - and asked for the 249 special and presto!!! done. 249+12 ship to ny and i had it in 2 days. so to those who are looking buy oem, if first guy says 299, try and try again until you get another guy on phone. i knew i wanted to do a ssk. just wasn't sure if i was gonna have it done or diy... after reading all the posts here, feeling prepped as one can be for this job, i asked my neighbor for assistance and did it last nite. took us 2hrs. things to note: scuffed up handbrake base while removing center console. you need to kinda jiggle it lose and angle it for removal and the edges or tabs from the console can scratch up things so be careful. minor scuffs no biggie. as suggested by others, i chiseled away the bushing vs the cutting the guide instructs. that alone took me 15mins. by far the biggest single pain in the **** step for me. took her out for a spin..... feels great. no notchiness at all to report and i expect it would be notchiest now if it were present.... everything i expected it do be... so much shorter throw... very sporty. proud and happy to have done it myself - with an assist by my neighbor.

They tried to pull that crap on me when I called to order mine some time ago (maybe 2 years). But, same story. I called and asked for the $199 sale they had advertised in Excellence and they told me they sold all off their "$199" sets but they had some at $299. Exact same set but costs more because they said so. I told them they needed to honor the sale price they advertised to which is stated NOWHERE that it said "limited quantities" and "price can change" etc etc etc. They said no and I bought one from somebody else the same day for $175! Ever since Justin left, that place (Brandywine) has gone straight downhill and has had WAY TOO MANY unethical issues with Rennlisters. Needless to say I have not EVER ordered from them again since that time. Sad, b/c Justin used to take really good care of me and I spent thousands with him. Since then I have probably spent 10-15K with Sunset and Suncoast and nothing but 100% great customer service. Re: your ssk. Way to go! Great mod. One of my most favorites ever. Just love that bolt action rifle feel

hoping to get clarification here... when i got the ssk, i thought it odd that kit came loose, in no marked packaging. just a shifter in one bag, the loose smaller parts in the other. no porsche branding anywhere. i'm now convinced that brandywine sold me b&m. it looks exactly like the b&m in some pics i've seen.... color, parts included. i recall reading that the the oem comes in its own housing. mine did not. does anyone have any pics of oem ssk? i was only able to get this pic of an oem. looks nothing like it. http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.c...y_1915_2349408

i'm happy with the ssk. not happy that i think i got swindled.

Post up a pic of the SSK they sent and we will be able to verify what you got.

I got a B & M from Vivid and it came vacumn packed to a piece of card Got it all installed and it works great. Initally I was a bit shocked by the shortness of throw but after a couple of weeks I either got used to it or it it 'bedded in' and I would not have it any other way now

The B&M (we sell it, and have it on special now) comes in a blister pack with all parts on one board. The OEM Porsche shifter comes in the tower. You would surely know what you got when it came, and it would be in a brown cardboard box with Porsche factory part #s. Not saying they did or did not ship what you were told, but that's how Porsche parts arrive, not loose, in bags.

dell, its already installed so pics will take time to post but i will try. in the mean time, i was able to find this pic... couldn't upload so here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsc...spagenameZWDVW this is what the shifter looks like. additionally, it came in two separate heavy duty clear vinyl bags as i mentioned - shifter in one, everything else in the other. the parts bag had 2 compartments, one for the bushings and the cups, the other for the smaller bits. the box was nondescript white, with a home madish paper label with "porsche part no. xxxxx" slapped on. the box when i opened it contained crumpled up brown paper for packing purps i suppose. nothing else in box. no instructions. box is no larger that 8x10x4. eric... what do you mean by tower? either way i am beginning to rethink this... b&m is blue at the shifter base, mine is black. spoke with brandywine and was told that is all the difference between the two. i remember someone saying that there was a part that was metal on oem vs b&m. i remember brandywine distinctly telling me that. either way, i think i ended up with some quasi oem that brandywine is selling. i saw them listing on ebay for 299. straying off on a tangent.... which ssk comes with its own housing? does anyone know?

Man, you guys.. everytime I think I can relax and not mod for a couple months I read something like this, and it makes me want to order an ssk now. Grr. Mine is stock, I like how it feels with the exception of the long throw.. especially that 1-2 that feels like you are releasing a Ferris wheel.

feelin like a retard.... i guess the ebay listing answers my question... the packaging was very odd tho... maybe brandywine bought in bulk costco style from porsche and piece them out? sorry for the panic here...

The Porsche SSK's are black like the one on ebay. The B&M SSK's have a blue body. The "tower" that Eric was referencing is the black plastic "housing" that the SSK fits into (like the pic on the right in your first link). Some Porsche SSK kits are already inistalled in the "tower" and are more expensive.

DO IT... DO IT... DO IT!

FW, the item is in ebay auction looks just like the OEM SSK that I installed a few weeks ago. In the box were 2 bags of the parts - not shrink wrapped. As for the shipping, they probably used a smaller package to reduce the shipping costs as there is much wasted space in the original box. I also bought mine from B-Wine, but live close enough to simply pick it up. My dealings were with Ralph and I didn't have any issues what so ever. He even printed out the Porsche instructions (used the B&M ones though). Steve

So which SSk do most folks prefer?

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thanks all for your responses. it is the oem as the shifter base is black. my bad.... it just looked weird and i had a brain cramp when i somehow convinced myself into thinking that the base was blue with all the pics i was seeing on various websites. anyway, i LOVE the ssk. Kmayer, i don't think it matters as they are one and same. the only issue is invalidation of warranty which pcna can claim IF the shifter causes other components to fail. hard to see that occuring here with the ssk. let me say tho............................. you have to, ABSOLUTELY have to do it. can i be a little clearer? DO IT. thanks again for everyone's help.