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I recently replaced the coolant pipes in my car. I needed to do the job myself because there was simply no way I was going to shell out anywhere from $1500 to $3500 in labor to have it done by the dealership or an independent shop. Plus, having read about the job, I knew they would be tearing through a ton of stuff and I really feared the "oh, it also needs this" scam. I did a LOT of research on the various forums before undertaking this job. Reading and printing out anything I thought was useful information. I would highly encourage anyone reading this to do the same. Fortunately, I was not in the position that the pipes simply failed and dumped all of the coolant. I just had a semi-slow leak… dropping about a gallon of coolant every two to three weeks. So, I had time to order the parts and prepare. Prior to doing this the most complicated thing I had done myself was change the oil, replacing the brake pads and swapping out some plastic bits in the car. I had absolutely no prior mechanic experience whatsoever. However, I do work in IT, and am by nature a very technical person (I'm sure every mechanic reading this just rolled their eyes). My job is troubleshooting very complex problems on very large networks, and I think that experience probably lent itself to a successful outcome here. I'm also patient, and that is critical to getting this job done. I will say that I now have a much greater appreciation for mechanics and their skill set. This was hard. I want to caution anyone reading this that this is a BIG job and it will take a long time. My goal in writing this is so that my fellow Cayenne owners can be spared a lot of the mistakes I made and be better prepared than I was. I will say I am relieved to have this done. I feel a ton better about my car now that I don't need to worry as much about some catastrophic failure hitting me unexpectedly. One rule that I really appreciated was to only place metal on metal when working (until you actually get to removing the pipes). This prevents you from breaking plastic or tearing rubber with something metal. Trust me, pay attention to that rule. I am breaking this down into tasks, because I think it's easier to follow that way. This is how I did it. I am sure there are other ways that may even be easier, but this worked for me and my schedule. I ended up working 4-6 hours at a stretch in the garage with breaks every couple of hours. Step 1: Contribute to this forum I have absolutely no affiliation with this forum whatsoever other than I am a contributing member. The advice on this forum has personally saved me thousands of dollars, and being in IT I know the time and money it takes to run a site like this. So, contribute to the cause. However, there is a second reason to contribute, and that's to get the Porsche TSBs. The TSB for this job contains some diagrams that give you a better idea how all the replacement parts go in to place, and I thought that was handy to have. As an aside, I searched some other issues in the TSBs and found answers to some things the dealership didn't even know… such as there being a $33 replacement latch for my armrest. They wanted to sell me a whole new armrest for $750. Step 2: Obtain the Parts I looked around on the Internet and called some local sources and found a dealership that provided the parts for $550, and that included two gallons of coolant shipped to my door. To me, that was a fair price, and when I received the parts I really thought it was a fair price... there's a lot of quality stuff in there. I'm sure there may be cheaper 3rd party sources. I would just be sure they include all gaskets and such that don't necessarily need to be replaced, but should be replaced if you're tearing everything apart. Once you get the parts, pull them out of the box and examine them. Look at the pics in the forum and look at the TSBs. Get a feel for what you are replacing. Step 3: Verify you have the tools I found the following tools very handy to have, and frankly, necessary. I suggest going to your local auto parts store for most of them and get mechanic grade tools. Socket Wrench 3" Socket Extension 6" Socket Extension Metric Socket Set Torx Socket Set (think of this as a "male" Torx Socket set, you will need #27 & #40) E-Torx Socket Set (think of this a "female" Torx Socket set) Screwdriver that accepts interchangeable bits (there are times this is easier than a socket wrench) Torx Bit Set (Specifically you need a #27 and #40, I just bought a set) Locking Long Nose Pliers (6" is fine, no need for anything bigger) Regular set of pliers Wrench Set (somewhat optional) Real flat head screwdrivers Very long flat head screwdriver (this came in handy a lot) Needle Nose Pliers Small Chisel Set Hammer Tin snips Safety Glasses Mechanics Gloves One of those extension things with a magnet on the end One of those extension things with a mirror on the end WD-40 Some all-purpose grease, like White Lightning Baggies to store the screws in Masking tape/Painters Tape to cover up any exposed openings Old Bath Towels (used to protect the car) Good flashlight Lint free rags Shop Vac Two gallons of distilled water Drain pan (needs to hold 4 gallons) Shop lights A small block of wood, about 2" x 4" x ¾" A radio playing energetic music of your choice Advil and Tylenol Hope and a prayer (optional but doesn't hurt) Step 4: Book the Time I know some people say you can have this job done in less than 8 hours, but being a beginner this took me much longer. If I took out all the time running back and forth to the store for tools and such, and had a guide like the one I am writing, I still think it would have taken 10-12 hours. I ended up removing all of the engine covers on one weekend night, and then doing the actual job the following weekend. I then drove the car for a week with the new pipes and finally put all the engine covers back on over the weekend (I cleaned the covers and the engine thoroughly with a damp rag at the same time to pretty it up a bit). You don't really need to do it that way, but that split the work up a bit. I work in an office in front of a PC all day; I'm not used to working in a hot garage for 8-10 hours at a time... I'm a skinny computer geek : ) When I did the work, I draped some old bath towels over the sides and front of the car to protect it. The last thing I wanted to do was mess up the paint on a zipper or with a dropped tool/screw. Step 5: Remove the Engine Covers There are really two parts to this. You have the decorative covers over the actual engine, and then you have the covers that border the engine. You'll want to remove all of the covers around the border first. There are five of them in total. They all have these little black plastic plugs that you just turn 90 degrees. They should just pop up at that point, but you might have to give them a little lift with a screw driver. While you're removing those covers you might want to pay attention to how they go together and where they slide in to place. You'll also want to remove the windshield washing fluid cap (use the masking tape to cover up the exposed hole) before you remove the cover that surrounds it. Those little things are $4.25 each from the dealership, so try not to lose them. Now you have the three silver looking decorative covers; one on each side of the engine and one towards the front middle with the engine type on it. First, you need to unbolt the two secondary air injection units. Those are the round things with the plastic covers near the back of the engine compartment. You do not need to disconnect them from anything, just unbolt them (three screws each) and then move them off to the side. It might be a good idea to get some labeled baggies to store the screws in. Once those are removed you can get to the side engine covers a little easier. The engine cover in the front middle you just lift off, just work it back and forth a little and it should pop off. Take note that there are four little plugs that fit into holes on the cover itself, you'll need to find them again when replacing it. Now remove the one on the driver's side. It's pretty easy to remove. There are four screws towards the bottom that need to be removed, and then the cover will just come off. The one on the passenger side is a bit different. You have the engine mount right in the middle of things. Assuming you have the tools, you can unscrew the engine mount and get it out of the way. That will let you get to each of the four screws easily on the cover and remove it. I wasn't so lucky here (didn't have the right tools at the time), so I just got the four screws out of the cover and ended up wedging it out. While doing that, the piece of the cover under the engine mount snapped off. I wasn't too concerned about this, because where it snapped is hidden by the engine mount. When I put everything back together I just slid it back and screwed it in. You can't tell at all that it was ever snapped in half. Step 5a: Remove Fuel Pump Fuses You'll want to check your manual (you can also download the manual from this site), but you need to remove a couple of fuses for the fuel pump. Right in front of the driver under the hood there is a small compartment. Remove the cover, and then remove a second cover to expose the fuses. Mine were fuse 14 & 15 for the fuel pump. Store them somewhere safe. Once those are removed, start your car. It will run for a few seconds and die. Congrats, you just removed most of the fuel from the fuel line. I know some people don't disconnect the fuel rail or anything, but to me that's a bad idea. I had a lot of time to try it that way and honestly I'm glad I got it out of the way. Step 6: Disconnect the fuel line The fuel line is near the back center, it's just one tube running to the fuel rail. You'll disconnect it by using a wrench and a pair of pliers. You're unscrewing the part on the left (the thin part) from the part on the right (the wide part) which shouldn't turn as it is part of that tube. Once unscrewed, the fuel rail is only connected to the manifold. A little residual fuel might leak out, so you might want to have a rag handy to wipe it up with. Use masking tape to cover up any exposed holes. It wouldn't be a bad idea to disconnect the batteries now either. I didn't, but that was probably stupid. Step 7: Remove the Y-Pipe that goes to the Throttle Body This plastic Y-Pipe is right up front so it's very easy to get to. There are two flexible pipes on either side you need to remove first; just use a screwdriver to loosen the two clamps on each of them and you should be able to compress them enough to remove them. The Y-Pipe itself is attached to the throttle body via two long, plastic bolts. They have a screw head on them but they are not screws, they're more of a key. You just turn them a bit to line the key at the bottom (use a flashlight and you'll see it move as you turn it with the screwdriver) with the slot. When it's lined up, use a pair of needle nose pillars to lift it straight out. It's plastic and may be brittle, so be a little careful. You will need to remove an electric connection to the throttle body in order to get to one of them. There is a tube connected to the bottom of this y-pipe, so you can't just lift it out. It has some give to it, but not a lot… just enough to get your hand under there once you pull the y-pipe off the throttle body. You have to press the buttons on each side of the tube in order to get it off the y-pipe. Step 8: Remove Emission Tubes & Electrical Connections from Throttle Body There are two emission tubes crossing the throttle body, Porsche refers to them as "vent tubes." I know this because one snapped in half when I removed it, and the dang thing was $130 to replace. To remove them, you just need to press the clips at either side of the end of the tube together and then pull it straight out. I don't think mine had ever been removed, and in retrospect a bit of WD-40 used sparingly here might have been a good idea. I think I used too much force and that's why the small one snapped. I have read that some people have replaced this broken tube with a more generic tube from a hardware store. I just spent the $130 and did it right. There is a third tube connected to the throttle body, you just need to remove that one end of it. You will also have two electrical connections to remove. One you had to remove to get the y-pipe off in the previous step. Just remove the second one and then you're done. Step 9: Remove the Throttle Body The throttle body is connected to the manifold via four bolts. Remove those four bolts and it will come off. You sort of have to wiggle it out because of that thin metal bracket that's holding it there, but it will come out easy enough. Some people take this opportunity to clean it. You'll probably see some gunk on the back side of it on the inside. Step 9: Remove the Electrical Connections to the Fuel Injectors There are eight fuel injectors connected between the fuel rail and intake manifold. Mine were blue plastic, and there is an electrical connection running to each of them. There is a metal clip at the bottom that you just need to press up. I placed a flat head screwdriver between this clip and my index finger, and pushed up and pulled at the same time to disconnect it. Once you remove one you'll get the trick and the rest will come right off. Step 10: Remove the Intake Manifold with Fuel Rail Attached I know a lot of people have different ideas here, some people want to remove the fuel rail independently, and that was the first way I tried it. In retrospect, it's much easier to just leave it attached. There are four screws that hold the fuel rail to the intake manifold. I would recommend leaving these alone, especially since the one at the back on the passenger side is nearly impossible to get to. These screws are $6+ each… I know because I lost one. :P There are 10 bolts that need to be undone to remove the manifold. They don't come all the way out, they'll stay attached to the manifold. Once you loosen them enough they sort of come free and wiggle around. The one at the back on the passenger side was a bear to get to. I ended up placing the Torx Socket bit on top of it using the magnetic extension thing. I then put the 3" extension on top of it, and finally attached my socket wrench to it. I kind of built it all up I guess. I then went really, really slowly and loosened it up. Once loose, make sure to vacuum up any debris on the engine. When you pull the intake manifold off you will have eight gaping holes right down to your cylinders, you don't want anything falling in there. You can now scoot it forward a bit to get to the tubes you will need to disconnect. There are two tubes at the back of the manifold… a firm one and a flexible one. The firm one is just like the one under the y-pipe, and is easy enough to remove IF you can get enough pressure on the connector. The flexible one was just kind of stuck on mine and I left it on. You kind of have to scoot the manifold forward and angle it out, but it will come out with the fuel rail attached. You may have to remove some tubes and such from their guides or brackets. That flexible tube was long enough that I just put the whole thing on the driver's side of my engine and left it there. It didn't seem to be sitting on anything that couldn't support it. I'm sure it can be removed, but at this point in the job I was tired, hot, and just wanted to keep going. Once off, IMMEDIATELY cover up the exposed intake holes with long strips of tape. Cover them completely, and make sure they STAY COVERED. Shine a flashlight in each hole first to make sure nothing fell down there. If so, get it out as delicately as possible. Vacuum up any other debris you see. You can now see the infamous coolant pipes. Step 11: Assessment At this point, you can see the coolant pipes and should be ready for the meat of this repair. The starter is right there too… right under the leaking pipes. Brilliant, isn't it? This may not be true for you, but I had an AMAZING amount of debris in here… honestly looked like a bird had built a nest. I have no idea how it all got in there, but some where at some point tons of debris got in here, and now it was all soaked in coolant. I think my coolant leaking may have been mitigated because the wet debris probably acted as a mud and sealed everything up a bit. I vacuumed it up with a shop vac prepped for a wet cleanup. Now you need to decide if you will see this repair through or not. Once the next step is taken, there is no going back, and honestly the toughest part of this job by far is getting the old pipes out. Step 12: Drain the Remaining Coolant Your first goal is removing as much coolant from the car as you can. On the V8's, there is a drain plug at the bottom of the car, but on the turbo's you won't have one. That drain plug required an allen bit that was larger than I had on hand or could even find at a hardware store. Honestly, in retrospect I wouldn't have even bothered locating it. I'm sure there's a pipe down there you could remove, but I didn't waste time looking for. I took a tip I found on a forum, and drilled a hole right in the middle of the center coolant pipe (of three) and used a siphon with a hand pump to drain out every bit I could. I repeated this process on the larger lower pipe. DO NOT SIPHON BY USING YOUR MOUTH. Coolant is dangerous, nasty stuff. Make sure there are no animals or kids around while you are doing this. WEAR SAFETY GLASSES AT ALL TIMES! Doing it this way you're going to spill a lot of coolant, but it is what it is… they've been leaking all over everything anyway. I used my shop vac to vacuum up anything I could that escaped the siphon. I've also read of people renting professional vacuum pumps to suck it all out, but again, that's more complicated than it needs to be. I did some research, and coolant is not currently controlled by the EPA for disposal, and it can't be recycled. The unofficial advice I got was to dump it in the woods and douse the area with a hose for a bit. Do not dump it down the drain or dump it where animals could readily drink it. Don't dump it in a stream. Presumably it breaks down fast enough on the ground that there isn't a long lasting effect. Step 13: Remove the Three Upper Coolant Pipes The first pipe you need to remove is the long skinny pipe with three connectors. This one is easy enough to remove, and you should have a replacement as part of the kit. One of the connectors broke off in the hole, and I had to very carefully remove the pieces. Relatively speaking this was easy compared to the rest. There is a compression ring that needs to be removed for the connection at the back of the engine, use the locking pliers to do that. Cover up the exposed holes with masking tape. You now have to remove the three upper coolant pipes. There is a bracket at the back of the engine holding the three pipes. There are also two clips attached (you'll be looking at the back side of them) to that bracket that just support a hose at the back (just has electrical connections in it, and it's probably already split so you don't have to be super careful). Pinch the connectors with a pair of needle nose pliers and they'll come off. You now have to remove three bolts from it to remove the upper half of that bracket. I removed two of them but couldn't get to the third without snapping the thing in half. Porsche was kind enough to provide a new one in the kit so I wasn't worried about it. You will now see three rubber hoses attached to the plastic pipes. They are held on to them with compression rings. Use the locking pliers on the rings to loosen them (they need to be squeezed together to loosen) and slip them back over the pipes. I did one at a time, completely removing the ring and setting it off to the side for safety. The locking pliers really excelled here. When using them, attempt to come at the ring from the top instead of the side, the grooves on the pliers will then secure the ring quite nicely. You might have to adjust the pliers a couple of time to get the right amount of the compression for the ring to move freely. With those ends free, I used the shop vac to suck out a lot more coolant. Once done, cover up the exposed holes with masking tape. Once those three ends are free, you'll need to free up the other ends. Here's the deal, they are probably going to break when you try to remove them, and probably going to snap off at the spot where they connect to the coolant reservoir. I twisted and pulled and sure enough, they snapped off. You can remove the lid of the coolant reservoir by removing several screws, a small aluminum pipe on top, and the rubber pipes towards the front of the car. The small aluminum pipe has a single screw that needs to be removed. There is probably a lot of corrosion here so you may need to use a flat head screwdriver to pry it out. Be careful, it's flexible enough to come out and get out of the way but just barely. There is a compression ring on each of the rubber pipes that is easy enough to get to, just loosen and slide it down the pipe. Suck out any coolant and cover the exposed pipes with masking tape. Once you have that lid out, you'll see the remaining plastic bits in the holes. It's difficult to move, but those plastic bits are just in there with pressure, they aren't glued or anything. I used a small chisel and the hammer to break them out. As I got to the o-rings I pulled on those with needle nose pliers and in one instance the whole chunk came out. I also used a lot of WD-40 to work everything out. What you don't want to do is take any risk of chiseling into the metal of the lid, so be careful. This is all about removing the plastic material. Each bit you remove gets you one step closer to freeing up enough pressure to get the remaining bit out. Once it's all clean, leave it off to the side while removing the big pipe. Step 14: Removing The Big Pipe This one is tough. Make sure you're rested, well fed, and cooled down a bit. If you're aggravated already, walk away and relax a bit. You will need to break this pipe into two pieces. I used a boring bit to drill a big hole in the top, and then used tin snips to cut chunks out until I got it in two parts. Again, I used a shop vac to suck out any remaining coolant as I went along. Really, anything will work… you could even use a chisel to break it out. It's coming out one way or the other, no need to be pretty about it. Once it's in two pieces, you can probably rotate the two halves apart. Use WD-40 generously on the ends first though, and give it a bit to work in there. Regardless, when I went to pull out the two ends, they ended up snapping off… leaving their end pieces in the hole. If you read through the three forums, different people use different techniques to try and avoid this with mixed results. This is the worst case scenario though, so lucky for you I fought through it and have plenty of advice. Assuming your pipe broke off as mine did, you will see a metal ring in each end, with black plastic between it and your car. That metal ring was an inner support ring for the original pipe and needs to be removed. This is a violent procedure. IMPORTANT: I cut up some lint free cloths and stuffed one into each end as far as I could so that any material from the following procedure wouldn't go any further. Once done with the procedure below, I vacuumed up anything I could and then removed those cloths. Again, use WD40 a LOT. I sprayed and sprayed as a worked, and I think it helped. READ THIS CAREFULLY: Removing the plastic and metal ring from each end is all about removing material. You are trying to get as much plastic out as possible. If you get the ring out first, great, but it's not 100% necessary. The plastic is what needs to come out, and you need to get it out from all around it. In addition to the plastic, there are two o-rings in there, so they are just adding more friction preventing this from moving. You'll get bits of that out as you work, and that's good. Eventually, you get enough bits out that the rest will just fall out. Use a hammer and chisel to collapse the metal ring on the top and sides as much as possible. I used to the chisel to cut in to it a bit too. Once I got it that far, I switched to the long screwdriver, hammering the end of it into the plastic over, and over, and over again. I pried as much as I could and worked out bits of material. This took a long time, but sometimes you'll get a big chunk out and that will give you renewed hope. Again, this is all about material removal. Keep telling yourself that. Every bit you get out makes this easier. Once you get enough plastic out, you'll see the metal ring move a bit as you work. This is a great sign and you are almost done. Ultimately, you should be able to pry it out with the screwdriver. NOTE: When working you want to work as much towards the metal ring as possible. You want to avoid scraping the inside of the hole where your new pipes will go. I did scrape up mine a bit, it's unavoidable, but regardless my new pipes don't leak. When you go to remove the bits closest to you, you're working somewhat blind and it is hard. This part almost broke me, but I used a mirror to check and recheck my work as I went along. Bright lights help here too. Honestly, I really can't say enough how hard this part was and how long it took in comparison to everything else. It was the part that had me the most worried, but I got through it. Once it's all out, remove the cloths from inside the pipe and vacuum a lot. Now is the time to clean stuff up too, as you're about to put the new pipes in. As a best practice, you should clean up the inside of those holes. I used some steel wool; I know some people used scotch bright or even buffing pads. I didn't go overboard with this; I just want to get any grime out of there. Step 15: Install the New Big Pipe At this point you should be elated. You're through the worst. Installing these pipes are a bit difficult, but not bad. If they are not already on there, put the O-Rings on the small pipe. Use the White Lightning grease or whatever you bought and coat the inside of the hole on the engine and the outside of the pipe. Use it liberally. A bit of WD40 wouldn't hurt either. Press it into the hole at the back of the engine and do your best to get it all the way in. This is where a small block of wood and a hammer come in handy; you can use those to tap it in the rest of the way. Do not put the rubber sleeve on it. For the big pipe, install the o-rings and lube everything up good with the grease, both the hole it goes in and the pipe itself. You will also need to grease up the end the rubber part goes on and the other end of the short pipe that the rubber sleeve will slip over. Place the tightening rings over the rubber sleeve as well. Slide the rubber sleeve as far as it will go over the pipe. Push the pipe into the hole, I found a twisting action worked well. I also used my metal screwdriver against the bottom of the engine bay as a lever to slide it in the rest of the way (it required a lot of pressure). You then need to rotate it to line it up with the short end of the pipe. You'll slide the rubber sleeve over it and then tighten up the two rings. NOTE: Be sure to rotate the rings as far down as possible so that the screw does not interfere with the three pipes you're about to place on top of it. The new big pipe should be in place, and you're now done with the hardest part of this job. Step 16: Install the Three Pipes You'll want to put the lid back on the coolant reservoir (replacing the seals Porsche included with the kit), reattach the pipes and tighten up the screws. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THE SCREWS. I snapped one clean off. Make sure they're tight, but don't put all your muscle into it. Once on, you are ready to slide those pipes in. You do not need to put the lower bracket at the back on first; I did it after installing the pipes. Again, make sure everything is lubed up well so that any points of friction are well covered. Slide the pipes in. I used by long screwdriver again as a lever to apply the necessary pressure. On both these pipes and the big pipe it looked like I could have gone another 16th of an inch, but nothing leaks so I guess it was far enough. Put the bracket on at the back before you attach the hoses. You'll use your locking pliers again to attach the compression rings. With the bracket in place it is obvious how far up the hoses go. You'll put the upper bracket on, using the spacers for the screws and screwing it down tight. Don't forget to attach the two brackets that hold that electrical cable in place. Not a big deal if you do forget. Step 17: Install Final Pipe Now install that skinny pipe. This one is easy. Don't forget about the small compression ring that goes at the far end. Everything else just clips in. Step 18: Assess Your Work Look over everything and make sure it all looks right. At this point you should have a sealed coolant system. Check all your connections and make sure everything is solid. At this point you're home free, and you should be feeling pretty darn good. Step 19: Fill Up Coolant I use a 50/50 water to coolant ratio… so I mixed everything up with what I had and filled up the coolant tank. Once it was full, I left it overnight and checked in the morning for any fresh coolant. I was totally beat from a long day of working on it and thought putting everything back together fresh in the morning was a good idea. Step 20: Put Everything Back Together You tore it apart, now put it back together. I cleaned everything as I went, so now my engine looks great and I think that's a good idea. You don't need to go overboard, just use some lightly damp, lint free rags and wipe everything down. Porsche should have also provided new seals that go on the bottom of the intake manifold. I replaced mine dutifully, and I am glad I did. The old ones just looked worn out, no way they weren't leaking. Putting everything together is pretty straightforward once you've taken it apart. Just be careful and make sure you get all electrical connections and hoses in back on securely and in the right places (hard to mess that up). Also make sure you remove every bit of masking tape as you go. Final Thoughts I am very, very glad I did this project for two reasons. One, it saved me a ton of money and two, I now know tons more about the engine. Doing this project means I could replace my fuel injectors, spark plugs, injection coils and a host of other things when and if I have to. I know where the throttle body is, and if it's sticking I know where to go to clean it. If I need to replace the starter, I know where it is and how to get to it. I can now take my car on trips without fear of a massive coolant leak. This was the last "major" Cayenne defect for me that needed to be fixed. The water pump & drive shaft were already replaced. With 116,000 miles, I have quite a bit of faith in my car not having a catastrophic failure (knock on wood). At the end of the day, I'm pretty proud of myself for getting this all accomplished, and I hope I've saved some other poor soul a ton of time by writing all of this down. If it does help you out, please reply to this post and let me know.

On occasion during the most humid months of the year, the air coming out of the vents of my nearly 8-year-old car would smell a little 'off.' Since the a/c condensation was draining just fine and the odor wasn't ever-present, it wasn't a major concern to me. However, surfing the web I found a variety of A/C refresh kits that seemed worth a try, if for no reason other than to experiment and see if it was any benefit. But, no good deed goes unpunished. There are a variety of kits out there, some seem OE but most are aftermarket. I found them to have so much in common that I began to think they were made by only one or two manufacturers. The kits I was considering are two products: 1) a foaming spray that you inject into the evaporator housing through the condensation drain, and 2) a spray that you empty into the external air intake while changing the HVAC settings. The kits state or imply that they will clean the evaporator of crud that comes from dirt, mold, mildew, etc. and kill whatever causes odors in the venting. As I mentioned, the kits seemed nearly identical to each other so I bought one based on convenience at a local parts supplier for about $18. For another point of reference, there is a Toyota kit, part number 00289-ACRKT, that you can find here for instance. The product I used was the following: Note: This attempt to clean an HVAC system was for my particular 2003 986S. Other vehicles may be different and there are safety risks involved in doing mechanical or electrical work on a vehicle. What's presented here is a general overview of my DIY project, not a complete step-by-step set of instructions. Please obtain, understand, and follow the necessary repair and installation procedures in order to work safely, avoid damaging anything, and achieve a safe result. Preparation steps: I raised the vehicle up onto four(4) jack stands. Then I loosened or removed numerous underbody panels to expose the area under the passenger side floor pan. The location of the condensation drain is identified by an arrow in the photo below: First use the larger can of "evaporator foaming cleaner." You can read the instructions on the can in one of the photos above. I had to use another piece of tubing between the tapered nozzle and the condensation drain because the drain tube is not flexible and wouldn't hold the nozzle. That should have been the first indication to stop. Notice the grommet around the drain tube in the photo above and how the tube is inconveniently situated between the hot water supply/return for the heater core. As I was trying to force the tubing onto the drain, I pushed the drain tube and grommet into the passenger compartment. I knew it was going to be a pain to put it back, and it was. I had to remove the umbrella trim along the passenger-side door threshold, loosen the floor carpeting, and shove my arm under the carpet to reinstall it. Photos of the attachment and foam injection below: The foam went in, it seemed to sit for a while, it liquefied a bit, and then it drained out. The photo below was taken at a moment just as it was starting to drain: The liquid in the bucket was mostly clear, with a little particulate matter--nothing worth photographing. It didn't have much of a smell; it was slightly medicinal, like disinfectant. Following the instructions on the can, the next step is to use the "a/c intake refresher." Take out the pollen filter and spray into the air intake. You are supposed to change the vent settings between spraying intervals so that the mist runs through different duct work. Again, it has a slight disinfectant smell--pleasant but not flowery and not too strong. Not too bad, right?... Well, I was too preoccupied with the camera to realize what was happening inside the car: After all the effort for something that wasn't really necessary… I had to laugh. I was doing this process as I was preparing the car for winter storage. It was about 40° F (4° C) in my garage. Obviously, a lot of the foam didn't liquefy and drain. If I were to do this again, I would warm up the HVAC system beforehand, or just do the whole process at a higher ambient temperature. I'd also let the evaporator core drain longer (a lot longer) before doing the 2nd can. The photos above are the worst of it; only a little came out of the other vents. I blasted the system for a long time after that and it cleaned up without a problem--no damage to any surfaces. A few days ago I fired up the car for the season. No issues. Live and learn and pass it on. --Brian

This tutorial shows steps for replacing air filter on Panamera. Does not look hard, but to get full instructions/steps, please watch other turorials in the following order: 1. Panamera headlight removal 2. Panamera front bumper removal 3. This tutorial - Panamera air filter replacement Hope it helps out. DIY you get to make sure things are right every time.

Getting into a 996 when the Battery is Flat. The conventional route seems to be opening the front trunk lid with the emergency wire and then applying jump start leads to the battery. This certainly works, but sometimes the wire is hard to find and with the wheel in place it is difficult to get behind the front wheel arch liner. In my view, it is a great deal easier to get in from the back, with the emergency release wire, and then to apply power to the jump start points in the engine compartment. Proceed as follows:- Tools: A short length of coat hanger wire with a small hook at one end and a narrow timber or plastic wedge. Method: There is an emergency engine cover release wire under the left back light cluster. You need to fish this wire out and when it is pulled the engine cover will be released. Insert the wedge between the underside of the light cluster and the top of the rear fender. Make the gap wide enough to insert the wire hook. Push the hook in about 4 to 6 inches. Turn the wire slightly and withdraw it pulling the caught emergency wire out. Pull the wire to release the engine cover lid. At this point the alarm will go off if there is sufficient current in the system. Locate the jump start points. The earth -ve (black jump wire) is near the engine cover catch and doubles as an air box fixing. The +ve (red jump wire) is just above the power steering pump within a plastic box. Attach both the jump wires, placing the red +ve wire first. The system is now energised and the central locking can be used and the alarm switched off. If you have never seen this wire, it is a good idea to locate it so you know where it is. It's easy to remove the rear light cluster. There is a single set screw with a 10mm hex head visible when the engine cover is raised. Options for the front emergency wire: Although the front trunk wire is more difficult to find it's worth looking for it before you need to do so in a hurry. I have extended my front release wire with a short length of nylon cord, bringing it out to a more accessible location. There are a number of options available for this, including running it to the side flasher unit.

One of the problems that I see with many 996/986/997/987 owners complaining about is a lumpy or erratic idle and sometimes sluggish acceleration. I have a quick cure for this problem. In fact, this cure will work for any car that has a throttle body. The issue is that over time a sludgy gunk will build up in the throttle body where the throttle butterfly opens and closes. This gunk will eventually change the airflow characteristics of the gap between the butterfly and the throttlebody which will cause the erratic idle. In addition, this gunk can cause the butterfly the stick as it opens which will effect acceleration. The car's DME will compensate for this buildup over time, but if it gets too thick, then the "Throttle Adaption" will reach its limit, and will throw a code. Many times people think that it is the MAF that is bad, when it is just a dirty throttle body. Notice that the butterfly valve is slightly cracked open. This is for the idle airflow, and that crack can get clogged because of the gunk buildup. The solution is to remove the air cleaner box for access to the throttle body, and simply clean the throttle body with spray carburetor cleaner. Open the butterfly valve with your hand, and wipe out all of the gunk on the backside of the valve, and the inside of the throttle body. You will see a dark brown ring inside the throttle body. This is the buildup you want to remove. Take a rag, wet it with carburetor cleaner, and wipe out the gunk. Be sure to get the edge and the back side of the butterfly valve as well. You will know when you are done because the surfaces that you are cleaning are polished, and easy to see if there is stuff left on them. Here is a picture of what your throttle body should look like after it is cleaned. Notice how shinny the inside is. Don't worry if you spray too much in the engine, when you fire the engine up, all of that stuff will burn off in the combustion chamber. Where does the gunk come from? It is residue from the crankcase vent opening that is right there behind the butterfly. The reason it is there is because there is high vacuum there that will suck the crankcase oil vapors back into the combustion process of the car. Over time oil solids will accumulate there and will form a sticky lip around the opening. This cleaning should be part of your 30,000 mile maintenance as a minimum. However if you have never had your throttle body cleaned, try doing this weekend. You will be amazed at how much better your car runs.

Eureka! I suppose during the time you guys were typing, I was arriving at the same conclusion. I pulled the latch mechanism out and examined it up-close. The tension spring was out of a pocket on the latch and not providing any push when the latch was released. Hence, the hood could be pulled up out of 'battery' but would not pop up on its own. I disassembled the mechanism, lubed it, and re-inserted the spring into the latch. Put it back together and now all is well. Very simple to do. This is how I did it and you may find it useful. Do so at your own risk, yada yada yada. 1st, open the hood and peel back the carpet cover just inside of the latch. Next, using a flat-head screwdriver, remove the four plastic 'screws' holding the trim plate between the bumper and the hood flange. They merely turn 90 degrees (so that they are perpendicular to the car's direction of travel) and pop out. Then remove the trim piece and place to the side. Next, using a ten millimeter socket, remove the two bolts securing the latch to the car. They are located just inside the trunk under the carpet you just peeled back. Once they are removed, the latch is now only held in place by two metal cables and the alarm pin switch wires. Carefully unplug the alarm wires. Push in on a small 'latch' on the lower half of the plug and pull out the lower half. Then carefully rotate the upper half about 45 degrees (it should be fairly easy to move, don't force it) and the plug will pop out of the metal holder. Then use a small screwdriver to gently push a release clip on the plastic mounting point. This will allow the small plastic mount to separate from the wiring plug. Now you need to gently remove the cables from their sockets. Take the tension off of the upper cable and gently pull the cable up out of its socket. Then remove the lower cable in the same way. The only thing holding the latch in the car now is the alarm wiring harness. Push the rubber grommet through the body toward the bumper. You can then pull the wiring through and the entire latch will come out of the car. Be sure to set the stainless steel shroud to the side. It was not attached on my car but may be on yours. Now that you have the latch out of the car, you can see the large diameter steel spring that is wound around the large post to the passenger side of the latch. That is the culprit. The small plastic shroud over it pulled straight out and off of my latch. This is the microswitch that tells the alarm that the trunk is open or closed. Set it to the side. You should now see the latch mechanism and the hole that the spring needs to be in to function properly. I used two screwdrivers to push the other end of the spring (the end on the release / catch mechanism ) over the catch. This allowed me to push the end into the latch more easily. I then popped the spring back over the catch. Now there should be tension on both the latch and the catch. Lubricate with white lithium grease, or some other semi-solid lubricant and work the mechanism to ensure that it is functioning properly. Once you have confirmed proper function, reassemble in reverse order (i.e. put the alarm switch back on - it should snap right back in place ), pop the cable back on, thread the wiring through and secure the grommet in place, place the stainless shroud on, insert the bolts and loosely tighten things. Once the bolts are in, line up the hood and the latch mechanism and tighten down the latch. Replace the plastic bumper/body trim piece but don't insert the 'screws' until you've tested the hood a couple times. Once it is clear that the hood is functioning properly, secure the trim, replace the carpet and smile at a job well done, for free. If I can figure out how to transfer my pictures out of my camera phone I'll add some illustration to this. Hope this helps. I was frustrated as *)*^*( until y'all help me realize what the problem was. Pictures ...

While looking for a good garage door opening solution for my MY01 996 C4, I came across some posts referring to the Gentex auto-dimming mirror with Homelink. Some posts suggested that there was a VW/Audi adapter that would allow this universal fit mirror to be installed on a 996 windshield. Other posts suggested that it was easy to tap into the existing dome light and sunroof switch wiring. So I decided to give it a go. It was a relatively easy install, and one of my best mods yet. Step 1: I purchased the Gentex GENK40A Auto-Dimming Mirror with Homelink on Amazon (American Security Company) for $249. My kit came with a VW/Audi adapter and a free wire cover. Here is the mirror, the piece of the wiring harness that I used (it came with a full, route to fuse box wiring), and the wedge adapter. Here is a close-up of the adapter. Here is the wire cover. Step 2: Remove the old school mirror by rotating the base 90 degrees counter-clockwise. I put masking tape around the base and used channel locks and a firm grip to rotate the base 45 degrees. I continued rotating the base by hand another 45 degrees until it released. Be careful as you don’t want to break the windshield -- been there, done that on a wiper blade DIY, oops! Step 3: Slide the adapter onto the windshield button cam and secure with hex key set screw. Note that my adapter did not fit out of the box. I used a small file to remove material around the inside of the adaptor until it fit snugly around the button cam. Since the adapter is aluminum, this was easy work for a steel file. I also primed and painted my adapter matte black to make it more inconspicuous. Step 4: Plug the wiring harness into the rear of the mirror, and remove the large red harness at the other end. The color coding for the wires is as follows: (1) Red = switched power; (2) Yellow = un-switched power; (3) Black = ground; and (4) the two Green wires are not used for this mirror (they are used for other Gentex mirrors with temperature displays). Step 5: Mark the outer wire casing so that you can split it for purposes of routing the wires through the mirror base. Don’t forget to leave some slack for mirror adjustment. Step 6: Slide the mirror base over the adaptor. Tighten the mirror base set screw with a T20 Torx driver. Step 7: Now it’s time to remove the dome light / sunroof switch housing. First, remove the two black alien eyes with a plastic trim tool. Next, remove the two screws underneath the alien eyes. Then, carefully pull the end closest to the sunroof away from the headliner until the rear tabs release. To fully release the housing push it towards the windshield so the front tabs release from the mounting edge. You’ll understand when you are in there. Step 8: Identify the existing wires that you need to tap into. After testing with a test light, I used the following wires: (1) the Red/Green wire with black spots going to the sunroof switch for switched power; (2) the Red/Black wire going to the dome light circuit board for un-switched power; and the Brown wire going to the dome light circuit board for ground. Step 9: Install the wire cover by clipping it into the top of the mirror base, and route the wires from the mirror through the cover and into the dome light housing. Note the wire cover that came with my kit was way too long, so I cut it down to size. I also made a channel out of mine to cover the wire on the inside. The inside cover was cut a little shorter than the outside piece to make it easy to route the wires. The dome housing will fit over the wire cover, so thankfully there is no need to cut a whole in the housing. To make the install look cleaner from the outside, I intend to go back and use a thin strip of black film on the inside of the windshield to better hide the wire cover from the outside. You might want to try this now. Step 10: Now it’s time to make the connections. I used 22-18 gauge splice tap connectors. The connections are as follows: (1) Red to Red/Green with black spots; (2) Yellow to Red/Black; and (3) Black to Brown. I wrapped up the unused green wires with electric tape. Step 11: Reinstall the dome light / sunroof switch housing by: (1) pulling the front tabs onto the mounting edge; (2) snapping the rear tabs back into the headliner (you may need to move the wires around a bit to get a good fit); (3) replacing the screws under the alien eyes; and (4) replacing the alien eyes. Step 12: Test the install. The Homelink buttons should work when the ignition is off. Press each and you should see a red light come on. With the ignition off, the anti-dimming feature should be off. If you press the 1 button, nothing should happen. With the ignition on, you should see a green light indicating that the anti-dimming feature is on. You may need to press the 1 button the first time. It should go on and off with the ignition after that. You can verify that it is working by covering the sensor on the back of the mirror and shining a light on the sensor on the front of the mirror. I found that the mirror works really well in real life conditions. Step 13: Program the Homelink buttons with the included instructions. Step 14: Congratulations, you are done.

Filter location underneath the rear seat behind the driver side Replacing the filter: Recommended to do this job while the fuel tank is almost empty Fuel tank located underneath back seat Gain access to fuel filter need to flip back seat and look under the carpet Pull the seat buckle below the seat and flip the seat bottom Remove seat mount hinge, note you need special socket to fit the nuts Find below a round cut made on carpet, open Find round stainless steel caver with four screws, open it Then you will see the filter Use special tools to open the lock ring or use big flat screw driver with light hummer to remove the ring, slowly slowly, hit from different angles and corners to distribute the hummer pressure, Then disconnect fuel hose and electrical connection from top, be careful fuel house might be under pressure Note: petrol smells very strong and harmful, do this job in good ventilated area Note: there is a house connected between fuel filter on the left side of the fuel tank and fuel bump at the right side of fuel tank. Go to the right side of rear seat and flip the seat Find carpet cut same as left seat Remove seat mount hinge, note you need special socket to fit the nuts Open the stainless steel cover Find the plastic cover same as fuel filter housing Open the lock ring Then disconnect electrical connection and fuel house from top of plastic cover Be careful fuel might be under pressure Pull the plastic cover up, look down you will find a house that going to the filter at left side and some other house going to fuel bump, pull the house which is going to filter side several times back and forth to make sure it is the correct house going to filter side Then go to filter side on the left and remove the filter and note the house going to the right side, and pull to make sure that this is the right house going to left side After you are sure of the right hose Go back to right side are and tight the house with a string (or any available robe) before pulling the house this string will help you pull back the new house for the new filter back to the right side, Unplug the house go to left side and slowly pull the filter and un plug the other house and wire connection at the bottom of the filter side and make sure to tight the house and wire connection with strings to make sure not to fall down inside the tank bottom, Note: much petrol will comes out from filter After removing old fuel filter bring the new filter and first thing to do is to tight the string we all ready have from the old filter house side and insert in the fuel tank and pull slowly to right side Then connect back house and wire connection of the filter. Go to right side pull the string until you catch the new filter house and connect back to the plastic cover and put back all parts. Go to right side and put back every thing once an again.

Very easy task. You first have to jack the car and have it level properly. Tool needed: 10 mm allen wrench for the transmission ports. I got one mount on a socket. 17 mm socket for the front wheel drive transmission. 10mm sockets for the cover plastic nuts Very small and thin common screwdriver for the panel clips. Torque wrench. A pump for the fluid. I use a Motive Power Fill (about $85.00 with a shut-off valve) Parts needed: About 5 (1/4) liters of Mobilube PTX 75W90. I did not choose any alternate oil. I prefer to stay with Porsche and Loren recommendation! Be ready for a chock, this oil is expensive!!! Here in Montreal I could only found 20 liters container and I finally went to the dealer and he charge me $261.00 for 5 liters!!!!! And a crush washer for the transmission drain part # 900 123 118 30 ($0.52) Note : It is the only port with a sealing ring. Lets start with the front wheel drive transmission. First you have to remove the plastic cover. It is held with 6 clips and 4 plastic nuts. The best way I've found to remove those clips without damaging them is to use a small thin screwdriver and release the small clip through the opening on one side. Panel removed: Now you can see the drain port: And the fill port: Drain the fluid by opening both ports: Note: My drain port had a magnet to pickup metal chips. (There was sludge and little bit of metal shaving, normal wear to me) And reinstall the drain plug when no oil is coming out anymore: Torque is 21 ftlb for both ports. And fill through the fill port until fluid is coming out. Let it drain and when it stop you can look at the level with a mirror. It should be equal with the bottom edge of the port. About 1.5 liters is needed. Having a shut-off valve and a level indicator on the fill bottle was really useful. Reinstall the fill port and torque to 21 ftlb. And reinstall the plastic cover....Thats it for the front wheel drive transmission. The transmission is easy to reach. No panel to remove. An 10mm allen wrench is needed to remove the ports. Remove the fill and drain ports. Drain the fluid. Note: A magnet is install on the drain port and had metal but was the first oil change and suppose to be normal.... Reinstall the drain plug with a new seal part# 900 123 118 30 and torque the plug to 22 ftlb. Fill the transmission through the fill port until level comes to the bottom edge of the port. About 3 liters needed. Reinstall the fill plug (no seal needed) and torque to 22 ftlb. Hope this will help any TT owners out there! Do not hesitate to ask questions or add comments. Thanks, J.P.

Parts required: ( I did this as inexpensive as possible) Steel tow bumper bought on ebay (200bucks) 955-618-040-10 Control Unit 955-612-506-00 Wiring Harness PNA-955-118-93 Trailer Hitch Connector (this is the 7 pin Pollak connector) PNA 955-127-08 7-4 way Adapter N-909-892-01 bumper bolts (8) Tools required: Allen key set 10mm wrench screw driver 1/4" ratchet torx driver set flashlight 21mm socket torque wrench Step 1: Remove spare tire floor by pulling hatch out towards the rear. There are no bolts that hold this in. Step 2: Use the torx bits to remove the chrome tie downs on the passenger side as well as the bolt closest to the hatch Step 3: After removing the side carpeted piece, there will be two additional screws underneath that hold the vertical carpeting piece in Step 4: Remove pillar cover on passenger side. Pull plastic cover labeled "airbag" off and remove screw underneath. Carelly work cover free at the top first. Step 5: Remove the exposed screw on the lower portion of the pillar Step 6: Disconnect trunk light Step 7: Remove the passenger side net anchor screws Step 8: Pull the passenger side section down. The clips are very tight, so be careful when prying the plastic. This is where the clip locations are. Step 9: Slowly pry passenger side pillar cover off, starting at the top. Once you reach the speaker, be sure to disconnect the wire as shown. Step 10: Remove screw that is now exposed on the rear pillar Step 11: Carefully pull the passenger side carpet panel out as shown. Step 12: Use the flashlight and look in between the carpet panel and the inner fender well. Pull out the pre-located harness plug, roughly half way in towards the front as shown. The plug is RED Step 13: Pull out and connect to the module. Plugs are specific so it will only fit into the center plug. Leave hanging for later use. Step 14: Remove both tail light allen bolts on the inside of the hatch area. They will be covered by two plastic plugs as seen below. Step 15: Carefully pry tail lights straight out towards the rear. There are 2 clips, one forward, and one rear on each lense. Disconnect harness and set aside. Step 16: Remove both torx screws on the bumper cover that were previously under the tail lights Step 17: In each fender well, remove the torx screws, starting in the rear, moving to the top of the fender. No need to remove all of them, you just need to access a hidden screw under the fender liner. Step 18: Remove hidden screw on both sides in the fender well. This is somewhat difficult to access, the torx bit will be FACING towards the rear of the car, close to the 10 o'clock position in the fender well. Step 19: Remove the lower allen bolts in the bumper cover Step 20: carefully wiggle the bumper cover free. The parking assist sensors will still be plugged in, so don't completely remove. Once far enough out, locate and disconnect plug on the DRIVER side Step 21: Remove foam and sensors as one, and save for reinstall. Loosen 8 bolts holding on aluminum bumper and completely remove bumper. Step 22: Install new STEEL bumper with hitch. Torque bolts to 140 lb/ft Step 23: Reinstall parking sensors and foam on top Step 24: Install plug cover into harness Step 25: Remove plastic cover on bumper support, and use screws to attach harness and plug assembly. Step 26: Route harness along the bottom of the bumper support towards passenger side. Remove rubber grommet and replace with grommet already attached to the wire harness. The wire ties should be positioned perfectly to install in holes in the bumper support. Step 27: Grab harness on the interior side, and route up and over the factory cd changer to the existing plug you found early on. Plug into module. Step 28: Using screws, install module on top of existing electronics in passenger side area. There will only be 2 plugs even though there are three sockets on the module Step 29: On the bumper cover, there are marking where to cut the relief for the receiver as shown below. I made the cut with a sharp razor blade Step 30: Reinstall all components and panels in reverse order (have fun with all of this!) Step 31: Locate the right fuse box on the side of the passenger side dashboard. Install a 15A fuse in slot 1, 3, and 5 plus replace slot 19 with a 30A. FINAL STEP: IF YOU ARE LUCKY, the module ordered is already programmed for the US. Unfortunately, it seems like the dealerships are stocking the UK version. You will need someone with a porsche scan tool to reset the module to the US version (UK is the fold out version). If you don't have any errors on your dashboard, then you have the right US version. If you get a tow warning, you will need the module reset. ENJOY!!

So i have had this annoying display with my 2004 CTT that my rear glass is open, when it really isn't. It would sometimes go away but could come back if i hit a large enough bump in the road. The particular annoyance happens every time you stop and start, it will beep at you again....OR the fact that you cannot lock and arm the car with the glass "open." Anyways this is how you can potentially resolve that issue: Tools needed: Your hands Adjustable wrench Step 1: Open the glass and remove the small plastic cover on the glass side as shown. You will want to get your fingers behind the TOP first, then pull the entire cover free. the clip are pretty strong, so it takes some force, just work it free evenly and slowly. Step 2: Now you have access to the latch on the left (metal hoop). You will want to use the adjustable to loosen the latch or nut. Once it's loose, you can turn it either in or out to make the adjustment needed. For me, i had to turn it OUT, loosening the latch. My guess is the rubber seal has become stiffer over the years, so it was pulling the latch away from the sensor. Reinstall plastic once you get the positioning correct and enjoy no more annoying messages or alarms every time you stop at a light.

I did the oil change yesterday and it went perfectly. I thought I'd provide the information in this post that I consolidated from this and other forums for any others who are interested. Pics attached. Thanks to all those who provided this information. 1. I changed the oil with a warm engine so that the oil would drain more easily. 2. I didn't unscrew the cap on the filler neck until midway through the draining process so that the oil wouldn't come out too quickly. 3. Unscrew the drain plug using an 8mm hex bit and let drain into a collecting basin. Next time I'll also place a tarp on the floor to catch any splatter that comes from the collecting basin. 4. While the oil was still dribbling, I loosened the oil filter housing using the special tool Oil Filter Spanner 92040. 5. While waiting for the oil filter element to completely drain, I removed the old O-ring from the oil filter housing. I used a flat head screw driver to get under it and to pry it off. Ensure not to scratch/damage the oil filter housing. The O-ring comes off very easily. 6. I then cleaned the oil filter housing, and placed a new O-ring on the oil filter housing. In the latter regard, I dipped the O-ring in some of the oil that was still inside the housing, distributed it all over the O-ring, and then gently rolled the O-ring over the housing until it rolled into place. Rolling it on evenly ensures that it doesn't get twisted, which would hamper making a good seal. 7. I then removed the old oil filter and cut it open to inspect it for metal fragments. Apparently small pepper sized metal fragments are okay, but cracked pepper sized fragments are a sign of potential problems. Mine looked great, with only a few little metal fragments in the entire filter. 8. Then I replaced the drain plug. I changed from the original to a magnetic one from LN Engineering (via Pelican Parts). It uses a 10mm hex. When putting the new aluminum sealing ring on the drain plug, ensure the smooth side is toward the engine block and the sharp edged side is toward the plug. I turned it counter clockwise until if felt it seat, then turned it clockwise by hand to ensure no cross-threading. Then use a torque wrench to tighten to 37 ftlb torque. 9. Then I inserted a new filter element. Place a little pressure on it and it pops right in place. 10. I prefilled the oil filter housing to somewhere between 1/3 and just under 1/2 full. Then screw it on by hand and finish with a torque wrench tightening to 19 ftlb torque (my 1/4" torque wrench only goes to 200 inlb which is a bit less than 19 ftlb--228inlb, and my 1/2" starts at 20ftlb; so I put it on with the 1/4 at 200 inlb and then checked with the 1/4" at 20 ftlb and got the click right away, so it should be about right). 11. I then began filling oil, having placed some paper towel to catch some drips under the filler neck. I put in the rest of the container that I started for the oil filter housing, as well as 7 more litres (i.e., 8 litres). 12. Check oil level. It gave an overfull indication, which apparently is normal. I started the car and let it run for about 15 seconds (Despite having prefilled the oil filter housing, I did get a low pressure warning that lasted only a second). Then started the check oil procedure again. This time it takes about 30 minutes. It tested one segment short (sorry for the poor pic but you'll get the idea). One segment corresponds to 0.4 litres, so I put in 400ml more, checked again with ignition only, and the oil level was perfect. So, the total oil used was 8.4 litres. 13. Then start the motor again and let run for a few minutes. Check for leaks. 14. Take it for a spin, and check for leaks.

I have a 2005 Carrera S with 68,000 miles. I recently started having problems with a large white cloud appearing only at start-up and some poor throttle response at low rpms. I had also noticed for the last few months that the oil consumption seemed a faster than usual for my car. After a little reading I found that it might be due to the AOS. My Durametric program was giving some RKAT and misfire codes, but the check engine light (CEL) was not on - of course, after I checked the codes, the CEL came on. With the engine running, I tried to remove the oil filler cap but couldn't - I would have had to pry it off the tube. So it really did seem to the AOS. Apparently when the AOS goes bad, it causes a high vacuum in the crankcase (hence can't pull off the oil filler cap) and this pulls oil into the recirculation system that drains into the intakes (hence the white cloud at start-up and high oil consumption). I looked around and found some information on Rennlist discussing AOS replacement on a 996 (http://forums.rennli...labor-time.html). People discuss dropping the transmission or lowering the engine to help with this. I'm my case only removing the engine would have helped. The hose clamps are pointed towards the back of the car so I would not have been able to do this from the transmission side. You should know that the 997 S uses a different AOS than the non-S 997 or the 996. Based on all this information I ordered from Zim's (www.allzim.com) AOS for ~$150 3 intake gaskets (~$8) (didn't use these in the end) one throttle body gasket (~$7) as well as a new serpentine belt, and all three idler pulleys (pullies?) because I thought I would do this at the same time. Tools are shown and with some listed at the bottom. First, the pre-picture . Obviously I have a fabspeed cold air kit. The red color sticks out like a monkey-butt, but I like the sound. The AOS on the 997s is under the passenger side intake manifold about halfway to the front of the engine. So some things have to come off... the air box needs to come out, there is a good air filter replacement tutorial here on Renntech. This picture shows the air box partially out and rotated over so that you can see the connections. I also zoom in here just to show the vacuum connection on the solenoid, one of the electrical connections on the solenoid (already disconnected), and the mass air flow (MAF) sensor connector. Just ignore the broken wire clip. Some gremlin must have done that... Now the throttle body has to come off - there are four E-10 bolts, and the bottle left one has a bracket that hold a little rubber bumper attached to it. Only the four E-10 bolts need to come out. There is also an electrical connector at the top (runs from left to right) and if you squeeze it just right on a tuesday with a full moon, it will pop off. Here are two pictures of the throttle body off the car, note that there is oil on the inside and both the inside and outside need cleaning. Now to get the intake pipe out from between the left and right manifolds. You can see that there is the plastic Y splitter that the throttle body attaches two, and then two short rubber hoses that attch the plastic splitter to the intake manifolds. There is a recirculation hose connected to the top left of the splitter. The other end of this hose is connected to the AOS. Porsche was VERY nice when they made these hoses, if you squeeze the two textured parts together the hoses pull off easily - no wire hose clamps. Yeah Porsche! Also notice that this splitter piece has the groove where a new throttle body gasket should go. Each rubber hose has two large hose clamps on it. In order to get the splitter out, I recommend loosening only the two outer most clamps, that is the clamps on closes to each intake manifold, because then you can rotate the splitter up or down to help break the seal of the rubber hoses on the intakes. Then I removed the inner two clamps and broke the seal of the rubber hoses to the splitter. To get everything off, I pushed the rubber hoses as far onto the intake manifolds as I could (essentially pushing the two rubber hoses father apart) , and then the splitter came out from between the hoses. In retrospect - and after putting all this back together, I would have pushed the rubber hoses closer together onto the splitter and then taken out the splitter with the hoses attached as it went back on this way pretty easy. Here is the splitter And here is where the splitter was... In this last picture you can see the short rubber hose segments, the disconnected recirculation hose, and the back crossover tube that also connects the two intake manifolds. If you follow the disconnected recirculation hose down, you can see the top of the AOS. I could see that a fair amount of oil had collected in the intake system. I also removed the power steering reservoir - there is a 10mm bolt on the right side holding it to the right intake manifold and a plastic tub that connects down to the pump. That tube has a nice twist connector on it, twist it to the left (counterclockwise) about a quarter of a turn and the whole thing will just pull out. This picture shows where it was, and the black plastic tube that has a green o-ring is where that reservoir was connected. Now I removed the 4 E-10 bolts that held down the right intake manifold to the cylinder head. This is where things may have been easier on the non-S or the 996? My intake manifolds are one piece with the injectors attached to the bottom. There are 4 bolts, one on each end and one between each pair of cylinders. If we number them from rear of car to front, number two was the real pain to get out. There is a sensor embedded in the manifold directly above this bolt which made it difficult, but eventually the right combination of extensions and u-joint made it possible (it was harder to replace than to remove). I couldn't really get a good picture here. I couldn't easily figure out how to get the fuel supply line and injectors disconnected, so I couldn't pull out the intake. Removing the intake bolts did left me move it around some which was helpful, but I'm note sure it was actually necessary to get the AOS out. Also, since I couldn't get it off, I couldn't change the gaskets - so I'll keep my fingers crossed that the old gaskets are still in place. This picture shows that I've removed the old AOS - you can see the recirculation hoses that attach to it (there are three - two on the left and one on the back), and then two small coolant hoses (both on the left). What it doesn't show is that there are two small T20 screws that hold the AOS to a bracket on the cylinder head. See the diagram below for better idea. I sure hope your hands are any larger than mine... I used a T-20 bit and a small ratcheting monkey wrench to get to these. If I hadn't loosened the right intake manifold, then I'm not sure that I could have gotten my hand in there to do this. There are the two coolant hoses that have to come off, one of them come from the water pump and there is a small segemnt of it that is rubber with a spring clamp right at the water pump fitting. This picture shows where I'm talking about. In retrospect I don't think I had to take this off, but it was easy. Please ignore the broken oil-pipe filler. Who did that? Turns out that this filler just sticks out into space and it is really easy to put too much pressure on it with your arm when trying to work on the intake. It snaps with a nice crisp pop that reminds you of a broken bone. Turns out it is a $40 dollar part that has to be ordered and it looks like the alternator has to come off to replace it. I think I'll keep my serpentine belt and pulleys for a future weekend when I get to change the filler pipe. Also, here I want to show the water hose connection, again an excellent job by Porsche. The blue piece on the end of the hose is a tab, than when pushed releases the connection and the hose comes right off. I only lost about 1/ 4 cup of coolant when disconnecting both water hoses. Lastly, here is a picture of the space where the AOS was sitting. You can see the opening in to the crankcase where the bottom tube of the AOS fits. A little wiggling and the new one slides right in. I cleaned everything using a carb cleaner and P21 citrus cleaner. Now that everything is apart, it's time to put it together. 1. new AOS in, connecting coolant hoses first and then getting the t20 screws into the AOS from the right side of the engine. 2. connect recirculation hoses to the aos, and the coolant hose back to the water pump fitting. 3. reconnect the rear crossover tube by pushing the rubber hoses as far as possible onto the intakes - again this helped that my intake was loose (take special care to get the vacuum connection reattached - I had to disconnect this vacuum hose over on the left intake manifold so that I could get enough slack to work with it, once it was back on I reconnected the vacuum hose on the left intake manifold. 4. put the bolts back into the right intake manifold, I did each hand tight with a socket extension and then torqued each to 7.5 ft-lbs (this seems right) - I also had to reconnect the sensor connector over that #2 bolt. 5. then I adjusted the rear crossover tube and then tightened the hose clamps (not too tight). 6. Then I put the front intake splitter and rubber hoses back on, to do this I pushed the hoses all the way onto the splitter and fit it between the intake openings and then separated them onto the intakes. Worked pretty well. 7. lined everything up and tightened the hose clamps (not too tight). 8. connected the recirculation hose to the splitter 9. Replaced the power steering reservoir, twisted the pipe connection to lock and replace the bolt into the right intake manifold 10. put new gasket on the splitter to throttle body face. 11. put throttle body back on the splitter - (torqued these to 7.5 ft-lbs also) 12. replace the air box with the two electrical connections and the vacuum connection. (13. duct tape the crap out of the oil filler tube to hold it and seal the vacuum until I can replace it) I'll say, there is some satisfaction in knowing that part of my $100k car is held together with duct tape. I started the car and filled my garage with white smoke - there was still some oil in the system from the last time it was stopped, but the car idles lower, better low end response, and I can get the oil filler cap off without giving myself an aneurysm. The posts I've seen say that it will continue to smoke on start up until the oil is cleared out. Might have done differently: 1. Not sure if I had to take the intake manifold bolts out - I had hoped to remove it, but in the end I couldn't. 2. Probably would remove the belt, and alternator in order to take off the oil filler pipe and get it out of the way - that would have kept me from braking mine.. 3. and if I did #2 above, I would have changed the pulleys and belt at the same time. Time: about 7 hours split over two days, next time might take 5 hours. Tools: here is everything that I used. Note the diet coke, this was necessary in copious amounts. Lots of 1/4 and 3/8 inch extensions and adapters to make different lengths. 7mm, 10mm, and 13mm sockets. An E-10 star socket and a T-20 torx bit (or a star bit) I have both of these from a kit sold by harbor freight. Also came in handy when I changed the spark plugs and coils a year ago. The magnet and mirror are indispensable. I hope you have as much fun as I did. Someone described it like having your hand up a cow's backside, and there are times that made me chuckle. It is always nice to learn a little more about my car. I am in Dallas, and if anyone needs help or has questions, just let me know.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. Parts you will need: 1 ea 996 107 225 52 (or 996 107 225 53) Oil Filter (with large O-ring) 1 ea 999 707 465 40 Small O-ring 1 ea 900 123 010 20 Copper Sealing Ring - Oil Tank 1 ea 900 123 118 30 Aluminum Sealing Ring - Engine 9 ea 996 106 665 55 Mobil 1 0W-40 or equal (approx. 8.5 liters (MY04 GT3 9.0 liters)) Approved Oils as of June 2004 The list is now very long (for worldwide coverage). Here is a short list of popular oils (US/Canada): Castrol Syntec 5W-50 5W-50 ncp G Castrol Syntec 5W-40 5W-40 ncp GL Mobil 1 0W-40 ncp GL (factory fill) Mobil 1 5W-40 ncp GL Mobil 1 5W-50 ncp GL Mobil 1 Tri-Synthetic Formula 0W-40 ncp GL Texaco Havoline Synthetic 5W-40 ncp GL Note: ncp oils are synthetic (or "non-conventional processing") oils. GL oils have good light running properties because of their light low-temperature viscosity as well as a high level of temperature stability. G rated oils can be used as non-seasonal oil, but do not have the same light running properties as "GL" oils. Tools you will need: Tire ramps or jack 15 mm socket for crankcase drain 27 mm wrench and 19 mm socket for oil tank drain Oil filter wrench (p/n 000 721 920 40) (tool 9204 about $7 to $22 at your dealer) image 9 plus quart oil catch pan Torque wrench (optional) Oil should be changed when the engine has reached normal operating temperature. CAUTION - oil will be hot, take adequate precautions to avoid being burned. Always dispose of the waste oil in accordance with local legal requirements. Use ramps or jack up the vehicle at the points provided. Remove the oil drain screw and collect the engine oil in a disposal container (at least 9 quarts). Wait about 20 minutes for the old oil to drain. Then clean the oil drain screw and screw it back in with a new aluminium sealing ring. Tightening torque is 52 ft-lb. Remove the oil tank drain screw (19 mm) while holding the nut above it with another (27 mm) wrench (this avoids twisting the tank itself). Collect the engine oil in a disposal container. Wait about 20 minutes for the old oil to drain. Then clean the oil tank drain screw and screw it back in with a new sealing ring. Tightening torque is 44 ft-lb. Remove the oil filter using the oil filter wrench. Pull off and dispose of the old oil filter element. Clean the oil filter housing thoroughly inside and outside and replace the two O-rings. The new O-rings will go on easier if a light amount of oil is on them. Do not put them on with a screwdriver or other sharp object as a sharp object will damage the O-ring. Remove the remaining quantity of oil from the oil filter housing by suction. Install the new filter element. Lightly apply oil to the housing threads. Install oil filter housing and tighten to 19 ft-lb. Fill with engine oil. The oil change quantity is approx. 8.5 liters (MY04 GT3 9.0 liters) after a draining time of approx. 20 minutes.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. A third (center) radiator is standard on the Porsche GT3, Boxster S and all Carrera's or Boxster's with Tiptronic transmission. As well, the third radiator is now standard on all X51 Carrera Power Kit (engine power upgrade). Although the Tiptronic radiators are plumbed differently it is obvious that Porsche did this to increase the cooling capacity of these cars. Having great concern for my engine, specifically it's cooling in the hot California weather and... knowing that what Porsche does for it's competition cars is usually a good (yet sometimes expensive) idea for our street (sometimes tracked) cars. I decided to add the GT3 radiator to my 1999 Carrera Coupe (w/factory aerokit). The goal being that extra amount of protection that the additional cooling capacity adds. Initial tests show that the highest temperatures (after hard driving) have gone down 10-20°F (7-12°C) after this installation. Here is my installation procedure: It took me 4-5 hours taking pictures and cleaning. I would expect this can be done in 3-4 hours (or less). Parts you will need GT3/996 Radiator Kit (available as a kit from Carnewal.com) consisting of: 1 ea 996 106 037 51 Radiator 1 ea 996 106 666 52 Radiator Hose (right side return line) 1 ea 996 106 665 55 Radiator Hose (left side intake line) 1 ea 996 575 141 02 Air Duct (center) (for MY02 and newer 996 575 141 04) 1 ea 996 504 485 02 Retaining Frame (bottom) 1 ea 996 504 487 02 Retaining Frame (top) 4 ea 930 113 430 00 Rubber Grommets (for retaining frame) 2 ea 999 507 550 02 Speed Nut M6 (for retaining frame) 2 ea 900 378 036 09 Bolts M6 (for retaining frame) 2 ea 999 512 552 00 Screw Type Hose Clamps (now included in kit) 4 ea 999 591 869 02 Speed Nut M8 (for mounting bracket on the car) 4 ea 900 378 074 09 Bolts w/washers M8 (final mounting bolts for the assembly) Other items you will need: 4 ea 999 512 551 00 Screw Type Hose Clamps (large, do not reuse the spring clamps) 2 liters 000 043 203 78 Porsche HMZ Coolant Tools you will need Jack Jack stands 19 mm socket for wheel bolts Key for security wheel bolt Metric sockets - 10 mm, 13 mm Regular screwdriver Phillips screwdriver Torx bit- T25 Torque wrench (97 ft-lb) to tighten wheel bolts Utility Knife Cooling line mounting paths (what it will look like). The parts kit from Carnewal.com. Two views (second one courtesy of Scott Mandell). Pre-assemble the Radiator. Using the numbers in the illustration you can pre-assemble some of the radiator parts using the rubber grommets (4) and the M6 Speed Nuts (6) and M6 Bolts (5). Note the radiator outlet positions and the retaining frame top and bottom (see parts list for p/n). The radiator hose connections face the car and are on the top. The top retaining bracket (2) has tabs with small hooks. The tab hooks point towards the car and the tabs themselves angle away from the car. The bottom bracket (3) has tabs that face the car. When mounted the radiator will NOT be vertical it will be at a slight angle up. Raise the car and remove the wheels. Start by jacking the car up and placing jack stands under the front wheel jack mounts. This really puts the car at a more comfortable height to work on. Next remove the front wheels. Remove the side markers. Move the wheel well liners back. Remove from the wheel well the 3 plastic rivets and the 10 mm nut. Pull the wheel well liner back as shown (I used twine). Remove the front bumper cover. There are two screws on each side at the side marker area. One is at the forward part where the side marker assembly attaches, the other is behind the side marker. Remove the screws and rivets under the nose (2 rivets and 7-9 screws). Remove the plastic cover over the front trunk latch. This is held in place by four plastic fasteners. You just rotate these 90 degrees to remove them. Carefully pull the cover off over the latch handle. Finally remove the 2 screws (now visible). Detach the air temperature sensor cable. Lift the bumper cover off and place on a padded surface to avoid scratches. Remove the air scoops. There are 5 torx screws on the scoops to remove them. On the right side you will need to feed the rubber grommet (for the temperature sensor) through the scoop to remove it. Clean the radiators. Detach the air conditioning condensers (2 torx screws) and use a soft brush and vacuum to clean the radiators and air conditioner condensers well. Loosen the radiator assembly on each side. Remove the two bolts (13 mm) under the support bracket. Then remove the (13 mm) nut that holds the bracket (inside the wheel well). This will now allow the whole assembly to move about 6 inches down and to the side allowing enough room to change the hoses. Replace the lower hose on right (passenger side) side. Using pliers slide the hose spring clamps back on the hose but don't remove the hose yet. Place a clean container (about 2 quarts should be enough) to catch the coolant when you carefully remove the hose at the radiator end first. Coolant. This about the quantity of coolant you should expect when you remove the lower hose. I would guess slightly more than one radiator capacity. Right side (passenger side) Hoses. Old hose on left new hose on right. Place the clamps on the hoses and re-attach. Before tightening down the hose clamps rotate the hose so that the small hose is correctly positioned at to the top center of the car (for the new radiator). Replace the upper hose on left (drivers side) side. Place the clamps on the hoses and re-attach. Before tightening down the hose clamps rotate the hose so that the small hose is correctly positioned at to the top center of the car (for the new radiator). This one is a little trickier but you should see the hose path as it sits up and under the fender. Left side (drivers side) Hoses. Old hose on left new hose on right. Attach the center radiator to the car. Using the M8 speed nuts place them on the brackets on the car and attach the radiator (assembly) loosely using just the top 2 bolts. Attach the small hose to the center radiator. To easily attach the left hose remove the bolt from the left side mounting (now only supported on the right) and attach the hose and tighten the clamp. Do the reverse on the other side (place bolt back in left side and remove right bolt). Finally tighten down all 4 M8 bolts to hold the radiator firmly in place. Re-attach the radiators. Carefully re-position the radiators and replace the 2 bolts and nut that holds the assembly in place. Take care to line it up as it was previously. Reattach air conditioner condensers and tighten the 2 torx screws that hold them in place. Test for leaks. Start the engine and run for at least 5 minutes while checking for leaks. If everything is tight and leak free proceed with the rest of the re-assembly. Attach center air duct. Carefully position the air duct such that the 6 protrusions snap into the places on the radiator frame. Reattach the side air scoops (5 each torx screws). Remove the center plug in the bumper cover. This may sound easier than it is. Seems Porsche uses a black silicone type sealant on this. I found the best way was to use (carefully) a utility knife to cut away as much of the sealant as possible and then carefully pull until I got a corner up and worked my way around the edges. Note: For standard (non-aerokit) front bumpers; cut the inside gasket along the line. Remove the center plug as shown in these images (courtesy of Scott Mandell) Or, you could replace the rubber bumper insert with: 996 505 553 05 01C Air Inlet for Tiptronic (or for MY02 and newer 996 505 561 02 01C). This replaces the original insert and installs across width of stock 996 bumper. Re-attach the bumper cover. Basically, the reverse of removal. Re-attach wheel well covers. Ditto, basically the reverse of removal. Re-attach the side marker lights, wheels, lower car. Again, the reverse of removal. Add coolant, check for leaks (again), and bleed system... Add a mixture of antifreeze and water using the HMZ coolant. Antifreeze in coolant: 50% gives protection down to -31°F (-35°C) 60% gives protection down to -58°F (-50°C). Be careful not to overfill (it will get pushed out on the floor). Lift the bleed valve. Start the engine and allow it to get to full operating temperature (I also ran the air conditioning to force circulation). The coolant warning light will likely start to flash. Shut the engine off and WAIT until the engine and coolant has cooled enough to remove the coolant tank cap. Then add coolant to the tank and repeat the process. You made need to do this 2-3 times. When the coolant level fails to fall then the system is bled and you can close the bleeder valve. Enjoy your "cool" car. Just to be safe it might make sense to check the coolant level a couple of times in the next one or two days. I found under heavy (track) driving in hot weather my coolant temps run 10 to 20°F (7 to 12°C) cooler now.

Here is how you replace the spring in the center console on a 2006 997S. The cost of the part was 87 cents. Here is a picture of the part. You remove eight torx screws to get the cover off. This is the cover off. Here is the cover. There were two different length screws but it does not matter where they go. Next you release tension on the spring. I have a torx socket resting on the spring release. The last step is to pull the hinge pin out. I used a vice grip and it worked real nice. Replace the spring and reassemble. This is a very easy task with a difficulty index of 1. I replaced the spring because the console door would rattle over bumps. The new spring works like a champ. Paul

Happy New Year everyone! It was cold and foggy here in Sacramento so I decided to do something about the yellowish headlights on my 03 996 C4S. I got the car about 3 weeks ago and it looks great but the headlights were somewhat yellowish. Looking at them closely, I noticed that there were very fine cracks and oxidation on the surface and decided to try to polish them. I found a "headlight lens restoration system" by 3M for $20 at Autozone. I removed the headlights and cleaned them well. Then I used a 500 grit disc (dry) on a drill to remove heavier scratches: The headlight looked completely ruined after sanding them with the 500 grit sand paper disc :o Then I used the 800 grit disc (dry) also on a drill to remove the scratches left by the previous disc: The headlight was not looking any better yet. The next step was to use a 3000 grit Trizact disc but I decided to wetsand using 2000 grit paper before: Then I used the 3000 grit disc (wet) on a drill. The disc is part of a thin foam pad so it stayed wet and worked nicely: The it was time to use the polishing compound on a foam pad. Just a little went a long way: This is the passenger's side headlight after polishing: And the driver's side headlight after polishing: I didn't take any photos before polishing them but I compared them after polishing only one and the difference was amazing. It removed all the yellowish tint from them. I'm going to buy some UV block for plastic tomorrow and see how long they stay clear and shinny. It took me about an hour and a half to do both headlights. So, if your headlights are not as clear as you would like, don't be afraid to sand them ;) Oscar

1.) Un-screw the one phillips head screw at top center of side air intake... 2.) The molded air duct and the intake grill are still attached by three delicate plastic tabs at the three points... The best way to remove this is gently insert your fingers through the grills into the intake at the points circled in red and gently try to free the tabs... All three points come forward towards you, but if one is stuck or gets caught it will break... 3.) Inside the drivers side air duct you will find a snorkle... The snorkle is added to most US cars for noise restrictions. Now this piece is attached by no screws or tabs, but it most likely will give you some troubles removing... The best way is to remove this, just grab a hold of the long snorkle (not the small dish on the end)... Now wiggle it from left to right and vice versa while pulling out towards you. This works, but might take a little effort. 4.) This is what the intake is going to look like after the snorkel is removed... Just carefully insert the three tabs back into their points... Make sure that all three are tightly in by pushing the airduct cover (not the grill)... Insert your 1 screw into top center of cover and you are done.

Note: Part numbers sometimes change without notice. Always double check with your supplier that you have the latest part numbers. The switch is part number 996.613.155.00 A02 for a switch installed on the left side of the dash and 996.613.156.10.A05 for a switch installed on the right side of the dash. Like other dash switches it has a raised portion on one side. When you order the switch, ensure you specify which side you want the raised portion according to which side of the dash you are installing it into. These install procedures assume you will be placing the switch in the unused dash socket below the PSM switch on a RHD car. For LHD cars, the PSM switch is on the left side of the dash and the raised portion of the tail switch should also be on the left (as shown in the picture). For RHD cars, the PSM switch is on the right of the dash and the raised portion of the tail switch should also be on the right. Take care that you order the correct tail switch for your car. Parts you will need: 1 ea 996.613.155.00 A02 (or 996.613.156.10.A05) Spoiler Switch 5 ea Female connectors 5 feet (1 length) Connector cable 2 (3 inch length each) 14 gauge wire few Cable ties Tools you will need: Phillips head screw driver Blunt flat blade to prise the switch tab (I used a butter knife) Wire cutters Crimping tool Soldering iron Remove the cover from the fuse box. Then carefully remove the four screws pointed out in the picture. Ensure the screws do not fall into the fuses else you may start a fire! (The fusebox is located in the drivers side footwell.) Once the screws are removed, pull away the carpet trim around the fuse box. You will be cutting into the wiring loom connected to the existing spoiler (tail) switch. The switch is the black square item located in the bottom left corner of the fuse box. Note: The installation of the new in-dash tail switch does not effect operation of the existing spoiler (tail) switch. It is simply wired in parallel to it. I have used a mirror here to show you the back of the fuse box. Pull the connector from the switch. It has no clips but it may be quite hard to pull off. Be careful not to pull the wires out of the connector. DO NOT use a metal implement to pry it off. If you rock it from side to side while pulling, it will eventually come off the switch. Here you can see the connector pulled away from the switch. The connector has three wires: Green/black, Brown/Green and Brown. Carefully cut the 3 wires going to the connector. Ensure you do not short the wires as you cut them. Leave a long tail on the wires at the connector as you will need to splice them back later Use a blunt blade to carefully pry out the switch tab holding the PSM switch in the dash. I used alarm wire in a single cable. You need 3 cores in the cable and it needs to be about 5 feet long. Feed it through the opening for the PSM switch tab. You can see in the picture where you can feed it through the back. Push the wire through so that you can grab it from underneath the dash and feed it along within the dash to bring it out behind the fuse box. Carefully cut the 3 wires going to the connector. Ensure you do not short the wires as you cut them. Leave a long tail on the wires at the connector as you will need to splice them back later Fit the new tail switch into an unused slot. Usually the one below the PSM. Place the connectors as shown on the switch. Make a note of the colour coding you use and which switch terminals you put them on. I used red, brown and black wires in this configuration. Next you will wire up the tail switch light. Use two 14 gauge wires cut to about 3 inches. I used blue and brown wires. Strip both ends of the two wires. Crimp a female tag onto one end of each wire. Connect the tags on these wires to the two outer (remaining) tail switch tags. Pull off the connector from the back of the PSM switch. Insert the blue wire onto the left most PSM switch tag (blue/pink/brown connection wire). Insert the brown wire onto the top PSM switch tag (red/blue connection wire). Ensure the inserted wires are not shorting any other tags. Push the PSM connector back into place with the inserted wires. One way to do this is to cut the bare ended wires short and feed them through the tag holes before pushing the connector back on to the PSM switch. At the switch box end, feed a 1 inch piece of heat shrink sleeve onto each of the 3 exposed loom wires. Push the sleeves along to expose the bare wires. Pre-solder each end on all exposed 9 wire ends. Then solder the loom wires back together while at the same time splicing the new wires into the loom. The 9 wires comprise 3 from the original Spoiler (tail) switch connector, 3 in the loom that you cut from the tail connector and 3 that you have just wired in from your new tail switch. The wires are soldered as follows: red -> red/green black -> green/black brown -> brown Check the solder joints. Push the sleeving over the joints and use the soldering iron to heat the sleeving so that it shrinks around the solder joints. Ensure no strands of wires or solder is protruding from the sleeving. Refit the connector back to the original fuse box spoiler (tail) switch. It is important to tidy up your cabling. I used cable ties to ensure the cables don't rub on anything sharp. Before refitting the switch tab, test that your newly installed in-dash tail switch works. Also test that the switch light works when you turn your side lamps on (with ignition on of course). Finally, replace the switch tab in the dash, push the fuse box surround carpet back into place and replace the 4 screws. Job done.