B3-CPO

On 7/6/2018 at 9:24 AM, Philip54 said:

The battery of my car has been disconnected for about 2 weeks.  Are there any issues to be expected when I reconnect the battery and start the car again?

 

Also, on one of the electrodes  I cannot get the specified torque. The 2 lugs on the wire don't stay parallel.  Anything that I can do besides replacing the wire?

 

Thanks

Depending on what stereo unit you have, you may also find that you must reenter the code for the head unit. This can be very frustrating for the owners that lose that code. 

Regarding the "lugs"... you should have ONE bolt and One nut per terminal, correct? If the bolt is spinning, then the best advice is to hold the bolt head with a wrench while you use a 10mm socket to tighten the nut on the terminal bolt.

52 minutes ago, Augustus Barone said:

  After reading B3freak's post I verified that indeed it is a HIFI version.  Adding the bluetooth bit still baffles me as it has no CDC option so it will involve additional bits and labor. That brings in getting a new HU which may make  things easier  all the way round. Crutchfield offers a  interconnect harness adapter so no butchering factory harness required . As per the speakers, replacement are possibly the best idea due to the age factor of the paper cones. Looks like I've got a bit of work to do. Thanks all

Regarding installing new aftermarket speakers... Please study the attached schematic of the M490 Harman "HIFI" system. Notice the areas I've highlighted for you. The reason is because you MUST be mindful of polarity. The aftermarket wire adapters will NOT compensate for the phase reversal that Porsche does on the rear speakers (notice the circle area) of your system. Personally, I would advise proper polarity alignments instead of phase reversal. This can be checked and confirmed with a multimeter. 

Good luck!

2 hours ago, White987S said:

Maybe a new exhaust! Like Fisters stage #3. Windows open. Radio off.

ha! I agree the best music is what comes out the back of these cars, not through the speakers! ?

On 6/30/2018 at 12:21 PM, Augustus Barone said:

Greetings. My  early (3/98) C2 still wears the original CDR21O. As much as I like the bare bones look as it is combined with the center console delete on this car, it could use some improvement in sound quality as well as adding a bluetoooth  to allow more music + phone option .  Any preferred head units recommended? I would like to stay with a single DIN type  to  retain the previously mentioned console delete. This may have been covered before so any links will also be appreciated .Cheers 

Hi, The good news is that your car has an analog system which is much easier to upgrade to an aftermarket radio than the Porsche digital "MOST" based systems, but you need to determine what level of analog system you have. Porsche sold three primary systems on the 996 - Base, HIFI, and Bose. Some variations in these systems were optional. For example, CDR-23 vs. PCM2.  

I see you have the CDR-210, but does your system have the amp in the frunk? Is it 4 speaker (dash and rear) or 6 speaker (dash, door, and rear) setup? Is it Bose? 

If it's the 6-speaker "HIFI" system (non-Bose), then more than likely, you have the Harman or Nokia 6x40Watt amp driving all speakers. 

There are several ways to get "better" sound without upgrading the radio to a new aftermarket HU. Your system is ONLY as good as the weakest link. The HAES speakers are a start. They are paper cone and known to deteriorate over time and cause distortion. The dash and rear speakers are 4 inch but have proprietary speaker mounts. Replacement aftermarket speaker will have to be modified to fit and wire adapters are needed to connect to the OEM wiring. Crutchfield includes free OEM wire adapters when you purchase the speakers from them. The door speakers are 5.25 inch. Most aftermarket 5.25 speakers will fit the Nokia or HAES mounts without modification unless you have the Bose enclosures. Bose does the speaker mount different.

Installing a newer single DIN radio is not that difficult. I recommend a simple wire harness instead of cutting the OEM cables. The wire harnesses can be purchased on Amazon or eBay.

Here's one that will work. It's only $10. Pretty much plug and play with most aftermarket single din radios.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Radio-Wiring-Wire-Harness-FACTORY-Amplifier-AMP-Integration-BEST-KITS-BHA1787/282404972870?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I can offer more advice, but I'll wait for you to respond to the specifics. 

Cheers!

10 minutes ago, thebopper said:

2003 996 seat height adjustment not working. Back seat adjustment works and forward backward manual adjustments work fine. Anyone experienced this and what might be the cause?

Yep! Do you have the memory type seats? Does the passenger seat exhibit the same problem? 

My gut feeling it's the switch. IMHO, it's not the best engineered thing that Porsche created. Remove the front knob, but be extra CAREFUL not to lose the springs when removing the plate and knob. Test the switches and then report back.

On 4/13/2017 at 5:14 PM, Dazla said:

As the title suggests the key fob no longer operates the central locking after I changed the battery.  Can any one help me with a method to get the central locking working from the key fob again? Thanks! 1999 C4 cab 

Dazla,

How many working keyfobs do you currently have for your Porsche 996?

Yea, thanks Loren. I've bought a lot of things from Sunset Porsche.

20 minutes ago, DBJoe996 said:

Same sad story over on Rennlist.  Guy had his one and only Porsche key stolen from his other car.  Ordered new key blades through Porsche with the VIN number.  Got new key fobs and tried to have the Porsche dealer program the keys to the car's security system.  Could not add the keys  to the security system, and could not remove programmed keys from the security system because they did not have the original key and key code.  Bottom line - new security module for $1900, plus new key fobs, plus programming.

 

Porsche was certainly good at setting up a secure security system for our cars.  So word of advice - always have two working keys that are programmed to the security system.  If you only have one working key, and you lose it or it gets stolen, that's a +$2500 mistake.  Better to spend $350-400 for a new working key.

Bingo! You nailed it, Joe! 

I'm not blowing smoke here and I don't think the advice Porsche gave me was BS either. Basically, they say, "never own a Porsche 996 with just one working keyfob"... that is, always have a working backup to make new keyfobs. I'm sure there are some computer geeks that have learned some ECU code voodoo, but for the rest of us, it means traveling to the dealership. 

Think about it folks... we're talking $300 - $400 for a very exclusive sports car. (heck, I just paid $300 for two plastic wheel liners!) That's a cheap form of insurance. And, this is not ya daddy's ol' Chevy. The 996 is still a very modern machine and it's my understanding the security aspect of these cars were engineered to prevent even the rotten applies at the dealerships from stealing these cars. Yep, believe it or not, there are some people out there that would love to make money under the table at elite dealerships like Porsche. 

My 996 brethren, don't be the next victim (sounds like a television PSA doesn't it?), always have two working keyfobs. When one goes bad, then suck it up butter cup and go purchase a replacement with the other working keyfob. Don't be stupid and drive around with just one key. Word up!

Good stuff, Richard!

Unless I'm mistaken on the 996, the seat belt MIL is not related to the SRS module. I've personally had the dreaded "air bag light" thing too and other sensor issues. But, how do you know the car was improperly jumped? It's not uncommon for transport companies to pull the ignition fuse or disconnect the battery to minimize any electrical/mechanical damage during shipping and so seeing the panels removed shouldn't be surprising.  Are you saying that somehow the car was jumped off by the transport company and somehow fried the SRS module but didn't blow the fuse? And, if the car was fine, then are you saying somehow the battery died in transit? If it were me, I would have checked the car out with the driver as a witness and if it had problems, I'd file a claim. You did pay for insurance right?

Well anyway... moving on...

Re: the seat belt

There is a micro switch in the buckles that are known to go faulty. Replace the buckle assembly at the tune of $100 - $150 each and you should be fine. You may need to reset codes again once the new buckles are installed. 

On 6/22/2018 at 3:02 PM, Augustus Barone said:

Thanks folks. As a MBZ driver I have been through that rigmarole before. Off to the dealer  I go.

Hi, Augustus,

As the 996 turns 20 years old, the keyfob problem has become a bigger issue with owners. Many try DIY hacks found online only to find out they've wasted their time. I've been down this road many times, and end up swallowing my pride and getting the dealership to program new keys at the tune of around $300 - $400 per key. I've owned BMW, Volvo, and other modern cars with keyfobs, but of course, Porsche is different how they handle this type of request (i.e. new keyfobs) With BMW, I had to take my title and ID to the dealership for verification, then they faxed copies to BMW and new keys were sent from Germany preprogrammed and ready to go. But BMW was adamant, you must prove ownership by an official title (not copy) and driver's license.

Anyway, I ran into the same problem with my 996. But Porsche requires the car and at least ONE working keyfob. If you're a new customer, you may have to show proof of ownership too. Let me cut to the chase here... it was my understanding that if you don't have at least one working keyfob, then Porsche will require you to purchase a new security module. Basically, you go from about $300 to well over $2000 for the service. I spoke to two people that had to paid Porsche $4,000+ for a new immobilizer/alarm module and two new keys to get the car to work properly again. Unfortunately, the owner(s) only had one keyfob they thought worked, went to get the car out of storage, and it would not allow access to the car. The owner(s) then tried the laser cut key to open it manually only to have the alarm to go off and the car go into lock-down mode. Porsche lock-down mode is code for... "nope, I don't think so dummy!" This system even locks out Porsche service techs from making simple keyfob duplicates which means the only option is to replace the security module and program new keys.  

I'm assuming when you say "spare key", you mean you have at least one working keyfob, right?

Let us know how it turns out.