mpikounis

We have both in stock...feel free to email me for more details and pics.

eric@bumperplugs.com

(same lights)

Eric I would be very interested to see how both the smoked and clear versions look on dark (preferably black) cars. If you can post a picture I would appreciate it. It would be great to be able to order them from the US but unfortunately that would mean taxes and a lot of paperwork to get them here in Greece.

I have recently purchased a 'clear' third brake light from Carnewal myself. It is very good. I have a silver 996TT and therefore the clear/silver light was the obvious choice. If i had a black 996, i would go for the smoked. Although to answer your question, i believe the 997's have a cross between clear and smoked? But who cares? Go for what will look best on your car. Word of warning though...... as i have mentioned on another thread, when you get it, you will have to swap the wires on the vehicle side. As the light holds LED's it requires correct polarity. You can either cut and solder wires, cut the polarising 'pip' off or do what i did and 'back out' the crimps in the plastic connector housing (this is difficult!).

You say 85 euro? Yes, list price, but if you ask Gert for his best price, as i did, you'll get it at 55 euro, now that is a good price........ obvioulsy plus VAT (21.5%) and delivery.

Hope this has helped?

This is excellent info, thank you :notworthy: . Can I quote you on the price when I ask for a better price? Do you think I should replace both 3rd brake lights or just the one visible when the car is stationary?

Carnewal sells two kinds of 3rd brake lights, smoked or clear for 85euro each (is it a good price?). Which of the two would you suggest will look better on a black C2 cabriolet? What is the standard for the 997s?

You can see the items here

I suggest using mental therapy to be ok with it the way it is.

This is good advice with almost everything I do with the car :clapping:

The 997's all have clear/smoked 3rd brake lights. I don't know if the ones being offered are OEM or aftermarket.

Any idea which? Do they have clear or smoked?

I got my kit from carnewal.com (excellent service btw!). Here are some pictures of the installed aero kit side skirts:

I tried to take a picture with the door open to show you the mistake I made but it is impossible to see with my phone camera.

I decided it was time to take care of some issues my 996 had so I had both the PSE mufflers replaced (one was slighltly broken) and I installed the aero kit side skirts. The end result is visually great even without front and rear bumpers (the car is black) but I did mess up the installation a bit and I thought I should give a tip or two to anyone trying this DIY project.

The side skirt install is an easy project but one must be ABSOLUTELY sure the skirt fits perfectly BEFORE removing the adhesive tape. To make sure you have placed the side skirt correctly, I suggest you have the door open so you can see exactly what the correct height is. I didn't know this, so after I had the first one installed I realised it was placed too high up and the door barely clears when opened.

So, even though my mistake is not visible from the outside it really bothers me knowing it is not right. I was thinking of heating the glue (hairdryer?) and trying to push the skirt down for about 4mm that needs to move. Do you think this will work or will I be wasting my time?

Unless I am mistaken in order to get a proper reading you have to check when the engine has been warmed up. Next time you stop at a gas station, having driven at least for 10-15 minutes, leave the engine switched off during fill-up and check the oil when you are done filling up. Both methods of getting a reading (manual and electronic) are most accurate this way. Of course you have to make sure the car is level.

I have always been taught, I have read, I have heard...that the most accurate way to check your oil (I'm talking of using the dip stick) is on level ground, with the engine turned off and rested for at least a few mins, and the oil is settled. It is not necessary for the engine to be at operating temp, nor is it necessary for it to be cold.

However, many people choose to check the oil level in the morning, or anytime before the car is started up, becoz' at that time, all the oil is settled in the pan (they don't have to wait!), and thus, would give a more accurate reading on the dipstick.

The complete procedure was described in my first reply to this topic, the second reply was just to stress the fact that the engine must be at operating temperature in order to get a proper reading. You can still take a reading with a cold engine but it can only be a relative reading to compare with another "cold engine" reading.

The problem with cold readings comes into play when oil level is close to max or min. For example, during my last oil change the mechanic added oil until he got a max reading. He thought this was ok. When I took a reading at operating temperature, the oil level was way beyond max which apparently can be very dangerous. I removed almost 1 litre of oil in order to get back to the max reading at operating temperature.

The 996 is the only car I know which requires this procedure. All my previous cars were happy with cold readings and operating temperature made small or no difference to the reading. The 996 is different :rolleyes:

Oh, and the proper way to check your oil is AFTER the engine has been shut off for some time.

Preferably in the morning before you start her up, and of course, on level ground.

If you do it with the engine warmed-up, you're gonna get an inaccurate reading as all the oil has been distributed all over the engne.

Let's not give innacurate information to others :rolleyes: . On page 171 of the owners manual you can find the way Porsche suggests in order to take an accurate reading:

"Engine must be switched off and at operating temperature"

Unless I am mistaken in order to get a proper reading you have to check when the engine has been warmed up. Next time you stop at a gas station, having driven at least for 10-15 minutes, leave the engine switched off during fill-up and check the oil when you are done filling up. Both methods of getting a reading (manual and electronic) are most accurate this way. Of course you have to make sure the car is level.

I wouldn't recommend introducing air into the hydraulic system, IMHO a bogus way to 'simulate' different clutch behaviour! The clutch hydraulic system is completely separate from the brakes, but I still would not 'repair' your clutch this way.

I think brakes and clutch share the same hydraulics in the 996 (except TT I think). So my advice would be not to try and repair the clutch behaviour this way.

As far as I know you cannot over-rev a 996 (or any modern car with a rev limiter) the way you describe. When the rev limiter engages (long before you enter the real danger zone) power is cut and revs drop. I am not 100% sure but I think the 996 revs up to 7250. The only way to over-rev the car is to change to a lower gear instead of a higher one.

The latest I know is that the 08/2005 version of the European CDs does include Greece, but the coverage is unacceptable. It only has MAJOR roads in Athens and nothing else. By MAJOR I mean Attiki Odos, Kifissias and Mesogeion. That's it!

I also know that the DVD version (for 997) has much better coverage.

What remains to find out, is whether the 08/2005 is the latest CD version or not. Perhaps if there is a later version, the coverage is as good as the DVD version.

Anyone with access to a reliable source of info?

Sorry if I am off-topic, but is there a way to determine whether my car has ROW M030 installed (besides the option code on the sticker)? Perhaps some part number I can read off the shocks?

I have exactly the same feeling. Coming from a BMW Z4 I was expecting much better brakes but the feeling was that I need to try much harder to brake. I recently changed the brake fluid and I think it feels a little bit better now, but don't expect much improvement. I guess the advantage of Porsche brakes compared to other manufacturers (eg BMW) is they last for more than 3-4 laps when others fade.

I have no experience of this specific diff but I had plenty of experience with the same item adjusted to fit the BMW Z4. It completely transformed the car and worked without any problems for at least a year (then I sold the car!). It never slips, it does not wear down, it makes no noises and it is very smooth in its operation. The only reason it is not already in my 996 is that I find the 996s grip and behaviour good eveb without an LSD. The Z4 on the other hand, was rubbish without it and amazing fun with it.

As far as I know your best bet would be the LSD from an anniversary edition 996 - that is if you want a Porsche diff. I wouldn't worry about PSM, the only thing you will notice is that it will not come on as often as it does now (at least this is what happened with a Z4 with a quaife LSD that I used to have). If I were you, I would definitely go for the quaife option. It is a great diff, very durable and relatively cheap to buy.

I may be a little bit off-topic here, but I am looking for a short-shift kit for my 996 and I have found several items on ebay that seem to be copies of the B&M short-shifter. The prices range from 80-150 euros. Has anyone tried any of these "no-name" kits?

Hi, I am looking for the part number for the latest set of navigation maps for Europe.

Thanks,

Michael

A friend just informed me that the 08/2005 version of the European CDs includes Greece, but only offers limited coverage. Does anyone know what the latest version is for the European Maps and give us perhaps a part number?

I will do that, but it is not easy - the problem appears only after driving for 20-30 minutes and even then it is not consistent.

I am looking for PCM2 compatible maps that include Greece and unfortunately the local Porsche dealer tells me that the CD-based version never included Greece. Can anyone confirm that the latest CD-based version available does not include Greece?

Given this, I was thinking maybe I can rip the relevant maps from the DVD based version which as far as I know do include Greece in order to build a CD that includes Greece. Can anyone confirm that the 997 DVD based PCM includes Greece?

A third alternative would be to find another manufacturer with compatible maps. Does anyone know of any other car manufacturer with PCM2 compatible CDs?

It is really annoying that Porsche has the maps but does not release them in CD format so that 996 owners can benefit from the PCM navigation!

The thing is, I am 90% certain the noise can only be heard from inside the cabin. Wouldn't this indicate that it has something to with the steering column?

Sorry for bringing this old thread back to life, but I have the exact same noise and I cannot figure out what it is. Any suggestions? From what I read here the silicon solution did not work. Any other ideas? Could it be the top-mounts?