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Roch., I think misunderstood your question/problem. If your rear view mirrors don't move when you try to adjust them with the switch, check fuse B-5 (7.5 amps)....although if this fuse was blown, your back-up lights wouldn't work either. Disconnecting and reconnecting the battery souldn't have any bearing of the system....it has power or doesn't have power. If the fuse is good, then the mirror adjustment switch might be the culprit. First, make sure you have positively selected the mirror you want to adjust by firmly pressing the left/right button. If that doesn't help, you may have to replace the switch (996.613.241.00 - $100.73 MSRP [cheaper at Sunset]). To remove the switch, gently pry outward at the bottom of the triangular trim piece. When the bottom of the trim piece is loose, push up to disengage the top fastener. The plug is rectangular in shape and has two locking tabs that have to be pressed in to release the plug. The switch, itself, is removed from the trim piece by pushing out from behind the switch while squeezing locking tabs on the switch body. Installation is the reverse - remembering to hook the top mounting tab of the trim piece first and then "snapping" the bottom in. Bill

Roch., If I'm not mistaken, the only mirror that moves automatically is the passenger side mirror. It moves down when you select reverse and moves back up when you select neutral or a forward gear. The movable mirror has to be programmed if you want it to move. The procedure is in your owner's manual. This is from a MY03 Carrera owner's manual found here on RennTech: Operation with person buttons 1, 2 Storing seat position - 1. Switch ignition on. 2. Set the desired seat and door-mirror positions. If you wish for the passenger's mirror to swivel down as a parking aid when reversing, reverse gear must be engaged when the seat position is stored. 3. Keep memory button M depressed and additionally press one of the person buttons 1 or 2. The individual setting is now stored under the desired person button. Recalling seat position - 1. Switch the ignition on or open the driver's door. 2. Press person button until the seat has reached its final position. The mirror setting will be completed even if the person button is not kept depressed. Note Automatic seat adjustment can be interrupted immediately by releasing the button. Again, i'm not sure, but I would imagine that any seat/mirror memory is lost if the battery is disconnected. Bill

Matt, BROKEN PLUG HARDWARE. For those MY01 – MY04 DIY’ers who have broken the lock on one or more of the instrument cluster plugs or who are afraid they might, here’s the part number you need : PNA 721.04.300.202. This part number gets you a package with the three colored (blue, green, gray) covers/locks and all three black plugs. They only come as a set of three and cost $27.00 (dealer). The blue, white and black covers/locks and plugs are available for MY97 – MY00 Boxsters too. Have your Porsche technician (not parts guy) check his “Porsche Electrical Connector Repair Kit” for the replacement parts or at least a part number for the three plug package. The entire repair kit is known as CARTOOL – Nr 96 0 000 or PNA 721 043 600. It is full of connectors the parts guy would like to sell you the entire wiring harness for. Unless you can get a used part from a breaker's yard or from a sympathetic Porsche technician, you'll probably have to order the entire set from some place like Sunset. Bill

and.....unless manually selected OFF (snow flake button) the AC is ON any time the HVAC system is being used if the outside temperature is above 32 degrees F/0 degrees C. Bill

Wes, The immobilizer, under the driver's seat was most likely ruined by the water that entered the car. Generally speaking, once the immobilizer has any corrosion inside the box, it is unrecoverable. Having said that, some people have, through good luck, salvaged the box. But when the immobilizer is inoperable, the car will not start regardless of what you do. There are many threads concerning immobilizers in both the 996 and 986 sub-forums on RennTech. As far as push starting goes, the owner's manual suggests not (prohibits?) push starting. Bill

Chris, Sorry to hear of your problems. And I know that refering you to the following link is like closing th barn door after the horses have escaped. http://partner.aaa.biz/portal/binary/com.e...Porsche_ERS.pdf I have printed out the AAA towing guide and carry it in my car. Re. your electrical problems, these cars are very sensitive to proper battery / alternator functioning. Seeing how your battery seems to be serviceable, I would address your alternator - more specifically the voltage regulating control of the alternator. The voltage regulator can be replaced without changing the alternator. I might also check the ground cables on your battery and and alternator. I would check with your local chapter of the PCA to find out where other members are taking their cars for service and repair. As you are, unfortunately, finding out, these cars are fairly expensive to maintain and even more expensive to repair faulty service. "My shop is reputable, and I know they're experienced...but the owner gets PISSED if I mention ANYTHING from these forums..I had already asked about cleaning a MAF, mentioned a few other things from here....he's not listening." I'd put this shop on my do not patronize list. It's your car and your money....he'd better listen. And finally, I would purchase a copy of "Porsche 996 The Essential Companion", published by Veloce. I got my copy from Amazon dot com. It's full of information including trouble shooting and DIY help. Having and reading an Owner's Manual would be a plus too. Good luck, Bill

James, I too am not a clutch/gearbox expert, however...... Many people have found that servicing the transmission with new oil improves and smoothes the shifting action. Others have found that worn engine mounts have caused problems that cleared up after new engine mounts were installed. There are DIY's here on RennTech that cover those two chores. I had a sqeaky clutch which was cured by my dealer's technician with the judicious application of some sort of lubricant (I didn't watch) to the pivot points and "helper" spring of the clutch linkage under the dashboard. Some people have reported, in the past, that some dealers/technicians wanted to change master cylinders and slave cylinders. Yeah, right! Bill

There is a bar code unique to each key/transmitter that has to be scanned to program the key to the imobilizer. Make sure that any key purchased anywhere comes with the necessary bar code documentation. This thread is a little old (six years) so pricing might be a little off. But otherwise, it is good information on the ins and outs of key purchasing. http://www.ppbb.com/phorum/read.php?6,7615...1531#msg-761531 Bill

"I have pressure of "3" without the car even running -- is this normal?" It is not normal. With the ignition off, the oil pressure gauge needle should indicate slightly below "0". With the ignition switch on - and the engine static - the oil presure gauge needle should read "0". With the engine running, the oil pressure gauge should indicate what ever oil pressure the oil pressure transmitter senses. If the oil pressure gauge indicates 3 bar with the engine static, the oil pressure transmitter is probably bad. BTW, the "important" oil pressure read by the car is the oil pressure sensed by the idiot light (it's curcuit is separate from the oil pressure gauge circuitry and has a different terminal on the oil presure transmitter). If the idiot light illuminates, among other things, a record is entered into the DME memory. If you carefully read the owner's manual, you'll see much different responses indicated for the idiot light illuminating and an indicated low oil pressure. (Idiot light illuminated = stop immediately; oil pressure reading low = visit dealer to rectify the problem- or words to that effect.) I don't know what oil pressure causes the idiot light to illuminate. And as far as 3.5 bar @ 5,000 RPM goes, I would think that should be interpreted as "at least" 3.5 bar @ 5,000 RPM (3.5 bar = 51.5 PSI). Bill

I think that most of the RennTech members would advise that you have the PPI results "in hand" before making any purchase commitment. Further, there are many Porsches available at (more) reasonable prices. I wouldn't purchase the subject car if the dealer is twisting your arm and/or promising anything following a post-purchase PPI. Bill

Check out the tabs at the top of every page: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...=maint_us_mj_02 and: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...de=maint_us_add Bill

Paul, Firstly, is the car in question being sold by a private party or a Porsche dealer? A CPO warranty is only transferrable from a private party or an official Porsche dealer. A Lexus dealer or "Auto Mart" dealer cannot transfer a CPO warranty. Second, is there a white CPO warranty decal on the driver's side door jamb? Porsche used to place a decal on the car....I don't think they still do. (In fact, Porsche used to issue a 9"x11" CPO certificate suitable for framing.) Now days with the car's CPO waranty entered in the Porsche data base - available to all Porsche dealers - I think all of the overt documentation is omitted. At any rate, if the car is covered under a CPO warranty it should be easy to determine. Third, your understanding of the terms of the CPO warranty is correct. However, the timing of the inception of the original manufacturer's warranty, and thus the length of the CPO warranty, is predicated on the "in service" date not, necessarily, the date the car was registered with the DMV. Finally, what does the "Certified in Feb 08" from the Carfax relate to? If the car was, in fact, warrantied under CPO, the car would be covered until six years after the the "in service" date or 100,000 total miles. Bill

During a PPI, while the PST2 / PIWIS is hooked up to the car, have the technician read off the operating time - a value in hours. Then multiply the operating time by 32 - 33 MPH (average speed) and the result should be in the neighborhood of the indicated milage. For a car with 23,000 miles indicated, 690-700 operating hours would be the value I would expect to see. Of course, there is a situation that would invalidate this check....the time / distance evaluation is only valid if the DME is the original DME. Any PPI offered / done that does not include an interrogation of information stored in the DME would in my estimation be incomplete. Beside operating hours, the DME records stage 1 and stage 2 "ignitions". Stage 1 ignitions are an indication of the frequency of the rev limiter automatically keeping the engine from exceeding the red line. Stage 2 ignitions are an indication of the frequency of actual over speeding of the engine....generally by missing a shift. Being a Tiptronic equipped car, I would not expect to see any staage 2 ignitions. But, if you are looking to develop a "feel" for the usage of the car, the number of stage 1 ignitions could be a indicator of the driving enthusiam the car was subjected to. Lastly, as many RennTech members opine, there are many, many Carreras available at very reasonable prices....many with complete maintenance records. Don't rush into any "deal". Bill

There have been some cases of corrosion at the lower corners of the condensers. Trash, paper, leaves, cigarette butts, etc., get impacted between the condensers and the radiators and when wet set up a corrosive reaction that will eventually cause holes to develop in the condensers and/or radiators. If you do have a loss of refrigerant, and a leak is indicated, check for pin holes in the condensers. The folowing cleaning instructions were posted for early 986 Boxsters....but, they are pretty close for 996 Carreras. http://www.skylersrants.com/Porsche/Radiator/Radiator.html I believe there may be similar instructions here on RennTech but am not well enough versed in the search function to be able to find them. Bill

Steve, "BROKEN PLUG HARDWARE. For those MY01 – MY04 DIY’ers who have broken the lock on one or more of the instrument cluster plugs or who are afraid they might, here’s the part number you need : PNA 721.04.300.202. This part number gets you a package with the three colored (blue, green, gray) covers/locks and all three black plugs. They only come as a set of three and cost $27.00 (dealer). The blue, white and black covers/locks and plugs are available for MY97 – MY00 Boxsters too. Have your Porsche technician (not parts guy) check his “Porsche Electrical Connector Repair Kit” for the replacement parts or at least a part number for the three plug package. The entire repair kit is known as CARTOOL – Nr 96 0 000 or PNA 721 043 600. It is full of connectors the parts guy would like to sell you the entire wiring harness for." This paragraph refers to a Boxster DIY, but the connectors are the same for 996's too. If your dealer is uncooperative try Sunset. You can probably beat the $27.00 MSRP. Bill

Is car number 2 being offered for sale by Porsche dealer? The reason I ask is that a Porsche CPO warranty cannot be originated by anyone other than a Porsche dealer; and the CPO warranty cannot be transferred by anyone to a new owner (you) except by a Porsche dealer or the private owner of a CPO'ed car (for a $50.00 transfer fee, in the case of the private owner). This means that a Lexus dealer or the "Auto Mart" dealer cannot advertise (or sell) a previously CPO'ed Porsche with a valid CPO warranty. If number 1 car is being offered for sale by a Porsche dealer, I would include a CPO warranty in my negotiations. The CPO warranty itself costs the dealer less than $2,000.00....at least last year it did. (The dealer would have to cover the cost of the CPO inspection and any work/parts neded to bring the car up to "spec" and that might have an impact on your negotiated final price.) And, as of August of 2008, if I recall correctly, the CPO warranty was changed to more nearly mirror the orpginal new car warranty. Stories about dissatisfied after market warranty customers abound here and on other forums. www.porsche.com/usa/pre-owned-vehicles/approved/warranty/ Oh, I'm not affiliated with Porsche....except for having owned two CPO'ed cars. Bill

I purchased a copy of "Porsche 996 - The Essential Companion" from Amazon dot com. It isn't quite as complete as the Porsche Shop Manuals or even the Boxster's Bentley Service Manual when it comes to heavy duty work on the car. But it has great explanations on how the systems on the cars work, extensive trouble shooting information - including OBD codes - and a DIY section that will cover most if not all normal servicing requirements. Here are a couple of links to the publisher's site: www.veloce.co.uk/shop/graphics/pdf/V4096.pdf www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/popup.php?prod_id=V4096&text=Chapter Titles I think it's a good resource. Bill

Toolpants, a board moderator, lives in the South Bay region and is the acknowledged expert on all things OBC and Cruise Control. I would "PM" Toolpants for information....and help on the DIY installation. (Richard Hamilton is the "go to" guy in the UK.) Bill

My MY02 Targa was equipped with the BOSE system with the standard CD220 Becker head unit. The sound was pretty dreadful with distorted/overwhelming bass....even with the bass tone control set at a minimum position. I replaced the Becker head unit with a Pioneer AVIC-Z3 nav system and magically the audio improved immeasureably. I would second bgwvdave's suggestion that you try to find a shop where you can selectively exchange "up-speaker" components. Your new speaker set-up probably just exacerbates the poor quality of the Becker head unit. I would definately start with the head unit..."garbage in = garbage out". Bill

rj, There is little/no service required between the 15,000 and 30,000 mile posts.....except (if you are going the "Full Monte" prescribed maintenance route): 1. Annual Maintenance, including an oil and filter change - http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...aint_box_us_ann 2. Biennial brake flush and service - 3. Air bag system inspection at the 4 and 8 year marks - Most of the prescribed service is "checking" and "inspecting" so almost anyone who is familiar with the Boxster (an independent shop, or an experienced fellow owner, with access to a PST2/PIWIS) can do/help do the maintenance. There are plenty of DIY threads here at RennTech that can help as well. Obviously, if you haven't purchased the car yet, it would be in your best interest to insure everything is done prior to signing the line. To quote Maurice: "I would not assume that ANY maintenance has been done on the car and always err on the side of safety and redo." Bill

The fiber optic system (MOST) started with MY03 Carreras/Boxsters. You should be able to install your nav system with few problems. trieullionaire, a RennTech member, is the authority on the subject. I used his installation kit to install a Pioneer AVIC-Z3 in my MY02 Targa (with Bose). There are several threads here you can reference. Bill

Todd, If you haven't already seen Mike Focke's web site....check it out: http://sites.google.com/site/mikefocke2/mi...boxsterwebpages There's more information there than in any other site I know of (not including RennTech, of course). Cheers, Bill

I suggest that you purchase - and read :) - an owner's manual sooner rather than later. There are a lot of "features" that are not apparent and/or not covered by the salesman's post-purchase briefing. Check out: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...;code=prices_us Enter "WKD.996.021.00" for pricing information on a 2000 Carrera owner's manual....$40.25, a price that board sponsor Sunset Porsche can beat. (Entering "WKD.996.021.99" returned information that seemed incorrect.) As a heads-up, oil brands and viscosity choices are subjects that provoke more contentiousness than religion, politics or parenting.....combined. Congratulations, Bill

All of the needles on my MY02 Targa "park" about 1/8" below the minimum values of the instrument when the ignition switch is off. When I switch the ignition switch on - before starting the engne - the needles indicate either zero (speedometer, tachometer, oil pressure) or actual static values (fuel quantity, voltmeter, coolant temperature - if above 100 degrees F). If your oil pressure gauge actually does move from "about -0.4 bar" toward 0.0 bar....I agree with wvicary's thought that someone had earlier removed the oil pressure gauge needle - for some reason - and then replaced it without proper indexing. In that case you or an instrument shop can re-index the needle. However, if the needle doesn't move toward 0.0 bar, I suspect that you have a problem with the inner workings and hidden mechanisms of the oil pressure gauge itself. Bill

I have done three B & M short shift installations (two 986's and one 996) and haven't had a problem with the shift lever returning easily to "neutral". In all three installations, I made sure there was .002" to .003" longitudinal end play when the bushings were installed on the shift lever shaft. I think it is possible to snug-up the bushings too tightly. In fact, Step 30 in the B & M instruction manual addresses this: "STEP 30. Thread Set Screw EE into Aluminum Bushing GG and reduce "end play" by tightening (verify smooth side-toside motion is retained). Loosen 1/4 to 1/2 turn and lock into place with Jam Nut FF ." Bill