RJ'sGottaDrive

Thank you Loren!

It's been 4 years since I bought my 02 C2 and since then I've spent money and time making sure it's gotten up to date on all the mechanics. Now I'm starting work on the cosmetics. I'm looking at kits to redye the seats, but the first thing I want to do is repaint the center console. Always wanting to do things myself, I went to a well known autobody supply store to see if they could color match my Savanna interior and mix up a rattle can. They could not. They do have a Sem paints, Palamino is a very close match, but not close enough, and it's a gloss finish, so that's out. Those of you who have repainted your consoles, or any other parts of your interior, did you have it done professionally? Found a source that supplies spray paint to an interior code number? Interested to hear you experiences and results. Thanks, RJ

Update- I went ahead and ordered a new actuator. Amazon was the cheapest by $10. Cost was $62 with free shipping. Amazon really has everything. Yes it is OEM. I'm going away this weekend and I want to install it before I go. Found a videos on Youtube and it's very easy to replace. Youtube is the Amazon of how to do things. I read some reviews of the part and people's experiences with failures on Pelican Parts, so I'm pretty sure the actuator is the issue.

Just started having this issue where my frunk doesn't always pop open. I have a spare latch so I changed that out, but still have the same issue. So I assume it's the actuator. Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue, has the part number and your experience changing it out. I'm thinking it should be easy. Hope everyone is enjoying Summer.

Thanks Loren. Greatly appreciate the help- as always.

I'm going to tackle the job of redyeing my seats this Spring and I'll be ordering a kit from Color plus. There is some confusion with the interior color code. The window sticker states Savanna Beige. Color Plus has a color Savanna, code 970 that looks like it, but, I'm not 100% sure. I found another website that lists Savanna Beige as code 941, but Color Plus has it as Classic Gray. As for the build codes, my sticker shows the interior code as SC. From what I've found 2002 Savanna Beige has two codes- SA for standard leather and SD for Full leather. No SC listed. My seats are also code 982, supple leather, so maybe that has something to do with it. I appreciate any help. Ron

Fixed! And a lesson I had to learn again. Before I pulled the drivers seat, I checked to see what fuses or relays might be involved. C3 was blown. That's for central locking/alarm, power windows, inside lights and convertible top. There is another fuse for the top (top control) B1, so maybe that's why the top continued to operate. If it blows again, I'll dig further into it, but for now, everything is operating as it should. Next electrical issue- check the fuses first! Thanks again to those who helped.

Thanks JFP

Strange that it's happing now, without any water intrusion lately. I don't even drive it in the rain and it's stored indoors. Where is the control box located? I could check that myself. Thank you.

Thanks for replying Loren. Cleared the codes and the problem remains. The scanner is my friends and I do not know what kind, only that it cost him around $1000. Did not have a chance to rerun a scan as he had limited time. In the few years I've owned the car, there has never been a leak. The PO did not indicate it either (I bought it from a dealer, and contacted the PO after I found his name on the service records) so no reason to lie about it. He's been very helpful about the cars history. I'm going to see my indie mechanic this week and have him pull the codes, before I spend around $500 on an OEM door latch.

When I go to lock the car, with either the fob or with the key in the door, I get a double beep indicating an issue with the central locking system. A little further investigation and I find that the passenger door is not locking at all. My friends scanner pulled the following information- 1.46 Central Locking Synchronization, Unsuccessful After Safe Locking 2.34 Passenger Compartment Monitoring Sensor, Short Test - No Answer, Short Circuit To B+/faulty 3.60 Central Locking Limit Position Locked Not Reached, Switch Position Implausible 4.54 Radio Receiver Faulty (I have an aftermarket radio). So my thought is that the locking mechanism, or actuator on the passenger side needs to be dug into and I plan to pull the door apart. BUT, here's the weird part- none of my windows work, except when operating the cabrio top. Is the window operation somehow tied to the locking system, or the alarm system? Thanks.

Well since I didn't get any replies, I went ahead and just screwed them in place as shown. The door panels went back on without any interference. Bonus- I didn't break any door clips on either side. That's a first.

I'm finally getting around to installing the new speakers and amp I purchased last fall. I just pulled off the first door panel, and from every thing I've previously read, it should be a direct install for 5 1/4" speakers. I found something completely different. Yes, I have the Bose system with the sub in the passenger side footwell. I can mount the 5 1/4" speaker as shown, but don't know if it would interfere with the door panel. Help me out please. Thanks, RJ

I'm sure many of you have seen the attached schematic and have used it when upgrading your 996 stereo. Last year I installed an Alpine double din head unit with Apple car play. I wish I had done it sooner. So my next project this year (just got done doing a suspension refresh) is to install new speakers. Where I need some help is...in the schematic, what wires are coming from the head unit, and which ones are going out to the speakers? I'm planning on keeping the additional amp that powers the sub. I like the bass that the sub puts out. Not overwhelming. Thanks. RJ

Congratulations on your purchase. I bought my 2002 C2 Cabrio a few years ago with the same intentions. Just driving it in the summers, trying not to spend a lot of money on it and hoping nothing will go wrong. Since then I had to put in an AOS, spent money on a steering wheel refurbishment, put in a new double din head unit with Apple car play and this year it's a suspension replacement. It's a disease.

Yeah, I'm trying to reach out to the PO to get some info on the aftermarket exhaust. Although I have seen tips for sale on Ebay with the bolts I'm looking for attached. If my tips were modified(exhaust tail cut off) someone did a hell of a job. It was cut off deep into the tip. See pic. Thanks JFP.

I've been trying to find the carriage bolts that secure the exhaust tips to the exhaust pipes. I had to cut them off because the nuts were rusted on. They are not your usual carriage bolts. The heads are smaller and the square part under the head is very shallow(this is important). There is a square cutout in the exhaust pipe that holds the bolt fast while you tighten the nut from the underside. I was at Suncoast Parts over the winter and they didn't have availability, they were thinking maybe they came with the tips if you were to buy them. The exhaust tips I've seen on the parts lists I've checked all have an exhaust piece coming off of it and they get attached with a clamp. My mufflers are aftermarkets that the PO put on so I thought that maybe the tips came off of another model, but the part number is 996 111 053 02. It does not look like it was modified. Any ideas why these tips are different than the parts list and why Suncoast can't find them? I thought about calling some Porsche dismantlers but I'll likely run into the same problem and if they do have them, they'll probably be rusty, but I'd take them.

JTT-thank you for your input. Great pics.

Thank you- great info. Nice stance on your car. RoW? Aggressive touring sounds about right for me. So B8's with the original springs won't drop the stance- correct? To drop the stance, it would have to be the B8's and Eibach springs?

The 911 is in winter hibernation but I'm always thinking of ways to spend money on it. Not hard to do, right? First thing this spring will be a suspension refresh. It's overdue. My question is- those of you that went from stock struts and springs to Bilstein B8s and lowering springs, do you regret it due to the stiffer ride? I'd like to lower the stance a bit, but I'm not sure how much the B8's will stiffen up the ride. I'm sure new B4s and lower control arms will bring new life to the suspension, but I'll be taking the 911 on some long trips this coming summer and B8s might be a bit much. Don't get me wrong. I still do a lot of spirited driving and I'm sure the B8s would add to the experience. So please chime in. I really would like your opinion. Thanks.

I PM'd you

It's been awhile since I've posted because my old laptop was running Windows 7 and it wasn't working well with this forum anymore, but now that I finally pulled the trigger on a new laptop- I've installed an Alpine ILX-650 head unit and I'm really pleased. Enjoying the Apple Carplay features. The next step is to swap out the speakers. From everything I've read, the only option for the dash and rear panel speakers is to destroy the OEM speaker cages to mount any aftermarket speakers. After much searching, I found a guy in the UK who designed and now sells kits for this application. He's an engineer that saw a problem and fixed it. Unfortunately, the rear panel adapters only work with the coupes. There is just not enough room in the cabrios behind the speakers. The soft top drain channels are in the way. I bought a set anyway, since I was paying for shipping from the UK, thinking that maybe I could modify them, but there's no way. Hell of a nice guy and he says he only makes enough money for a pint or two for each kit he makes. I actually found him on a Boxter forum. The front adapters fit excellent The drivers side was a bit tight, but it worked. So, I have the adapters available for the rear panels that I'll sell. Both kits cost me $100 shipped from the UK. So how about $50 including shipping anywhere in the continental US. I can also put you in touch with him if you wan the kit for the front. Yes, $100 does seem like a lot of money, but not so much if you want to keep your OEM speakers intact. PM me if your interested.

Thanks Loren.

I don't know if anyone has done any repairs on scratches on their center consoles, but I have a couple on mine I'd like to fix. If you have, I'd be interested in how you did it and how it turned out, short of taking it completely out of the car and respraying. I know SEM makes a spray paint for auto interiors and I've used it on a previous car I've owned with so-so results. Don't know if they make a color that would match up to Savanna Beige. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

The one thing that was realy letting my interior down when I purchased my 911 last year was the steering wheel. The leather was shot and the wood was cracked in several places. I checked on cost of a new one- not spending that kind of money. I looked for a used one, but they just don't exist in good condition. So, I looked for anyone who might recondition. I came across a company in Texas called Craft Customs. Based solely on their website and before and after pics, I sent them my wheel. It came back looking incredible. Just like brand new. well worth the $700 I spent. Kathy gave me excellent customer service. I highly recommend them if your steering wheel is as bad as mine was. I'm sure pricing is less for wheels that are just leather. They also do shift knobs, parking brake handles, etc.