ADias

To avoid that, when you park the car for the night, you should let it idle for a couple of minute before you shut it off. Seems to help.

True Porsche men do wave.

I have a C4 and love it. I do not think the C4 is less fun than a C2. The C4 is more planted and stable. The C4 is not only for snow country at all. A 911 4-wheel drive is an amazing dry road car.

The 996 C4S is looks only as it is far heavier. In a 996 I much prefer the C4, as the weight penalty is far more modest. As Paul Frere said C4S "is heavy and no go" - I agree.

I do not find any maintenance costs difference between a C4 and a C2. The AWD parts are essentially maintenance free. I do not believe the C2 is more fuel efficient (at least that one can notice).

The designation "range two counter" is what bugs me. Maybe Loren can pitch in.

449 hits of "range two counter". My understanding is that this is how many times it's gone over redline. More than the tech has ever seen on one of these, but not necessarily bad. Should I worry?

Aren't range two counter the bad overrevs? a 6th to a 5th downshift that entered a 3rd instead, and ran the engine above the redline. Those are bad. I would not buy such a car.

Did you buy these from a dealer? They should provide a cooler light. Re. alignment - did you replace the bulbs or the whole assembly?

Is it driveable? :)

I mean... how does it deal with road expansion joints, driveway ramps, undulations on the pavement? at proper sporting speeds (except driveway ramps), not crawling.

Loren: I understood that the handbrake was a separate drum brake inside the rear wheel hubs. From your description it appears that applying the handbrake does indeed grab the rear disks. If that is the case I would be against leaving the haandbrake applied, when the car is on a level surface, if at all possible. I do not like to put a force on the rear calipers over a hot disk and let it cool that way.

Last weeks's MotorWeek's Goss' garage talked about ceramic disc pads. Supposedly these pads shed gray, non-sticking, non-corrosive brake dust. Are these generally available? Will they be approved as replacement disc pads by PAG?

I was just assigned the following CA license plate: 9ELFTT

The plate means 911 Twin Turbo (ELF=eleven in German).

If you are in CA and were thinking about a personalized plate for a TT, this is your chance, as I may be a position to release the plate. If interested please PM me.

Thanks, Loren!

The backlight on my 2000 C4 digital speedo/outside temp, at the bottom of the tach went on the blink. I hope it is just a replacement bulb. Anybody knows about this? TIA.

Car is 2002 model 3.6 C2 tip

Car was driving OK for the past few days, but has slowly developed a whine when the torque convertor slips under gear shift - this happens at all gears, and speeds, and all throttle positions....

I think that the torque converter is only used in 1st gear for launch.

You may get away w/ not fully disengaging the clutch on high gears, but that is wrong and you are asking for trouble. You should always fully push the clutch pedal to the floor when shifting and remove your foot from the accelerator when upshifting.

It is the famous Variocam II transition - a glitch really in 02 and 03 models, apparently fixed in 04 models. I wonder if the fix is software ,and if so, if there is an update for 02/03 models.

My Bridgestone S03's do the same. I think it is the soft compound rubber used in performance tires.

This is quite interesting. This means that in cold climates (even without snow/ice) one will be forced to install winter tires, which may be naturally softer at low temps, I guess.

I've noticed that during the current cool mornings (50F and lower) my 996 tires (Pirelli Rossos) start very hard and only become supple after warming up (which requires running at 80MPH or higher). Have the local SF Bay Porsche owners experienced the same?

2 year old 996 with 14k, my windshield is chipped to hell and looks awful in direct sunlight. ..... Any thoughts? Is this normal for 911's?

I tend to agree that 911/996 (perhaps other models too) windshields are prone to micro pitting that you can only see in direct horizontal sunlight and it is annoying. It must be the type of glass/coatings because the hoods are in general perfect. I asked my dealer about this and he was first surprised and denied seeing any TSB, but I wonder. There are some ways to polish these micro pits but I never tried them. Perhaps Loren and others could comment on this.

I saw that article and it puts the whole discussion on M96/M97 engines in perspective.

This was just posted in the PCA Forum:

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...E-7AFFE904BCA0}

"Porsche has a New RMS for all the 986/987/996 and 997. The part number is 997 101 212 00 and is a copy of the Cayenne seal that I suggested using. I was told by a PCNA official in Atlanta's Technical department that our boards are monitored and utilized for insight on problems and repairs. I have not seen the seal but was told it was designed in regards to my comments on the leaks etc."

Joel Reiser - PCA WebSite - 9/22/2005

--------------

NOTE: Joel Reiser is the respected PCA engine expert.

Porsches are supposed to feel stable at even 80 mph right?

A Boxster should be stable at 150mph+. Have your car fully checked by a dealer who knows what he does and operates a Hunter wheel balancer.

Loose coins dropped inside the center console?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Might be - I'll check on that. Thanks for this and any other suggestions.

Patriot

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm happy you found the cause of the rattle. But believe me there are many a coin rattling around along the full length of the console in many cars :(

Loose coins dropped inside the center console?

I would not take my car to a mass-market tire shop to begin with. There are specialized tire/alignment shops who have the right tools and skilled people.

Try some cling plastic. You may be able to find that at OSH or Home Depot.