Glyn

Krypt, go ahead and drive the car, the issues yoyu describe are the normal panic issues of a new owner. So many stories about mechanical failures that are so expensive to repair. Lets put things into perspective - the AOS is cheap - just getting the job done in an OPC is expensive - over here £50 the part - £450 the labour, easy enough job to do yourself and there are loads of us on the forum that will help and assist. I dont think you have any issues - the puff of smoke even if the AOS has gone will do nothing more than produce a bit of smoke. and if it keeps doing it then change the AOS at your leisure You will hear tales of excessive oil being drawn into the engine with a failed AOS and so much that the engine Hydralyics - this is another one of those myths. Park on level ground - the side to side incline will increase the frequency of smoke on startup as the horizontal engine has three cylinders pointing towards the left rear wheel and three to the right wheel and oil dripping back to the sump drips onto the cylinder bore right behind the piston - then when everything cools and all the expanded (through heat) metals shrink it leave a little bit bigger gap for the oil to seep into the combustion chamber so on startup it looks like a smokescreen - just a tiny bit of oil produces loads of smoke . As i said before - If it sounds right and drives right then what you describe is nothing to worry about.

Agree with Maurice on this one

Far too many people hung up on this smoke thing - and the paranoia continues with a description of the type of smoke - Blue or white. People describe the colour hoping to minimise negative replies I think this needs to be cleared up once and for all. You either have steam or smoke, Smoke is oil burning and may have a tinge of blue if oil burning is excessive, and steam is the condensed water in the exhaust that has been evaporated by the high temperature developed in the Cats soon after starting and this is like any steam - a whitey grey colour - so you cant have white smoke and you cant have blue steam. Now the issue - If the engine sounds fine and runs fine then dont worry about it - They all smoke intermittently and sometimes it is alarming - most of the time its embarrasing to have such a prestigious car that puffs out so much smoke that people have to move away. Its a characteristic of the flat 6 engine. Its possibly not the AOS as this only comes into play and does the job its intended to do when the engine is at normal opperating temperature - you havnt mentioned smoke whilst running so i assume once warmed there are no oil burning issues. If the AOS has died then you will have smoke after warm up and when you switch off oil will make its way into the throttle body via the AOS pipework - this will be the oil mist condensing in the pipes and then drip into the throttle. Park the car on level ground, a side to side incline allows more oil to drip onto the cylinder bores and as a result some oil gets past the piston rings and oil scavenge ring - especially with a high miler car Really - dont worry about it, far too many people will offer up suggestions that start from the most serious of issues like a blown engine, some have little automotive knowledge - they just like the sound of a term they once heard and offer up the suggestion for everything from a noise in the rear to the radio not working. The car is just a car - usually they are pretty bullet proof, You have a high mileage car - so i would guess that all serious issues will have been sorted by now - of course there will be a bit more maintenance now so some parts will need to be changed - Just take a deep breath and relax - the car is not going to explode

I would think at least 4hrs of labor + parts ($60). I do my own bearings but it is involving and the special tool needed to extract the bearings and press the new ones in runs in the $250. No special tools needed at all - and bearings are a simple job, with no press you simply "drift" the bearings out and in - like they always did in the old days

More info required. Does the "whistle" continue throughout the revs range if held at a steady speed? Is it affected by temperature - only when cold or only when hot? Does it stop when accelerating hard?

RJG1 - you have reset the window travel after what was a battery disconnection havent you? Simply press the window down button untill the window is fully lowered, hold the switch down for a couple of seconds - then raise the window all the way up and hold for a couple of seconds. This is the window learning cycle. Otherwise i am a little confused as to what is happening, You say if you fool the car to thinking the door is closed by activating the lock with a screwdriver the window raises - therefore the window has remained dropped whilst the door is open, then when you close the door the window should clear the roof and go back up. I assume you havent adjusted the window angle rails - those that are accessable from below the door and changes the angle that the window rises so when it closes the window hits the roof rather than go into the slot? The microswithch above the lock that the door handle engages with when you pull the handle is not disturbed when you remove the lock so i cant understand how one lock works one way and the old one works correctly - check the two plastic pins that hold the microswith are firmly engaged - they can and do become detached. Also dont understand why the inside door handle does nothing with the new lock fitted - again a microswitch to lower the window is attached to the inner door handle - not the lock, when you say it does nothing i take it the catch does not release the door? Maurice - you can get a standard microswitch from Tandy that fits the door lock mechanism - cant remember now if its push to break or push to make - long time since i took a lock to bits

The ignition switch sends a feed to the lightswitch once ignition is on (thats why when you turn off ignition the headlights go off) Likely suspect is the lightswitch as both lights are affected - common fault on the car and an Audi part, Buy it at Audi and its cheaper than Porsche. However - the switch comes apart easilly - no fiddly parts inside and nothing to loose really as you have a knackered switch - and if you make a complete bodge of taking the switch apart you still have a knackered switch. Take the lightswitch out of the car - you will notice the metal body has a number of indents where the metal is squeezed into detents in the plastic top half, Use a small screwdriver to prise the metal out of the detents and the two parts seperate. Inside is just springy bent over posts of copper - give them all an adjust by slight bending and a light sanding of the contact points with some wet and dry - a quick electrical spray and reassemble. Job done and money saved. If those on here are interested i will take a switch apart and photgraph the job and post, its not difficult.

The door lock mechanism does indeed have a micro switch inside and opperates when the door lock engages when you have closed the door. pull the handle to open the door and the window should drop, the window should stay dropped if the door remains open and you have released the handle - then use a screwdriver to engage the lock manually, just slide the shaft part of the screwdriver into the lock so it replicates what the catch does - as the lock engages the window should rise. If your window drops but raises immediately you release the handle then the fault is likely to be the micro switch in the lock - this micro switch informs the window system the door is closed. The door lock can be taken apart and the electrics can be seperated from the mechanicals, you just have to be alittle brave and methodical in how you work, personally i would send back the new lock and take apart the old one - replace the micro switch and reassemble. The mechanical parts will be fine and you can do this job for next to nothing - just a bit of time

Despite what you will be told you can take apart the lightswitch very easily. It has crimped metal surround and all you do is prise the metal out of the detents - it then comes apart - no fiddly bits or springs to fall out. In side is just bent over and springy copper connections, a slight rebend is all thats needed. If you have no other electrical issues then i would rule out the ignition switch though this is a common part to fail, The lightswitch however is even more prone to failure and usually it is the number plate lights and dashboard lights that indicate the fault. Normal for this symptom to be lights do not come on - then for no apparent reason during a journey for them to suddenly come on. Easy job to change over and cheap

Just pop the lower ones both sides (one each side)

agree with wvicary. Your mechanic is just guessing - take it to a porsche indy and get the codes read - this will cost you less in the long run than the guy your using

have two numbers and set both to divert to the other if no reply

just buy a smartswitch - one touch operation

This will be the starter - but dont ever lubricate it. Lubrication attracts dust - the operating environment it is in is full of dust from the clutch, mix that with lubrication and you will get a gunge that will clog the starter and create the same problem you have now. Chances are it is this gunge that is causing your problem now. The starter pre-engages before power is applied to turn the shaft, once the engine starts and you release the start position of the key the solenoid deactivates and draws the gear away from the ring gear of the flywheel. Remove the starter and wash all the working bits in petrol (gas to you) nothing else is needed, blow it dry with an airline ir simply leave to stand until dry - then refit - problem solved

You need to check what is draining the battery - The car should be able to be left for weeks without a problem, only if you drive it rarely should you need to resort to conditioners. Get a DC ampmeter - or take it to a workshop with one - this simply measures the amperage drain going from the battery, Its just a C clip that is placed over the battery lead - it measures without direct contact with the cable, Your car should never draw more than 40 milliamps when everything is turned off and locked up. If you have a greater draw than this (measure after the interior lights have gone out, and if you have the door open - which you will need to do to find which circuit is drawing the current - simply use a screwdriver on the door lock to simulate the car is shut - ie push the part of the lock that engages with the B post catch inwards until it clicks shut) Now with the meter in place pull one fuse at a time and check the meter readings - do this until you find which circuit is drawing the power - then you will need to determine which component on that circuit is drawing it. Tedious - well yes a bit - but the rewards will be you will have confidence in that the battery wont be flat everytime you go to it

Bilabonic - spot on - roof down and lock - no interior sensors. Where the roof catch locks in just above the interior miror are two microswitches, simply lean over- press them in then hold whilst you lock the car - sensors will then be active

You dont need the clip, If you lean over when you lock the car and press with your fingers the microwitches, press the lock button and the sensors remain armed

The cap is available seperately and available in gloss black or mat, Here in the UK its just over £2 - so for you just over $3

Wheel bearing drone is quite easy to identify, the drone will increase as loads are put on the wheel and go quiet when load is taken off. Drive the car along a road that is clear of traffic, get up to speed then drop the car in neutral (assume you have a manual and this is only a method of reducing the engine noise to make the drone more easy to hear) then sway the car from left to right, you will notice the drone will increase and decrease according to the direction of your steer - for instance if you turn to the right reasonable sharply and the noise increases then the bearing fault will be on the left side of the car - this is because the load - weight - will increase on the bearings as the weight of the car transfers to the left, of course if you turn to the right and the drone gets quieter - ie the load is lifted from the right hand side of the car you will be able to identify the right hand side. Of course you need to determine if its front or back - If its the front wheel you will be able to feel the drone and vibration in the steering wheel, and again this will increase or decrease according to the direction you sway the car in. The wheel bearings on Porsche are made from Bon Bons - utter rubish - the replacements never seem to fail again. If you intend to tackle the wheel bearings on the rear yourself i have a photo file of the whole job, just pm me and i will e-mail the file, Its just over the file size limit to post here

Stopped paying attention? - You stalled it

Agree with swede-man ---a booster spring

I think the shop you are going to have a vested interest in selling you ballasts - and of course you should buy two as the other side cant be far off gone either - then have a couple of bulbs just so that you have renewed everything - and made them a tidy profit because they wont be the cheapest supplier. all ballony It will be the bulbs - yes a bulb is a bulb and with a tungston bulb there is a filament that creates the light, it either works or it doesnt, With HIDs the ballast provides a high voltage to creat an arc - like an electric welder then 35 watts of power maintain the arc. The bulbs do wear and what you describe is a classic symptom, If the shop was right and they think its a ballast then why does it reignite when you turn of and on? As you say bulbs are cheap, and with any problem always go for the cheapest course of action to fix, two new bulbs and you will be sorted

The AOS when it fails usually makes a squeeking sound like a worn out pully bearing, however under acceleration it dissapears - on the overun it starts back again and squeels at tickover like a loose fan belt. Cant believe you posted the original post on the 21st and your still looking for other answers without checking something so simple as a loose spark plug first

Classic sign of the bulb failing. You will also get what appears to be the occasional flash when night driving - it all happens so fast you know something has happened but not quite sure what - when you check the lights you find they are both still on, The bulb ages and the Arc that produces the light extinguishes - the ballast reignites it - all done very quickly. Drop a couple of new D2s bulbs in and all will be fine (yes change both sides at the same time to ensure the same colour temperature. Standard bulbs are 4300K, 6K have a slight tinge of blue, 8K have deep blue and 10K purple

Loose spark plug?