johnj.moran

‘99 C4 Cab - Bought 14 years ago from original owner all dealer serviced. Garaged night and day all 20 years. Only problem in 14 years was the water pump (one “blade” inside snapped), the mass air flow sensor had to be cleaned, and I had to add hydraulic fluid to the convertible top. That’s it! Absolutely no other problems. Awesome car. Granted i have just 50600 Total miles on the car.  

Um, guess I can weigh in here. Our paint process is quite unique, and is not a quick spray job. The paint process itself involves over 15 stages, and requires nearly 9 working days to complete.

Spraying the rubber bumperette with a rattle can of paint, even the best paint, will give you nothing more than pebble textured, rubbery looking finish, in the color of your choice. It will likely spider and crack within days.

When ours are completed, they are smooth, flexible, and mimic the same finish as the bumper. Moving slowly through the process, something we've learned in 14 years of painting rubber, is key. We cure every stage of the finish, so that in the end you get something worthy of installing on a fine vehicle like this, AND something that will last a long time. We have our painted bumperettes on some vehicles over ten years, and they look as good as new. You cannot, under even the best skill, achieve that with a rattle can in the backyard.

But of course, some people will try. And I can't blame them. But it's $249, not $300, for the complete painting, and it does take a long time and a lot of labor to complete. Shipping does add some cost.

Questions? Feel free to email me anytime. eric@bumperplugs.com

Many thanks....and VP, they look stunning!

I had mine painted by bumperplugs over five years ago and they look like new and pefectly match the paint on the rest of the car.

Hi Loren,

I called Sunset Imports and found that the entire kit is $7456 and there are only two kits left in the world, one in Germany, one here in the US. The replacement engine cost of $8000 or $9000 is looking like a bargain in comparison! This shows me how Porsche is giving owners that run into problems with their engine a very good deal. While no one wants to suffer an engine failure, at least Porsche is being reasonable on the replacement cost.

Avoid accidents Loren! Those front bumpers are seriously pricey, and soon unavailable (no, I will not be buying one of the last two remaining)

John

Thanks, Loren! Can I order all of these parts at Sunset Imports? Can they be ordered with factory paint (using paint codes under the hood) or do I have to have a body shop match the paint? Any suggestions for a good body shop in the bay area that could install and paint if that is the only option? Thanks again.

John

Hi, I saw this car at Santana Row and was wondering if the front bumper, side skirts, and bumperettes are Porsche parts, and if so what model number (MKII) ?. I believe this car is a MY2000, so I assume I could add these parts to a MY99. Please see pictures.

After I read your post I checked my hood emblem and found it was quite loose. It may have stayed on for some time, but I am glad to know it is tighter now. To tighten mine required 8mm, and one side would not stop spinning (stripped or no longer fully connected to emblem). But I definitely got it tighter than it was before. Thanks so much!

Hello, I have a 1999 C2 Cabrio tiptronic. I was wondering if there is any way to check the Trans fluid.

I wanted to make sure my Tiptronic fluid level was ok so I asked the dealer to check it. I watched the procedure. The tech basically filled the transmission case until fluid started spilling out. They charged me $120.

I have a 1999 Carrera 4 TIP. The transmission will automatically shift just before the redline when in manual mode (and in automatic mode of course). This is superior to the system in my Mercedes Benz that simply cuts the engine if redline is reached - does not upshift (admittedly it's not a high-end MB).

When I bought my Porsche it came with a radar detector that the prior owner had installed. My personal feeling is that all of the false alarms ruin the fun of high speed driving. Just as I'm getting into a nice high speed drive .. BEEEEEP! Not good.

Not to bring back a dead thread or old issue, I just figured I should bring about the conclusion to what happened.

Long story short, it was a cracked head. The crack was so small it was REALLY hard to find. Car's now running and doing lovely, thank you very much.

But boy, there's something to be said about these M96s, eh?

So did this require the installation of a remanufactured engine? If not, what was the fix?

Thanks,

John

Hi,

I wonder if the "every four years" is something that is important to follow. It has been four years and 10,000 miles since the last spark plug change. Should I go ahead and change them?

Also, in 2005, the first and prior owner had the spark plugs changed by the dealer. It was either the first or second spark plug change for this 1999 Carrera 4. Would the tubes have been changed out given there was a Service Bulletin on the tubes for 1999 cars? (I'm wondering if I should change the tubes in the coil packs if I'm doing the spark plugs).

Thanks,

John

I have the same tranny. When you drive aggressively a more aggressive shift map (not sure this is the actual term) is engaged. If the system senses that you are racing then it will tend to keep you at the highest revs possible for obvious reasons. This caused me some alarme when it first happened to me, but I've had the car for four years, and it only happens when I really get super aggressive in chasing someone down and blowing by them.

Interesting Logic Here- Pay $10,000 to $15,000 more for a 2002 as compared to a 1999 to reduce the risk of an engine replacement that costs about $10,000. Heck, take the chance on the 1999, save the $10,000 to $15,000 extra you would have paid for a 2002. Chances are 90% or more the 1999 will not have a serious engine failure. I am the second owner of a 1999 Carrera 4 Cabriolet with Tip tranny that I bought 3 years ago. No problems. Not a single problem ever - great car.

What you have here is an opportunity to buy a car at a discount due to the real issues that a relatively small number of these cars have. If my engine blows, I am prepared to take the hit and pay for a new one.

So, if you can afford to make repairs that can come up (budget $10,000 or so), then you shouldn't avoid the 1999. Just my 2 cents.

When I want to start in first (which is only about 20% of the time) I shift my TIP to the left into manual mode, use the steering wheel buttons to shift down to first, and now I am ready for a nice start in first gear, then start to accelerate.

When I want to shift to 2nd, I simply move the shift lever to the right to put the TIP back in automatic mode. The TIP will then do its thing based on how hard or light I am accelerating, etc.

Of course, if I don't want to be in automatic mode I will shift to 2nd, 3rd, etc using the steering wheel buttons.

Try cleaning the idle valve as well. My 99 was surging at idle. Not exactly the same symptoms as your but it's an easy DIY and worth a try. It cleared up my problem in my non e gas 99 C2 and didn't cost a dime.

Hi cleaned the throttle body (it wasn't that dirty anyway). No change I'm afraid.

Any other ideas?

the dealer checked the MAF sensor and said it was working fine.

Thanks

Darrin Smith

Idle valve. Refer to my last post

Hi

The car idles perfectly. However I will give it a go anyway.

Where is the valve located? Do you just use throttle body cleaner?

Thanks

DS

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6828

What kind of gas do you buy? This may be why you have this problem in the first place (bargain basement fuel is a bad idea).

Hi,

I have the same car as you (Tiptronic - but it's a Cabriolet). When I first purchased the car I had noticed a similar change in rpm where you wouldn't expect it under light throttle. The lights that indicate the gear show that no change in gear has taken place. I purchased my car 2.25 years ago from the original owner, and have noticed a dramatic improvement in the car since I have owned it (when I bought the car I had no idea that the car was not performing up to normal Porsche standards).

I attribute this improvement in performance to the fact that I drive the car 3-4 days per week (in each case getting the car up to full operating temperature), use high quality fuels, etc. My car drives dramatically better than it did when I purchased it. I suspect the original owner used low quality fuels and/or drove the car infrequently. I don't know how to explain such an improvement in performance of the vehicle since the day I purchased it. (I added Granitize De-Carb once about a year ago at the suggestion of the dealer). For the first time since I have owned the car, just last week, I added 3 gallons of 100 octane to 9 gallons of 91 octane, and this has also resulted in additional improvement.

The surging rpm issue is less frequent and almost never occurs now.

John

When I walked into the garage today I noticed there is a strong smell of fuel. We have only one car parked in the garage, the 1999 Carrera 4 Cab.

I drove the car about two days ago, but did not notice this odor yesterday even though I went in and out of the garage several times.

I smelled around the car and it seems to be closer to the front of the car near the gas cap, which is tight.

Searched the forum but didn't see a post.

Any helpful informaton would be most appreciated. Is it safe to start the car and drive it? (I could ventilate the garage with fans first)

John

Is the need to replace the AOS and bellows quite likely as the car reaches a certain age?

John:

With the bellows, it's more a matter of deterioration of the rubber caused by oil vapers and degradation of the rubber over time.

With the AOS, if you have the early style AOS it should be replaced almost as a matter of course. The early style is easily identified by looking at the circular black part at the top of the AOS. If that part is horizontal, it is the early style.

With the later style AOS, it is more a matter of paying close attention to the symptoms of a failing AOS, being more vigilant as you reach more miles.

In any case, it's a fairly straightforward DIY with the usual space constraints causing difficulties.

Take a look at Mike Focke's Boxster Pages for some good general information (even though it deals specifically with Boxsters) here:

http://mike.focke.googlepages.com/airoilseparatorreplacement

Regards, Maurice.

Very helpful! Thanks so much, great people, great site.

Is the need to replace the AOS and bellows quite likely as the car reaches a certain age?

Hi,

I just took a look at my car to see if anything came to mind. I have a 1999 Carrera 4 Cab.

My opinion is it would take quite a hit to cause a tear in the metal at that point. The fact that the owner is not coming clean about things is worrisome. I'd avoid the car.

John

Hello,

First let me introduce myself and thank this list for helping with my new 996 purchase. Just purchased a 1999 C2 coupe with 44K miles (couldn't resist the prices these days) from a local Porsche dealer. I drove many cars in my search for a 996 and found this one to be the best, so I bought it. I know the '99 may be a bit of a roll of the dice in the engine department but a PPI and the collective wisdom gleaned from this and other forums leads me to believe it is a good car. I hope it holds up.

Anyway, on to my question:

After a week of driving, I am feeling some strange things from the front end of this car. I read as much as I could on this forum about "floaty" front ends on US spec 996's and wonder if this is what my car is doing. The car gets sort of "darty" or "floaty" in moderate to high speed corners. Particularly on heaved or rolling pavement. I can actually feel the steering wheel pull a bit in my hands and the car can get a little squirrely. It will do it in a straight line as well especially above 80mph if there are rolls in the pavement. This gets progressively worse with higher speed. If I lighten up my grip on the wheel and try not to react to these motions, it helps a bit but it really seems to me this is not right.

The car was aligned by the Dealer before I bought it. I can only assume that it is in spec. Steering is nice and tight and it doesn't feel like there are any worn parts in the front end. It has 18" factory wheels with new tires that are the correct size. Tire pressures are correct. I wonder if this is normal for these cars or is there something amiss. I am considering Putting a ROW M030 setup on it but I'm not sure I want the extra ride harshness just to resolve a problem that could be something else. If this is "normal" I will definately put the 030 on on though.

I have owned 2 other 911s (78 SC and 87 Carrera) neither of those drove this way, but the half dozen or so other MK1 996s I test drove did seem to exibit this behavior to some degree.

Any thoughts? Any MK1 experts near me (Philadelphia, USA) willing to drive it and give an evaluation or let me drive their car to compare?

Thank you,

Doug Davis

I had the same strange steering/handling issue after I purchased my 1999 C4 Cab and had the alignment reset at the Porsche dealer. The front tires were more than half way through the tread life, and I believe the prior owner had incorrect alignment for many thousands of miles, which resulted in uneven tread wear. So, when I returned the car to proper alignment, the tires were just not going to work (I had the same crazy steering, with the steering wheel being moved around in my hand when I hit certain uneven pavement etc.)

So, I bought a complete new set of tires, and problem solved. I have 4000 miles on the new tires and the car has never had the strange and sudden steering issue since.

John

I would like to read an article by Patricia Ktistes, "The Art of Driving - a Conversation with Rick Bye," PORSCHE PANORAMA, December 2004.

Apparently, Rick Bye discusses the Tiptronic in the '99-'02 911s, and his experience and tips on driving Tiptronic.

I'm a member of the Porsche Club of America and this article was referenced on page 83 of the May 2008 issue of Panorama. Is there a way to access the article on-line as a PCA member? or does anyone have access to an electronic copy of the article that could be posted on this forum?

Thanks in advance,

John

Any info on finding this article? I think a lot of Tip users will find it interesting.

I would like to read an article by Patricia Ktistes, "The Art of Driving - a Conversation with Rick Bye," PORSCHE PANORAMA, December 2004.

Apparently, Rick Bye discusses the Tiptronic in the '99-'02 911s, and his experience and tips on driving Tiptronic.

I'm a member of the Porsche Club of America and this article was referenced on page 83 of the May 2008 issue of Panorama. Is there a way to access the article on-line as a PCA member? or does anyone have access to an electronic copy of the article that could be posted on this forum?

Thanks in advance,

John

I have driven my car 6K miles in the last 19 months. Its not a lot as far as USA standards is concerned, but its just a tad below the "average" 8K miles per year that people do down here. My car barely has 31K miles on it and just now when I went for an errand, the erratic idle issue I have posted about elsewhere came up (I guess its another $300 repair, this time for a MAF) :angry: . To give you an idea why I have become a tad "nervous" about the reliability of my car, check what I have done to it since purchased (the large number before the $ is my mileage in kilometers):

4/29/06 Air, oil, particle filters Alemautos $105.81

5/2/06 Oil change (Mobil 1 15-50), fuel filter changed Taller 930 39,096 $130.00

5/4/06 Bosch starter motor refurbished Vertex $289.97

5/4/06 Bosch spark plugs (6) Vertex $57.78

5/8/06 Sachs clutch kit Vertex $401.25

5/8/06 Poly Rib belt Vertex $31.03

5/9/06 Porsche caliper decals Xenonmods.com $12.00

5/14/06 1 qt. Mobil 1 15-50 Delta Calle 50 39,200 $6.75

5/17/06 Wiper blades MW 22" Auto Centro 39,263 $11.03

5/19/06 Center console hinge kit Alemautos $25.00

5/22/06 Falken Azenis RT-615 225/40/18 & 265/35/18 Discount Tire Direct $943.33

5/22/06 Front corner headlight washer cover (right) Alemautos $34.08

5/26/06 Johnson Films Executive 35 Pit Stop C. de Este 39,387 $110.00

5/27/06 Labor clutch & starter 39,397 $400.00

5/28/06 Stem valves and caps Respuestos Mundiales $8.40

5/31/06 Hood crest kit Assesales (Ebay) 39,505 $35.95

6/1/06 Tire balance & install, 4 wheel alignment Servicentro Densa 39,511 $144.90

6/1/06 Porsche pedal set 5th-Gear (Ebay) $94.01

6/20/06 Mintex Red Box & ATE rubber brake hoses Rennsport Systems $225.85

6/30/06 Hood crest installed GOB 39,871 $0.00

7/3/06 Halogen bulbs (2) Left side replaced Alemautos $26.59

7/4/06 High temp red paint Discovery Center $9.29

7/4/06 ATE Super Blue brake fluid (2L) Servicios Carlos $34.00

7/21/06 Porsche coolant top off and bleed by me Alemautos 40,115 $13.21

10/5/06 Diagnose and recharge AC (evaporator dead) Auto Cooler Service 42,100 $35.00

11/7/06 Bosch fuel pump Vertex $244.40

11/21/06 Muffler bypass pipes Servicentro Mon 42,662 $18.90

11/25/06 Fuel pump replacement labor 42,681 $90.00

12/2/06 Re set fuel gauge and check OBD Alemautos 42,931 $26.25

12/2/06 Coolant expansion tank and coolant Alemautos $220.29

12/2/06 Coolant expansion tank labor 42,936 $100.00

12/20/06 Coolant cap Alemautos 43,400 $14.55

12/30/06 Evaporator, console hinge install, labor for all 43,575 $650.00

4/11/07 Droplinks (fronts only) Alemautos $85.39

4/11/07 Droplinks labor Servicentro Densa 45,250 $31.50

4/11/07 Rear window seal trim Alemautos $38.85

4/26/07 Rear window seal labor $40.00

6/7/07 Wheel bolts (2 afer breaking safety ones) Alemautos 46,090 $14.07

6/7/07 Removed mufflers GOB $0.00

6/19/07 Re install of muffler bypass pipes Rapid Muffler 46,453 $31.50

9/10/07 Replace water pump & coolant Alemautos 48,200 $408.28

12/7/07 Replace horn (1) Taller 930 49,500 $40.00

I guess I will spend the $300 for the MAF, and another $300 or so for a compression/leakdown test to see what the numbers say. Like 1999 alluded to, one thing does not necessarily mean the other.

This list includes a lot of normal maintenance. What does that have to do with reliability? Can you re-do the list with only true mechanical issues? Oil changes and wiper blades are requires costs for any car you drive, 'ya know what I mean?

ditto - mine as well. it's annoying but I've learned to come to a complete stop before manually dropping to 1st.

Mine does this as well when my foot is off the accelerator. However, the shift from 2nd to 1st using manual tiptronic works well if under acceleration. I'd suggest that if the light turns green, step on the accelerator and then downshift from second to first, but you'll be hitting red line quite quickly so position your finger above the + button.