dcooper

The Quinny Zapp arrived and it fits perfectly with plenty of room to spare for a duffle bag (or two) and some other stuff, no problem at all. In fact, even WITH the CD Changer, I think this stroller would be fine, since the front wheel comes off in a snap to make it even smaller. Very happy Cabriolet summer-time motoring days ahead with the kid in the back :) I'll edit this post with a picture when I get a chance in the next few days. Damon

Update: I think I might have found one that will fold to fit a 997 Carrera 4 or Turbo: the Quinny Zapp. It's 69cm X 30cm X 27cm (27.1 in X 11.8in X 10.6in). I did a rough measure of my C4's available boot area, and now that I've removed my CD changer in favor of my iPod PCM interface, it measures roughly 25in X 18 X 12, which, on the face of it doesn't look like it'd work, BUT I created a little mockup, and it turns out the diagonal length of the C4/Turbo boot area (minus CD changer) is 27.75in, which IS long enough for this stroller. So, gentlemen, I believe we have a solution. I'm buying mine here (they ship to US and Canada): http://babydealz.stores.yahoo.net/quzabastfsh.html Price: $229. I'll post back when the thing arrives and post a picture of it in the trunk/boot area. (or a picture of my Return Authorization slip if my measuring skills turn out to really suck wind..........) :) Damon

Summer's coming and the only way I'm going to get to go places with the wife and 9 month old kid in my C4 Cabriolet (vs my wife's full top monster SUV for day/weekend trips) if is I can find a stroller that will fold into the boot/trunk of the C4. I realy don't want to spend summer vacation driving the monster SUV. Luggage and the kid will fit in the back seats for weekend trips, no prob (i have the Porsche car seat ready to go). I just need to find a stroller that can fold easily into the tiny C4 trunk. Help! Thanks in advance... Damon

Yes, waving has potentially other fringe benefits as well :) Damon

I posted this over at flat-6.net, but I think it's worth saying here as well..... One of the things I thought was great when I bought my Corvette a few years back was that every other Corvette owner, without fail, waved when you met them/passed them in the opposite direction anywhere. It was a small gesture, but it really made me not only more enthusiastic about being a Corvette owner, but made me more of a sports car enthusiast in general, which got me interested in racing, joining the SCCA, getting a regional SCCA competition license, and eventually (when I traded the Corvette for the 2006 C4Cab), the PCA. Now, maybe it's me, or it could be that there are simply fewer Porsche cars out there than corvettes, and I know it's not a big thing, but I've waved at all the Porsche drivers I've seen since I got my car last Oct, and I've got nothing but blank stares back. I'm undaunted, I'll keep waving, and maybe one of you will eventually wave back. I think it's a simple gesture, that acknowledges a little of what brought us here, and formed the PCA to begin with: a common passion for the world's finest sports car. It also might encourage younger/newer Porsche owners to get more involved in with sports cars, racing, the PCA, the SCCA, help out other Porsche owners, or just re-enforce they've made not only a great decision in a car, but belong to a simple group of folks who love people as much as they love driving their cars. I'll also say, that the response I get now, when I get out and talk to a garage owner, for example, vs what I got when I was driving the corvette is markably different. In the corvette, people would enthusiastically come over and chat up about the car, the engine, whatever, and I made several new friends that way. With the Porsche, people seem much colder and almost hostile now, and it really sucks. I kinda liked sharing my love for my car and showing people the ins and outs. It's almost as if the stereotypical Porsche driver has been set as a snooty, know-it-all yuppie SOB who wouldn't give you the time of day. That sure isn’t me, and I KNOW it's not any of the Porsche owners I've met so far OR any of the super-helpful people here who have helped me personally with mods, solid recommendations, solutions and general advice. So, I don't know...I guess I'm hoping that maybe getting started with waving at your fellow Porsche owners might also help knock down that crappy stereotype. So...smile and wave when you drive by a fellow Porsche owner! If nothing else, you'll maybe make someone smile. Worst case, you'll give your arm some exercise... :) Damon

There is no need to use any tools. Just to push the marker lens back against the spring clip located on the rear of the marker lens until the front retainer tab of the marker lens clears the fender. Absolutely. The spring clip is what the 911 owners manual (~page 268) calls the "bayonet lock", and with my big fingers I just found it popped off nicely with a flat screwdriver is all. A very quick, easy and inexpensive mod that brings the 997 a tiny bit back towards it's original european design. Damon

Ditto here. The Suncoast guys are great for putting all the Tequipment stuff online for sale, great to work with + no sales tax if you're out of state. Good stuff. Here's the direct link to the Porsche Clear Side Markers: http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant...ory_Code=997ext Damon

Anyone know how to install these bad boys? I got a set from SunCoast as well...just not sure how to install. Thanks! [EDIT: found this link: http://www.flat-6.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20675 going to see if it's truly as easy as that!] [FINAL EDIT: It was easy: 10 min total. Just needed a flat screwdriver to unclip the little metal "bayonet lock"...final pictures attached below. I also discovered the procedure for replacing the turn signal bulbs in the User Manual details the removal and replacement of the side marker lenses...it can be found on page 268 of the MY06 Porsche 997 User Guide] HTH Damon

I went with the Nav-TV unit, installed by Porsche dealer. More info here: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=12427 HTH Damon

Some pics of the updated 997 PCM with the addition of the Sirius sat radio inteface + the iPod functionality replacing the CD Changer interface below. Damon

Just to respond to my own post... :) The cheapest I've found so far for the Porsche 997-044-600-63 PCCB kit is $13,225.00 at Sunset Imports (http://www.sunsetimports.com). I have a C4Cab (not C4SCab) and there's some question about whether this kit is designed for the C4, or only the "S"'s...Jeff at Sunset checked and Porsche suppors the kit for Carrera S, 4S, and Targa 4S, and soon for the Turbo. In looking, he saw that Porsche shows rotors and calipers for the C4 as being the same as the C4S (looking as if to replace a caliper or rotor) so I don't know why the kit would be any different or not work on the C4, but he's checking for me. Damon

Quick update: picked up the car...man, they did an awesome job...everything is invisible. They actually kept the original GPS antenna and added the Sirius antenna under the cowl somehow...they figured it would be better that way. Driving home from the dealership, I hit the places that in my wife's BMW X3 with Sirius radio goes searching for signal and guess what...NO signal drop at all! I'm blown away at how there's been no incident of signal loss at all. The iPod interface is fantastic too. The Nav-TV unit with the latest HW/SW (as of Jan 5, 2007) is perfect so far. I've got a new video iPod with prob 10-12K songs and it's sweet. None of the probs (so far!) that others have previously reported with this unit. I'm very impressed. The interface takes a little getting used to, but given that it replaces the CD changer slot, that's par for the course I suppose. But it's simple and straightforward and takes just a few mins to get used to before you're navigating your iPod at light speed. The Passport SR7Plus + speaker saved me on the way home, but on the Ka band, not LIDAR...the same stretch of Daytona-oval like road with the 50MPH speed limit that got me my $550 ticket a few months back via Laser...I'm sure this unit will pay for itself just on that one road alone (RT3 to Nashua from Boston). Anyway...I'll post some pics of the setup in the next few days if folks are interested. The dealership guys (Mike Cote and Paul Magarian) were awesome and actually think it went and worked so well, they're going to start promoting this setup for all 997 customers. Damon

The PCCB option looks awesome for the 997, but I've seen prices range from $13K-18k. Anyone have any leads on a near-dealer cost supplier of a set of these bad boys or what the approximate dealer cost might be? Thanks in advance Damon

Just a quick note of thanks to everyone in this forum who has forged the trail and documented their findings (and left blood on the bleeding edge!) of how to get Sirius Sat Radio, a solid, integrated iPod interface and a Passport SR7Plus into a new 997 (in my case a 2006 C4 Cab, 3500 miles). I'm having my original Porsche dealer install all this stuff now and pick it up in 2 days. I've been in constant contact with the P mechanic doing the actual work, and it's quite a job. He apparently had to remove the front and rear bumpers, removed the seats, center console, hardtop, etc and had the "guts" of the electrical system spread everywhere :) This is Day 3 and he's starting the re-assembly process, then getting the oil & filters changed (swap out that break-in oil, my choice) and getting the full detail done for me to pick up. The Nav-TV unit is updated as of Jan 5, 2007 and (after dire3ct discussions with the Nav-TV guys), it should have ALL the quirks and problems of previous posters fixed...pagination, speed of scrolling, PCM freeze-ups, and optional direct-control of the iPod are all fixed they claim). It and the Sirius control unit are being installed under the passenger's seat. The permanent iPod mount will be in the center console armrest (like I saw someone here post a picture of), and the Sirius ant is in the cowl (he gave me the caveats of not being an ideal position, due to lack of true 360 deg view of the sky, but in my Cab in the summertime with my cloth top, I figure I should be 100% be as good as the Cayenne's rear top fin mount and not being officially sanctioned by Porsche, etc The tiny Passport SR7 Plus controller is going velcroed to the top of the steering wheel, but all the way back and pointed upwards for a flush-with-the-display-pod look, visible only to the driver, and the tiny black remote mute button is going at right-knee-level to the right of the steering wheel (left of the PCM). The tiny external amplified speaker (needed for Cabriolets) is going somewhere...not sure where he found the space for it yet, but it'll be tucked out of the way and pinted towards the cabin. The bumpers had to be removed for the dual laser diffusers/detectors + radar detectors in front and the single rear laser diffuser/radar detector in rear to be properly wired. There was no WAY I was going to let the local stereo shop teenagers hack off car parts trying to get this installed. Apparently my dealer (Porsche Nashua in N.H.) has done quite a few of these for this reason :) I'm a fully-integrated install, with NO aftermarket pieces visible and fully functional, integrated, invisible PCM control of Sat radio and iPod. Should be sweet! BTW, little tip if you live in the northern latitudes...I have snow tires/wheels and hardtop on the Cab for the winter, but Porsche (although based in Germany - where it DOES snow...) doesn’t apparently make 997 winter mats...went to Mats.com and they do have the 997 fitted mats for Bose + C4 Cab even, and in color (tan in my case)...kind of a nice find, since I have winter mats for my wife's BMW X3 and want to save the car carpet + interior from snow and salt.... I'll post pics of it all when I get the car back. Thanks again to everyone who posted their experiences (with GW500, older Nav-TV units, etc). Here are some helpful links (for anyone else who's researching their options in these areas): Sat Radio: http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforums/show...age=2&pp=15 (Sirius/XM Sat Radio install) http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant...=electronics997 (Where I ordered my Satellite Radio Retrofit for PCM - 997) Nav-TV: http://www.stephenbainbridge.com/2006/12/i...ng_a_porsc.html (screen shots of the Nav-TV product for MOST PCM in a 997) Passport SR7Plus (+ external amplified speaker) http://www.escortradar.com/sr7plus.htm 997 Winter Mats: http://www.weathertech.com/store/vehsearch...t_choice_id=690 My C4Cab: http://www.dcooper.org/gallery/MyC4.html http://www.dcooper.org/porsche/IMAGE_007.jpg HTH Damon