whs

OK - so I'm retarded. Now that we've gotten that out of the way-

Does anybody know if it's ok to use AvGas

(aviation fuel) - 100 octane in a 911? If so, any performance advantages? Any danger mechanically?

Don't think so. If I am correct, av fuel is a "leaded" fuel. Not a good idea even if it is cheaper (not to mention it's illegal to run leaded fuel in a street car). Leaded fuel will damage the oxy sensor and catalytic converter at a minimum.

Will

Spiders. Top up at night so they don't get in and jump at your wife when she is driving, making her scream and panick.

Izzy,

I think that is just for those of us in Charlotte!! As to top up or down, I don't think it really matters. My top is down almost always. One thing that was suggested to me was to lay a towel over the plastic window while putting the top down to keep it from getting scratched up. Mine was pretty scratched up when I bought it, so I haven't done it. Enjoy your new toy!

Will

I found a few drips of oil on the garage floor today, so I started poking around. It appears that there's a tube that's leaking oil, and it appears that it has been leaking for quite some time.

Can you tell me what this is? It's apparently spewing a good amount of oil, as a large part of the undercarriage is covered in oil/dirt muck.

Pretty hard to tell from the pictures where the oil is coming from. I recently had mine in for service and they had to replace the oil fill tube. It apparently had been damaged or just aged to failure.

Will

Where is the car in SC? You might be able to get someone close to go take a look. I'm in SC, but probably not close to where the car is.

Will

Both cars look nice. That being said, it's hard to compare two cars from pictures and write ups. The first one has a few nice interior things like the three spoke wheel. I personally like the wheels on the first one better. These cars are very much a personal preference thing. I think the best rule of thumb is to get the best equipped best condition car you can for the money. Upgrades and repairs can be pricey. The hard top is nice, but you do have to have a place to store it when it's not on the car. Mine occupies a large space in an unused bedroom. Don't know if headroom is an issue for you, but the car seems to have a lot more headroom with the hardtop on versus the soft top. Good luck.

Will

Listmates,

I am in the process of trading my 00 Boxster S for a 911 Cabriolet. I have looked at several, and notice that a real engine change occurred in 2002 with the bigger engine. If I were looking at a 99 with 34K miles vs a 2000 or 01 with similar miles, is the newer car worth the additional 10K cost? Are there other features/factors I should consider? This is a toy, not a daily driver, so if the fun factor is the same, the car will suit me.

Thanks in Advance.

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. I went with a '99 only because it was the car in the best condition and the price was right. No regrets so far. I would recommend a detailed search of the history of the car and an inspection by a dealer or indy shop. As Loren said, very little differences in the car itself.

Will

Coming from a 2000 C4 with a 6spd to a 2004 C4S tip, I was a little skeptical. The car I bought recently was in excellent condition and I wanted my wife to be able to drive the car, so I bought it with a tiptronic. It has absolutely surprised me as to how fun and quick this is to drive. I have driven a manual for 3 years and I can tell you, the tip is fantastic to drive. What it might give up at launch, it makes up for as you get going because downshifting an upshifting is so fast and effortless. Any other tip drivers out there? What has your experience been?

I had a Mercedes CLK with the tip style transmission and hated it! There was a significant delay in pushing the shifter and the transmission changing gears. The tip in the porsche is much much better. No delay between pushing the button and shift. I just wish they used paddles rather steering wheel buttons.

Will

1. No, it is not normal. If the horn chirps then you have an open alarm zone (like the center console lid, etc.).

2. It depends, if your old switch was very worn then the new will feel tighter. You should go try a new car at the dealership.

3. Not if you just changed the electrical switch and not the lock.

Loren,

Thanks for the feedback. As to 1, I figured out that when I was testing it originally the cab top was down...think, think, think! As for 2, I just had a loaner car earlier this week and I can say that the ignition feel is totally different from either the old switch or the new. As for 3, guess I still have a couple of bugs in the works. Thanks again!

Will

If all you want is the outside temp display, just having it turned on will achieve that. Of course, if you want full OBC functionality with original look, the 4-stalk conversion is a nice hack. I did it several years ago, when I first got my 2001. One thing I would mention is that you should definitely solder your connections and cover then with heat-shrink tubing when you make up your wiring harness -- rather than crimp-on connectors. Also, if you wrap your wiring harness in friction tape (vs. electrical tape), you'll have a very professional wiring harness.

What I was trying to acheive was getting the OBC turned on so that I could do the hack in the future. The dealer told me that there was no OBC on my car and that it was not compatible. I realize that I would only have outside temp until doing the hack. Thanks for the additional wiring info.

Will

When I took my car in for services, the dealer said my ignition switch needed to be replaced and quoted me the standard $400 fee. I said no thanks and decided to switch it out myself (using the Audi switch). Did that today and now have a couple of questions:

1. Now when I lock my doors with the key the lights flash twice and the horn beeps a quick chirp. Is this normal?

2. I feel like the key is now a little "tighter" to turn. Is this normal?

3. Do your keys need to be re programed after changing out the ignition?

Thanks in advance.

Will

You need to find another shop. All 986/996 have the OBC - it is a simple matter of turning it on. All 986/996 can be retrofitted with the 4 stalk steering column switch assembly. Problem is, shops are not trained on how to do it as it is not an official Porsche retrofit. That is why 99.9% of the owners end up doing it themselves.

If you want to come an visit on July 28th we are doing the retrofit with stalk on 1 and maybe 2 cars. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=14592

Why you have the outside temp sensor if the car did not come with the OBC option is interesting. I can tell you what I knoe if you REALLY want to know, since it has nothing to do with your questio.

Thanks Jeff you confirmed what I thought. I figured that they would turn it on for me at no additional cost since they were doing the 60k maint. and were going to have to hook it up to the tester anyway. I really just wanted it turned on so I could do the hack in the future.

Will

I have read the numerous threads here related to the OBC hack. I had my car in the shop doing some maintenance and asked them if they would turn on my OBC. Also asked about a 4 stalk for my car. I was told that a 4 stalk was not compatible with my car and that it didn't have an OBC. Can anyone confirm that a 99 996 cabrio with tip was ship with the OBC? Thanks. BTW, not sure why the car would come with the outside temp sensor if it didn't have the OBC.

Will

Mufflers, you got to do the mufflers

GHLs right Izzy? This should start some action on your thread!! Just kidding, but I do like like mine.

Will

Hi,

I'm not sure where to post this, but I'm beginning to feel the need to build a separate detached (dual purpose) garage / office. See I work out of my home and would like to have something separate so that the dog barking, baby crying, etc. doesn't disturb phone calls, etc...

I also have 2 cars, my wife has 1 and we currently have a 2 car garage. My thoughts were to build a single car garage (over-sized) with a deep back for outdoor storage and have an upstairs for my office and a small media room.

Has anyone undertaken something such as this? I am completely clueless, and would love to see pictures of what you've done. Originally I was thinking of doing lifts, etc. but I don't think my needs are for doing that kind of maintenance on the car, just clean, safe place to wax, stare at and enjoy...

Thanks for your advice and info..

Scott

Been thinking about doing the same thing for a little different reasoning. I have a Jeep CJ 7, Ford F-150 and a 99 996 Cab and my wife has a Ford Expedition. We have a three car garage, but I have a full woodworking shop in the one car portion of the garage. I would like to move the shop to the new building. What I can tell you is that even with an "oversized" single car garage you will have a difficult time having a room over. You really need a two car garage to do it. Not saying it can't be done with a single car garage, but either the space would be very small and or it would not be a very attractive building. I'm probably looking at a 25x30 building. After meeting the home owners covenance requirements, It's going to cost a small fortune! Not sure that I want to spend half a new twin turbo on a garage! Good luck.

Will

Hello all. This is my first post on the forum & I must state I've defected. I traded my sweet 97 c5 vette for a mint 2002 911 coupe. Have been a vette guy since 89, but always loved the 911. Seems that the Germans have found a way to shoehorn two seats in the back for the kids & that makes all the difference in the world. So I am a convert & will be seeking collective 911 knowledge. By the way guys: the vette; gruff mechanic with the snap on tools girl in the shop versus the fussy German engineer with the white lab coat. The tightness of this car & rear engine design clearly make for a superior ride. So, how to get that 320 hp figure to 400, about where my vette was? Thats the question.

Buddy of mine has a 2006 (i think) Z06 (got video of speedo at 160mph). However he has two small kids. Walked into the Porsche dealership and said he needed 500hp and a back seat. Walked out with a new twin turbo on order. I think the TT is probably the cheapest best way to get to what you are looking for, but I think you will be pretty happy with what you have.

Will

thanks for all ur replies

After reading this series of messages, I started wondering if my brakes were okay. They always seem to be fine, but you alway wonder after reading this kind of thing. Today with my wife and 3 year old in the the car with me at about 55 MPH, a car made a right hand turn right in front of me (about 20 ft). I can't imagine how they didn't see me! Anyways foot to the floor and I managed not to hit them. I was truly impressed with the braking. Car never wanted to veer of course and antilocks worked like a charm. The funny thing was as soon as I hit the brakes and felt the rapid deceleration I knew we were fine (wife on the other hand was not so sure). If we had been in our Expedition, we would have been toast!

Will

That's not cool at all! The Collection is where the original owner of my car purchased it and had it serviced. I called and spoke to them about the maintinance history on the car prior to purchasing it. They were very helpful. As others have said, a lawyer is the way to go. Just make sure you include legal fees in the settlement.

I was wondering how other 996 front seats are doing, I just recently picked up a 996 and the front seats look like they are starting to wear..I have grey leather. Do you guys recommend the dye? what are my options here?

any suggestions?

thx!!

I took my car to the dealership shortly after purchasing it to have an extra key made. He said on the early model 996's (mine is a 1999) they used a thicker leather that is more prone to cracking. He suggested keeping a high quality leather conditioner on more often than you might normally.

Will

I would like to upgrade the audio system in my '99 996 Cab. I have seen the numerous postings here about options. I would like to keep the dash completely stock, but I want to improve the sound qulity. I am considering adding the JL Audio 3 way component speaker system, my Total Mobile Audio 4x440 amp and the CleanSweep system. Just wanted to know if anyone knows or has installed this system. Thanks.

Will

In all reality is probably 4 to 5 hours for a pro who has done it many times to get the job done right.

And I don't understand why people get upset when they find out that dealers mark up labor times. Of course they do. Do honestly think the grocery store didn't mark up the loaf of bread you bought? What about the TV Best Buy sold you? Do you pay for a car only what it cost Porsche to build it? Everything you pay for is marked up. If it wasn't marked up businesses wouldn't make a thin dime. If you're going to vilify the dealer then vilify all business because its the same anywhere you go.

Not to get off topic, but I totally disagree with this statement. It is one thing for the dealer to charge you a high rate per hour, but an entirely different thing to charge you both a premium rate per hour and excess hours. I work in a business where I sell my time on an hourly basis and yes my rate per hour is high. However, I NEVER bill for more hours than I spend working for a client. My dealer charges $85/hour. At that rate, I don't expect to be charged excess hours.

Will

OK, here are some numbers for you. The caps are 996.555.457.00, C50 in graphite grey, B50 in space grey. My PET shows only graphite grey for MY99, but you should check to make sure of your color.

The front cover is 996.563.551.00, 01C in black. Please check this number with your parts source as it is hard to tell if this is the right cover on the PET diagram.

Good Luck

Hey, thanks for the info. I really appreciate all of the help available on this board.

Will

I have a '99 996 cab with removable hard top. There are two round plastic covers that cover the latching mechanism on the rear shelf (below the rear window one on the right and one on the left). When I removed the hardtop, I put these covers back in the holes over the locking mechanism. I must not have gotten one of them seated right and it popped out. Any help with a part number for these pieces? Mine are grey in color. Also, when I purchased the car it was missing the plastic cover that goes over the latch in the center of the car where the top latches to the windshield. If I'm ordering parts, may as well get them all. Again a part number would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Will

This may be a stupid question, but I want to change out the mufflers on my '99 996 cab with auto/tip trans. I noticed that some companies listed different versions for cars with auto vs manual trans. Is there a difference in the mufflers? I have never heard of such, but thought I would run it past the pros here. My plan is to go with the GHLs if they are appropriate for my car. Thanks.

Will

I have GHL's regulars on my 99 tip and I had absolutely no problem installing them. Direct bolt on, no mods required. I put them on 2 or 3 years ago when my stock muffler had an internal failure.

Thanks for the reply. I called GHL and they indicated that there is no difference. Oh well, they are getting bolted on next Tuesday.

Will

This may be a stupid question, but I want to change out the mufflers on my '99 996 cab with auto/tip trans. I noticed that some companies listed different versions for cars with auto vs manual trans. Is there a difference in the mufflers? I have never heard of such, but thought I would run it past the pros here. My plan is to go with the GHLs if they are appropriate for my car. Thanks.

Will

***Sorry, after posting this I found that the topic has been covered. I was searching in the wrong forum.***

I have a 1999 996 Cab. I am preparing to install a new stereo system and have a question regarding moving the climate controls. Currently my car has the following from top to bottom on the center dash:

Air Vents

Climate Controls

Stereo

Cassette Tape Storage Unit

Storage Compartment

The stereo system I want to install has a flip out monitor. When flipped out, it would block access to the climate controls. Here is what I would like to do:

Air Vents

CD Storage Unit (new unit. anyone have part number/source)

Stereo

Climate Controls (do I need a new faceplate etc./part number/source)

Storage Compartment

Hope this makes since. Any help would be appreciated. Also, any assistance with how to do this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Will