silotwo

Just thought I'd add that the CPO warranty does not appear to cover mufflers, sport or otherwise. If it is covered under another warranty (which would likely be the case only if recently installed), you may have a shot. And you can always drop into another dealer, my experience is that most dealers love doing warranty work when possible/excusable. You may want to ask the dealer's service manager to research this. Thanks everyone. The car is CPO until 1/2010. I'll check out the warranty question as I assume that it is just going to get worse over time.

My o4 996C2 has had exhaust rattles since I bought it, the dealer tried to fix it by adjusting and tightenting the exhaust tips with no success. The rattles, and now noises, have gradually gotten worse and most lately their is a pinging sound from the left side when going around a hard right. The ping sounds very much like an ignition ping but the dealer said that it wasn't possible because of the knock sensor. A few days ago I started to drive with the PSE turned OFF - and viola - no rattles, no ping. My question is if it is possible that the PSE valving is the problem? My dealer tends to put me through numerous cycles of their denying any problems before they finally agree that they experience whatever symptom I am reporting. I found through using this site that having some knowledge before I go in really speeds up the process of working with the dealer. The car is CPO. I'd appreciate any input on this. Thanks in advance.

I have no idea what the statistics are, but I'm willing to bet there are a lot more folks like me: I bought a 5 year old car with 32K on it, and, 4 years and 50K miles later it has required ZERO unscheduled maintenance in a shop, indy or dealer. Sure, I've had to adjust the hood latch, clean out the water drains, and, finally, replace a cracked coolant tank. I hardly consider that record, over 50,000 miles to represent excessive maintenance nor an inadequately engineered car. I am glad to hear this! I am hoping the service writer was just having a bad day when he spoke with me. I couldn't believe I dropped over $50k for a used car and I am being told to go try to blow it up. Mine has 36k miles on it now, bought it with 24k. No RMS leak, no oil consumption, runs and drives strong. But now everytime I hear a noise, it could just be an exhaust rattle, I am wondering when she will go. Good news is the CPO warranty, so for now I can still enjoy the daily ride.

Be grateful for CPO and take the new motor and go enjoy the ride. The advice I was given by the P dealer service writer on my 04, was "drive the hell out of it while under CPO, and if the IMS fails take the motor under CPO and enjoy the car, if it doesn't go, trade the car one day before CPO expires". The discussion came up because I had my car in the shop and while I was there they were replacing an RMS on an '05 997. About a week later I stopped by for a coffee and visit the shop, the same 05 997 is in the air and I watch as they jack a crate motor into it. I asked what happened and was told the owner picked up the car from the RMS repair and about 50 miles later the IMS went. 35k miles on the car, regular lease customer who always stays with a Porsche - needless to say a very unhappy customer. But soon someone gets to buy an off lease with a new motor. Truth be told I am not at ease with being told to drive the hell out of my car, I hear that as, "hope it blows up while under warranty".

I don't have TPMS, but I would've assumed that they checked the pressure when I went in for my 2 yr service?? Thanks for your reply. I would not assume that the dealer correctly inflated your tires at service. At my 30k mile service I noticed the car making loud noise on the way home, checked my tire pressure the next day when cold and they were an honest 5lb underinflated at all 4 corners. I properly inflated the tires and the noise instantly disappeared. I am not saying tire pressure is the cause of your noise, I am just saying it is better to check than to assume dealer has things correct.

Thank you. Interestingly enough I read through the thread you recommended and considered that the seal could be the problem and that even though it is brand new a good cleaning and lube might be worth a try. I just picked the car up from the dealer because they called and said "we made some adjustments". Because the problem only exists when the sun is not out, I agreed to test drive it tonight. Anyway, when I got there I checked it out and I could see an oily look on the roof at the windshield seal so I pulled it back and sure enough the sprayed the heck out of it with some penetrating oil. I could help but wonder if the dealer reads renntech. :) Then I noticed they somehow cheated the plastic cowl pieces and have the ends raised up almost all the way off the lower seal at the windshield. The entire plastic cowl is quite loose now and when I press on it I hear what I think is the sound I compare to hail hitting glass. So far the noise on the interior is gone but now I have a vibration and rattle which I believe is from the entire plastic cowl assembly being so loose. Get this, I opened the hood and the plastic shield that connects with the plastic cowl is barely hanging on. They have the screws so far backed out it is almost laughable. I am going to drop it back off and ask that they properly install the plastic cowling and clean and lubricate that lower seal. The good news is that I am pretty confident that they found the source of the noise, I am just not comfortable with the solution. I should have posted here a month ago, I'd probably be happily motoring down the road by now. :renntech: Thanks for your help.

Does anyone have the specifics on installing a windshield in an 04 996C2? I had a new windshield installed from the dealer, they subbed the work to safelite, and now when the sun is NOT out it sounds like hail hitting the windshield. I had the luggage lid open while driving back in april, dealer replaced the hood and windshield and during the painting process they removed the roof rails. I never had this noise prior to the repair. My contention is that when the sun is out it is generating heat through the windshield and thus making the seals more pliable. When the sun is out the noise is completely eliminated and it is a pleasure to drive the car. When the sun goes down the car makes so much noise it is nearly intolerable to drive the car. The dealer is now playing with the roof rails but it has made no difference. I am wondering if the install on a Porsche is perhaps different than on other makes of vehichles. I read the TSB on the rope solution but it is not clear to me that this apply's to a 2004 model. I really need help here, I have had the car back to the dealer five times already and I just want to be able to use my 996. Any input or suggestion will be greatly appreciated. At this point I am even willing to pay out of pocket if I can find a glass shop that is well versed in this car. I live in Allentown, Pa. Thanks in advance.

04 C2 36,000 miles purchased as a CPO in 8/07 with 24,500 miles. Service records show previous owner had all scheduled maintainance performed on time and new N spec tires installed at 20k miles. No records of any unscheduled repairs done by previous owner. RMS, clutch, and battery replaced by dealer during CPO certification. Dealer said clutch was "okay" but decided to replace it while they were doing the RMS. Engine is completely dry and uses no oil. I had 30k mile service done with no issues I had the starter interlock switch at the clutch pedal replaced and this is the only issue I have had. Car needs a 4th gear synchro - very minor grind when shifting from 3rd to 4th at 5,000 rpm or higher, noticed it a few days after I picked it up and decided to "drive it" the way I used to drive my 68 911. Will be repaired under warranty and Porsche wants local dealer to re-build the trans rather than replace it. I am a little skeptical of a dealer re-build plus I hate to give up the car, so I have been waiting to schedule the repair. Until then I just watch how quickly I shift from 3rd to 4th and rarely receive a grind while shifting. Will need front rotors and pads in a few thousand miles. The condition of the rotors, the dealers decision to install a new clutch at 24,200 miles and the 4th gear synchro problem does have me believing that the previous owner drove her pretty hard. The car has PSE and M030 suspension. BiXenon's, power and heated seats, Bose upgraded stereo, carbon fiber shift knob and hand brake lever, aero rocker skirts, 18" Carrera 5 spoke wheels with color crests. I had an OEM short shifter dealer installed right after I bought it and I love it. Car runs very strong and the only real problem is that I read Rennlist and Renntech way too much and start to imagine that my car has problems that it truly doesn't have. I finally realized I was driving the dealer crazy having them check this and check that and read this TSB and so on. Heck, the car is better than fine and if it breaks between now and Jan. 2010 I am covered with the CPO. I drive it every day including during the winter regardless of the weather. I did buy a set of new winter tires and wheels, which I had on when I did a 2,600 mile roundtrip to South Florida back in January. Car was absolutley perfect during the entire trip. Was a pleasure at 140+ MPH as well as 75 MPH on cruise control. Very flexible ride.

Well, the car is back in my hands but it goes back to the Porsche dealer in Allentown Pa next week as nearly everything they touched needs to be done over - had I not seen the car in progress at their shop I would swear that they subbed the work to Maco, again, this is the Porsche dealer in Allentown Pennsylvania, I highly do not recommend their body shop. As for the luggage lid warning light, it now works perfectly. The service department swears that they didn't touch it, it simply just operates at "manufacturer spec". I did notice however that now it is impossible to lower the lid without it engaging the safety latch, previously if I didn't apply pressure the lid would rest on top of the first latch, now it automatically engages and this is a good thing.

I can certainly identify with the "stupid" part. When it happened in my TR3 (you have to be old to remember that little roadster), I had failed to use the big T-handle to lock down the two front corners of the hood after having worked on it for an extended period. There was no safety catch. Just plain stupid. That steel hood probably weighed 5 times the 996 hood, if not more, so it did not lift until speed was up on the interstate highway (285 for you ATL area guys). Then, it went very quickly, snapped off the chrome hinges, smashed the windshield and sailed off behind me like a berserk frisbee. I was unbelievably lucky that it did not cause an accident ..... or, worse .... decapitate someone behind me. I was so disgusted, I retrieved the hood and drove to a British car specialist where I sold him the car .... at a price considerably less than it would have bought just an hour earlier. LOL - I actually remember the TR6, a friend of mine in Tampa had one when I bought my 1968 911 which had him move to an MGB and then shortly thereafter to a 914. I remember how easy it was to tick him off when I'd say his 914 was a VW dressed up as a Porsche wanna be. So, yes I am old enough to remember, in fact TODAY is actually my birthday. I called the body shop today only to be told that they have yet to start on my car, I am considering having them retro fit an interior self dimming mirror, but I'm a little concerned because even though they are a Porsche dealer, neither the body shop nor the service department has any experience doing that. They said they'd "read up on it" and get back to me.

By no means do I mean to minimize your experience or your horror while it was happening. In fact, it happened to me in a TR3 many years ago and frightened me silly. At the same time, I find it hard to accept that not having a light to warn of the lid being less than fully latched is a "safety hazard" .... if that is what you mean. I have never owned a vehicle with a light to warn me that the front lid was unlatched. My 996 (MY00) does not have one. I have always understood that this is what the safety catch / release is for. When the 996 went to the electric release in 01, surely they did not eliminate the safety catch. If not, it does seem that your issue was not simply that your lid being not securely latched .... it was not even closed far enough to engage the safety catch. I just checked, and when that is the case with my 996, it is obvious from a casual glance. Have you checked to see if your safety catch is working properly? That sounds alike a must for the shop that repairs your car. Again, let me stress that I am not belittling the horror of your experience .... just addressing the issue of whether or not the lack of such a warning light is a safety issue. Thanks Kim, Perhaps my perception is a tad strong and I could chalk it up to lack of common sense and failure to pay attention. In fact, when it first happened I felt like an idiot and even told my wife that I didn't think my insurance covered stupidity. But after I settled down and came to terms with the fact that mistakes do happen and recalled seeing a 996 at a dealer with damage like mine, it made me realize that Porsche added the warning indicator for a reason. I can think of a few scenarios where had this happened, it could have caused me to have a serious accident where either myself or another could have been injured. Of course, experience is the best teacher in the case, I highly doubt that I will ever enter the car again without first doing a thorough walk around. The good news is the car is being repaired, the bad news is that I miss driving it very much and I feel like a kid waiting for santa claus as I count the days remaining until I should once again be enjoying it as my daily driver. :rolleyes:

My owners manual cleary shows and describes the function of the warning light in the dash, mine is an '04, and yes, it is definitely a safety hazard. I feel very lucky that I was able to get off the road with out hitting another car or anything else. Also very fortunate that I have a great insurance company. I had the car towed to the shop on Wednesday and a check for total amount less $100.00 deductible arrived at my home yesterday. I also found it interesting that the insurance company considers it a comprehensive claim if the hood remains attached to the vehichle, apparantly they have dealt with similar claims in the past. I am now considering if I can install some kind of tether for added peace of mind, I can't begin to describe the sound and I doubt I'll forget the sight of my windshield breaking in front of my face. Thanks for the reply.

I am trying to find out how the luggage lid warning indicator works on an 04 996C2. I had an accident where I must have failed to engage the latch and a few miles down the road the lid blew open and on top of scaring me nearly to death it caused about $3,700 in damage including breaking the windshield. I have a habit of checking the indicator lights with key on and the dash indicator is not burned out. The indicator does not work with the car running and the lid open. The dealer tried to tell me that there is no such warning light but I know it worked when I bought the car because I checked it and it is in the owners manual. My question is about how the indicator light is wired. I did notice at the body shop that if the lid is open and the car locked, when I closed the hood the alarm went off, so something tied to the latch is working, but that light could have spared me from this situation.

:rolleyes: Agreed, paying the $134.00 wasn't at all painful, I am just perplexed at Porsche's logic. They tout buying Certified Pre-owned and the benefit of full factory warranty, and the literature sure leads you to believe that other than squeaks and rattles your fully covered. I spent months battling a clutch slave issue and finally asked the dealer to simply install a new one as I was more than willing to pay for it. The dealer actually refused saying "oh no, that's a warrantied part" long story short I finally got it replaced and they did it under warranty. The good news is that the warranty does cover quite a bit, they agreed to repair a worn 4th gear synchro under warranty, now that's a bill that would sure hurt to pay. :renntech:

I have an 04 996C2 and a few weeks ago the car developing starting problems in temperatures below 34 degrees. It would either make a growling sound or no sound at all but after 6 to 12 attempts she would finally start. Whenever temp was above 34 it would start no problem what so ever. Last week it wouldn't start and I got a littly annoyed and slammed the clutch pedal down and noticed it started right up. So, I dropped it at the dealer this week as the weather called for some artic temps. First day they called and said no problem, starts all the time. I asked them to keep it overnight again and today they called and said that both the service writer and tech experienced the starting problem and that they were going to replace the starter interlock switch at the clutch. The surprise was when they called to say the car was done and the bill was $134.00. The car is CPO and I couldn't believe that this was not covered under warranty. I called Porsche North America and they simply said, whatever an authorized dealer says is the way it is. When I picked up the car the service writer showed me that the part number was not listed in the warrantied items list, yet I noticed that the memory seat switch was in the list. So I asked, how can a part that prevents the car from starting not be covered while a part like a memory seat switch that won't disable the car is covered? The answer was, welcome to the mystery of dealing with Porsche. I am wondering if anyone has any insight into this or has had a similar experience?