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?

I did a 2900 mile round trip from Pennsylvania to South Florida last month. 2004 996C2 with PSE and M030 suspension. I put on a fresh set of Pirrelli 240's, had the 30k mile service done right before I left. Drove straight from NE Pa to Augusta Ga, then Augusta to Clearwater, hung out in Clearwater for 5 days and just cruised the causeway's, PSE sounded fantastic! Then Clearwater to Jacksonville for the weekend and Jacksonville to home on a long Sunday of driving. Loved every moment of it, in fact I just told my son tonight that I am ready for another road trip. No issues with the car at all, GPS clocked a top speed of 144 and I only averaged 25.6MPG, yes I was enjoying myself. No radar detector, no close calls with any troopers, so I guess I had good luck on my side. Only downside was I did the entire trip alone, offered to fly my wife to Clearwater and back but she decided against leaving three rambuctious boys home alone. I bought it to drive it, all told I put 9k miles on her in the past six months.

I'll apologize in advance for my ignorance. I am a newbie with an 04 C2 CPO and found the TSB records very helpful. My question is how Porsche handles a published TSB? Something simple like exhaust rattle - does Porsche cover that under warranty? Door mounted speakers is another example. And, I actually used a TSB that stated "all manual transmission repairs are authorized" to get the dealer to agree to repair mine under warranty.

Finally had the service writer return my call today about the grinding. Now it is "stop by and take the service manager for a drive". I already "stopped by and took the Porsche Tech for a drive" He drove the car and experienced the same grind that I did. Now I am wondering why they would be so hesitant to just make it right considering that it is under warranty. I'll post the outcome after the service writer renders his opinion. Just got back from the dealer and the service manager drove the car and his reaponse was, finally, "needs a fourth gear synchro". First few shifts he was really slow, actually let the shifter sit in the neutral gate before easing it into 4th. All the while he is telling me how this is a Porsche and not a big block chevy and how small the clutch disc is on a Porsche and blah blah blah. Finally I said "I get that" and asked him to "please shift the car at over 5,000 rpm and shift it in a spirited manner". So he ramped it up and grabbed 4th and immediately made the statement about needing a 4th gear synchro. All covered by warranty. So now, if I can bother you guys some more I am interested in your opinion as to whether or not I should invest in a new pressure plate and release bearing while they have the tranny out. They did produce the record for installing a new clutch disc when they did the RMS, so that should be fine. Car now has 26,500 miles on it. Will appreciate any thoughts you have. Thanks much

Finally had the service writer return my call today about the grinding. Now it is "stop by and take the service manager for a drive". I already "stopped by and took the Porsche Tech for a drive" He drove the car and experienced the same grind that I did. Now I am wondering why they would be so hesitant to just make it right considering that it is under warranty. I'll post the outcome after the service writer renders his opinion.

Thanks Izzy. I agree about putting my imagination in check. Here is what I have noticed to be consistent. First ride of the day the clutch engages close to the floor, with in a few shifts it engages noticeably higher. The part I am still trying to confirm as real is it seems that the longer I sit with the clutch pedal fully depressed, the closer it engages off the floor. Given the poor service advice I have been given by the selling dealer, I wouldn't doubt that they failed to correctly bleed the system when they "flushed and refilled brake fluid". Is there anything I can do, as a test of sorts, to confirm that the pedal travel does vary. Like in the old days, pumping the brakes and getting a firmer pedal was a good indication that excessive air was in the system. I obviously need to have another dealer check this car out.

Thanks. And I have another somewhat related question about clutch pedal travel. The dealer claims that they replaced the clutch disc when they replaced the RMS at 24,200k. I don't experience any slippage but the pedal travel to point of engagement seems to vary. At times it engages close to off the floor, but at most times it seems to engage at about midpoint or higher to full release. It does not require pedal to the floor for shifting at most times. They did flush and fill the hydraulic fluid, which I understand is the same system for both clutch and brakes. Fluid level is stable. Again I am wondering if this is "normal". I really appreciate the information. Thanks John

First, thank you for the responses. Yes, I purchased the 04 996 C2 used with 24,500 miles from a local Porsche dealer. By aggressive, I mean rev to 5500 to 6800, clutch full in while off throttle and shifting from third to fourth as quickly as I can. Picture a 1/4 mile run but absolutely no flat shifting. The issue is only 3rd to 4th and only on an upshift. Conversely, I can quickly ramp to 4500 rpm in 3rd gear and grab 4th with everything I have and no grinding what so ever. I have been assertive, but not abrasive or abusive, with the dealer. My bottom line is that I paid what I believe to be fair market value, 53k for a supposed Porsche Certified vehichle that is both under original warranty as well as CPO warranty. The car is optioned to suit me, PSE, MO30, PSM,power and heated seats, bose upgraded stereo, 18" carrera wheels, flared rocker panels. The tech was so adament about it being the shifter that I opted to "go along" rather than argue with him. I was interested in the short shifter from the beginning (bought it from a different Porsche dealer for 30% less than the selling dealer). My approach was that if it didn't work, as I strongly suspected it wouldn't, I'd be taking that excuse away from them. I am following up with the dealer and will insist that the car be made right. I am not going to track the car and although I did not plan on this, it has become my daily driver. I do not typically run any car to the edge on a routine basis. I understand that we have precision machines and like any mechanical item we will break 'em if we beat 'em. The only reason I put the car through it's paces was to shake it out while under warranty. 20/20 hindsight, maybe I should have done that during the weekend test drive, but at that point it wasn't my car, and I still hold on to respecting property, especially when it doesn't belong to me. Way back in the day I had a 1968 911L with the sportomatic. I sold it to my uncle and his youngest son still has it. It was a self promise to "some day" own another 911 and I guess some day just arrived. LOL - my three boys used to look at the picture of that polar white 911 I keep in the family room and ask "Dad, don't you wish you still had that car?" I'd say "yes, I sure do, but you guys are my Porsche now". And today I have the three boys AND a Porsche. :) some days life is just good.

I am trying to confirm whether or not it is considered "normal" to hear and feel synchronizers grinding when shifting aggressively at 5500+ RPM. My 04 996 C2 6 spd with 26k miles demonstrates this consistently when grabbing 4th from 3rd. No problem at lower revs or at top revs when I shift slowly. Porsche tech test drove the car and witnessed it at his own hands. He said it was not normal but blamed worn shifter bushings. So, I purchased an OEM short shift kit and had it installed today. (Dealer offered to intall the shifter at no cost under CPO warranty if I bought the part, couldn't pass that up) Shifter works great but it didn't fix the problem. I spoke to a parts guy at a different Porsche dealer and his answer was "oh yeah" they all do that when you are driving aggressively. Can anyone tell me whether or not this is normal? Thanks much