AgeRebel

I have been trying to complete the documentation of the service history for my P-car. When I contacted my dealer, they could only pull all records of work they did. Prior to my ownership, the car was originally sold and maintained in the East Coast. I called Porsche NA and they provided me with the contact of the dealer in the East Coast and advised that it was not an issue for me to obtain them. When I first contacted that dealership, they told me it wasn't possible because of "confidentiality of the first owner". When I escalated it to the Service Manager, he provided the history to me but only verbally. That leaves me short of a documented service history. Is this consistent with your experiences and is this something worth escalating to Porsche NA? It just seems bizarre that Porsche would be so disinterested in people wanting to maintain service histories and thus diminishing the value of OPC servicing!

I also encountered this when my RMS needed replacement under warranty with my C4S at 38K miles. Apparently, changing the clutch is pretty normal at the 45K service interval and the only reason for doing this sooner was to save on the cost labor. In my case the cost of replacing RMS was paid under warranty, so I only paid for parts and minimal incremental labor for the clutch replacement. I figured this was the better way to go. Clutch wear is however very dependent on how the car is driven.

Thanks Loren! I found it in my owner's manual ('04 C4S), in a different section and it says; "If the remaining fuel is less than approx. 1/3 of the overall tank capacity while the battery is discharged or disconnected, incorrect information will be displayed when the battery is charged or reconnected. The fuel level gauge may indicate more fuel than is actually in the tank. The range on remaining fuel displayed by the onboard computer may be higher than in reality. In this case, in order to ensure that gauges are precise and that you do not run out of fuel, you should fill up your car with fuel." Firstly, I found the last sentence very amusing :D So it looks like there were some changes since the TSB. However, its still unclear to me if the tank needs to be re-calibrated. The way I read it, it self recovers once you fill up the car. Be nice to know so we don't inadvertently run dry!

Is this issue and warning applicable to subsequent MY's too? I have an 04 C4S and did not see any warning in the User's Manual. Was wondering and hoping that Porsche/Audi improved on this somewhere along the way.

TechArt make one for MY2002 ~ 2004 which I've been thinking about...

AFAIK, it isn't backed by an insurance company but know that FWS is backed by JM&A, a supposedly financially strong business that also undertakes the warranty for all new Audi/VW vehicles in the East Coast. I couldn't really find out much more about them and went with them based on recommendation of local Porsche dealerships (the Service Departments who deal with the warranty companies and not just their Finance Department). Also, they seem to have fewer complaints than others in forums although that doesn't mean they are good! I paid $3K incl tax for a 2 year plan but had to be extended from the then existing Factory Warranty for that rate.

I asked around several dealerships in my area and most of them go with JM&A Group/Fidelity Warranty Services. Apparently, they have no issues with claims with them and proceed with required work based on advice by the service advisor. I got the Platinum "exclusionary" Plan for my 2004 C4S with 38K miles on it but have yet to make any claims to comment on how reliable they are.

I believe the Wurth Metallic Silver is the lacquer that is supplied to OEM manufacturers for German autos (Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, VW). I got some from here and it does match the original factory wheel color very well.

Its amazing how much fine dirt is under there after a few years! It took me a few attempts to clean it out and I think its prudent to get as much cleaned before applying the silicone grease. Using just soapy water is probably just fine but I also used a mild ~35% isopropyl rubbing alcohol solution because I wanted it to dry out faster before applying the silicone grease. Bottom of windshield is where its loudest when pressing on the ribber trim and likely where most of the creaking comes from...but from inside the car, its hard to isolate.

:renntech: Stunning fastboydave...Thank you! Tried this out this morning and it absolutely works! Here's what I did... Yesterday, I got caught in light rain on my way back and immediately noticed that the creaking was much reduced, substatiating the that the rubber trim was creaking against the dry bodywork. This morning with my car dry in a covered garage, I pressed along the edges of the rubber windshield trim and sure enough, there was significant creaking along various areas! I then proceeded to clean under the rubber trim with meths and soapy water using a thin soft cotton cloth wrapped tightly around an old plastic credit card; at the bottom of the windshield I got it in between the trim and glass at the sides along the A-pillar and roof in between the bodywork and trim The creaking came from the rubber trim moving and rubbing between these surfaces. Using the same setup of the thin soft cotton cloth around plastic card, this time soaking it with some silicone lubricant, I ran along the inside of the same surfaces at least twice to get enough silicone lubricant in them. Waited for a few minutes and cleaned off excess with meths and soapy water and voila! I enjoyed my drive this afternoon so much more without the distraction of the creaking upfront :). Like fastboydave, this was getting worse and so becoming so unbearable to me that I considered replacing the windshield (see my earlier post on this thread). Thanks to fastboydave for sharing his experience for this rather simple fix!

I recently picked up a 2004 C4S and noticed that it had exactly the same issue - creaking from the dash front area when on the move. Because it wasn't a rattle and did not occur when stationary under engine vibration, I guessed that it might have been caused by the windshield trim frame. My dealer suggested taking it to a windshield shop they use to see if they could tell if anything was wrong or could be fixed. I was also told that the only way to tell or fix it is to start over and have the windshield replaced. Its a bit annoying to me that this fundamental problem could occur and, according to my dealer, isn't covered under the Porsche New Car Warranty. What's the experience in the cost for having this done out of pocket without going through insurance?

I've recently taken delivery of a 2004 C4S. This would be my fourth Porsche having previously owned a 930 Turbo, 964 C4 and 993 C2 over the years in succession! This forum has been extremely valuable from my purchase considerations all the way to resolving a few issues and became a Contributing Member. Having been on many other forums, this is by far the most knowledgeable and supportive community. It made my decision to get another Porsche that much easier! I've never had to post until now as it was almost certain to find the answers using the search feature, and I've been looking forward to this opportunity to introduce myself. I am planning to go with the Porsche N-spec and dealer recommended Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSport 225/40R18 fronts and 265/35R18 rears. The user manual recommends that the rears are mounted on 10J x 18 but the stock wheels are 11J x 18 (fronts are same for summer/winter so that's good). According to my dealer, the 265/35R18s will fit and work fine with the 11J x 18 but "will look a bit odd" because the tire contact tread width will be noticeably narrower than wheel rims. Can anyone share any experiences or shed some light with 265/35R18s on the 11J x 18? Or is it necessary for safety and/or performance to get a pair of 10J x 18 rears just for winter use?

[Re-posted below under a new topic at http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=16954 which would be more appropriate] I've recently taken delivery of a 2004 C4S. This would be the fourth Porsche having previously owned a 930 Turbo, 964 C4 and 993 C2 in succession! This forum has been extremely valuable for me (and became a Contributing Member as a result) and I've never had to post a question until now as it was almost certain to find the answers I needed using the search feature. My first post is relevant to the subject here as I am setting out to get winter tires for my C4S. I am planning to go with the Porsche N-spec and dealer recommended Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSport 225/40R18 fronts and 265/35R18 rears. The user manual recommends that the rears are mounted on 10J x 18 but the stock wheels are 11J x 18 (fronts are same for summer/winter so that's good). According to my dealer, the 265/35R18s will fit and work fine with the 11J x 18 but "will look a bit odd" because the tire contact tread width will be narrower than wheel rims. Can anyone share any experiences or shed some light on mounting the 265/35R18s on the 11J x 18? Is it necessary to get a pair of 10J x 18 rears just for winter use?