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jsmirand

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Everything posted by jsmirand

  1. My 2003 Cab top was working perfectly until about a week ago. It began hesitating. So I followed the excellent procedure on this forum on adding hydraulic fluid, used Porsche fluid, filled the reservoir to full. The top hydraulic fluid reservoir was towards the min mark, and I took it to near the max mark. Unfortunately that didn't really resolve the erratic top behavior. The top seems to have some more force behind it after adding hydraulic fluid, but the timing seems off. The engine lid opens, the top motor sounds, but the top doesn't move. A second later, the top motor starts again and the top rises but as it meets the front the top latch bumps into the car more so then it ever did before. Before having a mechanic or dealer look at it, thought to ask if there are any other DIY thoughts that I may want to try. thanks, John
  2. Many of the interstates in AZ are often at 75MPH, meaning if you go 80MPH you are fine. I drive 15k miles per year on AZ highways, keep it at 80, and never get pulled over.
  3. I agree on the excessiveness of changing a synthetic oil every 3,000 miles. I had a Mercedes E320, and using Mobil 1 changed the oil only every 7,500-10,000 miles and put 140k miles on the car and the engine ran great and didn't even burn oil at that point. My wife had a Mercedes SLK 230, and its oil change interval was 11k miles. After 7 years, the engine ran perfectly on this schedule. More recently, we have a 2006 BMW 325i and its first oil change was at 16,000 miles. The engine, approaching 29,000 miles is ready for its second oil change, and runs perfectly. With my Porsche, I plan on following the interval of changing the oil either annually of at 7,500-10k miles, but certainly no more often then that. It's just not necessary. John
  4. I bought my car in Colorado Springs, and drove it home to Tucson over 3 days. It was the most enjoyable ownership experience I've probably had since I've owned my 2003 Carrera Cab 4 since October of 2007. Technically, the car ran perfectly as I drove it 5-7 hours per day, for 3 days in a row. I highly recommend it, and am thinking about new road trips going forward, as I found the enjoyment of taking different highways and seeing new places in a fun car more enjoyable then tooling around my hometown. Yes, it's a nice car, but also meant to be enjoyed. Maybe if you go on a roadtrip, look for by-ways and smaller highways with greater scenic value vs. expressways... I say go for it, take pictures, and post them back. John
  5. bmohr, I'm a newbie in the field of polishing as well, but had fantastic results recently with the purchase of a portal cable polisher. See my earlier thread: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...t&pid=92418 Regards, John
  6. Thank you for the inputs! Along with your suggestions, I did additional research and wound up using a porter cable with Sonus Polish and am very happy with the results. My 2003 Basalt Black paint, which had swirls and light abrasions from the prior owner, looks brand new! thank you! John
  7. I agree, better do research on MB before assuming they are more reliable. As personal examples, it's no statistically valid (except to me, perhaps) but I owned a MB E320 and an SLK 230 and both had constant nagging issues that typically ran from $1500-$2000 per year at the dealership to maintain. The SLK had 3 MAF failures, one every 12-18 months. So did the E320. Window regulators, sticky convertible top, gasket leaks, etc... I wish MB would stop stuffing their cars with so much electronic gadgetry that it all starts going to hell as soon as the warranty expires. I'd sooner buy a 'back to basics' MB without all the electonic crap but built more solidly with higher quality materials, insde and out, like they were in times past. I supsect the merger with Chrysler was a huge distraction as well. If reliability is very important then I suspect Toyota/Lexus is at th top of the food chain. I wish the SC 430 did what my 911 does for me in terms of excitement, as I suspect the SC 430 is a more reliable car, but for some reason, it doesn't generate the same excitement for me, even though its quite fast with its well-engineered v8 (maybe one reason why it seems less exciting to me is the Lexus engine is so smooth you barely sense it). John
  8. Hello, I have a 2003 C4 Cab finished in Basalt Black Metallic. I am not the original owner, so unsure of prior treatments, but the paint seems to have a certain amount of polish scratches and swirls, along with a couple very minor paint scratches (visible, but feels smooth). I am looking to remove the swirls and ideally try to bring new life to the paint. It's in good condition, but not great condition, but i am also nervous about applying anything that can adversely affect the finish. Any recommendations or thoughts on restoring the paint using polish? Does the fact that its a metallic finish have any implications on what i should do or not do to restore the finish? Hand polish vs. using a motorized polisher? A friend recommended: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/car-polish-...rl-remover.html but while they seem to have detailed information on their site, there is minimal reference to metallic paint finish. Advise appreciated. thank you, John
  9. I did a shorter drive, 1000 miles from Colorado Springs to Tucson, with a car purchased at a Porsche Dealer through their Porsche Certified Program. My thought on that, as a CPO car, its a good exercise of the car to expose any issues early on while its under warranty. I wouldn't hesitate if the car has lower miles and warranty through Porsche. There are dealers in every state (pretty much) providing coverage as you work your way home. If something were to go wrong, you would just need to be prepared for some extra time required to make your trip back. My drive from Colorado back to AZ was wonderful, and a highlight in my new Porsche ownership experience. John
  10. Well, on the flip side, a brand new 997 convertible would set you back $100k, right, so if that helps, $3700 to get your Carrera in 'Perfect' shape now sounds like a bargain! :)
  11. Thank you Loren for being so willing to share your knowledge with us Porsche owners. As a new Porsche owner, I have learned a lot just be reviewing many posts on the 996 and the exchange of information that it provides. I made a donation to Renntech of $25 to help defray costs of maintaining this excellent site. Regards, John Miranda
  12. I purchased the Porsche Professional tire gauge shown at the link on the post above and have been very happy with it. It's analog, easy to read, and solidly built. Previously, I had a cheap digital unit but it always seemed to display different pressures depending on how well I connected it to the tire stem. It's nice to have a reliable gauge, finally, for all my cars.
  13. I have a 2003 996 C4 with Black Interior. The following part number was suggested: 996.552.595.01 A03 At one part supplier, the description is: Ashtray insert-lacquered black The ashtray insert that I am trying to replace seems to me to be more Matt (flat) black, not laqcquered, as described in the catalog... Are these one and the same? I don't see another similar part for 'flat' black... Any knowledge on this? thank you, John Miranda PS. the parts supplier wher I found this is: http://dcauto.gotdns.com/index.php?mode=pa...amp;illo=809-20
  14. Thanks James! A couple more pictures... Besides Southern Colorado, we passed through Petrified Forrest (AZ), then onto Pinetop (AZ), and the Salt Canyon, AZ. The Southwest offers great driving! John
  15. I found a very lightly used (6,200 miles) C4 Cab in Colorado Springs, and had the fortune of driving it back to Tucson. What a thrilling ride, driving through Southern Colorado in Fall, going through Durango, in a new (to me) Carrera! In late October, on a weekday, many of the smaller highways were very empty, with miles of road ahead. I've owned a mixture of cars over the years, MB E320, SLK 230, Nissan 300zx, 2006 BMW 325i, but by far, my new Carrera is the most thrilling and fun ride I've ever owned. I feel like I am 16 again, looking for excuses to drive my new car! I found this forum, which seems rich in very useful information sharing, and wanted to share my excitement in being a new Porsche owner. :D
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