steve germany

I'm one of you that does not have a lot of spare time, don't really want to pay for a 997 (yet) but want all of the high tech things that the newest cars have. Short of going carputer (a serious consideration). I wanted all the toys in my Nurbergring/aurobahn preped C4S. A few pounds is not going to make a difference to me since I'm in it for the fun and adrenolyn.

Since I live in Stuttgart I have a meca of tuners around here. KW did my coilovers and balance (wow), a P-Car test driver sold me a GT3 shifter and sport exaust, found out the Ferrari 599 drivers seat drops right in (nice!) and that Jehnert does the sound system custom work for Porsche. http://www.jehnert.d...ound&aid=86&L=1

I sprung for a Kenwood double din unit that has the capability to access free GPS nav via the internet, Use my android Galaxy S for tethering to the 3G network, Bluetooth phone and an old car computer charger (12V to 18V) allowed me to add a single powermat charging base in the center console (where the CD holder was) for charging the Galaxy smartphone while it was in bluetooth, teathering, VPN and GPS modes. I can skype to the US with this set up from Germany! No holder just the magnetic powermat base holding the phone in place. Forgot to mention that my phone creates a hot spot for the Xoom which is much better than the smartphone for email. The VPN allows skype and hulu in Germany.

The Jehnert system is amazing. They have custom doorboards (2x6.5 in woofers) and custom dashboard replacement speakers/crossovers tuned specifically for the 996. All trimmed with Porsche leather and look OEM. The door boards do not rattle but they do make the rear view mirror vibrate to the point of being unusable when cranked up. I can live with that. The female vocals are so transparent and the guitar plucking makes you feel like you can see the fingers move on the strings.

Lots of planning and finally tech has caught up to make this all work - and it looks almost stock!

Forgot to mention that to fill out the Bass even more Madison has woofers that were for the Ford GT made by Aura (5 1/2 in) that mount in as a direct replacment for the Bose subwoofer speakers. They are 8 ohms so wire them in series for an effective 4 ohms and for about $50 delivered the pathetic stock Bose sub can come alive. Tap the thick brown/white and white wires from the amp in the trunk (since it is disconnected anyway) by using pins removed from an old connector and plug them into the oem harness. - Easy!

I'm one of you that does not have a lot of spare time, don't really want to pay for a 997 (yet) but want all of the high tech things that the newest cars have. Short of going carputer (a serious consideration). I wanted all the toys in my Nurbergring/aurobahn preped C4S. A few pounds is not going to make a difference to me since I'm in it for the fun and adrenolyn.

Since I live in Stuttgart I have a meca of tuners around here. KW did my coilovers and balance (wow), a P-Car test driver sold me a GT3 shifter and sport exaust, found out the Ferrari 599 drivers seat drops right in (nice!) and that Jehnert does the sound system custom work for Porsche. http://www.jehnert.de/typo3/index.php?id=doorboardsound&aid=86&L=1

I sprung for a Kenwood double din unit that has the capability to access free GPS nav via the internet, Use my android Galaxy S for tethering to the 3G network, Bluetooth phone is immediately avaiable and an old car computer charger (12V to 18V) allowed me to add a single powermat charging base in the center console (where the CD holder was) for charging the Galaxy smartphone while it was in bluetooth, teathering, VPN and GPS modes. I can skype to the US with this set up from Germany! No holder just the magnetic powermat base holding the phone in place. Forgot to mention that my phone creates a hot spot for the Xoom which is much better than the smartphone for email. The VPN allows skype and hulu in Germany.

The Jehnert system is amazing. They have custom doorboards (2x6.5 in woofers) and custom dashboard replacement speakers/crossovers tuned specifically for the 996. All trimmed with Porsche leather and look OEM. The door boards do not rattle but they do make the rear view mirror vibrate to the point of being unusable when cranked up. I can live with that. The female vocals are so transparent and the guitar plucking makes you feel like you can see the fingers move on the strings.

Lots of planning and finally tech has caught up to make this all work - and it looks almost stock!

This works as well, typically only one application is needed:

I thought of this first but the jacketed hollow points tend to open up too quick unless the varmet is on the far side of the roof! :oops:

And a more humane option...

http://www.getridofm...m/cat_scram.htm

These are for indoor use only - bummer.

Detailing the car is catnip. The fuzzy felines love the mirror smooth warm car and will scratch their way to perch on top. Unfortunately the beautifully smooth mirror finish does not allow them to bound up gracefully. Scratching, sliping, sliding, their way to the top of the car is one of the most depressing sights one can see after hours of washing and polishing.

Ruling out pellet guns, hoses, expensive motion detectors, fox/wolf urine (they are hard to catch and they don't cooporate on demand) I think that I have a solution that does not involve any of these and protects the environment through the reduced consumption of burlap.

A large 2 by 2 feet square of HD aluminum foil held in place by four magnets in the roof does the trick. Cats hate aluminum foil for some reason. The sparkley refection, the strange noise and feel if they step on it does the trick. An optional dusting of chili pepper lets them smell the warning way before they even come close since they hate that even more. In addition you now have additional protection from bird droppings. If any one asks why the foil is there you can always hint that it is a radar corner reflector to foil speed traps. More seriously, your neighbors are going to ask "what is that" and you can politely say that it is there to keep cats off the car without bringing it up yourself.

Let me know if it works for you as well as it has for me.

There is a group on EBay that makes 996/Boxter keys from just a picture emailed to them. At $15 each and free mailing for two I was amazed that they worked perfectly. A suncoast 997 key head and 10 minutes to move the electronics - perfect!

You will need to remove the intake manifold to install

a new sensor. You can not bend the sensor or it will

break.

Look for a lose connection. I think it is on the passenger

side of the motor.

Paul

Thanks for the replies Gents - I'll dig in this weekend

DC,

Your GT3 looks terrific with these! My 2003 C2 does have the headlight washers and it would be necessary to remove the popout heads in order to install these cover trims. I wonder how difficult it is to remove these for installation. It is difficult to tell from the PET and the shop manual that I have on hand does not tell how to do this.

Yes, using these headlight cover trims would be an attempt to make the 996 look more like the 997 and they are probably overpriced at $170 + $50 shipping.. However, as much as I like my 996, I do feel tht the "fried egg" headlights are the least attractive feature of the 996. This is a personal distinction. Each to his/her own opinion on such matters.

Just curious, is there any knowledge or experience by anyone on this list concerning these painted 996 headlight cover trims offered on e-Bay at: http://cgi.ebay.com/...Q5fAccessories? They do change the forward appearance of the 996.

Thanks for any comments you may have.

Not sure about these particular ones, but have them on 2 996's and they look great. Use 2 sided 3M moulding tape instead of adhesive. I have verified that they hold beyond 150 MPH :)

Have photos on my GT3 on this site in Ocean Blue Metallic. Looks more like my 997 Turbo with these covers on...Click Here for some photos

Good luck.

DC

Not sure you will need to remove anything? They usually just stick right over the top with the headlights in place...>Do not even need to pop the headlights out. You just put the 3M tape all over the underside and line them up good and press down firmly...The stuff works great. Good luck.

DC

Avoid the fiberglass custom painted ones. They warp and crack.

I just replaced the alternator in the 2003 996 C4S with the instructions from the DIY but now I have an error display stating "Drive to the dealer" Oil level indicator failure". The oil level is good and the oil pressure is good. Could I of dislodged a hose or ruined a valve when I was replaceing the alternator? How does the system work - electric / vaccuum?? I can't see any problem.

Thanks

Loren, and other wizards,

I do drive the car as it was intended and have driven the Nurbergring several times.

Question 1

I have a oil leak(s) and it(they) seems to be the seals from the front axles to the front differential housing. Does the front transaxle have to be dropped to replace these two seals? Is that the likely problem? I have had the coil overs changed out twice (JICs once and KW the second time) and each time the front axles were slid out of the differential housing and slid back in upon coil over replacement. Is it common that the seals leak when the axles are reinstalled into the differential housing?

Question 2

The two front transmission bushings of my C4s seem to have an open area in the rubber bushing directly toward the ground (I can feel it with my finger). My assumption is that the bushing has failed in a single direction splitting the bushing in one single direction. This would account for the sharp clunking that I hear when hitting sharp road imperfections in my mind. Does any of this resemble any problem(s) that you have solved before?

Greatfully

Steve

Just a quick tip on the install as I have just completed mine. A 13mm 3/8s intermediate length socket makes quick work of the two front (of the three) mounting bolts. I got mine at Sears. A double extension is still the best for the back bolt. Also if you are having trouble lining up the tail pipes after the PSE is in try starting the car for 10-20 seconds. The heat helps free the C clamp. What a great sound!

It really hlps to solder the pins - the extra strength makes them easy to incert.

A flat blade watch screwdriver works to get the silicon plug out of the pin 3 hole.

I broke some of the plug holder pins off too. Any better instructions on removing the plug without damage?

Hi,

I'm taking my car to work all week and it's in the sun all day. Is there anything speacial I can put on the headlights to

keep them from getting that white shade on them?

Kristian

Keep them coated with a good quality polymer protectant like Rejex. They protect against the UV damage.

I've acquired some GT3 coilovers without the springs and top spring mount. Can anyone help me out as to the part numbers that I would need to complete the conversion?

I've searched and there are lots of folks who have asked the same question. Has anyone done this sucessfully?

I'd donate another $25 to find the answers (or at least some guidance)! :thumbup:

I've acquired some GT3 coilovers without the springs and top spring mount. Can anyone help me out as to the part numbers that I would need to complete the conversion?

I just did my 2003 C4S. I found the antenna to be 120mm (not 130mm) so there was no cutting required. I relocated the antenna away from the cable bundle and have increased the range to over 60 feet! A great improvement over 3-5 foot range I had before!

But it instantly makes your car seem faster haha, I had an RX8, and you just pushed a button and it changed everything, I use to do it every now and again to put the kph in perspective.

Thanks - you just made my day! I have my US spec C4S here in Germany and the US military base where I work has very strict speed limits - 30kph is difficult to see on the tiny speedo. Appreciate the tip!

I ended up having it professionally installed by Karl Nitz of Quality Mobile Installations here in the Chicago area. He met me at a local Porsche dealer where they enabled the CD changer feature on my radio to allow the Dension Gateway to work.

I'm glad I got it done by someone else. I'm fairly handy but after watching much of the install I realize that it would turn out being a frustrating all afternoon ordeal if I attempted to install it myself. I'm fairly handy but not especially good with electronics.

I'm putting together some info including pictures of my install here

The Installation is very easy if you follow my instructions.

You just need to pay attention when you use the fiber and relax when do connections.

Liberato

I did mine myself and after figuring out the cable adaptors it was an easy job. The fiber is much stronger than you may think. I'd recommend going for it.

I just loaded disk 1 in my PCM 2.0 2003 C4s of the 2004 Nav disk Cd set for Europe and the disk had the V3 of the Nav firmware on the disk. It upgraded itself automatically. Hope this helps someone!

That explains it then - thanks!

Still trying to get all of this straight. If I have a 2.0 PCM syystem (2003 C4S) with version 2 software. I can have it upgraded to version 3 software at the dealer (only) to be able to use the 2006 nav CDs?

What is the 000.044.900.92 NAV SYS RETROFIT KIT -- US MSRP $638.22? Is it just software and the lastest nav disks for either US or Europe?

I've located a bad heating element in my seat heaters and I'd like to see if it can be repaired or if I need to replace it. Does anyone have tips for removing the bottom seat cushion to access the heating elements?

Thanks,

Shawn

Disregard, I figured it out. For anyone wondering, there are two white clips under the front edge of the seat. There is a "pin" that goes through it into the base. Pull on the pin to release the rivet. Then pry the white clip away from the base and it will pop out releasing the front edge of the seat. The back edge is just wedge in and can be slid out.

Shawn

Thanks for the post Shawn!

I have a 2003 US C4S in Germany and want the equivilent of the RoW 0030. Would the TT stock Euro suspension be close to the correct spring and dampening rate? Thanks

Calling Loren for some advice here. Thanks

I have a 2003 US C4S in Germany and want the equivilent of the RoW 0030. Would the TT stock Euro suspension be close to the correct spring and dampening rate? Thanks