The Hoth

21 kmiles. Our 2003 996 C2 runs like new. Dealer replaced the RMS around 10k miles and we just did a minor service on it. Never track and will take good care of it.

Nice write up. BTW, is there anything we can put on the rubber bellow to make it last longer?

Thanks Loren. My friend and I finally did it. We didn't use the power bleeder, so it was a two men job. I found some Dot 4 brake fluids at a local Vdub dealership $7.50 per 500ml bottle. Instead of $40 a liter from our local Porsche dealership. As soon as we started using a syringe to suck out the brake fluid, we realized the fluid actually looked pretty clear. We actually removed the plastic trim around the reservior to have a better view of the fluid level. We continued the process, figuring out when we actually drained it out of the calipers, the fluid may be darker. We were not entirely right about that. The fluid we drained out look a little milky (not as clear as the fluid in the reservoir). I guess when we bought the car a year ago, the dealer properly flush the brake fluid as one of the things they do for pre-owned certification. Cus there is no way a 2003 996 with 20k would have brake fluid looks so new. Unless this particular brake fluid won't darken no matter how long it's been in the car. The Dot 4 I got from Vdub dealership is yellow. Just like the original brake fluid. I swear, they may be the same stuff. BTW, the fluid is really potent. I think we spill just a little to near the drain nut. The nut is not sliver instead of black. I have some black touch up paint for my other car. I think I am going to touch it up. It won't be a permanent fix, but it will do for now. :D We went through the checklist for the minor service. The only thing we did not do is reading the code (cus we did not have the tool). My friend has a lift in his garage. Believe, everything was so much easlier with the lift. I just saved myself a few hundreds dollars and I've learned a great deal of my car. Thanks for the help from everyone here! Loren's intructions was very helpful. I printed it out, studied it before we actually worked on the car. Mission accomplished.

I went to see some brake fluid in autozone Dot 3/4 synthetic. It is awefully cheap. I was like, it couldn't be synthetic. In addition, I saw some discussions, saying all brake fluids are synthetic. There is no such thing as conventional brake fluid. Although there is silcone based and not silcone based though. Now I am completely confused...... :huh:

Thanks, Loren! :)

Thanks Loren. I think I read something about flushing the ABS system, it is kind of complicated(to me). I'd stick to conventional brake fluid then. I will go check what our local autozone has in stock.....hopefully they have something decent. If not, I may have to to get some ATE super blue or Type 200 then.

Does anyone know what tool I need so that I can check this? Thanks in advance! :)

As long as if I use other brand and it won't damage anything, that would work for me. I have a few bottles of Motul racing 600 in my garage with dry boiling porint 593F and wet boiling point of 420F. I think it will work then. The problem of me is I hate ordering online, pay extra and wait.........

Thanks! BTW, I know everyone recommends ATE brake fluid. Would it do any harm to the brake system, if I just pick up one of those DOT 4 brake fluid(any brand) from an auto parts store? I hate to pay ten bucks shipping for 25 dollars worth of brake fluid(2 liters) and I have to wait for it. The dealer is selling a liter of brake fluid for $39.11 plus tax. This is insane!

Hi all, My brake fluid is long overdue for a flushing. I have seen different type of fluid......blue and gold .......etc. I don't track my 996 and I hibernate it every year for a good 5 or 6 months. I live in the Northeast the winter is cold here. Any recommedation of what kind of fluid is good for my 996? I flushed other cars with the two men method. One was pumping the brake pedal and the other was handling the bleeding. It worked fine. I am sure it works on many other cars. Is P-car different than other cars in this aspect that I really need a power bleeder to do this? I am a little confused with the clutch fluid flushing.......do the brakes and the clutch use the same brake fluid in the same reservoir? I saw the diagram in the DIY section and it looks like that. :)

Thanks for sharing your experience. I've changed the tire pressure back to 36F and 44R. Now the noise is gone! False alarm. I guess I read some internet post for correct tire pressure and I mistook the 17" tire pressure for my 18". Not too bright on this one. :rolleyes: Thanks for all your reponses. Looking forward to hangout with you all in the forum. :D Now I have to work up my courage to fix my wheels as I curbed my wheel a few months ago. It is still an eye sore.

What is your tire size? 17" or 18". Factory or aftermarket? Mine is 18 factory. I am going to increase the pressure to 36f and 44r. Hopefully, it will take care of the howling noise. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks for all your inputs. :)

It has got to be the tire pressure. The noise started after I dropped the tire pressure. You are right, the spec is 36/44. I read some posts on the internet saying the factory spec is too high, so I tried using the lower tire pressure. I use this new tire pressure for the past three days. Hopefully, it did not damage the tires. :o They are kind of expensive......

I have lowered the tire pressure from factory recommended spec to 32 front and 36 back. I wonder would low tire pressure generate noise like that. By the way, how exactly could I check the tires? I mean, beside checking the tire pressure.

Hi all, First of all, I am a newbie here. I did some searches already. If I miss any post like this. Please kindly post a link in your reply post. By the way, I meant C2. No idea why I typed CS instead. Ok, here is the story. My 2003 996 C2 has 21k miles on it. It has the sport chasis + the 18 wheels from the factory. Recently, I noticed a howling sound coming from the back of the car. Very noticeable around 20 to 40mph. Any speed faster than that, it kind of got drown out by the road noises. Does anyone have any experiences similar to this? If so, please post here. Thanks! :) Thomas