PeterC4

At this point I would keep it and have fun with it. It looks like its in good shape. Just because a car is driven frequently doesn't mean its worthless...to me anyway. For me, if you keep a car in good shape, maintain it regularly and keep it running well, its worth every dime you spend on it to keep it that way.

I've had 2 996s, a 2000 and 2004. The 2000 was a Porsche Certified car and had extensive maintenance work done to it before I bought it. After that, the control arms were replaced, (2 by the dealer, 2 by me) and the tires after 3 years, and the battery. That's it. It was a very good car and cheap to run. My 2004 still has the original warranty. No problems, other than some brake squeal in very hot weather in city driving. Very solid car.

The 2002 models have some visible cosmetic differences as well as design differences, including structural and drive train changes. Depending on price you should give serious consideration to a later model. I have owned a 2000 C4 and a 2004 C4S. Different cars for sure...mind you it didn't change the smile on my face.

Can anyone advise on the following aftermarket in-dash navigation units for a 2002 911 Carrera convertible? I would like to purchase at BestBuy, Circuit City, Costco, or Crutchfield and have it installed in my car.

Will these fit?

Eclipse AVN6610

Eclipse AVN7000

JVC KDNX5000

Pioneer AVIC-D3

Valor NAV650D-I

Thanks!

I don't know if the MOST system in the 2002 cars and newer will make an install that easy, but there are lot of threads on this.

From the Service Manual Instructions:

"Note!

The adjustment function of the seat, mirror and lumbar positions via the hand-held transmitter is correct only if the radio code and the transponder code of a hand-held transmitter are each stored at the same position in the alarm system control module."

There are 15 steps in "teaching" a new key and matching the old keys.

Hmmm, I didn't think my 2004 C4S had a radio code. Anyway, I don't know if I have an old or new key but it looks like a real key. So are you saying I have to "teach" my key (assuming its a replacement of sorts) to match the old key? I'll try my other key to see how it works.

I'm having trouble having my seat memory work with my key. I have a 2004 C4S. According to the manual, if I put the key in the ingnition...turn the car on....and then set the seat, mirrors and the tilt down reverse opiton, it should recognize this when I open the door with the remote. It doesn't work. When I press the key button to open the door, the seat moves back to the max, then I have to press my memory button to get the position I want. What am I doing wrong?

On a serious note, I'm having trouble having my seat memory work with my key. I have a 2004 C4S. According to the manual, if I put the key in the ingnition...turn the car on....and then set the seat, mirrors and the tilt down reverse opiton, it should recognize this when I open the door with the remote. It doesn't work. When I press the button to open the door, the seat moves back to the max, then I have to press my memory button to get the position I want. What am I doing wrong?

I currently own a 2000 996 Coupe. It is a great car, no problems, just turned 50,000. At a show a few months ago I saw a 2000 Millenium Edition and became obsessed. I have done the homework, and other than the fact it basically has most every option available, and some maintenance problems around the polished wheels, I am wondering why I want it except that it is somewhat unique. I have seen two since that were for sale. Both showing low mileage but both looked like they were riden very hard, or someone changed the mileage, as they were much more worn and not near the condition of my car. Can someone either talk me out of my obession, or give me a clue where to find a very nice one for sale?

I'm assuming these cars were not at a dealer. More often then not, a new set of tires, detailing, replacing the very basics like windshield wipers, and small broken parts makes a big difference. I woundn't discount them, but do your homework.

I find my brakes begin to squeal in continuous stop and go traffic. I do think aggressive use now and then tends to reduce the squeal.

Update on my brakes:

I took my car to Firestone today to see if they can take care of the squeaking brakes. They tell me I need new pads and rotors and it is going to run me $1700 (plus $800 for the two bald tires in back that I didn't know I had - only bald in the middle of the tires). They told me that $1700 is about $700 cheaper than if I would take it to a Porsche dealership to get it done.

So I called the Porsche dealership and talked to the manager there. He said that in the last 5 years he hasn't had to replace one set of rotors. Said it just really isn't done on a car like mine very often at all. I told him that Firestone said that rotors were grooved and he replied "so what?". He also said that he could do a full set of pads and rotors on a Cayman for cheaper than $1700.

He told me to bring the car in for a free brake inspection on Wednesday afternoon. So, I'm going to do that.

Oh, I checked out the rear tires too. The things are just like Firestone said. They've got deep tread towars the outside but near bald in the middle. That's not the type of thing that you can see very easily without raising the car up. I put my hand across the tire to feel it and once I got towards the middle, there was hardly any tread at all. This caused by them being overinflated maybe?

I'm having some brake squeal on my low milage 2004 C4S in stop and go traffic. I would take it to a Porsche dealer first and have it checked out. I think that the brakes on theses cars last a long time.

Front what I've seen on the lots of Porsche dealers - some used cars that are CPO look like they definitely had work done to the front bumper or in some cases the hood, to restore them and remove small rock chips. That wouldn't bother me at all. So what's been resprayed?

Is it possible that the GT3 Aero kit spoiler is pushing the back down too much and consequently raising the front?

Even with the hood closed I don't feel enthusiastic about going over 110/120 in this car!

On P Zero Rossos with one new tyre /7mm - other 3 tyres on around 5mm. Running 32 psi rear and 30 psi front.

Rims have a few scuffs from before I bought the car

Some vibration starting from 80mph +.

Recently went over a slight bump/ramp on a 5% upward sloping road at about 100 and the front definitely took off for a millisecond! Felt the car being pulled back on course when the tyres made contact again!

Floaty steering from 110mph +

My mindset is now that something isn't right at high speeds - and when it's put right there will be a huge difference!

Going to get the wheels refurbed and balanced first, then if the vibrations aren't better should I look at alignment - I don't think the car pulls but the road noise is pretty bad. Any other avenues to explore? Do I need to do something to keep the front end down?

Very interesting thread! :renntech:

I would have thought a properly installed aero kit, front end included, would help reduce lift in the front, not induce it. As to vibrations over 80 I think you have to get your tires balanced, but don't rule out an out-of-round tire. The other thing worth exploring would be to lower the car slightly, with a different suspension set-up, unless you have already done so. I do think you should research what changes were made to the 2002 models to address this issue and see if you can implement some, but I would have thought with your GT3 kit, it would go along way to doing that.

Question for cab owners - at what speed do you get that 'floaty' effect with the top up + with it down?

Interesting question. I think it depends on the year and model. I had a 2000 C4 6spd Coupe that did feel light at the front at high speeds. My 2004 C4S Tip, is heavier, has different aerodynamics and it feels rock steady at high speeds. I have not had it up to racetrack speeds, but even at 80 mph, the C4S feels much more stable, top up or down. The 2002 and later 996 models have more ridgid bodies and I think front end lift was reduced due to certain design changes.

Great car. I have a 2000 C4 Cab and so does my business partner. both Blue, mine has a beige interior and his the grey. You will love the car, and the CPO is a great addition. How much longer is the CPO for? And if you don't mind saying, about what did you pay for it?

Hi, I have 24 months on the CPO warranty. I paid $40,500 for the car... Not sure how great a deal it was, but it was the best I could get them down to, and was less than a few other non CPO cars I was looking at on eBay and local...

That car would cost $55K in Canada....mind you everything costs more in Canada. Looks like a good deal to me given the mileage.

Virbration like you described is almost always associated with tires in my experience. I had a 2000 C4 and I had to be very vigilant about getting it right. In the end I had an out-of-round tire in the rear and my tires had to be balanced at least twice. After 2 years of tire wear, I got new ones and the car ran well. Don't discount the fact that a tire may have inherent problems that causes vibration, regardless of how much money or time you spend on balancing. Good luck.

What's really interesting is putting the tip in manual mode, starting from first and just driving it and letting the transmission shift the gears as it reaches peak RPM.

I'm not a big fan of extended warranty companies so that would not be an option in my case.

I found some 2000 911's that blew their engines around 70k and had "new" ones put in at the dealer. I would assume any engines a dealer is putting in would have all the upgraded parts (bearings, RMS etc).

I'm not sure if I should target a 2000 with a recent blown engine or just get a 2001 with higher milage they seem to be about equal prices.

If you can swing it, I would seriously consider a 2002 car...they feel different (better) to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porsche_996

"The engines in the 1999 and 2000 version have a large failure rate due to a design error. This problem was fixed in mid 2000. One will notice the resale price difference with these model years."

I am shopping for a 911 and do not want to replace the engine and can't afford a 02. I just want confirmation that in m/y 2001 the 3.4 issues have been addressed, can't always trust Wikipedia.

From: http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Grand_Am_Cup_Series

The 996 cars that you race don't suffer from any oil starvation issues as they are rumoured on the web community to suffer from?

The ’99 996’s certainly had issues, but by ’01, it seems they have all been worked out. We ran a 3.4ltr engine with no issues, and later upgraded that car to a 3.6. We never had engine problems with either. The 997 engine is very similar to the late 996 3.6, and while we lost 2 engines at the beginning of the season, a single engine has lasted almost the whole year. The engines are not indestructible, but since ’01, blowing up engines seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

How can I know if the headlamp unit is a lithronic one in facelift model (MY02-04), without seeing the back connectors?

I´ve seen two versions: One that has stripes under the clear headlight cover, and another one which is "plain"...

I´d like to buy a set, but as ebay is full of all kind of irresponsible sellers...

Thanks

Kare

As far as I know, most litronics come with with headlight washers. The washers are designated with a silver "dot" adjacent to the headlight. The dot is about the size of a half dollar, or a Canadian Loonie.

My first Porsche was a 2000 911 C4 6spd with 54,000 kms. I had looked for a brief while and then, as these things usually go, I saw one I liked at a dealer. Bought it the next day. There are good advantages to buying a car from a dealer with a Porsche approved pre-owned warranty. Based on my experience and others, its a smart move for a first time purchase. In my case, the dealer showed me what had been done to the car, which was extensive. Things like, new rear main seal, new clutch, new windshield, tires, brakes, shock absorber, power window regulator, etc. I received a 2 year limited warranty, and a few things were fixed under that warranty including the upper control arms. The car turned out to be a great car, no problems, with regular maintenance and I had to replace the tires. I owned it for three years, and traded it with 88,000 kms. Depreciation was about 45% over the three years. Mileage is important, to a degree, but at the price you're thinking about you won't have to worry too much about a big resale number. Consider one from a dealer that has a good reputation that is pre-approved and the mileage issue is less important. You might pay a little more but it is well worth it. Good luck!

BTW, my second car is a 2004 C4S Cab.... Tiptronic. which my wife now shares with me.

I have recently purchased an 02 C2 in polar silver.

Tonight I was detailing the car, and noticed 3 really odd patches on the drivers door.

Each is an oval, about 1cm max size, and looks like a very thin splodge under the lacquer.

You can just feel them if you run a finger over them, they have undulated edges, but only distort the light slightly from certain angles - hence why I never noticed them before now.

I have 2 theories:

1) They are very poor PDR repairs, where the repairer has made an oval set of microhighs (unlikely as I cannot see any marks to the back face of the door panel).

2) They are sone sort of paint flaw - I guess they could be splodges of primer, colour coat or lacquer - it's hard to say.

I'm really not sure what to do with them.

Anyone else ever seen anything like this or know what to do? I will check with my paint meter tomorrow for thickness, but am loathed to wet sand or flat them back as the splodge may not be in the clear coat!

Thanks

I've never seen that from a PDR and a good PDR guy would never create the microhighs. The smudge in the paint is a mystery. But does the pattern of the 3 marks give you a clue? Are they near the door lock? The only thing I can think of is that the smudge was caused by intense concentrated light, like from a magnifying glass.

Master Loren, :help:

Krytox lubricant was recommended in a couple of Porsche's TSB for eliminating the rubber squeaking. However, I could only locate Silicone lubricant in hardware stores. Do they pretty much serve the same purpose? The instruction for the Silicone lubricant does say so though.

Your advise please!

Thanks!

I have used Silicone spray....that works wonders.

hmmm...good question, I haven't tried that before,

but I have found myself having to upshift on several occasions, when I forgot I was in manual mode.

Those were times when I would be stepping on it, thinking it was in auto, and upon hearing the engine speed,

realized I was in manual and had to upshift. And in the haste, I have never thought of checking the rpm though.

I do know that if you are in manual mode, and you are slowing down, and forgot to downshift, it will downshift automatically.

I would assume, YES, that if you hit the rev limit in manual mode, it will automatically upshift.

Does it mention anything about that in the manual?

Yes, I found it. In manual selection mode, "if an engine-speed limit is reached, an auto matic upward shift is performed, or just before idling speed is reached, a downward shift is performed". However the slip monitoring function of the tiptronic is deactivated when the PSM is turned off, but it makes no mention of limiting the auto matic upward shift when PSM is turned off.

I was not expecting as big a difference in the driving experience between my 2000 C4 6spd and my 2004 C4S Tip, Cabriolet. While the C4S is heavier and slower, the ride quality, handling, road feel, and highway stability are far superior in the C4S. They are very different cars, and the more ridgid bodies of 2002 and later on 996s are noticable. What has me most impressed is the ride. Its firm, yet handles the bumps and rough roads quite well. As a daily driver, the C4S is a wonderful car and certainly very, very different from my first gen 996. Any others who have experienced 1st and 2nd gen 996s? I'm assuming that with the right rims/tires and a shock/spring upgrade you can get the 1st gen 996s to feel similar to the later model year cars.

I haven't tried this but it may be the easiest way to find out the answer to this question. Anyway, in manual mode, will the transmission shift to second if you come near the rev limiter in first and so on? Is this true if you turn PSM off? I believe that in the 997 if you turn PSM off, you will be able to hold the car near the rev limiter for spirited driving, without having it shift to the next gear.