jgriffin56

I agree that the brake pad sensors are a waste ot money, at $38 per for my C4S. The dealers and my Indy insist that I use new sensor cables even when I did not even break the connection with the old sensors by brake wearing into the connection. I guess it all comes down to liability, which beyond tires, is probably the only part of car repair that you can litigate. My indy replaced my front brakes (w/OEM) at 26K with still some left on the pad (I downshif regularly). Like it was said, you still need to replace the old rotors with each pad replacement, so what if you run the brakes into the rotors, all needs to be replaced anyway. However Porsche does not employ the chirp warning system. Anybody know how to bypass the brake sensor and not have the brake warning light stay on?

I am not sure in 6/05 that Porsche realized that the 997 RMS was superior to the 996 RMS. I think that now, they replace the 996 RMS with the 997 RMS . I would think since the 997 RMS is a little different thant the 996, they realized it needed to be changed out in the newer P cars. ALso Ive heard that some are replacing the RMS with a Cayenne RMS

That was my firs question, but about $600 per 4, I was going to give them a try. I have not seen the rims and don't know about the quality. Might want to call the place and ask them, from their ad they are pretty sure about the quality. Say they are guaranteed to be true. Might check out where they are made (China????) JIM G

Check E bay for GT3 replicas. They are cast alluminium available only 8x18 and 11x18 for wide body P cars (C4S and Turbo only) Great price for set of 4 plus S&H from east coast. Phone# 866-745-7467, "Wheels and Caps". Hope this helps JIM

I agree, CPO is a joke! I have had my on board computer go whacky, where the tach did not work and half of the warning lights flashed, etc. I was told at the dealer (the one that sold me car) that is was the on-board computer and it needed a complete reprogramming. I was told that if the computer "broke" they would replace it for free, but since it needed ONLY a complete reprogram, it was not covered. I also had the cable break that runs along the outside of the convertible top and I was told that it was "wear and tear". 27K and wear and tear on the convertible top, what kind of junk are they using in these tops. I had a convertible top place repair it and they told me that the cable was definitely defective, and that it should not break, in fact, he has only seen the Porsches with such a problem at these early miles. He has an ongoing business with all the dealerships in the area fixing the Porsche. Porsche has been making cars with convertible tops for 50 years,and still can't make a decent top It even get better, the driver's heated seat doesn't work, again, wear and tear, and not covered. Given, the RMS problems, and everything else that breaks on these cars, one has to wonder if the Porsche are worth the big dollars that they command. I have had 4 Porsches over the years and by far, this 996 seems to have more problems that all the others combined. One whould think that $110K would buy a quality car, but not so. I have friends with BMW M3s, that just laugh at me when I tell them of all the problems that I have with this car. Sorry, Porsche, you have got your last buck out of me, Where's the local BMW dealer?

I have ahad both a Boxster S and a Carrera S. And I think between the two, the Boxster was just a good. It was really fun to drive around town, fast, and nimble. The Carrera S is a whole different experience. The car is heavier and drives a little better at fast freeway speeds. I do have to admit that I, too, felt a little humble in the Boxster when around the Carreras, but now, that I have a Carrera, I think the boxster is great car and would love to own another one, when and if I divorce myself from my Carrera. The two cars are just different cars and drive differently as well. Boxsters are fine cars and anyone should be proud to drive one. Have fun in your new Boxster!!! :clapping:

According to Joel Reisner, the PCA Tech expert for the 996 he states about which Tiptronic is installed in each, "The C4 uses the type A96.30, with a 996 part number, while the Turbo uses the A96.50, with a 722 part number, which is unusual". So there must exist at least 2 versions of the Tiptronic used in P cars.

I suggest if you are going to paint the plastic reflector, than you use the same method that the people that paint the plastic center consoles use. First they sand the piece, preferably with a rust colored sanding pad. Then primer the piece with several coats of "Bullfrog" Primer, sand smooth, and then apply your Porsche color in several coats, sanding between coats, and then apply clear finish. There are places that will match your car color from the code on the front hood, and give you a nice spray can to apply the finish with. It comes in two forms, the undercoat used with glossy clear, and a glossy paint, all one coat. One such place is the "Paint Store" in Laguna Niguel, CA, look up on the internet, and give them a call. Good luck!

The Tiptronic transmission is completely different in the TT than in the 996. It is made much stronger than the Tip in the 996 to handle the horsepower, even has a different OEM part number. (see PCA Tech Forum q&a)

Two things come to mind. THE PCA Tech Question and ANswer forum, usually says that this is not uncommon for the time of year with the cold nights and the warm days ( Moisture, etc). It says that if the color is dark black or blue then you may have a worry, but a white puff of white smoke is usually indication that it is moisture. I know you know this, but always make sure you let the fuel pump prime the engine before starting, by turning the key to on and waiting for a few seconds before engaging the starter. Second, make sure that you are using the right oil for your model of P car. JIM G

I can't see why there would be any difference. The C4S has the wide body effect, but only to accomondate the wider rear tires and the big brakes. I would not think that Porsche would go to all that trouble to make two different sway bars for a stock non-racing/track car (ie GT3). You could check the parts houses and compare sway bar specs or codes to see if they are the same.

They clean the headlight only when the lights are switched on(high or low beam) if your car is equipped with Bi-Xenon headlights

If you have tried almost everything, I would take it to a professional car detailer. The last thing you want is to have to repaint the car! Check with your local PCA members to see if they know of a good detailer.

I have a 04 C4S Cab. Every year they haveincreased horsepower in the engines and increased size. do not know, if the 02 and 04I know have same engine or not. I know that all the 04s that I have seen are really loaded, all leather, all electronic seats, litronics, etc. You may want to seeif the 02 has the rear side vents. I have been thinking on selling mine (son in Med School$$) I really like the car, I live in So Cal and taking the top down is really cool. The 4 wheel drive is great for cornering and climbing hills. The C4S is almost a Turbo (minus the turbo and some suspension). It is pretty quick and handles real well.

I tried Raggtop several times. I now use, and are very happy with 303 High Tech Fabric Guard, Water Repellent. Several reasons for this. The 303 cleaner is specifically designed for outside materials ( umbrellas, cushions) and is very good cleaner. The I use AFTA cleaner for spotting whatever the 303 will not get off (bee pollen etc), Let it dry throughly. Here is the one big reason that I like 303 over Raggtop. I comes in a spray bottle vs a pressurized cannister. This allows me to pour come into a clean container and brush it on with a foam paint brush. With Raggtopp the cannister is spray only, and that means that you have to tape off all the areas (windows, paint) where you don't want Raggtop to get on. I just apply with the brush, let it dry and its done. No more than 30 minutes of labor required. It is now raining in So Cal and my roof top is beading up very nicely. Plus 303 contains SPF for long lasting protection. Also if you top is really faded, they make a stain for the top, just goggle convertible top color and you will find the site. I hear that it is good, however, I treat my top about 3 times a year so the color is great

Alex, Just kidding around. I have experimented with painting some of my plastic pieces in my car with the help of a car painter that does bumper repairs. This guy is a genious! Takes a crushed hole in a bumper, about l foot square and in about 1 hour, you could never tell it was there, saving a new bumper. He says that you need to sand the piece real well to get down the nummies and then you use a special plastic primer only found in car paint stores. and then you are ready to apply the paint and then resand if necessary until the paint is perfect, then add the clear coats ( as many as you like) without eggshelling the finish. All in all, it probably works out about the same if you buy them from Eric and I know that they are perfect, since I have bought both license plate and door handle key plugs from him. He also has a really cool center console the color of the car.

Just to clarify, In California we only have 91 octane premium as standard. I have never seen anything higher in California other than the racing fuel (100 octane). I haven't used the toluene yet since I have a station with 100 octane racing fuel so close, but if I go on a trip, I might take a gallon or two of toluene with me to boost the octane. I run it in a 04 C4S, no modiifications other than a FabSpeed exhaust. I don't track the car since it has a tiptronic and I really do not want to run it that hard. Other sites that I visited on the internet talk about the dangers of handling toluene. So I would suggest using chemical gloves with plenty of ventilation and remember use a long funnel. I also read on a BMW blog that when they tested the M-5 they put toluene in the tank to boost the octane to recommended levels. I agree on the price of racing fuel, it has not come down one penny, my station charges 8.99/gal!! I guess because it is the only station within 15 miles that carries the racing fuel and they can get it. Still cheaper than booster at $9-12 a bottle

Recently I started mixing Union Oil Racing Fuel (100 octane) with premium gas (91) 3:1 and Wow what a difference in the performance of the engine!! I calculated that this formulation 9 gallons of 91 to 3 gallons of 100 gives me around 93+ octane. Porsche recommends 93 octane and I can see why. The car runs much smoother on the freeways in 4th (4000rpm) and accelerates much better. I have been doing some reading of octane boosters, mixing fuels and adding toluene. I rally don't like octane boosters because of the additives and MTMB (sp?) used to raise the octane. At about $9 a bottle you get only about 0.3 to 0.5 of octane boost. I have been using racing fuel mixture for about 2 months now and can really tell the difference. I also have been reading about adding toluene to the 91 premium gas. Toluene is present in gasoline and is used by the gas companies to boost octane at the refinery. I figured that if I add 1 gallon of toluene (114 octane) to 11 gallons of 91 premium, I will get around 93 octane. I included a internet site which is a FAQ about toluene. Just so happens that I have a station about 3 miles away that carries racing fuel so I haven't tried the the toluene yet. But it makes since. If any of you have not tried using 93+ octane as recommended by Porsche, you just gotta try it, it really makes a difference. I am told that the computer in the car will adjust for reduced octane by retarding the timing a little, and this can only affect performance. If you are looking for a station near you that may carry racing fuel see the SUNOCO site, they list station accross the US that carry racing fuel. Her is the site for the toluene questions. ( If you want to do y0u own calculations to get octane rating desired use this formula. Figue out which octane you want say 93. Multiply 93 by how many gallons you usually fill up with say 12. 93x12=1116 total octane. Just work back using the 100 octane racing fuel and figure out how many gallons of premium and racing fuel needed to equal 1116. I not a math wizard so this is how I did it. http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html

Look great! Your before/after picture looks like those weight loss commercials, when the fat lady looks like a hag and the "skinnier" version she is all made up and holding her breath. Your before picture is all dark and not shiny, and your after picture is bright and looks like a new coat of wax to compliment the bumperettes. Anyway, they DO look great!!!! One question the new bumperettes look like molded PVC or plastic and the old ones look like they are rubber. Are they made of different components?

I find that TireRack.com has a lot of good information of correct tires, wheels for all cars. Try it.

Of course it all depends on what model is your P-car. I believe, If you have the normal rear body, then it would be the 10inch, if you have a wide-body (turbo, C4S, GT2 or GT3) then it would be the 11 inch.

I too have a C4S CAB 04 and the Owners Manual on page 249 for 911 Carrera 4S states for Summer tires Front 225x40 ZR 18 and Rear 295x30 ZR 18. I have the OM right in front and me and I would go with that as Gospel! Make sure that you have the stock rims with are 8"front and 11" rears, or that could change everything.

First of all from the pic, it looks like you have a crack in the casing just under the 3'oclock nub. Maybe that is why you stripped it out. Personally,I would try to rig a flat piece of metal ( aka screwdriver) that has been filed down to fit snuggly between the bottom of the nub at 3 o"clock and the top of the nub at 9 o"clock (to set up a counter clockwise removal process) Try to get it crammed in as tight as possible. Then saw off the screwdriver handle, leaving the cylindrical part of the srewdriver). Somehow attach this to a fast drill or drill hammer, or an airgun and give it a real powerful short burst to see if it will loosen up. Only drawback might be that you would break it off or damage it so that no key would fit in the future. But any good machine shop or auto shop should be able to get it off with their tools that they have if you do wreck it. Or you could call the porsche dealer and get them to mail you all the key that look like it and just return the ones you dont need ( knowing Porsche dealers, you'll pay for all those up front. You may also call a local tire dealer in your area and ask them what they do when their customers do not have their key and they need to take off the tire. Just sitting around here on a cold night, sick of TV with nothing to do but read my RennTech. Hope it helps!

One of the main problems when running out of gas is that all the "gunk" in your fuel tank that has settled in area below the fuel supply begins going into the fuel line to the engine. That will sometimes clog the fuel filter and starve the engine. I would check out the fuel filter and replace it, if it is not too expensive to just experiment. Anyway, all engines new a new fuel filter sometimes and you would be okay in doing it. Hope this helps. 04 C4S CAB

I had an 06 Z4. It is really small and cramped inside. Hard to get into and out of. On the road it seems front end bouncy. It was okay, but it is not a Porsche, just love my 04 C4S Cab. The Z4 is not nearly the same car as a Carrera. But you get what you pay for! You will always find someone in the media putting down Porsches going only on Specs. Take for instance the new Hyundai Genesis commericals saying that it will beat a Boxster. (Not a Boxster S) And since when is a Porsche considered a drag racer, Ill take a Porsche in the curves and turns anyday!