AIB

Already done balancing twice and had the dealer fully check my steering components twice.... I'm up for my warranty re-newel and they did the whole check up and didn't find anything wrong with the steering components, and trust me the dealer here will find anything wrong with your car when they know you will have to fix it like in my case now.... They did mention something they want to try to do to the wheels, its not balancing but its something else (I really have no idea what it is, something to do with balancing but more to do with wheels???? I know I'm making no sense but they always say these things in another language and they don't know the translation in English). I agree that they are after making some money off of me... They even tried to make me fix the light on the mirror inside my visor in order to be able to get a warranty re-newel...Unbelievable...

Ali: If you are applying the brakes, they have absolutely no effect on the steering unless one of the pistons on one of your calipers is "frozen"/stuck in an extended position. In that case, that side's brake pad can be continually applied until it wears away, especially if the frozen piston gets further extended and stays stuck there until the next time you apply the brakes. That is obvious to diagnose because the brake pad on the frozen side will be much further worn down that the one on the opposite side of that same rotor. Additionally, when you step on the brakes and let go of the steering wheel, the car will pulll to one side and will not track straight. If the dealer is telling you that the "car vibrates when they press on the brakes", then if it's not the ABS kicking on, one or more of your rotors is warped. That happens more often with rotors that are worn down to near their allowable limit. If the rotors are relatively new, you can have them turned on a lathe to shave them down to remove any "lateral runout" and they will work as good as new. Most don't bother with cutting the rotors anymore because replacement is relatively inexpensive, but don't let the dealer soak you if you don't need to have them replaced. What is even more obvious is that if the dealer feels the car "vibrating" when the brakes are applied, you should be able to duplicate the condition. Otherwise, it's just their financial imagination running wild. :P The lightness in the steering feel at high speeds is another issue. Regards, Maurice. Thanks for all the info... Here's what happened: They call me and tell me that my car pulls to one side and vibrates when they apply the brakes and found that something other than the brake pads (I dont know what its called but its more expensive than brake pads) needs to be change because its bent or damaged or something, but he advised that we will change it only until the brake pads are worn out because to change this part I have to buy the whole brake set (I'm sorry if I'm not using any mechanical terminology but the guy was speaking in arabic and I have no idea how to translate the part names to english), and he says I have to change all four brake sets for all the wheels. So I just say okay we'll see when my pads are worn out and figure I'll look into it when that time comes. When I tell him if they completed my warranty renewel everything changes and they insist to renew my warranty I need to fix this issue ($2,000!!!! only for the brake sets Plus $1,800 for warranty re-newel). They even insisted they have to fix the oil leak and have to pull the motor out to fix (but this is under the current warranty). I'm no expert but I smell a rip off. The problem is my Porsche is a MY2005 C2S and I want to have a warranty valid as long as I have it since this model year is known for IMS failure. What can I do to check this brake issue myself????

The dealer tells me its one of the seals that has a very minor leak and advised to let it be for now since its a very minor seal and since to change this seal they need to pull out the motor and the gear box. I think he's talking about the RMS (they don't even know what its called but they assured me its not a big deal at all). I mentioned if they could verify if it was an IMS leak and they said that this leak is nothing major and that I should change it once it starts leaking more heavily ? My response was to renew my warranty which ends next month from today :)... so thats what we did. Quick question do the brakes effect the steering of the car even when your not pressing them? They mentioned that all my brakes need changing (not the pads but the whole set) because the car vibrates when they press on the brakes. However my main problem had been light steering and slight vibration at high speeds (over 80 km/h) not under braking. Could the brakes be causing this vibrating steering problem when I'm going at high speeds? They have already checked all my steering components and have assured me that every thing is top notch... Freaking light steering feel at high speeds is driving me crazy, it almost feels like I'm not in full control of the car!!

Wouldn't be caught dead with it!!! Will definitely keep everyone posted with what I find out... Thanks...

The difficulty is that it is next to impossible to diagnose whether the leak is from the IMS or the RMS without pulling the transmission. If you intend to keep the car long term it may be advisable to inspect. It would make more sense if you were close to needing a clutch job, which would require the same labor. Regards, Maurice. and do the IMS Retrofit and RMS while you are at it....... Can you do an IMS retrofit with out changing the whole engine though?

The difficulty is that it is next to impossible to diagnose whether the leak is from the IMS or the RMS without pulling the transmission. If you intend to keep the car long term it may be advisable to inspect. It would make more sense if you were close to needing a clutch job, which would require the same labor. Regards, Maurice. The plan is to trade it in for the new 998 as soon as its out... probably keeping the car for another year or so, my car is automatic so I don't have a clutch.... I guess I'm just going to let the mechanics at the dealer decide what to do after they check out the oil leak plus I'm going to make sure my warranty is always valid until I trade it in :)... Thanks for the advice....

My warranty is valid until the end of November (wouldn't be caught dead without a valid warranty). Sending the car to the dealer in two weeks (earliest appointment I could get), praying to good that its just the RMS.... Thanks for the advice...

I have noticed that my motor may be leaking oil when parked. I can see small drops of oil on the floor of my parking spot right where the motor sits, the oil is pretty dark in color. Could this be an IMS leak? I'm worried since I have a CS2 MY2005 and have read a lot about IMS leaks on the MY2005 911's which in turn lead to engine blow outs and engine replacements. :(

Wanted to change two of my AC plastic control flaps (the thing used to direct the airs direction from the AC) myself and the dealer quoted me 500 euros for parts only excluding installation! I decided to live with my slightly imperfect Porsche the way it is :)...

Finally I have solved my steering issues with the most basic remedy possible... I just bought a new set of tires!!! My old tires turned out to be completely dry out and in bad shape... Just purchased a set of Continental Contact Sport 3 tires (great performance) and all the weird steering was gone.... I do have a slight knocking sound from my front end (I can hear it and I can feel it under my left foot) when driving over potholes.... Its like hallow wood knocking sound...??? Any suggestions on what it might be??? Oh and another question, the last time I changed my oil was almost a year ago and since then I have only traveled 5,000 KM... Someone once told me to change my oil every 10,000 KM but they also said to change the oil every year even if i don't cross the 10,000 KM mark. Which is it every 10,000 KM or every year no matter what?

Had almost the same problem. I would get a creaking noise when turning at low speeds, sent it to the dealer and it turned out to be some rubber components or seals around the shock absorbers (had them changed and sound was gone) I do have a clunking noise coming from under my left foot when the car is still cold but goes away as soon as it warms up, still haven't found the culprit.... A lot of people also suggested it might be the strut mounts... Both components are worth a check...

I have a 2005 C2S with 35,000 km on it, and to date I have had no engine problems, however after reading all the IMS issues with the 2005 models if I had the choice now I would have bought a 2006 model. Its all about luck with the 2005 models because they have the potential of failing on you.... If you do get the 2005 then make sure you have a valid warranty on it at all times just in case as a insurance policy.... Good luck... Anyone know approximately when the launch of the 998 will be???

It is called a "Spoiler" in the owner's manual. That is why I used the term. When I was talking about highway speeds, I was thinking above 80MPH. Yesterday Aliballan posted that "Test drove my car with a Porsche Mechanic and he could tell the car isn't so stable at high speeds". That was why I made the suggestion about the Spoiler. The "wing" ;) in the back works just fine, we made sure to check it out.... Its probably my tires.... When I bought the car early 2009 the I was a little surprised it had new Pirelli's on it (no tread wear) but when I examined the tires closely i found that the production date of the tires are 2006. Plus the car was in Saudi (extremely hot weather) so probably the rubber dried up a little. Now the wheels hardly have grip, anytime I press down on the gas half way the traction quickly intervenes. Going to replace my tires as soon as I'm back from a long business trip (3 weeks), if the tires are the problem it will have been an experience that taught me a lot about tires, wheel alignment, balance etc... Thanks a lot for all the info, I can easily say I know much more now than before I joined the forum.... Great Advice from everyone. Regards, Ali

Test drove my car with a Porsche Mechanic and he could tell the car isn't so stable at high speeds however he also told me my wheels didn't have so much grip, according to him he could fell the front tires losing a little grip at high speeds. He checked my tread wear and said it was fine however my tires are Pirelli Pzero and are 2006 production wheels. He told me that they have dried out and are not performing well and that we need to change them. If tires are not so new production and have experienced hot weather do they make the car wobbly at high speeds?.... also do they lose their grip, because I do have grip problems with my wheels. I'm being cautious because in Lebanon a full set of continental or michelen Porsche tires will put me back around $1,800... Don't want to throw money at the problem and still not solve it. Next thing I will be doing is actually trying out a set tires from a similar car and do a test drive to see if this solves the problem....

I have installed the Dension Gateway and it works beautifully... Couldn't be happier with the units performance.... Highly recommended... What competitor did you mean that starts with DEN?????? :)

Mmmmmm... Not much of an expert to tell you the truth, but I will be sure to tell the dealer to test it on that machine (according to my last visit to the dealer they assured me that the suspension and shock absorbers are fine though)... Rims were tested (porsche 19" sports rims) and are ok (according to the dealer), tyres need to be checked (gonna have the dealer do it this time).... Its mind boggling isn't it??? :) Thanks for the reply....

I'm back again!!! and this wobbly wandering feeling at high speeds is driving me crazy!!!! I sent the car to a Porsche approved Wheel Alignment specialist and explained the problem to him. He did a full check up on the suspension and steering components (he didn't take anything apart, just got under the car and checked everything out) he said from what he saw everything looks OK, I even asked if maybe the chassis maybe damaged since its a 2nd hand car and I'm not really sure if the owner before ever really crashed it, he said no chassis problems, however he did say the car did have an accident at the rear left wheel but everything looks like it has been fixed perfectly and no signs of anything wrong in that area (doesn't look like a big accident). He did a 4 wheel alignment and sent me off. After testing the car the steering does feel tighter/heavier but the car still wobbles/wanders at high speeds (had this checked out by a specialist and he seconded what I was feeling, so I know I'm not just being paranoid). The wheel alignment specialist told me what I need to do now is have the steering components stripped down and look for any damaged or worn parts. Oh and he did say I need to change my tyres, he felt they were very slippery and that their production date is 2006 which means they are ready for a change....? Do you think the tyres are the problem and are they really up for a change because they were produced in 2006 (there is hardly any tread on them)? My next move is to send the car back to the dealer and have the experts test drive it with me so that I can show them what I'm feeling then I want to ask them to strip the parts down and change any worn or damaged items... Anybody ever experienced this before (wobbly wandering feel at speeds over 120 KM/H) on a C2S ???? Thanks, Ali

I did wheel alignments twice (front & back) both at the Porsche dealer service center. To them the car is fine, my last resort is to find a Porsche specialist to check my car out and do an alignment. Will be contacting a specialist this week, I'll keep you posted on the results.

Ok I tested out a 997 CS2 like mine and pin pointed the problem and/or difference... Both cars feel the same at low speeds but when I hit high speeds my steering becomes extremely light and is easily manipulated by any irregularities in the road which makes me feel very non-confident when I speed in my car, the other C2S steering feels much "heavier" at high speeds giving you a feeling of full stability at high speeds. I recently had my shock absorbers changed because of sounds coming out of the steering and in hopes of solving the lightness issue. My dealer tested the car out and said everything is A OK but now after test driving another similar C2S I'm sure something is wrong. Any idea what the problem might be? I'm gonna call my dealer on Monday and would appreciate it if anyone could advise on what I can tell them to center them in on the problem?

Cool video, I'm probably going to send the car to the dealer for the paint job though.... By the way I recently had some steering components changed because of sounds and clunks coming out of the car. I had the Shock absorbers changed (apparently they were bent) and some other components which the dealer wouldn't give me a list of (don't know why). The cars steering got tighter and sounds went away, however now the clunking sound on bumpy roads is back, I can hear it and feel it right below my left foot... Any idea what it might be (plus my steering gets a little light over 120 km/h, starts to pull with the bumps and the road, its hard to explain but it just feels like the steering makes small pulls left and right when the road gets a little irregular)... Some ppl tell me the steering is like that cause its a C2S so the front is light and the steering gets effected by irregularities, haven't been able to drive any one else s C2S to compare (drove my brothers Targa 4S and it was completely different, not effected at all be irregular roads at high speeds)....

Thanks... That's exactly what happens with me, I was always worried that something was wrong, thanks for clearing that up for me... Today is a sad day for me, some idiot in traffic put his car in reverse and backed right into my front bumper, nicked my car pretty good!!! I was on the verge of letting my road rage loose but kept my cool, went to work and cried in the toilet :) .....

Actually I only feel a grind when exiting my garage.... Does the same principal apply when at low speeds (not the slow fast one but the grinding when making a full turn at extremely low speeds?) Will definitely try the slow fast technique when I get the chance, and don't worry your secret is safe with me ;) ....

:) we drive on same roads, I just drive my car much harder than he does (cant stand driving a Porsche and not opening up the throttle).... I will try to get you some pics of the roads and post them.... Any idea of why my right wheel feels like its grinding when I make a full right turn?? The dealer says all steering components seem fine....

Ok... Got the car back from the dealer and they changed both shock absorbers (apparently they were a little bent) and they changed some bearings and rubber components (these items were changed under warranty but for some reason they wouldn't give me a copy of the changed parts). The car is a lot more steady and the steering has gotten tighter plus the ride is a little harsher and the loud clunking sounds have almost disappeared. I still feel that I have to put a lot of effort to keep the car straight on the high way at speeds over 120 km/h (high way roads in Lebanon are not perfect but my brothers Targa 4S feels more planted and the steering isn't effected as much by small irregularities in the roads as my C2S). Also my right wheel still pinches (i don't know how better to explain it) when I make a full right turn exiting my parking. I sent the car back to the dealer and they did another wheel alignment and assured me that everything is ok after doing some test runs and checking the steering components one more time. Could some one tell me if what I have just explained is normal and if its not what could be the problem?

Still waiting for my appointment at the dealers to see whats wrong with my car. The sounds got much louder and more frequent now, I'm hardly driving it anymore... Side note now that I'm driving my Porsche less I can't imagine how I was living without one before... I don't know how they do it but the emotional attachment you acquire with your Porsche is unbelievable!!!