MWS

I have the standard Carrera wheels on my '09 C4S. Each time I hand wash my car, after cleaning my wheels, my hands and knuckles look like I have been in a fist fight. I'm reaching through the spokes to try and clean the inside of the wheels and the red brake calipers and my hands are really taking a beating in the process.

What do other people use to clean their wheels?

Does anyone use an attachment that goes on a power drill to clean their wheels?

OUCH!!

I've noticed the same thing on my 09 C4S. Annoys me a lot. I have pressed on everything within reach and can't get it to stop. I would love to know if someone figures out this minor but annoying problem. My dealer's response to everything seems to be "we reloaded the software" and "we will contact Porsche about it and let you know if we hear anything back". I'm due soon for 20K service - maybe I will ask them about it. Who wants to place bets on whether or not they fix it?

130 in this over-sized go-kart seemed fast enough. I would love to get it out on about 15,000 feet of runway and see how it flies.

I have two kids, a wife, and a lot of creditors that expect me to show up for work every day and to not do something stupid.

Low speed acceleration and the road hugging performance is really why I bought my C4S.

I agree - follow the owner's manual instructions. Preserve your warranty.

Nice ride. Love the interior and the wheels.

Too bad about the snow! Spring will come soon.

I was watching a video from the Fabspeed website of a 911 S that they have added several performance enhancements. I noticed that when they are driving the car and apply the brakes, the brake lights seem to oscillate on and off. Can anyone tell me how that is done?

I'm confused about the increase in horsepower they claim. The dyno indicates an increase of 45 HP yet the product description indicates 29 horsepower (414 hp - I believe my stock 4S has 385 horsepower so 414 - 385 = 29).

Is the entire package a "bolt on" addition or is welding required?

I'm at 17,000 miles and have only had to add 1 quart since the 10K service. Prior to then I added a quart every 2000 miles.

The dealership's resolution to this problem was to "reload the software" for the PDK transmission.

My guess is that the problem has not been resolved and it is only a matter of time and it will happen again.

The service writer did admit to me that this is a known problem to Porsche but it is a new problem to my local dealership.

This morning it happened again. I went out started the engine, shifted into reverse and the transmission would not engage. Shifting into Drive and Park etc made no difference. The same warning message was displayed. the problem resolved by shutting down the engine and then restarting it. This makes two failures in 48 hours.

I called the dealership in Austin and was told to bring the car in. I'm driving a loaner Cayenne now. (I much prefer my C4S!)

I will post the outcome of this problem when I get my C4S back.

My '09 C4S with PDK has 15,000 miles. I had not driven the car for three days. The weather for central Texas has been very cold during this three day period - into upper 20's F at night and 40's-50's F during the day. The car started easily and I let it idle for a minute or two while I entered a destination into the navigation system. When I shifted from Park into Reverse nothing happened. The engine would rev but the transmission would not engage. I thought that maybe I was in neutral so I shifted into Drive - same thing happened; the engine would rev but the transmission would not engage. I shifted into Reverse, then Park, then Reverse, then Drive several times and the transmission still would not engage. The OBC (On Board Computer) displayed "Emergency Transmission Run" and there was a red exclamation mark illuminated on the tachometer. I shut down the engine then restarted it and the "Emergency Transmission Run" message and the red exclamation mark were both gone and the transmission would now function properly. I drove about 60 miles without any further problems.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Any comments?

I have '09 C4S and my i-Phone 3G works fine with the car's Bluetooth system. No problems connecting and the phonebook uploaded without difficulty.

I have an '09 C4S with satellite radio. I am supposed to be able to change my music selection using the left lower lever on the steering column. It works perfectly for FM radio and CD's but intermittently it will not function for the satellite radio. When I active "Audio" with the lever and Satellite Radio is active on the radio sometimes the onboard computer screen just goes blank. At other times it works perfectly. The dealer "reloaded the software" to correct the problem but it still is an intermittent problem. This occurs probably about half the time. It's not a big deal but it is a function that I paid for and it doesn't work. Has anyone else had this experience?

MWS

I have an '09 C4S and when I have the AC on fully automatic mode it blows cold air from the expected vents on the dash as well as from the defroster vents regardless of the cabin temperature. I think it should not blow cool air from the defroster vents except when I select "Defrost." Is this normal?

Thanks.

MWS

My vote is for the Valentine-1. I've had mine for ten years and love it. I like it so much that I bought one for one of my employees for a Christmas gift and one for my daughter who drives like me - too fast!

The Valentine detects in front of you a behind you and tells you from which direction the threat may be located. It is very good about NOT detecting false threats. If my V-1 makes a sound, I'm off the throttle in a heartbeat.

I leave it attached to the windshield and turned on all the time. In the summer heat here in Texas the box gets too hot to touch from the sunlight but it has never failed to function. I concealed the power cord so there is no distracting cord hanging down from the windshield running into the cigarette lighter.

It's an expensive box at $400 but the cost of one ticket can pay for it when you consider the increase in your insurance premium.

If my V-1 ever breaks, I will replace it immediately with another.

I don't know about the Escort 9500ix. It very well me a comparable or even better box.

If you are concerned about the distance the V-1 can detect a threat, it will detect a radar transmission from miles away if there is nothing obstructing the signal.

Your major threats with any detector are "instant on radar" or Lasers aka Lidar. If your Laser detector detects a laser and you are going too fast you might as well get out your checkbook because you are probably caught.

Good luck with either purchase. Let us know what you decide on and how you like it.

MWS

You have a valid point about the cost of the Clear Bra vs the Cost of painting the front end of the car.

Yeah a new front paint job might cost as much as the Clear Bra or perhaps more, but at what point do you decide when to get it painted? 1 paint chip? 10? 100? 1000? Also can the paint shop really match the new paint on the front end to the "old" paint on the rear fenders etc?

I drive a lot and my previous vehicle had a bunch of paint chips in the hood, fenders, roof, bumper, mirrors, etc. Not to mention lots of insects that became permanently bonded to the clearcoat finish. Touch-up paint just isn't satisfactory and no amount of bug and tar remover ever seemed to remove all the bug guts.

My C4S has over 12,000 miles on it now and I think there is only one paint chip on the hood that occurred before I had the Clear Bra applied.

The only time I want to have my vehicle painted is when there is body repair work being done which hopefully will be never!

To each his own on this issue.

Good question!

MWS

There is a VIN number decoder on this website. Look at the top of this page uder the drop down menu that says "Documents".

MWS

I don't think it will cause any problems. Call the dealership that did the work and ask them if you can bring it by for them to drain a little oil out until it measures full not overfill!*#%@!!!

Don't get angry with them until after they correct the problem. Once you are satisfied that everything is OK, then you can tell them how unhappy you are.

Don't burn any bridges you may need to cross later.

For what it is worth, about ten years ago I had a Chrysler Mini-Van that I took to Wal-Mart for an oil change, The idiots there failed to drain the old oil out of the crankcase. They added five quarts of new oil to what was a full crankcase of oil. This did not damage the engine. I ran it "over full" like this for a couple of hundred miles before I discovered the problem. I was plently angry and have never taken a car back to Wal-Mart for an oil change.

You would think that an oil change would be something that would be simple to do. I've always been afraid they might strip the oil pan drain plug or put the filter on too tight/loose; but failing to drain the old oil out before putting the new oil in really amazed me.

MWS

How much did you pay? What type of shop. Computer??? More info please. I would like to get this done and wold like to know what to ask for. I am in west Michigan.

I had it done at a shop that specialized in "ding" repair and Clear Bras. Something similar to a window-tinting shop. In fact I have seen window tinting places that advertise that they apply Clear Bras. The website for the place I went to is listed below:

http://www.thedingcompany.com/company/

The cost to do the entire front end on my C4S was $1400.

I think having the pieces of clear film cut by computer from a single sheet of material using a professionally created template is the best way to go.

Compare this to having a couple of guys make their own templates by laying tracing paper on your car and then outlining the hood, bumpers, fenders, etc, is a recipe for a huge mess.

My clear bra fits correctly. Unless you get within a few inches of the car you can't tell it is there. There are no air bubbles, wrinkles, or places where it is peeling back.

MWS

Love those hips

Has anyone put Clear Bra or Clear Bra Paint Protection Film on their car?

I put the clear bra on my C4S a week after I bought the car. I had it placed on the entire hood, front bumper, front air dam, both entire front fenders, fuel filler door, both outside rear view mirrors, windshield pillars, the leading 8 inches of the roof, and the edges of the doors.

It was applied about the 1st of May. So far so good. It has not yellowed, it has remained firmly attached to the car, and I can't see that it has in any way damaged the paint. The car has 12,000 miles on it now and I have not seen any damage to the clear film or the paint job. It has stood up to many hand washings and I have even waxed it. I would do it again the next time I buy a new car.

I had it done at a place that the clear film came in very large sheets and was cut by computer from a stencil that was specific for the Carrera. Each section of the car covered with Clear Bra was cut from a single sheet of clear film

Another shop was going to hand cut each piece and in larger areas (the hood and fenders) they were going to have to use two pieces of clear film to cover it.

The fellow that applied the clear bra did the job by himself. I dropped the car off with him at about 9:00 am and he was just finishing at about 5:00 pm when I returned to pick it up.

Congratulations on your new C4S.

I love mine - also '09 C4S Gray with PDK. My daily driver with 11,000 miles in five months.

I love those hips, too. "NALGAS" if you speak Spanish.

My '09 C4S now has about 10,200 miles and it seems to have stopped using oil. Between 7,000 and 10,000 miles I did not have to add any oil. Between my new purchase and 7,000 miles, however, I had to add four liters of oil.

I drive about 600 miles each week and I try to only use brand-name gasoline containing additives that are advertised as helping to keep the engine clean. I stopped using cheaper gasoline hoping this would help resolve the oil consumption issue.

End must be running and warmed-up. Car cannot be moving and you must be wearing the seat-belt to check the oil in my C4S.

I have an 09 C4S with 9800 mostly highway miles. I drive a mix of aggressive and not-so-aggressive driving and I believe my computer indicates I get a combined mileage of about 23 mpg. I have gotten as good as about 27 mpg driving at up to 75 mph on a 300 mile trip over fairly flat terrain.

Will the fix-a-flat repair kit ruin the tire pressure monitoring sensor?

How much does replacing the TPM sensor on one wheel cost?

On my Lexus SC430 I think the TPM sensor was a couple of hundred dollars. Lexus TPM sensors cannot be mounted on the valve stem hole.

At The Tire Rack you can get an aftermarket TPM that mounts to the valve stem hole for $88.

Perhaps the policeman didn't "lasar" you.

Perhaps he "lasared" you but the lasar didn't hit the Valentine One. Lasars don't fan out like radar does so if the lasar was aimed down low at your front license plate or bumper it is quite possible the lasar never hit your Valentine One so it never sounded a warning.

I have had my Valentine One for almost nine years and have only had one ticket and that was with an instant on radar that caught me at night as I crested a hill.