nos4a2

You got 30k miles out of a set of rear tyres - you must try harder ;)

I have just replaced the CDR22 and amp in my 2000 996 Carrera with HiFi Sound System (Option code 490). I was looking for a unit that had seamless integration with iPod and also excellent bluetooth connectivity for hands free phone calls.

In the end I narrowed down the list to Becker Grandprix 7992 R with iPod link and the Pioneer DEH-P8100BT with iPod link. The Becker has a red display which better blends with the stock orange/red Porsche dial lights and displays however, the Pioneer sounds better, has better bluetooth voice quality for phone calls and has an OLED display (albeit a nasty blue colour) which alows you to see all of the playlist, artist and track information from the iPod in one go. The Pioneer also has a rotary joystick which makes controlling the iPod from the head unit very intuitive.

To make the installation reversible I ran a set of leads from the speaker outputs to the connector block by the amp in the luggage compartment and then used individual bullet connector into the car's speaker wiring harness to connect the head unit to the speakers. I also took the opportunity to run a couple of phono leads from the head unit pre-out to the luggage compartment at the same time. That way if I want to go for an external amp at some point in the future it should be a piece of cake.

The unit has been in for only a week and I am very pleased - the sound is good (but speaker upgrades plus amp upgrades are on the cards for next year) and the voice quality during calls is superb for both parties. Control of the iPod is very simple and the sound quality is, once again, very good. If they would make the colour of the display selectable the Pioneer DEH-P8100BT would be perfect.

I almost forgot to say - if you are replacing the Porsche head unit, don't forget to disconnect the wire running to the cage and to insulate it. Otherwise the alarm system will detect and error and beep the horn every time you lock the car!

Chances are 90% or more the 1999 will not have a serious engine failure...

...What you have here is an opportunity to buy a car at a discount due to the real issues that a relatively small number of these cars have. If my engine blows, I am prepared to take the hit and pay for a new one.

So, if you can afford to make repairs that can come up (budget $10,000 or so), then you shouldn't avoid the 1999. Just my 2 cents.

I believe that the number of total engine failures is well below 1% of the 3.4 cars sold. Of course, if it happened to you, you would be very vocal about it, hence the high profile that this rare (but costly) problem attracts. Similarly, the problem with the RMS affected a small proportion of the 3.4 cars produced but, again, people do not expect this sort of problem with a Porsche so if it affects them they tend to complain and post to the forums about it.

Generally people post and complain about problems much more than about how good and reliable their car is - so rare issues get blown out of proportion.

Now, a 1999 car is 10 years old and personally I would be much more interested in the overall condition, number of owners & documented service history (which this car seems to have). I would also trust your gut feel - if something doesn't seem right, walk away - there are plenty of other cars out there.

At 95k km I would budget for a clutch in the near future.

It looks like I will be giving the Redline 75W90 NS GL-5 a try.

FWIW, I used that in my Boxster and it made the shifting much more notchy. I had spoken to Redline on the phone twice to clarify that this was what they recommended. I replaced it with the factory fluid and the shifting was good again.

Well, the car is booked in to my local independent in two weeks time and I will be trying the Redline. I will let you all know how I got on.

For MY2001 996 Coupe, 6 speed --

000.044.500.07 RoW M030 Suspension Kit -- US MSRP $1315.72

Currently on offer from UK OPC's at £535 + VAT (about $980) but I understand that each dealer only has 2 kits to sell.

92,000 miles 2000 C2 manual. Just about to go in for an oil change, transmission fluid change, brake fluid change, pads, discs and braided hoses all round, new throttle cable, shock absorbers all round and a 4 wheel alignment setup. Should be like new when all done :)

Loren, thank you very much - I don't know why my search failed to yield the results that you linked but they are very informative. It looks like I will be giving the Redline 75W90 NS GL-5 a try.

Please do a search this has been covered before.

Er... I did and came up with http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s...&hl=redline which didn't really answer my question. If you know of a thread which better answers my question perhaps you would be kind enough to share it with me?

I am going to change the gearbox oil in my new (to me) 996 Carrera soon. I know that the recommended oil is SAE 75W-90 Mobil (Mobilube PTX) or Shell (Transaxle) - thanks Richard for the superb technical article - but I was wondering if anyone had tried any other brands?

The car has done 91,000 miles and the change to 4th is getting a bit notchy. I am currently using Redine (Red Line?) gearbox oil in my track day E30 M3. There was a noticeable improvement in gearshift quality from cold and a reduction in notchiness when I switched to the Red Line in the BMW but as the 996 is my daily driver I am reluctant to experiment too much and was wondering if anyone had tried the Red Line 75/90ns - which is advertised as "developed for Porsche" on the Porsche Shop site?

Any recommendations very welcome.

My head is hard up against the roof lining even with the seat in the lowest position. The seats are standard seats, with manual height adjustment. Is there a was to make the seats drop a little further - 1-2" would be perfect? Or is there another way to increase headroom?