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DaveFL1976

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Everything posted by DaveFL1976

  1. It's true. I just got my car back from the dealer with a brand new engine with warranty. My '99 went kaput on I-95 two weeks ago. IMS bearing failed. I looked at all my options (aftermarket reman, junk yard, trashing the car, or going w/ the dealer) and went with the new motor at the dealer route. The reman or used engines just wouldn't give me the warm and fuzzy feeling I was looking for, and I love the car and wasn't planning on getting rid of it anytime soon. The dealer told me they've only replaced 3 Porsche engines in the last 2 years, so failures are a rarity evidently. Here's the breakdown: 3.4L 01 Carrera $34,283.28 Core Return -$17,745.33 Parts Discounts -$3429.00 Labor $1,754.95 Subtotal $14,863.90 TAX $891.83 TOTAL $15,755.73 The block is reman, but everything else is BRAND NEW and shiny. I considered going w/ a used one, but then knew with my luck I'd soon be replacing coil packs, water pumps, alternators, head gaskets, AOS, RMS, injectors, etc. So that's why I went with the new engine. It's ready to go, filled with oil and all new right down to the new headers. They tell me there's no break in period, but I'm going to take it easy for a week or two before I introduce her to the redline. It really feels like a new car now. I could have saved $5 or $8k by going with a used motor, but I'm going to sleep better this way. I just got it back yesterday and it sounds SOOO SMOOOTH and tight.
  2. Just fixed this problem on my car today. I had the same issue where the key didn't offer any resistance when I turned it. The fix took about 2 or 3 hours. You'll need to buy a used lock mechanism on Ebay. I found one where the seller was asking $50 but took a best offer of $40. Disassemble that lock first to get familiar with how it comes apart and goes back together. Then remove your door panel, lock and then disassemble your lock mechanism. The last circular ring that you remove in the lock will most likely have broken tabs on it. It's this part that you need to swap into your lock. Then put everything back together and you're back in business!
  3. You'll like this... With only so much garage/driveway space, the acquisition of my 996 last year necessitated the sale of our old 2003 Dodge Neon beater car (tough trade, eh?). With the same coverage, the insurance for the 996 was almost exactly the same as the Dodge Neon. It turns out that the terrible safety rating of the Neon was an equal risk to the insurance company as the high performance and high replacement cost of the 996. I have to admit I miss the Neon a bit. Not because it was a good car, but because it's sort of liberating to have one vehicle that you just don't care about. Moron drives into the side of your car in the airport parking lot? No problem!
  4. I see it the same way. If you can live with the IMS issue then I can't think of a better-bang-for-your-buck $20k car than an early 996.
  5. The NA 996, even without Traction Control, is a very stable car, and isn't tricky to drive like the older 911s you hear about with loose rear ends. Breaking traction is pretty tough to do on these, but it is possible, especially if the roads are wet. Typically there's so much traction that you'd have to be doing something pretty stupid in everyday traffic to get into trouble. The biggest problems in traffic is trying to restrain yourself from having too much fun! The brakes can be a problem in traffic, too, but only because you'll almost always be able to stop much quicker than the car behind you. I recommend playing around on a wide open, desolate parking lot in the middle of nowhere to get to know your car. And join your local Porsche Club of America chapter and sign up for some autocrosses. They're a blast and are a great learning experience to find out how your car reacts in a safe environment.
  6. I used the same 3M kit for my '99 996 and the results were impressive. They're about 90% of where I'd like them to be. I might buy another kit to see how good I can get 'em, but I really recommend this product. Especially for the price. You're going to pay a shop $100+ to do a half-assed job when you can do it yourself for $20-$40. I do recommend earplugs, though, as an hour+ of drill motor whine isn't good for the ears. Anyways, the last part of your post mentioned that you were going to do a UV protection to the lenses. Did you find a suitable product? if so, what was it and how'd it work?
  7. Hey folks, I'm getting an intermittant Brake Wear warning light on my '99, and looking at the front pads, they do look a bit thin. I've watched Youtube videos on how to change 996 brake pads and it doesn't seem too scary, so that'll be my next project. In your experience, is there any aftermarket brake pad brand for street use that stops better/lasts longer than OEM, or works just as well as OEM for far fewer bucks? And for a followup question, my rotors have about a 1/8'' lip on them from wearing down after 60k of driving. There doesn't seem to be any warping at all or anything, but is there a certain amount of rotor wear that's acceptable and not acceptable on 996's? many thanks as always! Dave Melbourne Beach, FL
  8. I in no way consider myself a car collector or expert, but I am a TV junkie. And judging from the many hours of Barrett-Jackson auto auctions that I've watched on SpeedTV, it really doesn't seem like low VINs add much collectability to the car unless it's #1 or the final car.
  9. The seats on my '99 996 were in really rough shape. I purchased a set of really nice seats out of a 2002 car. The passenger seat went in without a hitch. The wiring harness snapped right in and everything bolted back on. The driver's seat was a bit of a curve ball. I had read previous threads about people putting in new seats and having to move a power line over in the harness, so I was a little prepared for that. The big, flat connector's large guage wires didn't match up between the car's harness and the seat's harness, so I didn't connect it. The two smaller harnesses that snap into the seat's memory module snapped in w/o a problem. And the seat works! Every seat adjustment works, and the car starts, so I must not have pissed off the immobolizer! The only problem is that the Memory 1 button does not work anymore. Memory 2 and 3 work fine. So why the heck does 90% of the functionality work, and the car starts with one harness completely disconnected? Are there any dangers in using it as-is, or should I fix something that really doesn't seem to be broken by moving wires in the last harness? thanks!
  10. I guess I didn't bother reading the interwebs after I got my '99 996 earlier this past January. I used a bottle of Techron and a bottle of Lucas injector cleaner (not on the same tank of gas) with no ill effects. She's got all the get-up-and go as you'd expect and gets 26mpg+ on the highway.
  11. If you get it figured out, please post your outcome. I went to the dealer asking for a valet key and only left with confusion.
  12. I've seen the cylinder itself when I was in there topping off the fluid, but wasn't sure if it's as simple as unbolting off the old one, transferring over the hoses and re-bolting on the new one. Any tips would be appreciated. I hear that removing the back interior 'door' panel can help. I had mine rebuilt with new seals by guy in Florida, like new for a lot less than new Might be worth checking this out: http://cgi.ebay.com/...sQ5fAccessories Just installed my Ebay'd passenger side $150 hydraulic ram. Once I figured out how to remove the rear interior panel (brute force helps) it really wasn't that bad of a job. The trickiest and most frustrating part was trying to reconnect the hydraulic hose lines. There's really not much space in there at all. I eventually got the bolt threads to bite, but I was just short of unbolting the whole hydraulic pump and reconnecting the hoses with the thing off the car. With fat fingers, it's difficult, but not impossible, to reconnect the hoses, but what's the 'right' way to do it? Remove the pump, switch over the hoses and then put the pump back on? Doesn't look like there's much room to get at that bottom bolt, either. In any event, the $150 cylinder seems to work great. No leaks at all. Yet, anyway.
  13. Looks like a Florida roll call here! I'm in Melbourne Beach and am starting to get the Brake Wear Indicator when I go through car washes. I suppose that it's either a short or I'm getting close to needing to do the pads myself. And maybe the rotors too, they have a bit of a lip on them now. If you figure out any tricks or tips on changing out the pads and/or rotors, post 'em on here!
  14. I've seen the cylinder itself when I was in there topping off the fluid, but wasn't sure if it's as simple as unbolting off the old one, transferring over the hoses and re-bolting on the new one. Any tips would be appreciated. I hear that removing the back interior 'door' panel can help. I had mine rebuilt with new seals by guy in Florida, like new for a lot less than new Might be worth checking this out: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Porsche-996-997-911-Convertible-Hydraulic-Rams-Cylinder-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ200493404359QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
  15. Thanks for the info. Yeah, on my first top-off of fluid I found that the previous owner had done the same and managed to both not replace the copper washer and strip the hex bolt insert, so there was no getting it off. I ended up melting a new filler hole through the top of the plastic reservoir, filling it up, and sealing the hole with a hot glue gun. I figured my options were to either get resourceful or spend $600 on a new hydraulic pump.
  16. I've seen the cylinder itself when I was in there topping off the fluid, but wasn't sure if it's as simple as unbolting off the old one, transferring over the hoses and re-bolting on the new one. Any tips would be appreciated. I hear that removing the back interior 'door' panel can help.
  17. The above link describes how to add fluid to the system. Is there a seperate post that describes how to change a hydraulic cylinder? thanks!
  18. Thanks for the info! Did you just do a search for '996 door lock' I suppose? I'm fairly mechanically inclined, so I may give it a shot. Is there any danger of ruining the keying of the lock? If so, I just might have a pro do it.
  19. Hey folks, My '99 996 cabriolet likes to keep things interesting via little parts failing from time to time. The latest is the drivers side door lock. When I turn the key in the door -- 'Why use the door key at all', you ask? 'Because the remote lock/unlock mechanism doesn't work. The car just honks its horn at me when I try to lock it via the key fob.' Now stop interrupting me, please. Anyways, when I turn the key in the door, nothing happens. And I mean nothing. It used to work fine, locking and unlocking both doors as if it had a purpose in life. But this last time, nothing. It felt all floppy-like. No resistance at all. I might have well be turning the key inside a bowl of pudding, there's so little resistance. And not even tapioca pudding, we're talking smooth vanilla here. So I guess my question is, 'is it worth me taking the door panel off? Is there a chance it's just a hook to reattach to a lever, like I have to do to my toilet from time to time? Or is it more of a job for someone who's done this before?' thanks!
  20. My cab has the same problem so I've been riding around with the hard top for a couple months. Side note: I'm really digging the looks of it with the hard top on! Anyways, I've heard that the replacement cylinder is $650 new at the dealer, which explains why I've got the hard top on. However, last week, I was doing some Ebay searching and ended up purchasing a used one off of an '02 junked car for $150 + $14 shipping. So you might want to do some internet searches for a used part to save yourself a few hundred bucks. Now, who can help me find the instructions to change out the cylinder myself? thanks and good luck!
  21. Well, I had a slow RMS leak and the clutch was slipping a little, so I took my '99 996 cabrio into the local Porsche dealer for some service. They were weary of the flywheel also, so they recommended a new flywheel. $3,800 later and the car ran like a champ. Yesterday I got to escape from the 2-mile round trip to and from work that is my life and headed up to North Carolina for a week-long getaway. 600 highway miles from 70-90mph later and we got to our destination. Within an hour I had al all too familiar leak under the car. This time about the size of a drink coaster. The leak's slowed down considerably since the car cooled down, and I'm going to watch the oil level like a hawk over the next week and take it back to the dealer when I get home. I guess my question is, how common is it for a RMS fix to not 'take'? I'd think by now the dealer would be pretty adept at changing the things. I'm frustrated but not upset at this point, because the car's otherwise fine right now and I can only assume that the dealer's going to stand behind their work and give me a nice loaner while they're re-doing the RMS. I guess it'd just make me feel a bit better if I wasn't the first one that's got a bum RMS fix from a dealer.
  22. A few points to add from a '99 Cabrio owner in Central Florida. I ran into a couple snags, and wanted to pass my info along in the hopes it'll help someone else out there, and you can plan your weekend morning accordingly. 1. Finding the Right Fluid -- Wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. I went to the two major car part store chains in my area (AutoZone and Discount/Advance Auto Parts) and didn't have any luck finding either John Deere or Pentosin fluid. Ended up going to Bennett Auto Parts (on my way to Tractor Supply, which I assumed had the John Deere) and it turned out Bennett had it and carried the Pentosin CHF 11S for $24 per liter. The Bennett dude told me that NAPA most likely carried it also, but I had no reason to check at that point. 2. Finding Something to Squirt the Fluid into a Tiny Hole -- I actually ended up using one of those poultry-basting syringes that you use to inject marinade into a chicken. I had an extra one lying around. I do recommend you remove the barbeque sauce first, though. 3. Taking Apart Your Car -- The DIY Tutoral was a huge help and I was able to make it through all the steps and make it through all the parts. Well done tutoral, so a kudos to the developer. It all worked well until my next point: 4. What to do if the Previous Owner Was a Bonehead -- After pulling the top back, removing the felt cover, and identifying the reservoir tank and filler hole, something just didn't look right. This job had apparantly been done before, because I'd noticed a few minutes before that a couple plastic trim holders were non-existant, and so too was the copper gasket/washer around the fill plug. Okay, no problem, I'd figured. Until I tried to lefty-loosey the plug with my allen wrench. It had way too much resistance and as I tried to persuade it, I could feel the metal in the allen hole start to give way. Crap. Hit it with some WD-40, let it soak in, and try again. Nope. It stripped the plug. And the fluid was low and causing problems with the pump, so I had to do something. How to refill this little bugger without the plug? Drill through the plug? Nope, not enough room and metal shavings would get in the resivoir. Take the tank off, refill it, and replace it? Couldn't figure out how to get in there without deconstructing the whole back of my daily driver, which I'd need the next morning for work. Take it to the dealer? Sure, if you're not up for a challenge and are made of money. I'm neither. I decided that making a small hole at the top of the resivoir, near the fill line, would do the job. I figured that drilling a hole with a Dremel would end up forcing plastic shavings into the resivoir, which the pump may not like. I decided on heating up a nail and melting a hole in the plastic resivoir. Filled her up, and sealed it up with a hot glue gun. (Tape's not gonna hold with the fluid, and I didn't want to go with a hard epoxy in case I need to refill. I figure a light coating of craft store hot glue, just to seal it, might do the trick. So, to add a few parts to this DIY, you may need: - poultry flavor injector - finishing nail - butane grill lighter - hot glue gun I'm amazed there wasn't any duct tape involved, but you should probably have some on hand, just in case.
  23. Hey folks, The LCD speedometer on my '99 is a few shades dimmer than my odometer or time/oil level LCD screen and it's tough to read in bright lighting. I realize there's an analog speedo four inches to the left, but I like being able to see the LCD screen. Is this screen typically dimmer than the other two, or is this just something that happens with time? If it's fixable, how difficult is it? Thanks!
  24. My '99 996 was a victim of the 2001 Tropical Storm Allison floods in Texas when the car only had 5k miles on it. Texas declared it a total loss and it was sold at auction and moved to Florida for re-registering. The seller didn't hide anything from me; now with 62k miles, the car runs like a champ and doesn't have any signs of damage from going swimming other than a big red warning message when you pull up the CarFax report online. Evidently, Texas floods can get used car buyers and other states pretty good deals! I do recommend pulling a CarFax report before you buy a used car to have a better understanding of the car's history and get things checked out accordingly.
  25. What's generally the warning signs on 996's that you need a new clutch?
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