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I recently got reply from this brand DENSION as follow: ===================================================================================== I am looking to install an iPod kit for my 2005 997 and would like to ask the following questions. 1. What do I need? - Dension Gateway 500 (GW51MO2) – http://www.carcommunications.co.uk/dension-gateway-500-gw51mo2porsche-911-996-mk2-911-997-boxster-ipod-iphone-interface-adaptor-p-1361.html 2. I would like to kit to allow the iPod to be controlled by the PCM system via steering wheel. - This will do it 3. Does your system support language other than English? - Yes – ‘Gateway 500 works like an adapter between your devices and the car, converting instructions from the car’s controls e.g. BMW iDrive or Audi MMi rotary controller, into a language that your phone or iPod can understand and respond to’ 4. Is it true that I will have to disconnect my 6 disc CD from the trunk? - Yes and No, you can retain the CD Changer if you purchase the Fibre Optic Extension Cable - http://www.carcommunications.co.uk/porsche-optical-extension-kit-for-gw500-most-foa1po1-p-5579.html ============================================================================================ It seems like to good choice as it provides certain optional kits such as optic fibre for the original CD Changer. Thought it might be additional info to all who is considering an iPod kit as well. Thx

For those who has experiences in dealing with ipod adaptor installation to 997 gen 1 with PCM2 system. Can you help to indicate which system you will advise to use. Since the PCM system in the car already has a phone system, therefore, I guess a blue tooth is not necessory. However, I am looking to install a iPod system that can be fully operated via steering wheel and center panel. Hopefully can even display texts other than English just in case. There seems to be a few choices and I am confuse. Which is the BEST or MOST USER FRIENDLY? Assuming that it will be a DIY job, so ease of installation will also be my consideration. Let's further discuss here. Thank you

I think I saw some posts somewhere saying that the PDK steering wheel will not work on Tiptronic cars, is this true? Either the normal new button shift or paddle shift steering wheels for PDK are nice. My gen 1 997 multi-function steering wheel's shift buttons are almost impossible to use. It will make me a much happier person to either have the PDK button or paddle shift steering wheel on my car. Please advise if you have any info, I am searching and if I find something, I will post here....

Hi guys, been a while since my last post as I have sold my 1998 996 C2 about 1/2 year ago. I just kept worrying about the RMS issue after read more and more info about this technical problem. Since then, I have been thinking of another 996 which has been a 996 Turbo manual. Anyway, to cut short, I gave up this idea as it is so hard to find a good condition one here where I live. Then some Porsche owner advised me to consider a 997 instead. Finally after months of hunting, I managed to buy a 2005 997 C2S in low mileage (38,000km) and very good condition from a friend. Most importantly, the price I was offered, I almost could not resist. Now, as I am new with 997, I would like to know if a few things should be consider as modifications. The car comes with almost full options which include the PCM, Sport Chrono, Sport Suspension, and multi-function steeling wheel. 1. For the steering, the problem is that the +/- shift buttons are so small which makes it hard to press when driving. May I know if a later model (round air-bag) can be replaced, or even a paddle shift one can be installed? 2. Besides, the car is completely standard, the front bumper seem a bit weir, I know there should be a front bumper lip available, can someone please help to indicate if there are choices of front lip available in the market for me? 3. Yesterday when I pass by my friend's tyres shop, he told me he has a set of forged wheels with tyres from a turbo which he can sell to me at 1/2 the price. The size is 305/30/R19, will this fit to my C2S? 4. Furthermore, the standard riding height seems a bit on the high side, can anyone tell me if this standard susension can be set a bit lower without changing the shockers? It will be much appreciated if someone can provide me further info on these issue. Thank you

I recall seeing a steering column adaptor made by an AUSTRALIAN Company which provide this kind of modification. Price is about USD1000. It goes under the steering wheel.

My point was as the gear positions can be displayed on the dash by dotted lights， it should be able to display on the digital number display。 i think i saw something like this before on the internet。

As I find it better driving the tiptroic car with Manual Mode, I would like to see if it might be possible to install something like a LED gear position display onto the dash. Is there such kit available in the market? Can anyone here advise? This is because my 1998 C2 996 has a gauge dials changed to yellow tone, it is so difficult to see the gea position while driving, I am hoping to source a small LED display to install onto the dash so that reading can be done via an easier way. Thanks

Mine when engine is cold in the morning, at idle rev about 2000, the pressure read about 3.5-4. Once it warms up at normal temp, idle speed is about 800, and the pressure read 1.2... Is this normal?

My mechanic friend who did the work for my engine said it was easier for him to remove the engine for better inspection on what needed to be done. At the end only the RMS, oil catch tank, some piping work plus gaskets / seals that were needed. To me, the joy of 996 apart from driving it with a smiling face, it has been the process of fixing it bits by bits, etc. Anyway, I really hope owners here with 996 C2 / C4 models can share some of their good experiences here. Thx

I totally agree with you about the enjoyment after having a tough day and be able to sit in a Porsche, turn on the ignition and feel the acceleration. It's a car that you can forget everything from work and get concentrate on.

Although I have seen quite a lot of bad comments on the Porsche 996 series 1 cars with the 3.4L engine (only after I bought mine 2 years ago), yet I have something good about this car which I would like to share. First came out in 1998, the 996 with 3.4L water cool engine has been a car that I have enjoy for the past 2 years. Even I have spent bucks and months at the beginning fixing all these oil leaks, worn suspension bushing issues. As a Porsche, some said because it is not air-cool, it cannot be judged as a real Porsche, at certain stage I do agree but in practical term, I really think the answer is "NO". The water cool engine to start off with allows the engine to produce more power (300HP) with smaller capacity than the previous air-cool models such as 930, 964 & 993 and is quite enough for normal driving with fun. Besides, very important that it also allows the air-conditioning system to have great improvement especially during summer when it gets up to 35 deg C here. Before I purchased my 996, I was actually hunting for either a 964 or a 993, however as they have been classified as collectables these days, the price tag to own one has been rather unacceptable, specially as a 1st Porsche to me. Then after searching for ½ year, I found out one of my close friends actually has a 996 C2 for sale, I called my mechanic and discussed about parts price / normal fixing cost, etc. After proofing no previous accident record shown, I have decided to go ahead with this purchase. One major issue that attracts me about this car was the amount of money spent recently by previous owner on this car. If he was not buying a VW Golf R, I guess he would have kept the car for a while after spending these much. 1st, the car came with a set of rare Sport Seats which feels better than the normal Carrera seats. It has a set of overcoil KW suspensions (3 months old). It has a Gremballa steering wheel plus nice looking yellow tone gauge dials. It has a factory fitted GT3 body kit (without the rear spoiler installed but available as spares) and a set of nice 3pcs 19in alloy wheels. Also a set of nice sound and free flow exhaust system which bring back a bit of the Porsche engine sound. During the 1st 3 months after purchase, the car has spent 99.9999% its time in my mechanic workshop replacing gaskets, oil seals, etc. As well replacing new brake rotors and pads, my mechanic also decided to put a set of bigger size Cayenne front rotors to the car using original 4-pots calipers (originally was going to fit a 6-pot but failed as only later model 996 can do this job). Besides, all underbody bushings were replaced at the same time. At this stage, I know most people would say this car do not worth putting too much money on but as my 1st Porsche and like all other cars I have owned before, I always keep my cars as good as they can. Money cannot be counted here for all car lovers, I guess. Generally, I think a 996 is a good 1st Porsche for people like me. It provides certain level of comfort when driving in the city while give me enough pleasure when you drive fast on highways. It's a Porsche that do not cost a lot of money to buy and to run and maintain. It's a car that you can pass the key to your wife without worrying whether she can handle or not. Regarding the major RMS leaks issue, as long as the seal has been looking after well and prevent oil leaks, it is not a major problem at all. Regarding the cylinder cracking issue, according to most forums, it only happens to very small amount of 996. So why these should stop you from buying one as said in one of the Total 911 magazine story about buying 996. I have owned the car for almost 2 years; the car is a 2nd car which I use mainly on the days that I really feel like driving. My last service was 8 months ago and has only covered approx. 4000km but I do check oil level very regularly and so far no oil seems to be dropping from the engine at all. For a Porsche that cost 4-5 times as much as I paid for when new, I really think it is really worth buying.

About a month ago, I noticed that it is time to change my brake pads and disc which I did, with the front disc enlarged to Cayenne S size which seems to work much better. Besides, noticed there is a RMS leak problem, so while my mechanic friend took out the engine and gearbox, I also had a few things changed like gaskets and hoses, Engine / Geabox mounting, etc.. Now, I have got the car back which has been wheel aligned by ordinary tyres place, I have noticed that the car understeer rather seriously..... Any suggestions on this issue? I am ridding on a set of 19in wheel with front 235/35/R19, rear 295/30/R19, KW overcoil shockers. 2ndly, I have noticed that when the car is in D drive, of course the gear hold in 2nd gear which is normal...BUT when I tried to accelerate a bit harder, the reaction was like the car was taking a bit of time to think how to accelerate, rather than giving me an immediate response. ... is this normal? Well, I only got this car from my friend recently, never driven a Porsche before, therefore it will be nice to hear some of your advises based on your experiences. Thank you

While I took my car to my mechanic for brake replacement, he had the car jacked up and noticed some oil leaking issues. I therefore asked him to look further by removing the plastic trims. From there onwards, we have noticed that some oil leaks problems.... only solution is to get it fix before it get worse. The only solution is to have thew whole engine and gearbox removed (please see photo). After removal, we have noticed that the engine which has done 55000km of my car has been attached to the car since it came from the factory, i.e. has never been removed. Therefore, it is about time before something horrible happen. Now, all these seals have been ordered and hopefully by the time it has been fixed, I will have a reliable car to drive for at least a few years.

Thx everyone, I now feel much better with the car. As a Porsche lover myself since I was a kid, I always wanted to drive or own a Porsche. However, this could only came true quite recently as I am a father of 2 kids, I need a safe 7-seater more, that's why my daily ride has been a Volvo. I have driven my friends' Porsche 944 Turbo and 964 Carrera 4 3.8L before and always fond of having my own. For the past 10 years, I have been into more on classic Mercedes as I do enjoy restoring them from poor condition but the major problem has been once they have been restored, you don't feel like driving them because of rain, because of heavy traffic, etc. Then about 1/2 year ago, I started selling them and wanting to exchange for a Porsche. I was originally looking for a 993 Carrera 2 or even Turbo but here in Hong Kong where I am, these models are very hard to find and expensive. A good condition C2 will cost somewhere around USD40,000 and the Turbo cost close to USD100,000.... Besides, the 993 air-cond never perform well as well with the oil leaking problem which really hold me back from getting one. Then I started looking into some more current model, and it seems that the 996 is my only choice. Some said, the 996 is not really a Porsche, this I did agree at the 1st place mostly because of the headlight design. However, after owning one and I started looking into its design from every angle and realized that the outlines are rather pretty actually. The shape is more aerodynamic, the interior has a much better layout design, the car actually handle much better. Therefore, my conclusion is that it is actually a completely new generation Porsche which one day everyone will agree. Besides, the previous owner is a good friend of mine and I know exactly how he took care of the car over these years. Most importantly, the car has no accident record and relatively low mileage (55000KM), with full factory service history. Plus, I agree that the original car design has a few spots that made the car ugly, that is the front and rear bumper which my friend has already replaced with a set of GEMBALLE along with a set of 19in wheels. Anyway, its nice to be able to share with all 996 lovers here. Thx

Thx guys for your great advise. I will spend more time studying the articles from now. Besides, just realized that its time for me to change both the engine mount and the gearbox mount, hope its not going to cost too much.... Thx Eric

Dear members of Porsche forum. Although I have been a fan of Porsche cars since I was a teenager, yet only until no long ago I managed to buy a 1998 996 C2 from a friend which has low mileage and excellent condition. However, after my purchase, I have noticed from a few forums mentioning about the design fault of this 3.4L engine. How, I started worrying about if something might go wrong with mine. Is it true that this is a major design problem that will happen to all early 996 3.4L engine? If so, will there be any early sign? Also, I have heard from friends who know about Porsche that Porsche factory will replace this engine if problem occur, of course not for free. Really need some advises from anyone who would like to share their experience. P.S. : According to one of the buyers' guild, it says the inner engine oil cap will tell how the engine has been, is this true? If so, here is a photo of mine. Besides, I have noticed on the 1st day of driving the car that after running for 1/2 hour, when I open the oil cap, there was very slight smoke coming out, is this normal? Thank you Regards ERIC