solent

I found a video on youtube for Prius Bumper repair - if you heat the bumper with hairdryer the plastic softens and it is easy to push the dent out from the inside. No dry ice required. I tried it on a prius (and worked well) - but did not need to try on the 911 yet ....

For $10K it could be OK if it passes PPI - depends how many miles on that engine and how well it was really taken care of - you need to look at cost of '99 with similar miles and good condition with service history to compare (i'm guessing closer to $20K). If it had new engine in '06 - and it was a Porsche Factory engine with less than 50Km on it since then - maybe this is good. (where did the engine come from ? If it was a reputable rebuild , that maybe OK too - if you have list of parts that were replaced) How often was oil changed ? (what does condition of oil look like right now ? ) - I guess if changed at 86K that is good - but what about before that ? Run the carfax - you might get some more of the service history When they did clutch did they look at condition of IMS/RMS seals ? Are there any oil stains / leaks on the bottom of the car ? What about tire condition ? (plan to spend at least $600-$1K to replace) If you do PPI - make sure you do it at Porsche specialist - not just generic german auto shop Remove and repaint front bumpers should not cost too much - make sure they clean radiators when they do that (guess <$1K) Bulb replacement is easy Not sure about Gasket change - check the price of headlight assembly - that can be $1K to $1.5K each if the whole thing needs replacing If roof dent is small and not too near edge should be easy for dent doctor to pull ($200 or so) Not sure about cost of seat motor replacement - could be fuse if you are lucky - check with upholstry shop if they can match and how much to recover (never done that, but could be expensive to do well) Ask dealer about cost to replace spoiler skirt Ignition funky ? If ti is bad switch, which seems common, that is a cheap and easy part to replace Refinishing RIms (about $200 each - or you may want to budget for new RIMS - check tirerack for OZ or look at Victor - they start around $300 each) Coin tray is probably cheap and easy to replace - check with Suncoast or oemporscheparts.com ---------------------- Biggest cost on these cars is if engine blows due to IMS bearing failure - maintenance neglect seems to be biggest issue there - but if it was '06 factory engine you might be better than with original one. Water pump is relatively cheap and easy to replace AOS is other common preventative maintenance at this age - easy to do when you do clutch I think - but lots of labor cost if you have to do separately Window regulators die (not too expensive to fix) Column switch (indicators) - again <$600 including labor Pull diagnostic codes when you do PPI Get the seller to pass smog Yes - it is possible this is good deal - good luck !

If lights come on - and do not dim when you try and start - it is probably not battery. Look at the voltmeter - battery should be just over 12V before you try and start (14V running) - if it drops to much less than 12V when you turn the key - that could be the cause - but my guess is it is something related to ignition switch replacement you just did. Next thing to check would be clutch switch and DME fuse or fuel pump relay .....

Could be Catalyst - mine sounded like a can of marbles - and was intermittent to start with (resonates at some frequencies) when it went on my E320 .... but best to have it towed and checked by the indie ...you don,t want $20K engine repair bill if it is failing IMS - which can be fixed for 1/10 of that (or so) .... if it is CAT even less ....

I had intermittent problem with turn signal bulb .. bulb was good - socket was not corroded - but the spring contacts get weak after time and were not making good contact anymore. I reseated the bulb once and things worked for a few days - but then off again. Opened the light assembly again, bent the spring contacts out a little with a small screw driver and since then no issues. Not sure if the side marker socket is similar (mine doesn't have that).

I had similar issue after stereo was installed and drove home. Would not start next day. Battery was good. Turned key, engine did not crank. Mine tuned out to be DME fuse (I forget the fuse number in the fuse box, but I think the installer had pulled it out and reseated it while he was trying to find the bose amp fuse. I guess it was not making 100% good contact - so started at the shop, but not at home. (you can google the fuse box diagram if you do not have original to see which one is DME). Once I removed and reseated the fuse - everything worked - and haven't had a problem since. That would be an easy answer. ALso, try the spare could - could be bad transponder in the key. Next issue might be ignition switch itself (cheap and easy to replace) - which apparently is common failure - then could be loose or bad ground somewhere else in the car (there is a major ground strap under the engine - check for corrosion or loose connection) - next to check would be starter itself (I didn't have to go that far, but you could probably take a multimeter to the starter to see if you are getting any voltage there when you turn the key) - finally could be DME itself (or various related sensors) - if you do a search on DME here or in similar forums you'll find a bunch of info on that ... good luck

Looks like my sender went bad also (2002 996 Targa 3.6 6spd). How easy is it to replace ? I didn't see anything in DIY section ? Perhaps I should try and clean the contacts first ? On way home today pressure dropped to zero and warning light came up on dash - then it jumped to max and stuck there. Car runs fine - no leaks (53Km). Previous owner reported intermittent issue to dealer last year - (sticking at max) but I guess chose not to replace. thanks

I upgraded CDr220 unit in ,02 targa ... I think the benefits of a double DIN unitwith iPOD, Bluetooth etc. far outweigh staying with stock radio. There are a lot of dicussions on how to do this at rennlist - just search. 02,s and older dont have MOST bus - so easier to do. You can keep stock AMP and speakers - although BOSE AMP and speakers are not great - they do the job for me for now. Not worth to put $3K stereo in 10 year old car. I went with Pioneer AVH3200BT unit - it is upgradable to navigation also if I ever want to do that later. Plays DVD -you can put a lot of MP3s on a single DVD - has iPOD usb connector (I use front, but I beleive the unit also has rear), BT phone connection etc. *Backup up camera is another option. It is easy to move HVAC controls to bottom console slot *not sure if ,99 has the lower console ? You need a slightly different open tray *available from suncoast for example - if you want to replace Cd holder - and then best bet is to get Eurospeed DDIN kit from ebay *about $160 that includes wiring harness, bezel etc. *installer used Metra Audi Bose adapter on mine that also works - but fabbed bezel from ABS and it doesn't look as good as Eurospeed one .....

I,d also look at replacing ignition switch first. I had a similar no start problem - right after I had a new stero installed in the car. Drove home from installer, next day turned the key, no cranking, nothing. Battery voltage was fine. Tried jump start. Nothing. Looked at clutch position sensor *clutch must be down on 6spd to start - so thought it could be bad switch there - not sure how that works on tip - but there is probably brake pedal sensor ? Turned out to be my DME fuse. The installer had to repalce the fuse for my amp - but since he didn,t know which one, he had removed, checked and reinserted ALL the fuses. I guess the DME fuse was not seated back in the holder very well. I pulled the fuse, put it back in - snf voils - car fired up right away. SInce then, no problem. But in your case, since jiggling the wheel fixes the problem, I'd repalce the ignition switch first - it is cheap part and easy DIY.

sounds like ABS sensor ... especially if you replaced with used one ....

Yeah German cars in general are not top of the reliability chart anymore. I have owned 3 Nissan's (never had to do anything except replace the oil), a Lexus (same) and Prius (same). I have also had 3 Mercedes since 1998 (engine mount failures, various electrical system failures, washer fluid reservior failed) and 2 BMW's (head gasket failure, but generally a little better than the benz) - my friends had all sorts of expensive problems with Audi A4's - so now I took the plunge with an '02 Targa - so far a few minor issues (radio broke, bad turn signal socket, hood shock, cruise control, indicator/combo switch broken) but nothing too expensive yet ... Compared to other exotics I am expecting the P-Car to be relatively reliable - but it is not a Japanese car - so budget a few $K a year for maintenance and hope the engine holds ... My only worse experience than German cars was my 1967 Triumph Spitfire - but at least the parts were cheap and it was easy to work on .....

I normally just check the level when I start from cold ? Why check after gas stop ? As you said oil will not have settled to sump for 15 mins anyway ? I do notice on my '02 that the reading can vary - even if you do 3 readings back to back from cold - so I don't think it is that accurate anwyay. Perhaps sender needs electrical contacts cleaning (or replacing) - but if readings are good at cold ( and agree with dipstick) - I'd just be happy with that. How much oil does your car consume ? Looks like mine is using 1qt in 1Kmiles - so I want to keep a close eye on level. If you don't consume much - even less reason to worry about it too much. On a 10+ yr old car there are going to be a few things that don;t operate completly like new ....

Yeah - I think socket for turn signal bulb is just badly designed ... I noticed plastic locking mechanism for one of the other bulbs in the assembly was not in very good condition either (but there is no contacts on that cover - just wiring inside). If it is really a problem inside the headlight assembly - it should be easy to test with continuity tester - not sure how the wiring runs inside the assembly from connector to socket - but I still think the spring contacts are the most likely culprit here - it's not worth throwing $2000+ at that problem when a little metal bending should work ! Let's see. This is my first Porsche - so far not impressed with the engineering (at least not until I floor the throttle ... :) )

OK - I removed headlight again today - pins 1 and 4 tested with ohm meter - no connection (this is why no turn signal) - I also checked pins 1 and 4 (1 is bottom left as you look at it) on the white connector in the wing/fender with voltmeter when hazzards were flashing (so I was sure I am getting voltage there), I removed turn signal bulb again - and bent the spring contacts inside the headlight housing out a very little (with small screwdriver) - cleaned contacts on socket with light sanding and carefully reseated the turn signal socket - and retested pins 1 and 4 again - this time I got good reading on ohm meter (no resistance). It took me 3 goes to re-seat the headlight housing in the fender again - and lock it down - tested with hazzard flashers and parking light to make sure connection was still good - before closing everything back up again. Hopefully this fix works for a while now ....

My turn signal problem also came back today. I'm starting to think it might be the switch itself. If other lights are working in the headlight assembly it is unlikely to be a ground problem - and it would be strange that the turn signal pin is the only one with a problem (but of course not impossible). I think the switch assembly on the steering wheel is a common problem - mine is already somewhat broken - the auto-off does not work on the turn signal in one direction the turn signal will not stay on in the other direction unless I hold it. From the wiring diagram it is not clear if front and rear lamps run through the same contact at the switch or if they have separate contacts - hazard flashers work -but also only 3 bulbs light - but I'm not sure where the wires from the hazard switch combine with the wires from the column switch - problem must be after that point i'd guess. The switch is only a $200 part and I think fairly easy DIY - so I might try that next since it needs replacing anyway (I have bi-xeon lights - not Litronic as far as I know).

48 ... don't need to haul the kids around too much anymore ,,,,

Depends where the bent connector is - if it is in the headlight assembly itself - you could try to bend back again - clean with flux cleaner from electronics store and put it back - I'd try that before spending $3K .... I had turn signal problem also - connectors did not look bent or corroded - so I simply cleaned them with the flux spray - and seated the assembly carefully again. Works fine now. Are all the lights not working or just turn signal ? If it is just turn signal - could also be the bulb holder - try cleaning that, especially the spring contact inside (I think you can also get a new holder that should not cost a lot). Another thing to check would be the ground connection - if I recall there is a big brown wire inside the wing - bolted to the metal - try unbolting that and cleaning with WD40 or something like that - and then reseating it. If the problem is with the connector inside the car wing (not on the light assembly itself) that should be much cheaper to replace (i'd go to a good indie). I'm not sure you can buy just a connector and replace the one on the light assembly - you might ask local TV repair shop if that is possible (for example). But if you order light assembly yourself from Pelican Parts I think cost is <$2K and it would take 10 minutes to replace - so $3K from dealer seems high .... ask a local indie for another opinion ....

Pelican - MANN (German Filter) - comes with nice instruction book on how to replace (it is a 2 minute job after you have done it for the first time - maybe a few minutes more the first time). Charcoal filter is about $5 more than plain paper (Porsche seems to charge $400 as an option when the car is new! ) - will remove odors from the air - so yes - go with that one - dealer wanted $100 to replace - it cost me $25 including shipping. (just make sure you note which way the airflow arrows point (down) when you remove the old filter and replace the new one ....there are a few other posts on here on how to do the job ....

I had one turn signal bulb not working on a 996.2 (2002). Removed the light assembly - took out and tested the bulb - it was good. I replaced the relay (since it is cheap and easy) - but that was not the problem (relay flashed double speed on side with lamp out, but normal on other side). So I removed the light assembly again, cleaned the bulb socket with flux cleaner, put in a new bulb anyway, and tested the resistance from the connector on the assembly (pin 4 is 12V to the turn signal on mine and pin 7 or 8 was ground) - I found a connector diagram on-line. I guess you could do the same with the headlight circuit - test resistance with a multimeter and that should proove that the problem is not in the lamp assembly / socket itself. I then cleaned the electrical connector inside the front fender with flux cleaner spray - (it looked clean - no corrosion) - and put the whole light assembly back in the guide rails - carefully followed the owners manual on how to lock the assembly back into place (it almost sounds like something is breaking when you do that - seems like poor design) - and now everything works. Not really sure what was wrong. Maybe something just rattled loose in driving. I saw a couple of other threads with light problems that were fixed by carefully cleaning and reseating the light assembly - especially in older cars, Of course if someone just messed with the wiring - a loose fuse or something like that is the other place to look. I had my stereo replaced when I purchased my car - drove home and the next day the car would not start. The shop had told me they had to replace the fuse for the BOSE amp - and since they didn't know which it was had removed and replaced a lot of fuses. I guess one was not seated well - and rattled loose in driving. That controlled the DME - and when I took it out and seated it back in the fuse box again - car started first time ! Good luck .... -MB