tmc

It's a german car thing. BMWs do this as well. I'm so used to it that I now have trouble driving american and japanese manual transmissions.

It turned out the dealer was RIGHT, and Sunset Imports (and Porsche NA) were wrong. Ultimately, the tech line of Porsche in Atlanta admitted their mistake and allowed the head unit to be exchanged. If you want, put your service guy in touch with the service dept (and Chris Glen) at Leith Porsche in Cary, NC.

The dealer can't get it to work. They said the head unit I got was the 997.642.101.11FMH unit, and that's the old/obsolite part that doesn't work with Bose sound nor with a front-trunk DVD drive. They said the unit I need is the 997.642.101.11FMH unit. Porsche is tellliing Sunset Imports that the .101.11FMH unit will work with my car. My dealer can't even get the unit to turn on. So who is right, the dealer or Sunset Imports? Thanks tmc

Hi Loren, Thanks for your reply. It sounds like the unit that came from the factory in the kit was the old head unit (the one prior to the front-trunk Nav DVD drive). Sunset Imports found TSB 9110 12/05, which addresses updating the software on it. One head scratcher is why did that unit come with the '72 kit, where that kit also included the front-trunk Nav DVD drive? Another gotcha for me is the unit doesn't even turn on (although it lights up), so updating the software will be, um... tricky. I left the car at the dealer tonight in hopes they can figure it out in the morning. But the pretzel logic of it all suggests they will fail. Thanks for your help. Tom

Bought a Navigation system from Sunset Imports, had my dealer install it, and they called and said it won't work because it's the wrong head unit. They said the head unit is keyed off my VIN. Is that true? The part Sunset Imports ordered for me is 987-044-900-72 Someone's wrong here, is it the dealer or Sunset? Either way, it's going to cost me a ton. But I need to know who to argue with. Thanks Tom

I'm in the process of retrofitting PCM navigation into my 05 987S. Some notes for those thinking of walking this path, plus some questions for those who have already: Note #1: It's expensive! This will likely cost me ~$3600 in parts alone, and that's with help of the nice people at Sunset Imports to get these parts at a lower cost. The kit you need is the PCM retrofit kit (for me, part number 987-044-900-72), which includes the head unit, the DVD drive, and the navigation DVDs. You also need a cable, which will be specific to your model, equipment, VIN, etc. Note #2: The install is also expensive. My indy shop can't do it. This requires the new diagnostic computer, which is $15k and they haven't sprung for it yet. My dealer quoted me 8 hours at $100/hour. Ouch. Question #1: Is there any market for the head unit I'm removing (the CDR-24)? Question #2: Is there any way to get a "binding quote" from my dealer to make sure they don't pull the "oh it took us longer than that" kind of crap and charge me even more? I'll update everyone on how it goes once I get it settled (should be a couple of weeks). Note #3: No I don't want to do an aftermarket head unit, and yes I know they are way cheaper. Stock look and stock condition are worth the extra to me. Feel free to think me crazy. TMC

There are two things going on here: taking off the restrictor plate, and removing the snorkel as well. I only took off the restrictor plate but left the snorkel in. I get slightly higher mpg. The report of significantly lower mpg was from someone who also removed the snorkel. tmc

It makes some difference. The engine noise sounds more throaty. My wife says she can hear it more than before (i.e., someone on the street can hear it more -- it's louder outside the car). I appear to be getting slightly better gas mileage, approx 0.3-0.4 mpg. That's not scientific, though, but it makes sense. There have been reports (one really) that removing the snorkel will result in lower mpg, FYI. All in all, I am going to leave off the restrictor plate. I can't imagine a reason to re-install it. tmc

Ok, did it. Or at least I did a very light version. I left the snorkel in but took out the restrictor plate. What would be really cool and amazing would be if someone made a restrictor plate replacement that was a cross hash mesh but in the same shape as the plate, perhaps even as durable/thick. Are you listening aftermarket tuners and retailers?? tmc

Kevin, How did you de-snorkel the car so that you could re-snorkel it without buying extra parts? I ask because the de-snorkeling directions I've seen both have you breaking things or dremeling things or whatnot. Thanks tmc

I wonder if the restrictor plate can be removed and then the entire assemblage put back without having to modify any parts? I'm concerned with doing something that I can't undo if I decide it isn't for me.

Ok did the short shifter upfit this morning using the Porsche original parts. Some 987 specific points: The screw that the B&M directions say is hard to get to you can still get to if you use a fairly thin-shafted Torx #20 screwdriver and go at it at an angle. I did it (twice, see below). Also, the connector for the wiring harness for the console is on the right side wheel well (the glove box side). It's a total P-I-T-A for a couple of reasons. When you have the console all unscrewed and ready to lift out, there isn't much slack in the cable to this connector. Also the connector is mounted on a metal tab using a rectangular stud. This in turn is mounted on the car-side connector by a snap plate. The two can come apart and then it's a three-handed shuffle job. I was able to get it done though by putting the bracket back on the car-side connector, then pushing the console side into the car side until they latched, and finally rotating the whole deal about 30 degrees so I could insert the stud into the metal plate. (If none of this makes sense, it will). Ok, I got it all together and could not shift into reverse (D'oh!). Here's some info on that that I hope will help some people who are doing this: There are two cables, the white left one and the blue right one. They have different functions. The white left cable determines which gate you're shifter is in, such as 5th-6th gear, 3-4th gear, 1st-2nd gear, or reverse. The blue cable determines which of the two gears in the gate you have selected. So if you cannot get into a gate (my problem), then adjust the mounting of the white cable. If you cannot get one or the other gear in a gate selected fully, adjust the blue cable. OF COURSE I followed B&M's instructions to mark everything with a marker. It's BS and here's why: the cable side mounts using a threaded end to a spring-mounted threaded half-sleeve. There is a lot of slack for where exactly that is in the sleeve, and if you do the B&M directions, be careful and mark that side along with the exposed cable side. Finally, the Porsche kit comes with a plastic blue bracket that snaps to the shifter. It's a calibration bracket that I wish I had figured out enough to use before I started. What you do with it: BEFORE you take out the old shifter, use this to center the shifter in neutral. Now, mark everything. Then take out the shifter and put in the new one, snap on the bracket, and line up the marks. Voila! Everything is just in the right place. Also looking at the B&M instructions, I highly recommend the Porsche kit. The whole tower is included. You just swap out the tower, just four bolts, instead of cutting and hammering, etc. tmc

Weird, I just got mine and it has the tower. In fact, all that was in the box was a big honking plastic piece with the shifter already installed. I am raring to go and will begin tonight taking my console appart to get to the needful bits. tmc

Wow, very interesting. But wtf? Why would allowing more air to the engine hurt fuel economy?

Yeah I did that, but I also screwed up the surface a little. Uck. :cursing:

Chris, Cool, I'm not alone or crazy! Here's a quick picture of my new ride:

I took off the airbag stickers from the vanity mirror on the driver's side sun visor on my 987 and got it messed up. Now it's driving me crazy. Anyone know the part number for the driver's side sun visor, and whether you can order the mirror lid separately? thanks in advance tmc

Interesting, possible is good. Is there anyone out there with a 987 service manual who can read out the parts that are connected to the Sport Chrono system? Dsumners, if you're game, I'm game for trying to figure this out together! tmc

Tool Pants, are you saying the shifter that is stock in the 987S is as short as it gets, or that the short shifter from Porsche is shorter still? I got lost somewhere in there. This is particularly relevant since I have a "short shifter" on the way from Sunset Imports. tmc

I have a confession to make: I miss the SPORT button on my M3. Sure it only remapped the accelerator that, if you just added a thicker heel to your shoe or something, would have the same effect. But it was like waking the car up when you pressed that button. I bought my 987S right off the lot, and it didn't have Sport Chrono. How weird of Porsche to tie the chrono functions to the accelerator remap SPORT button. Ok, my question: does the Sport Chrono(/Plus) package merely turn on firmware that's already there in the car? Is there just a connector for the SPORT button behind the center where one could tap in and make a homegrown SPORT button? Or is there a separate control unit missing? If the latter, can it be bought and installed? I guess I'm more interested in the SPORT button itself than mounting a fully-functional chrono to my dash. tmc

It's very true that the M3cabrio is less impressive than the M3coupe. Nevertheless, I wanted the convertible. I'm in North Carolina. There are many good top-down days and a sun roof doesn't cut it. Yes the S54 engine is sweet, but the reliability issues (two recalls for very tight tolerance bearings) had me -- and a lot of other E46 M3 owners -- stressed. Guess Boxster S has its own engine issues, though. I did want a roadster more. We settled on the M3 (my wife and I) because she insisted I get something with four seats in case I needed to take the kids somewhere. That being the case, I drove about 99% of the time with 3 seats empty, hauling them around town. I looked into lowering my car with new coil-overs, but decided that it just made sense to trade it while the value was still high (ie, before the next generation E90 came out). I had always loved the look of the Boxster. I even almost bought one when my M3 was purchased (but again, the four seat issue came up). The 986's interior turned me off, though. It wasn't even close to the quality I had grown to expect from owning BMWs. When it came time to decide to get a new car, I drove all the roadsters out there save two. I didn't drive the 350Z nor the SLK350. Neither of them were my style, and MB has this bad reliability thing going. They also seem to just keep on putting luxury over performance and making heavy cars. In retrospect, I should have tried an SLK too. I almost got a Z4 3.0i. It would have kept me "in the family" (I'm a long time BMWCCA member). But although the car drove really well, I couldn't stand how it looked. Also the Boxster S drove better. I think it's that, even if you have perfect 50/50 weight balance (the Z4 does), having a mid engine means the mass is still right there in the middle as the pivot point. The 987S just plants itself around corners. Now I'm getting into the Porsche thing perhaps a little too much. I informed my amused wife this morning that I'll drive the Toyota Tacoma whenever it rains so as to not soil the Boxster. And for what it's worth, the Boxster S is faster by 0.2sec 0-60mph than the M3 convertible (5.2 vs. 5.4). Interestingly, length wise, the S is just about the same length as the M3. The S is also apparently the longest roadster in its class. Weird. tmc

Hmm, well I got less off than I had hoped, and there was a trade involved though where they gave me a stronger price on the trade than they should have. If you put 2+2 together, it comes out to about 10% off MSRP. The car has: 692 - Remote CD Changer (6 Disc) P15 - Power Seat Package P74 - Bi-Xenon Headlamp Package 680 - Bose Surround Sound System M6Z - Floor Mats Interior Color 342 - Heated Front Seats P12 - Self-Dim Mirrors & Rain Sensor C02 - U.S. Standard/Emissions PPB - Preferred Package Plus XPA - Thicker Steering Wheel-Leather X70 - Metal Door Sill Model Insignia XMK - Roll Bar Painted Exterior Clr 573 - Automatic Climate Control 446 - Wheel Caps with Colored Crest

Tool Pants, THANKS! I have no qualms about ordering the Porsche OEM part. Can you help me understand (sorry for being dense) what you mean by "because the short shift lever is already installed in the shift tower, so all you do is swap shift towers"? Thanks again tmc

I'm a former M3 owner who had a short shifter in my car (a rogue, if any of you are (ex-)bimmer heads) and want to reduce the throw of my, albiet already-short, 987S shifter. In the M3, you had to do all kinds of things and a lift was required. I balked and had a tuner shop do it. Is this the same deal on the 987, or can you do this one yourself? Is it an afternoon job or a two day, curse, bleed and cry in your beer kind of thing? tmc

What are the part numbers for clear side markers for a 987 (S, if it matters), and are they the same as the 986? Thanks tmc