geoff

And the answer is... Before The silver/black crest was pretty stubborn and wouldn't come off with a little jewlers screwdriver, so I heated it up with a blow dryer on high for a couple of minutes, and it came right off During The monochrome and color crests (part number 996-637-443-00) look to be the same shape, but they're not exactly! The new one is less pointy and wider at the bottom of the crest. So I used a jewlers screwdriver to carefully carve out more room for it to fit in the recessed space from the old crest - checking fit frequently After It's not 100% perfect if you examine it under high magnification, but looks just fine from 4" away. I used some high quality black silicon as the adhesive, since it looked like a little button of clear silicon was all that was securing the original one in. I clamped it for a few hours until the silicon started to cure, and wiped away any excess silicon that spilled out before fully cured. (I pulled the key apart - remote electronics and key blade - when working on it, glueing and clamping to mimimize danger of messing anything up).

OK - I couldn't wait for the Ontario tour and bought the colored crest. My black-and-silver one seems stuck on pretty good. Where did you pry up, and did you end up destroying the old one in the process?

Tightening the bolts holding the bleeder valve hasn't helped with the moisture (slime) on thr trunk lid above the coolant cap. Dealer service manager said it is normal, and mine is much drier than most. On another (less technical) Boxster board the other week, I saw a posting by somebody suggesting replacing the two rubber O-rings inside the bleeder valve. Part numbers listed were 999-707-370-40 and 999-707-371-40. Has anyone replaced these and found it solves the moisture problem? The guy who posted thought he disturbed something when he replaced his water pump, and this procedure solved his problem. At less than $2 for the O-rings, I might try it. How tight do I tighten the bolts on top of the bleeder valve (torque setting)? Nothing mentioned about this in the Bentley manual. Anybody know the recommended tightness (other than "just snug enough")?

Very nice! Thanks Jeff. Now I can upgrade my car to look just like an '02 - or at least my key will

Very nice! How does the colored Porsche shield attach - snap in or glue? If you want to come down and do a work on car keys after the Ontario tour, here's a link to the flyer: http://pcala.clubpublish.com/Default.aspx?...ails&eventid=27

As I start doing more things to my car, it really would be nice if there was some documentation on what new parts work on older models. I'm sure with the 997/987, some parts will work on the older models and others won't. Porsche has to be doing something like this so they can claim 80+% of the parts on each new model as being new. A reference would be nice, maybe this could be another forum here, just like the DIY one. :thumbup: Hey Loren, are you listening? I will order the colored crest. PCNA is doing an open house and "VIP" tour of their parts distribution operation in Ontario, CA on April 8. Parts are 20% off. Not as good as Sunset, but no shipping, so works out OK for small/cheap parts like this. Maybe some of you Northern California guys want to do a field trip that weekend! Everyone could see and buy parts in the morning, then do a work on cars session that afternoon in the parking lot. :D

I've got an '01 Boxster (3 button remote on key). I saw a key for an '02, and it has a colored Porsche emblem on the back side. Mine just has a plain (non-colored) silver Porsche emblem. The '02 and later style looks much nicer :D Are replacement key head covers available with the colored emblem, without spending $100+ for the electronics inside? My dealer parts guy said "no". I looked at the PET and the Renntech Retail Price search, and part number 996-637-443-00 is listed for 02 and later models and is described as "emblem colored for key lamp and remote control", list price of $7.50. Will this just stick on and I've done what I want? Nothing could be this easy, could it? Anyone know what 996-637-443-00 really is and how it fits?

This is what my dealer uses, from MOC Products I mixed this with the P21S Windshield Wash Booster (bought locally from Performance Products, only because they were convenient), added lots of water, and it works just fine

I installed the Porsche short shifter 997 424 983 00 in my 986 (which I think has the same exact shift housing as your 996) and it fit/worked just fine. It is not the same as the Porsche rebranded B&M short shifter. I have also seen reference to Porsche part number 000 044 700 26 on the Porsche web site as a short shifter, but don't know what the difference is.

Loren - no worries. This site is so much better than anything else out there :D

I can be a real spaz at times when it comes to mechanical things, particularly in my Boxster where I care how it works and looks. When I installed the Porsche OEM 997 shifter with housing in my 986, I only used the B&M instructions. (Well, I did spend some time with Tool Pants, who gave me a few pointers, only a few which I remembered). The B&M instructions gave me enough details. The biggest problem I had was getting the rear center console out without buggering it up. The trick is to slide the passenger seat forward, then tilt the seat way back. In hindsight, I would have also bought the DVD (look under the Online Docs Menu) for 9x6 Werks DVD (same comment applies to the Litronic installation). If you have a 986 (don't think so, based on your screen name), you might also want to get the Bentley service book.

Thanks Loren, it works now! What happened to step 1 when I upload a new product? The process starts in step 2 of 3!

Unlike the rest of the site, it's not at all obvious how to post a product review. I just installed the Das Schild hood liner on my wife's 997 and thought I'd write about the product. No luck. I think the "Upload Products" link doesn't work (I'm guessing that's how you start a review for a product not already listed) Any guidance / suggestions?

The "Flash" marketing info is at http://cl.exactt.net/?ffcb10-fe5c117170620...-ff081570756402

Try Joanne at ColorPlus I used the black Surflex leather dye on my handbrake after I slightly scuffed it installing the short shifter and the color match is as perfect as I can tell

Is that really an antenna?!

What are the "Porsche approved" washer fluids? My wife's Carrera is out of fluid, so I stopped by Pep Boys to buy some, open the owners manual to see if I need to do anything special, and it actually says to use only Porsche approved washer fluid! This is the most ridiculous thing I've read. Do I also need to use Porsche approved air to fill the tires?

See my first picture in http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7371 I think the cable alignment tool part number is 997-424-383-00

When I went looking for Litronics, Brandywine was the cheapest by a few hundred $$. You might want to call them and see what they're charging. I think one of the other Porsche boards had a group buy on Litronics from them last year. I paid about $1100 one year ago. YMMV

My car used to get lots of vibration in the steering wheel starting around 75 MPH. (I have 38+K miles on the car, original front tires, original rears replaced at 27.5K). When I took the car back to America's Tire (same company as Discount Tire) at around 37K miles, they rebalanced my rear tires ($0 because I bought the tires there), and because they are so nice, also rebalanced my front tires for no cost. Driving home on the freeway, absolutely no steering vibration affer that :D You might want to get your wheel balance checked first. I think sometimes the little stick-on weights fall off. And it's a lot less expensive than an alignment

Update: Left the Porsche battery maintainer plugged in overnight, and it started right up this morning. Drove it for a while with several stops, and it seems OK. Not sure if Optima batteries recover faster or not, or if it's just because it's a relatively new battery, but I was very pleasantly surprised. This alone suggests your ignition switch has failed. Do a search on the forum fo 'Ignition Switch' - there are many threads about it. The dealer replaced the ignition switch wih the new style about a year ago. When my alternator failed and sucked my old battery dry, the dash lights did similar, unpredictable funky things. I think the very low battery weirded out the computer, which is why the dash lights were acting strange. The low "clic, click, click, click, ..." noise seems to have been the windows trying to close after opening and closing the door. The noise stopped once the maintainer put enough charge back into the battery. I'm still not sure what the problem is. Maybe I didn't close a door properly. Last time I drove the car (right before Xmas), I exited from the passenger side without opening the driver's door (parked close to the wall and didn't want to get dirty) - first time I did this. About exactly 4 years ago, I had LoJack installed. The battery is supposed to be good for 2 years. Their customer service on the phone this morning was clueless, but 1) they did answer quickly and 2) they really tried to help. I plan to schedule a LoJack service call when I have a little free time. About a month ago, I installed a short shifter, requiring disconnecting and reconnecting window switches, seat heater switches and alarm microswitch for the rear center console. Even though the car was off and the alarm wasn't set, this might also have caused the problem. I have to take the car in soon for the annual service, so will have the dealer check current drain, alternator output, etc. at the same time. In the meantime, I expect the battery maintainer will keep things working. I'll post an update when I know more Thanks for all the suggestions so far...

Went to go for a drive today. Opened passenger door to put some stuff inside, close it and hear a low "clic, click, click, click, ..." noise. Wonder what it is. Open the door, and it stops. Get behind the wheel, turn the key and nothing happens :( I'm late, so I plug in the battery maintainer, take another car. When I get back tonight, I still hear clicking noise, get in, turn key, dash lights up, but nothing else happens. Pull the key out and the dash is still lit up! Car hasn't been driven for two weeks (but not locked, so no alarm drain). All doors were closed. Battery (Optima 34R) only a few months old. Alternator replaced a few months back. Not sure if the battery maintainer has done anything good. Trunks won't even open. Last time I drove the car (right before Xmas), all was fne. Any suggestions on what I should check, or should I just have the car towed to the dealer on Monday (unless I can jump start it)? Unfortunately, I'm going to be out of town all week, and had plans for a road trip in the Boxster next weekend. I'm guessing something drained the battery, and will continue to do so. Never had a problem like this before, so I'm not sure what would have caused it now.

The car hasn't been back to the dealer since it was in for an oil change in September, and they were able to reproduce the symptoms on another 2005 997. It DOES still do the brake slip thing at the bottom of the driveway. I'm nor sure about your ABS self test theory. After backing out of the garage, depending on how our other cars are parked, it takes one or two forward and backward turns to point down the driveway, and we have to slow down once or twice before our gate (all downhill and driving forward). After exiting the gate to the street and putting brakes on, that's the only time the brakes slip. It happens whether in gear or neutral, and in either Tip mode or manually in 1st or 2nd. It's still irritating, especially since my '01 Boxster has never done this. Based on the time involved, I think the ABS self test would have probably happened sooner. The next time the car is in (probably soon since the radio now changes stations at random - I think there's a TSB on this), I'll have it checked again and report back.

Also try http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/b...tronic_pg1a.htm - I used both the TSB and internet instructions. Both are really helpful. Search renntech also for Tool Pants' post on extraction tool In hindsight, I would have also spent the $$ on the DVDs for both the Litronic and short shift install. http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...code=_9x6_Werks It would have probably saved me lots of frustration.

Yes, coolant cap (01 suffix) replaced at the same time as the tank about a year ago. When I started noticing moisture, I bought another coolant cap from Sunset (also 01 suffix) and replaced, but still notice moisture. I cleaned everything out, and no obvious leaks. I just lightly snugged up the bolts on the bleed valve - we'll see if that makes any difference. Have you noticed the Cayman has yet a different looking coolant cap?