nmlss2006

Has anyone actually used the FL guy? I do find it a bit ridiculous that Porsche couldn't figure out how to make this assembly last more than four years, but that seems to be the best they can manage - and even the 997s apparently have the same issue. I have to wonder.

Bumping this thread back up. I have an '04 and I was wondering if any had been made past the 2008-9 update? Or if there's any way of loading any other brand's maps in the system, as per the Opel/Vauxhall mentioned above for PCM1.

I also have a cab and a coupe. I concur with both opinions above me, but I find that my car creaks a bit more than I'd like - and the hard top for the winter while a necessary evil reminds me of a VW Golf MK I a lot more than a Porsche. However, if you do like to ride with the top down.. get a cab, unless you plan to track the car extensively.

The controls do look right: I have the 'comfort' seat, with heating and lumbar.

It doesn't appear to be there unfortunately. It doesn't appear to be there unfortunately. It looks like the plug '5' is the one with the little knob into which it slots. Argh, messed up the edit. Oh well.

Power seats in the 996 - my car is a MY04 turbo, build 06/04 - have a larger rectangular connector on both passenger and driver side and then two other plugs which go into the array at the front of the seat for the driver side. The larger rectangular connector has a little knob which slots into a bracket at the bottom of the seat, right below the cushion. It's a plastic piece that goes side-to-side and it has a little hole into which you slot and twist the knob on the connector in order to hold the connector up from the floor. This plastic piece seems broken, it's only connected on the outside of the seat. Is it sold as a separate piece and what part # is it? I couldn't find it. Thanks!

The usual places (ebay/autotrader/cars) are a good start. The forums are ... OK, but generally are about six months behind the times in pricing *and* they tend not to be a good source of unmolested cars.

Self-answer to previous. There is no way this will even remotely work. I thought I'd write it for posterity.

In the 996 DIY there is a howto that describes how to take apart a PCM2. Maybe that could be of some assistence? This is the thread: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=9559 I apologise, I initially thought I was in the 996 section. Still, perhaps it may be useful.

After door panels, rear seats: it is my understanding that coupe (2002) and cabrio (2004) rear seats are not interchangeable... but the covers may be? That is: it seems that the bottom cushions AND the backs are different - are the leather covers different or just the mechanisms? From what I recall, the seats are *materially* different, so swapping covers won't work, but I have a seller who's relatively convinced this will work. Can anyone shed some light?

Yes sir it does, thank you very much. And uh, I had access to that - I just didn't think. The enclosure is the resonance box that has the line marked '5' going to it, correct? On to confirm the purchase. Then I'll have to decide whether I want to do this myself (as you folks probably noticed by now, as much as I have driven 996s quite a bit, I've never worked on them, because that's completely impractical for me to do in Europe... so I'm learning. I hope).

So if I were to keep my speaker/enclosure/grille I would be fine? Excellent, thanks! Edit now that I thought about it: I can do that, right? Also, the 'speaker enclosure' is *inside* the carpeted part or is it the carpeted part itself?

A question if I may: speaking of 996 TTs, US, with the Bose sound option, are door panels the same? I.e., will a 2002 coupe door panel fit my 2004 cabrio correctly? I can't verify easily with what I have at hand and would be grateful for a pointer.

The syncros would make sense - and would possibly justify a different gear set, right?

Is it true then? This seems to be something that noone has clarified 100%: some say the GT2 transmission is exactly the same, despite a different part #, some say it's supposed to be more solid (though this sounds... improbable)... some say the gear ratios are different (but why would they be? The difference isn't that significant).

Yow! If you were in Europe - which I understand you are not - I'd say those prices are about correct. But as Loren says - and he certainly knows much better than I - for the US those are VIOLENTLY high. Even the two dealerships around here don't quote that high.

Chuck - thanks for the update on the oil, we've been conversing on Rennlist about it. For now, I've given up on getting oil because I'm trying to get other car-related purchases finalised and I don't need another thing on my prod-to-get-done list. The stupid windows are being entertaining: they work for about two days, then they need to be reset. If they do it again, I'll start a thread. Engine noise - see thread on rennlist, I am GENTLY PERSUADING my mechanic to take everything apart and check heads (cfr. Pierre's engine) and flywheel/clutch. PSS9 - the trick is in the progressive rate springs, I think I'll pass. Oil sensor - being replaced.

Actually, the 'impractical' part was related to trunk space, seating for two only, ride height, noise, comfort... the $20k+ engine falls under 'very expensive to repair'. I would not count on an aftermarket warranty for tremendously much, personally. I hope to be proven wrong, but I have read too many interesting stories to put my trust in that kind of thing. If you have any questions, we're all here to help.

The front lip is ~$260 from Sunset Imports, so it's not too bad. As to why more people don't buy these cars: they're still relatively expensive to own, expensive to maintain, very expensive to repair if something major goes wrong, extremely impractical (despite being, perhaps, the most practical serious performance vehicle out there) and full of bad habits and little quirks. With all that said... I own two :). Have fun searching!

True. I would ... not overpay for cars right now. There is very little money chasing a good number of cars. It's faster to say that there isn't very much that is alike. The engine is certainly *very* different, from the turbos to the camme system to the fuel system. The transmission is different, the suspension is quite different - the new cars have PASM aka electronic suspension and different rear geometries for the multilink - the interior is very different and the body is sort of the same shape. The 997 is quite an evolutionary step. If your main goal is comfort and speed, then it's an evolutionary step *forward*. It is, however, a little more... insulated from the road, giving it a slightly different feel. Some prefer the 996 (heck, some prefer the 930...), some prefer the 997. It's a personal taste matter (whereas the speed and comfort are not). I would not be worried about using it as a daily driver year round, that's what I do with mine - with winter tyres from Thanksgiving to Easter if you want to be doubly safe. Ground clearances are a large issue that we all get to live with, but they're bearable with US suspension. Be prepared to change the front lip often. In my opinion (and it's my personal opinion, mind), I'd go for single owner cars with no accident history and full maintenance records. Anything else is a potential liability - be PARTICULARLY weary of cars which have had several owners and/or 'tasteful' modification. Another thing, if at all possible, avoid cars that have gone through auction - the process is not kind to the car, to say the least. You can feel free to replace 'avoid' with 'only purchase at a SUBSTANTIAL cost advantage' if you have a mechanic who knows the car well enough to assure you of its condition pre-purchase. Note that save for extremely rare exceptions, dealerships DO NOT FALL into the 'knows the car well enough' category. Well, the R/T and/or Car & Driver tests are fairly accurate as far as 'times' go. Note that if your main concern is 'time' in a straight line, you may be shopping for the wrong car - that is not any Porsche's main strength. Well, start with the above. I realise I am being somewhat tranchant - but there is really no reason to 'settle' for a compromise car in today's market. And one axiom of Porsche ownership still holds true, I found: any money that you 'save' during the purchase process will generally be money you spend twice over trying to remedy 'previous owner care' as a known forum member puts it. So look for the car you want, make sure that it's in the condition you want - or make sure that you realise what the potential cost of bringing it to that point will be - and have fun. The boards are an extraordinary source of information, I wish there were the same in Europe.

Done!

Update: I tried the clutch test, it seems fine, it's just very sudden when it engages. When we lifted the car a fortnight ago - for the 45kmi service - we noticed what was patently a new slave cylinder - but we didn't look at the accumulator. I am going to jump the gun and order accumulator + slave. I think someone was running a special? The car still has a VIGOROUS rattle at small throttle angles below 1800 RPM. My mechanic still maintains 'they all do that, the engine is lugging' - I don't have it in the 03 in europe. This is combined with a marked vibration in the rear centre console (coins in the ashtray will make quite a din) under hard acceleration. Should I worry? Should I stop fussing? Now I have the passenger side window to contend with, but I searched and I'm going to test the microswitches before I start a thread about that.

Victory has finally been achieved. I am now the proud owner of three keys (with design heads, no less) and manuals. The only thing that can't be done is get a new manual with the car sticker... oh well. The old manual is in the loving care of a book recovery specialist to see if anything can be achieved. Loren had mentioned getting the build sheet / 'certificate of authenticity' for the car via Renntech: is that still possible?

Thanks Loren. The 'trust' part of course would imply that it's not inconcievable to damage the car's electronics with a PST-alike, if for some reason it's incompatible or even just damaged, correct?

That is very good to know. Indeed, he has sold me on new turbos. Aaand while we were there the engine needs more fuel... so...