xxaarraa

Thanks Loren and JFP. I'll keep an eye on the rattle. I just ordered Joe Gibbs DT40, will try that on the next oil change (very soon). Never ceases to amaze me that a $104k car rattles on cold start. Never had that happen in anything I have owned, but "its character" I guess (/sarcasm).

Drove the car about 100 miles in the snow today and it was mostly undramatic (I do have conti DWS on).

The tick-tick-tick sounds normal as the oil will drain out of the valve tappets in less than one week of not running. Should go away once warm.

If that is what you heard you are likely okay.

Thanks Loren. I have had the car sit for this long before (in fact, it sat for one month in August) but never had this happen. This time, it only sat for 8-9 days. Does the oil drain issue get exaggerated in colder temps?

I started my 03 C4S today after about 10 days. The first 2-3 minutes after startup, I was hearing a clearly audible rattle/tick tick/click click. I thought I saw some smoke from the exhaust, but then again, it was very dark and it is really cold here in Boston, so it could have just been typical exhaust smoke/mist. I backed up the car, moved it over and shut it off (whole reason I started it).

Upon searching here, it seems it could either be the IMS death rattle or chain tensioner related. My car has already had the IMS done with the LN Engineering kit, so I am hoping this is chain tensioner related. I am running Mobil 1 0-40, but pretty much always check the oil level every time before I start it (on the console) and it is always full. I change every 5k (last change was 4k ago). I have had the car for about 9k miles, it drives beautifully, doesn't burn any oil.

The threads suggest switching to a higher weight oil - maybe a 10-40? Or even a 15-50? I live in Boston and will be driving the car through the winter (not every day but often), so I am thinking 10-40 is a better bet.

Can Loren or JFP or anyone share any thoughts on this situation?

I was just researching this yesterday as I may be doing a full brake job in the coming weeks. I think Textar is the OEM supplier and mintex seems to be the option that came up in threads for dustless pads. I have used akebonos in past German cars, but I read they don't make them for the 996's. As for rotors, pelican lists sebros and OEMs.

I am not that impressed with OEM brake feel (maybe just me, YMMV). It feels like I have to press the pedal HARD to get it to bite. Quick decelerations mean literally having to stand on the pedal. So I am going to be trying aftermarket alternatives when I do brakes.

Last winter I installed Akebono pads from Tire Rack. Work great on a street vehicle with very little dust compared to OEM.

I think the akebonos are not available for C4S/Turbos. Pelican lists them for base/C2 cars, but not C4S.

so the last time I leased, I did not pay much attention - it was a different life then…  So basically if the sales price is 77k and the max MRM they figure the residual on is 71K - it's basically options that are not being taken into account when I turn the car back in?  The dealer will not adjust the MRM, the money factor or price as he says they are all dictated by Porsche and I feel like they should be a little more flexible - I do understand if they will not due to supply and demand, but i do not see why I should have to take a hit on the options.  Make sense?  Tks

If your guess on options not being counted is true, then I can sort of see that. One person's preferences on options may not translate into another person's, when the car hits the used market upon lease return.

I have no idea though, just thinking out loud.

Porsches have always been ridiculously overpriced for what you get. I bet some of those $140k cars don't have a rear windscreen wiper or power seats. Its a boutique purchase that has little to do with actual worth or value. Kind of like a $10k handbag.

I was just researching this yesterday as I may be doing a full brake job in the coming weeks. I think Textar is the OEM supplier and mintex seems to be the option that came up in threads for dustless pads. I have used akebonos in past German cars, but I read they don't make them for the 996's. As for rotors, pelican lists sebros and OEMs.

I am not that impressed with OEM brake feel (maybe just me, YMMV). It feels like I have to press the pedal HARD to get it to bite. Quick decelerations mean literally having to stand on the pedal. So I am going to be trying aftermarket alternatives when I do brakes.

Different color light and different power (wattage).

Be careful here inside a plastic housing -- too high a wattage will melt plastic or discolor it.

I would stick close to the stock wattage (in your Owners Manual).

Thanks for the tip, will do. Stock should be 55W, and color temperature equivalent of about 3000 Kelvin correct?

Upon reviewing the website roadsession linked to in his post above, I may experiment with one of the Phillips BlueVision or X-treme Vision bulbs. That website's price seems reasonable, however, Amazon seems to carry some of the same Philips H7 bulbs for half the price.

Loren and roadsession, just to clarify, if I want to order an HID kit (bulbs, ignitors and ballasts), I have to get the H7 type bulbs correct? When you say "H7 is a halogen bulb", I want to make sure it also applies to the HID bulb.

You DEFINITELY have halogen lamps...(not HID).

Go here: https://www.sylvania.com/en-us/applications/automotive-lighting-systems/Pages/lrgmain.aspx and select halogen (NON HID) as the option)

(Btw one of the first C4S i've seen w/out HID - didn't know they even sold any w/out Xenon HID for a $100K+ car!!!)

Oh please, don't even get me started. Porsche sold (and continue to sell) plenty of $100k cars without a rear windscreen wiper or power seats or BT. I think the air inside the cabin was an option :)

Thanks for the link. The link says I have an "H7" does that sound right?

Does your car have option 601 (Bi-Xenon Lamps) or standard Halogen lamps?

I will look at my window sticker today Loren, but I am fairly sure it's the standard halogen lamps.

Here's what I got (bulb on left is stock bulb, bulb on right is the HID kit bulb):

Here's my bulb holder:

Full headlight (does have projector lenses):

I am in the same situation. From the pics I found online of replacement bulbs they look to be D2s. If I cant confirm I will pull mine out and verify

I'd be very interested to hear what you find/verify. Still no answer on my end.

Updated with more information after consistent use over the past several weeks. Still quite happy with the setup.

Hey guys,

I am encountering a very weird CDR-23 gremlin and hoping for some ideas. Here's the situation:

Last night, while cleaning my bookshelf at home, I found a bunch of old CDs and figured, hey, I should play some of the tunes before I toss them. I went to the porsche, loaded 4 of these CDs into the odd-duck cd-changer/stacker in the center console, stuck one in the main CD slot and fired up the stereo. Nothing played. I then realized that the old CDR-23 may not play MP3s, (didn't even occur to me and these are the times I am reminded of truly how old this car is - 2003). I popped it out and threw the CD's away.

Then this morning while going to work, I took a call from my dad and the Motorola IHF1700 handsfree kit I have wired right into the CDR-23 and car speakers played the audio very weird. It kept going up and down in static interference, but that as well as the radio worked. I didn't think much of it.

I then get back in the car on the way back from work and fire up the CDR-23 and problems begin. It never boots out of "Porsche" screen. I restarted the car and same. I then hit the "CDS" button a few times and lo and behold, the FM starts playing again. But however, the IHF1700 now does not play any audio via the car speakers.

I disconnected the negative battery terminal when I got home and let it sit for 10 minutes, reconnected and same. Stereo fires up, but IHF cannot play via the car speakers. It connects and pairs to my phone just fine, the stereo even says "Phone" when I use the phone, but just no audio.

Before I rip apart the head unit and start checking stuff, wanted to see if anyone had any ideas here. Much much appreciated guys, thanks in advance.

5 and 12MM aren't too large, as long as you get the right extended lug bolts along with them. Make sure you get the wheels and tires road forced balanced after you put spacers on, and torque the lugs to spec.

Updated after a week's use. Very happy with this setup.

I just completed installing a bluetooth handsfree system in my 2003 C4S and wanted to do a write-up. I did a ton of research and most of the information and write-ups were from 2006-2007 and sparse. I wanted to record this so that if someone is searching for this in the future, they have something more recent to go by.

Requirements / Baseline:

• Basically, my requirement/need was very simple. I wanted BT handsfree integrated into the car stereo - not external speaker. I wanted an external mic. I do not care about any of the other modern conveniences such as A2DP, Pandora etc.
• The 2003 996's have MOST so that ruled out a simple head unit swap. I wanted to keep it all stock-looking so the Bose system and amp and speakers were a given. There were a few aftermarket BT systems manufactured during that time period that integrate with our stereos - Motorola and Parrot. The Motorola units are still available quite readily and can be IHF850, IHF1000 or IHF1700. IHF1700 is the latest.

Here are the parts I ordered:

• Motorola IHF1700. I ordered an IHF1000 before I knew there was an updated model, but they actually shipped me an IHF1700. A google search revealed the IHF1700 was a very slight revision/update with "improved noise cancellation and echo control, along with a 50 number phone book" I ordered it from "CCMACCESSORIES" on Amazon. It was like $140 plus shipping. http://www.amazon.com/Pro-install-Car-IHF1700-Retail/dp/B0030BV7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1381009957&sr=1-1&keywords=motorola+ihf1700
• Vehicle-specific T-harness. I didn't want to splice any of the factory wires AND wanted the phone audio to play via the car speakers as opposed to the little external speaker that comes with the motorola kit. So I ordered a Becker CDR-23/24 harness that plugs right into the Motorola unit from "discountcarstereo.com". It was $20 plus shipping. Part #: "BT-BKR23M Installation harness for Motorola Kits to Becker CDR23/24 Radios" http://www.discountcarstereo.com/BT-BKR23M.html
• Wire splice connectors from Radioshack. More on this below.
• Becker/porsche radio removal tool. I already had this from when I sent my head unit to Becker to get the Aux input wired in. I think I got it on eBay for a couple bucks.

Installation Notes:

• Installation of the Motorola unit is pretty straightforward. I installed the mic up top near the dome light - my previous experience in other cars as well as research indicated that other possible mounting locations were noisier. I routed the wire through the headliner, a-pillar and down under the steering wheel console to the center console where I put all the wire bundles as well as the motorola system's control unit.
• I installed the Motorola Interface Control Module in the bottom of the center console. Ran the wire underneath.

Speed bumps / Hiccups:

• Make sure to read the attached instructions (PDF attachment to this post) from discountcarstereo on where the green connector plugs into the "C2" slot behind the Becker. I didn't and it took me a bit of time to figure it out.
• This next item took me over a day to figure out, with help from a wonderful gentleman at discountcarstereo (their customer service was awesome, he kept emailing me back and forth over the weekend and reviewing photos I sent him). The Motorola unit needs two 12V power input lines - one switched and one constant. This is so that when you are on the BT and turn off the car, it will keep power so you can finish the conversation. The unit wont power on unless you have both power lines connected.
• Here's the kicker. If your car has a digital amp, the switched 12V line from the t-harness will be blank (on the factory harness side). So, you have to run a separate 12V switched line. I chose to do it from the smartphone connector down in the center console and spliced into the discountcarstereo harness, thereby leaving all the factory wiring intact and untouched.
• Once you get that figured out, you have to change settings on the CDR-23 head unit - again, read the instructions in the attached PDF.
• The Motorola wire bundle contains two in-line fuse holders with 5 amp fuses in them. These things are very very cheap/flimsy and someone from a 2006/2007 VW thread also complained of the same. They were causing a spotty connection. So I unclipped both ends of the fuse holder, stripped the wire ends, overlapped them a bit, crimped the ends of the metal connectors and assembled them back. If you have better quality inline fuses laying around, I would recommend swapping them entirely. I didn't, so I fixed the ones supplied.

Here are some of the "features" of this setup:

• I set the volume out to be from the driver's side front speaker (you can have it play only on one speaker - my old E46 M3 was the same, so must be a period thing from the early BT systems). This is done from the CDR-23 head unit's settings menu.
• "Wake up on phone audio" this feature was a complete pleasant surprise. Made my day. Basically, in modern cars, even when the stereo is switched off, when you get a phone call, the stereo will wake up and play the phone audio via the car speakers. I was expecting the motorola unit to not have this feature. But it does!! So, both incoming and outgoing calls will wake up the Bose head unit which will say "Phone" and the call audio will play via the car speaker.
• Phone volume can be adjusted via the bose unit. Very nice.
• When you get in the car and turn on the ignition, the unit automatically pairs with the phone (can pair with upto two phones) and announces (via the car speaker) "phone connected"

I was warned that road noise at highway speeds is pretty high in our cars so the mic will not have very good clarity. I have not tested the sound quality extensively yet and will post an update over the next weeks after I have used it in various conditions. Here are the photos of the install. Special thanks to "Dennis C" on 6speedonline for sharing his experiences from the IHF1000 kit. Want to thank the tech support person/team at discountcarstereo again, I wouldn't have been able to figure it out if they hadn't helped.

UPDATE:

I have had a chance to test this setup over the past week both around town as well as on the highway.

• The microphone is excellent. Everyone I spoke with said my voice was very clear and legible even at highway speeds. Definite + for mounting it up on the dome light console.
• Everyone complained of a crazy echo problem - they could hear themselves. I moved the mic back on the dome console, didn't solve it. Routed the audio to the right side speaker instead of driver-side. Didn't solve it.
• I then realized that phone volume can be adjusted in two ways - via the Motorola unit and via the Bose head unit. At first, I had the Motorola unit's volume cranked up to max and the head unit volume low. This was causing the echo.
• When I turned down the Motorola unit volume all the way down and the head unit up, the echo went away! The same folks now say the conversation is very clear.
• After several weeks of using this setup to my satisfaction, I made the mistake of popping in a CD into the CDR-23 as well as the odd duck CD holder/tray thing. This threw everything off. the Bose unit started acting up - being stuck in the "Porsche" boot up screen. The Motorola unit was not sending any audio to the car speakers (was still connecting to the phone though).
• I ejected all the CDs (and threw them away), took everything apart, and re-did the settings on the CDR-23 head unit (routing 'Mono', 'Stereo" and 'phone audio" all to the other speaker than previously selected) and everything is back to normal again. Just wanted to share this - the setup doesn't seem to play well with CDs, or it could be the CDR-23 is not playing CDs anymore. Either way, not a loss for me (who the heck plays CDs anymore anyway?!)

bt-bkr23m.pdf

Phone_audio_input_directions_for_Crossfire_or_Porsche_CDR23.pdf

ihf1000z.pdf

Hey guys,

I searched and found nothing on this. I have a 2003 996 with MOST. All I want to add is bluetooth telephone functionality. After much research, I settled on the Motorola IHF1700 kit, with a custom Porsche/CDR-23 specific wiring harness from discountcarstereo.

Here are the parts ordered and installed:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008IV508/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(says IHF1000 but they shipped an updated IHF1700 kit)

Porsche harness

http://www.discountcarstereo.com/BT-BKR23M.html

I put it all in, but the Motorola unit is not getting any power. I know this is a random question on a niche topic, but anyone got any ideas?

Simple green fan here. Use it on my motorcycles and cars and it works as advertised. Spray it on, then hose it off.

Off goes your wax too. Just be aware of that in your final process and preparation.

You use wax on your wheels? I don't/.

Simple green fan here. Use it on my motorcycles and cars and it works as advertised. Spray it on, then hose it off.

Loren is correct the only way to turn off the light use a resister and jump the pins or put the seat back in. you will also need Durametric, a Porsche PST2 or Porsche PIWIS to clear the airbag code. We use a 2.5 ohm resister as a simulator to test SRS systems all the time. You can find tool companys that sell SRS simulators with the yellow plug but youre going to pay $75.00 to $100.00 for it. If you get a resister just shape it like the picture and jump the pins.

2.5 ohm.jpg

I would gladly pay $75 to $100 for a simulator. I am not comfortable making my own resistor and jumping pins. Can you please link me to any tools that are for sale for this purpose?

As long as the seat is out and the connection to the seat belts is "missing" you will get an airbag light.

" If it's seatbelt related, couldn't I get a spare receptacle and plug the seatbelt into that to prevent the light from coming on?" Yes.

OK! I sent you a PM Loren, thanks again.

You do not need to wait 30 minutes after disconnecting the battery 5 minutes will do.

Also, remove the key from the ignition switch - the moment the key is in the ignition the airbag system starts.

You are trying to override a government required safety system - it is not not to be easy.

Other than the resistor trick - I do not know a way to "fool" the system. So black tape over the light works for some folks too...

Appreciate your patience, but I am confused.

If I did this the right way, i.e., disconnect the battery and wait, before unplugging the seat, there would be no airbag light. Correct? So.. couldn't I just connect the seat back, reset the light with the durametric, then start the process over again, this time with the battery disconnected?

I am not trying to override any government required safety system. Government has no laws about having a passenger seat in the car. I want the seat removed so my friend can travel with me in comfort. Like so.

Also, if I connect the seat back, will the warning light automatically go off? Or do I still need to reset it with a durametric? Basically, I am trying to decide whether I need to spend the $300 on a durametric or just live with the warning light.

Also, is the warning light on because of the seatbelt or is it on because of side airbags in the seat? My C4S is a 2003, and I didn't think the seat had side airbags. If it's seatbelt related, couldn't I get a spare receptacle and plug the seatbelt into that to prevent the light from coming on? I saw some threads about that...