Mijostyn

Seahawkeye, sorry I forgot to answer your question. Up here in New Hampshire they salt the roads whenever they think the temp is going below freezing even if the road is dry. This basically means the roads are salted from Thanksgiving to early April. Like any other chemical reaction the rusting process slows down as the temp drops. It is poison to heat your garage up here. Just makes the cars rust faster. So, keep a cold garage. I wash the car whenever the temp goes above freezing and is going to be there for 4-5 hours. If you wash the car in a below freezing environment some really strange things can happen. I had a friend who washed his car in 20 degree weather. Water got into the cracks around his tail light lenses which froze and expanded cracking the bottoms of both lenses in a perfectly symmetrical fashion. Looked like he did it on purpose. After washing I always blow all the water out of all the crevices with the leaf blower. Also, if you don't want your hands to freeze use very warm water in the bucket. Power washing is a blessing. You get heavy build up in the wheel wells and the back of the car which the power washer makes short work of. Now, WeatherTech floor mats, good snows, a roof top carrier and you be stylin.

The trick with the hood is to put a 4 foot radius curve in the upper edge. It is harder for the eye to follow and when you see it it still looks better. I blend the curve in with the fender film on either side then run the film over and around the front edge and down the sides so you see no edges at all at the front and sides. For some reason Meguiar's Ultimate paint sealer is better at hiding the visible edges better than anything else I have tried. Companies like ClearMask frequently give you hood film that has a cut out for the emblem and stops at the hood's edges. Get them to sell you the kit without the hood piece and make your own from bulk product. Take the hood emblem off and re mount it over the film. Here in New Hampshire Autobaun does a great job.

Yes, Jason that is generic. The light cars show up black road grime at the edges, the black cars wax and paint sealer. Just take a nylon bristle tooth brush and using Meguir's #34 as a lube gently scrub the edges AFTER you have washed the car. It won't get rid of it entirely but it will take most of the curse off it. It sure beats a chipped up car.

Hi PM. I use 3M ScotchGard paint protection film on all my cars. I have never noticed any paint color change or deterioration under the film. I started out replacing... you guessed it. Stone guards on the flanks of Turbos. I would not start out doing a complex form such as a bumper. The front of your hood is a good place to start. If you are not patient I would spend the money and get a pro to do it. You do not have to ruin much of this stuff before the pro becomes more cost effective. I now have Autobaun do the initial install and I just do the repair work. The only down side I have ever seen is that regardless of what anyone tells you, the film yellows over time. This is only a problem on a white car. It is not bad enough that most people would notice it.

Please excuse me Loren. I did not realize a snow covered 911 was profane. :censored:

Gee Seahawkeye, you certainly went to town. The Guzzler is the best drying towel I have ever used. Have 4 of them. Sonnax makes a gel wheel cleaner I like better. I think it is called Extreme Effect or something like that. Good move on the wash bucket insert. They work great and you don't have to keep changing your water. You need a bunch of 16X16 extra plush Microfiber cloths. I have 10 each of three different colors so I can keep them sorted out. Each color has a different use. Why so many? Every time you drop the cloth, or side swipe a tire or just touch the ground the cloth is done for the day. Right into the "to be washed" tub. I keep all my cloths and towels in a large, COVERED tub ready for use. As for the blower, $25 is pretty cheap. The MPH rating is pretty worthless. It tells you nothing about what happens into a load. You can hear the RPMs rise as you start to cover the barrel and the power drops off. I had an Echo unit that I got from HD. I think it was $150 or so and It died into loads. I didn't know any better until the Echo itself died and I went for the Stihl BG86. These guys know what they are doing, BIG TIME. Their blower is lighter, better balanced and will rip your arm off. MADE IN AMERICA ;-} I am all over the car with the blower and do yard cleanup with it. It is also tops for blowing out your garage. Thus an electric cord would be a hindrance. I would go for the gas unit. Get your iPod, Etymotic HF5 isolating ear plugs and rock while you wash the car. Now I'm going to get a snowball in the eye. Gods gift to car buffs is the pressure washer. I have heard all kinds of baloney about all the damage you can do. If you can damage anything on the exterior of your car with a pressure washer then you need a new car. In 30 years of pressure washing cars I have never (that I know of) damaged any cars from the lowliest Subaru to Bentleys. And I blow out the engine compartments after degreaser! No, I do not stick the nozzle directly into the alternator. After the rinse I immediately blow dry the motor. You never rub bugs away with anything! Two seconds with a pressure washer on well sealed paint and the bugs come right off. NO SCRATCHES. Pressure washing the course dirt away from your painted surfaces before sudsing is the single most important step in preventing swirl marks and scratches. The pressure washer also comes in extremely handy for stuff around your house. Just don't let your wife near it. I use a boar's hair brush to wash the car. Boar's hair is unique in that it stays stiff when it gets wet. The hairs get into all the little places nothing else can like the cracks around your tail ight lenses. I have one brush that is over 20 years old and going strong. After I'm done I just blast it off with the pressure washer. Wow White. Sorry to hear about that. Knee surgery can be a bummer. I hate to tell you this but X-country skiing is harder than downhill. Long sticks stuck to feet is generally not good for knees.

Whatsamatter White? Never been skiing? Nothing like doing donuts in a snowy parking lot after hours! I'm with you. Just got a Stihl BG86 blower. Friggin tornado. Hit the wheels with Sonnax (smells like rotten eggs), blast em off with the pressure washer then the blower = perfectly clean dry wheels in 10 minutes. No brushes, mits, scrubbing, blisters or water spots and in case you didn't notice my wheels are black. By the way, check out the Ti lug bolts. Wheel jewelry by TiKore Industries.

Woops, too late.

Hey Seahawkeye, are you out of your mind starting a thread like this? I've been washing Porsches for 30 some odd years and I think my method changes about every 30 seconds or so. And you guys thought driving in the rain was bad? :cursing:

Hank, I had exactly the same concerns. I have had the new system in now for 6 months and it has worked flawlessly. I was lucky to get hooked up with a GREAT installer, Sound in Motion in Brighton Mass. I watched them do a more complicated install in a 997 cab using the NavTV module and they obviously knew what they were doing. Make sure whom ever you use has experience with 997s and the NavTV Most head unit replacemant module. This module is critical as it allows an analog head unit to communicate with the rest of the factory system. With my Alpine INE 927 HD the Bose system sounds terrific. I have had absolutely no issues with other equipment. The Nav is way better. iPod/iPhone integration is as good as it gets and BlueTooth works as well as any other system I have had experience with. PCM is hopelessly outdated. If you have the Bose system do not let the installer talk you into new speakers and amps. You will have to spend a fortune to do better and they will have to tear your car apart to do it. The funny looking business hanging off the air vent is a ProClip iPhone mount. I have the Escort Live system which BlueTooths your radar detector to Escort's cloud via your iPhone. The iPhone then reports any traps coming your way reported by other drivers/detectors. WAY COOL. Like my $800 shift knob? I forgot to add one thing. After The install I went to my dealer and had the tech varify that all was working as advertised.

I'm itching to do a European delivery. The out of round flywheel makes no sence. How does a fly wheel suddenly go out of round. Warped maybe but, how would the ignition computer know this? I have seen bad gas do a lot of funny things like f up your fuel filter. I have always stuck with 93 octane fuels in these cars and prefer Mobil or Sunoco. I only use other fuels under duress. I would check your fuel filter, tank up with good gas and see how it goes. I would also find an independent mechanic who knows what he is doing. Up here the real Porsche guys use Blair Talbot. ( New Hampshire) I do all the routine stuff, oil, brakes and such. Warranty stuff goes to the dealer and everything else goes to Blair.

That is basically what comes with the 997.1. Goo and a compressor. I wonder what kind of mess this stuff makes of your wheel and tire. Of course Porsche strictly recommends replacing the tire with any damage. I have driven plenty of plugged tires down to 3/32" without any trouble. My wife is an expert at finding nails. I keep up to date goo in the car in case I can't make it to a lift or home to my floor jack. I have always been able to make it home as most of the time you get a slow leak. Anybody know someone who has actually used this stuff? Oh, and driving in the rain is great fun. Much easier to get the a-- end out!

Not in the 993 TT. After the unit was replaced it had to be calibrated by adding an exact amount of fuel to an empty tank. Although I guess you could do it yourself, I think I'd rather let the tech blow himself up. :eek:

You bet. The first thing I saw in a 993 TT when the fuel level sender went south was the fuel guage sticking on refuels.

There is really only one elegant solution. If you want great Bluetooth, seamless iPod/iPhone integration, the best Nav and sound with your Bose. Ditch the PCM. Get a NavTV MOST head unit replacement module, a double DIN mounting kit and an Kenwood or Alpine head unit. The install will look factory. It will cost you more up front but you will be happy from the start. Most people I know are unhappy with other solutions and wind up dumping good money after bad trying to save money. Look for a reputable installer in your area. A good one will have a lot of experience with 997s as most of us buying earlier cars hate the PCM and want all the modern stuff which we are use to. The place I used in Boston had two 997s undergoing renovation when I visited.

$1300?? In the back seat?? Not on your life. $6.00 plug kit and a compressor (comes with the car) do it for me. If you all don't know how to use a plug kit I'd be happy to do a DIY. The hardest part is finding the hole after that it is all brawn and minimal brain.

Hi Barnet, JFP is right. Changing the oil filter is the only easy way to get oil out in a controlled fashion. However, these oil level sensors will do funny things under the right circumstances. They read the oil level by bouncing sound waves off the air/oil interface in the crankcase like the wand of a medical ultrasound machine. Stupid things like condensation on the surface of cold oil can mess them up. Condensate can also increase the volume of the oil. if you are full up this can push it over the top. I had an Audi which gave me the overfill warning on several occasions in error. Since I changed the oil and as far as I know there are no oil adding gremlins in my garage I ignored it. You really are only interested on low oil levels. The car did not do this for the last 6 months I owned it. Now I have a pretty yellow 911 that blows mildew in my face every warm morning when I start it up. Ferdinand would be proud.

Hi Logray, I have appreciated many of your learned reponses in other threads. The single most significant change in the SN and Porsche oil spec calls for much lower amounts of ZDDP. Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate is one of the industry's major friction reducing agents. Unfortunately, the phosphate can f-up modern catalytic converters. Problem is older, pre 1985 cars are losing their valve trains on these newer lower ZDDP oils! If your car does not burn oil it is perfectly reasonable and probably better to run oils with the older SM spec additive. Even if your car did burn oil, a few hot laps will burn the phosphate right off. I use Millers Oil CFS 5W 40 NT. They also make 10W 50 and 10W 60 weights. These are all fully synthetic, triple ester SM spec racing oils with a nano particle additive. If I were tracking the car I would go with the 10W 50. Much of the current oil dogma is based on CAFE standards and polution control not on what is best for performance and durability. The only fly in the ointment is that these oils were designed for racing not long oil change intervals. Harry King at Performance Racing Oils tells me that his partner ran his Jag for 20,000 miles on a single CFS oil change with a great TBN and no measurable loss of viscosity. All the same I plan on having my oil analyzed at 5000 miles. Frankly, if there is any performance benefit in a street car it is purely psychological. It sure makes me feel great knowing there are trillions of nano ball bearings running around my engine. Oh and Lyn, if you run a heavier oil your pressure will go right up!

Hi jl, My guess is your PCM control unit is bad. This is a tough situation. The various control modules in the car are in an electronic chain of command at the hub of which is what Porsche calls a gateway module. The PWIS diagnostic testor will report a failure of this module if just about anything downstream goes wrong. When my PCM unit failed the car reported a PASM failure and the PWIS first said my gateway module failed. After replacing that it reported a failure of my instrument cluster. $9000 later the tech disconnected the PCM unit and everything went back to working just fine. The PASM did have to be reprogrammed. It can be very difficult to determine which device has failed and if you get your Porsche specialist going he will start replacing one after another at huge expense. Fortunately, I had my car certified so this was all covered under warranty. I would start by disconnecting the PCM control unit. You might try pulling fuse F8 in Row C which should disable the PCM and see what happens. If your PASM starts fuctioning again you know for sure it is the PCM unit. If not then you will have to involve somebody with a PWIS tester. If the PASM can be reprogrammed and made to fuction then you are back to a bad PCM. You need to figure out what you are going to do about the PCM unit. My advise is to junk it. Get a NAV TV MOST head unit replacement module, a double DIN replacement kit with factory finish and a new NAV from either Kenwood or Alpine. I like the Alpine INE 927 HD. You will get better sound, a MUCH better NAV with Bluetooth and great iPod integration thrown in. Getting the Alpine will not cost you much more if not even less then replacing the PCM. My car has the Bose upgrade in it and with the Alpine's digital equalization and time correction sounds way better than stock. Good luck!

I"m not 100% sure but if you loosen the latch on the door you may be able to shift its position a bit towards the outside which will pull the door in a little tighter and stop the banging. The rubber on these cars is really tough. if the car was garaged I doubt it would fail this soon. I bet it is just an adjustment. Good luck!

There are several different values. KBB usually quotes wholesale prices first that is the "trade in" value. Next will be private sale and above that Dealer retail. Any car that is less than 8 years old and has less than 100K miles on it, and HAS NEVER BEEN TRACKED can be certified by a Porsche dealer. All deficiencies are corrected, the car gets over a 100 point exam and if it passes you get a 2 year unlimited mile warranty up to 100K miles. This adds at least $2500 to the cost of the car plus whatever has to be corrected. The Aerokit does NOT add any value to the car. In street driving the nose is a pain in the a--. You will NEVER be able to avoid scraping the chin spoiler. I should know as I have one. I keep a spare on hand and after the thing gets ratty enough I hang a new one. You have to haggle! If you really have to have the car do not let the seller know this. If you do not know what to look for find someone who does. Deficiencies will lower the value of the car. A very clean car will be worth more. I would never get a used 911 that was not certified. 36K is probably the bottom value or close to it. A really clean certified car with that mileage might go up to 50K. If your bank is giving you a hard time you may have to come up with a higher down payment or get a letter from a dealer stating what the accepted retail value of the car is. You have to keep in mind that just because you buy the car used it is NO less expensive to repair if something goes south. The Warranty is worth its weight in gold. HAVE FUN.

NEWS FLASH. According to the press the steering issue has been corrected with the 991 Turbo. I suspect the fix will migrate to the other cars. I will be test driving the car as soon as it arrives. I get the first customer car my dealer is allotted! (still a year away :-( )

Absolutely, I would never suggest any car that does not have the engine hanging out over the rear axle. Can't get your golf bag in there ;-) The price we pay is having to live with personality flaws. We are not driving cars that do their best to offer a quiet serene experience, isolating you from everything. In a 911 you are hard wired to just about everything, the road and the machine. An Audi may have just as much drive train lash as my 911, you just can't hear or feel it or anything else for that mater. So, when you notice something that you think may represent a significant issue tread lightly. First have someone who knows these cars and drives a bunch of them check your's out. I have one tech I always use at my dealer who I trust as much as anyone, who I have a great relationship with. If he tells me the issue is normal for these cars I believe him. With this lash I was worried that my tranny would fall out. He says no. If there is something minimalist I can do to improve the issue I try it like playing around with different gear oils. Ripping your transmission apart chasing ghosts is the last thing you want to do. With a new car this is easy. You have a long warrantee to fall back on. A used car is obviously more difficult. I personally would never get a used car that was not certified by Porsche. For a two year warrantee it is short money. In the end you have to decide whether or not you will keep the car. A car like your's I would get rid of. A well mannered car that is endearing I might keep but, you still have to be ready, willing and able to pour $6,000 dollars into the car in a moment's notice. And, that is for a water cooled car. I believe an engine rebuild in an air cooled car is something like $15,000!

Works for me!

Jacking up a 997 is simplicity itself. There is only one correct method and once you are use to it it takes only five minutes tops to get your car up. You need a circular pad for your floor jack three inches in diameter and 1.5 inches thick. I made mine out of hard wood. You could also get them from Pelican. Locate the rear jack point just in from the little arrow on your rocker panel. With your e brake on jack up the car until you can get a stand under the front jack point again indicated by a little arrow. Then do the other side the same way. Now you have the front of the car up. Next locate the special midline rear jack point. It is just behind the oil pan. You will see a rectangular machined flat surface heavily bracketed to the block. Jack the car up and place both rear stands. Done. I highly recommend Esco jack stands. They are the absolute nuts. You do not need ramps or anything else. May the force be with you.