Chuck Jones

Most of the X50's I've seen have been full leather interiors...seats, dash, door panels, rear sides, column posts....and alcantra leather for the headliner. I know my previous 99 996 had plastic dash and door panels, but most of the TT's have the leather interiors. Does anyone have one that doesn't have leather dash and door panels?

Kab: If you're going to be there, I'll look forward to seeing you...I'm sure we'll get together much before then for a lunch or cup of coffee. Chuck

I have no idea what they mean by you will ljust have trouble...I really think it boils down to the fact they have a flat rate for an oild change and draining the turbos adds time to the oil change that they'd have to eat if they advertise their oil changes for $XXX.

I was considering having them do some chip repair...but when the body shop repainted the dent in the side (hit and run in parking lot), the heat from the drying booth cracked the windshield right over the rock chip, so they gave me a brand new windshield out of the deal....can't complain!!

I've had to replace a few of those parts myself....and I find that the big killer is speed bumps and those dogone cement stops they use in parking lots....they're just the right height to go under the car and shear off those air scoops.

This is a great time of year to take off your front bumpers and clean out the leaves and road debris that has accumulated there over the year....it also helps keep your front radiators free of obstructions and helps keep your engine temps down. By the time November rolls around, the leaves would be falling and a great time to drop the front bumper. I'm going to do an install of the Griot's Italian Air Horns....137 DB keeps the trucks from moving into your lane!! Loren...I'll definitely be there...and my thanks again to Dave and Mary for offering the facilities of their home and garage. I think that perhaps we might consider bringing a dish or two to provide goodies to eat ....maybe a snack dish and chips etc??? I''m looking foward to this event. Chuck

Welcome....I have the same car, same color. This forum and Loren have saved me a LOT of money in routine service and periodic fix-its that weren't covered by my CPO warranty. This is an excellent place to go for technical information....Loren has a database of diagrams, pictures, do-it-yourself procedures with step by step pictures etc. Good to have you aboard. Chuck

Brenden: First of all welcome to the forum....lots of good guys here and tons of great do-it-yourself (DIY) sections that will save you literally hundreds or even thousands of dollars......but to get to some of the really good stuff, you need to become a paid subscriber....not a lot of money and it will be returned to you many times over in saved $$$ and advice. Loren (site admin) has a database of all sorts of exploded diagrams, pictures, sequential shots of the DIY projects etc..... Now that I've welcomed you....c'mon...that's a PICTURE? You've gotta do better than that my man...we want PICTURES...not a thumbnail....inside, outside, sideways......we're all interested in new folks and their rides. Chuck

Very interesting, informative, and facinating thread. I compliment you on your tenacity and perseverance. I wonder if your case could be used as any sort of precedent for subsequent actions taken by other Porsche owners who have experienced the same sort of failure. I just don't know how the application of international law would allow the admission of this sort of precedent. As I read through the entire discussion, it bacame obvious that Porsche was seeking to sequester their CEO and top execs to keep them away from the proceedings, thus saving them from exposure until subpoenaed, subjected to depositons, or included by reference at the very last. The continual denials of your claim are typical tactics employed by large corporations who hope to dissuade you from continuing on by their methodology of denial after denial....forcing you to use the legal system to its fullest. It is only when it actually hits the courts and you receive a judicial rendering in support that they start to pay attention. I'm sure that many of the Porsche owners who read this forum and who are corporate attorneys fully understand the modus operandi being used. It's all tactics designed to wear you down and exhaust and break your will, patience, finances....or all the above. You stood your ground....stayed the course....and I commend you sir. I know you spent a lot of money, time, effort, and anxiety over this whole proceess......Shades of Brokovich I might add....makes those of us who might own these cars and have experienced similar failures take heart and feel a bit better, even though we might not have prevailed in our efforts through the most commonly used "goodwill" approach which is routinely, abruptly, and unceremoniously DENIED!! Congratulations. I hope there is no protracted appeal process planned... You might also be cautious in posting since anything said by you on this thread could be twisted and used to counter your efforts. Chuck

What rpm do you notice that slight hesitation at?....if it's around 32-3500, that's when the variocam kicks in. If it's variocam, that's all entirely normal.....take two valium and call me in the morning. :)

Once again Loren comes thru like a champ right on time.....where do you get all this stuff??? Must have one heck of an online library.

I ended up with Kevin's tune and his wastegate kit....installed compliments of ARD's knowledge and expertise (he installed his some time back). He used a belt sander positioned upside down, then handheld the wastegates and carefully applied pressure and revolved them over the belt sander watching for the telltale line to appear that tells you you've cut thru the rolled over edge. You don't want to cut too far or you'll grind off the lip on one side...and you need matching circumferences in order to install the CNC rings that hold them back together with the new springs installed. ARD then had a home made pressure setup gauge setup (ala Rube Goldberg)running off his air compressor that ran clear tubing to each side....with a bleed hose. He held his finger over the bleed hose till the pressure eventually opened the gate, then noted the pressure on the psi gauge and adjusted the nuts until he got them to open at about 8.5-8.75 psi on each side...then set the locknuts and it was a done deal.....both wastegates sync'd to open at around 8.5 psi. This made it a lot more accurate in a manner in which you could actually SEE the point at which they began to open and set them accordingly. ARD wrote this up in a DIY that explains it a hell of a lot better and more precisely than I just did. Given my level of automotive engineering expertise I would have to put in the disclaimer "Don't try this at home without proper supervision"...but with Kevin's tune and the wastegate spring upgrade kit, the car runs consistently at 1.1 and 1.2. Never have seen a 1.3 which suits me just fine. Quite truthfully, these writeups that explain how to do these various project become clear if you've actually done them or have watched and seen them done, but for the less mechanically inclined, they're hard to visualize even though the author might think it's clear and easily understood.

You should be able to do a Google search for GIAC and get a dealer or tuner in your area....or if not, get to some pretty knowledgeable folks. The fellow who wrote the program for GIAC is virtually unreachable, but his distributors and installers are readily accessible...I'm surprised you couldn't find a reference or contact number with an internet search.

Give ARD on Rennlist a PM...he helped me install a wastegate kit from UMW and he's pretty much up on the issues with the EVOM wastegates....he's pretty knowledgeable. You should have gotten the archived threads from SixSpeed and Rennlist about all the problems with the EVOM wastegate actuators....I remember reading a whole discussion about them.

WROSS is like the CIA....he's everywhere....here, Pelican, SixSpeed, RennTech, Rennlist, 911Turbo....virtually everywhere.

Plus 1 for Sunset Imports in Oregon....I buy all my 930 and 996TT parts from them and have found them to be one of the best in terms of price and service. They ship quickly and are very knowledgeable. Chuck

Pierre: Is there any chance that Sportec might offer you any "goodwill" on a rebuild if it turns out that their parts failed even tho it's out of warranty? The fact they have it and are looking at it might be a sign they're interested in what happened and if it might be connected to their product line.

Doesn't variocam kick in at 3200? That's dead in the middle of the rpm range he's talking about...and the fact he doesn't feel the hesitation if he's on it hard would also tend to make one think of the variocam. That's right where I can feel mine sometimes.

WROSS: You seemed set on recommending the Bosch plugs. What's the scientific or rather technical advantage of the Bosch over the Beru plugs? You'd think that Porsche would push a german over a french plug wouldn't you? For a street car that is DE'd occasionally and taken on extended spirited mountain runs....what heat range would be best? I think I read that the guys who track a lot use a plug with a cooler heat range in them....but for us streeters....what's the best bet and why?

Dealers always like to talk you into the simple fixes....like drive it and see what happens....or put some injector cleaner in it an drive it.....hoping it will go away without having to do anything.....could be a MAF which they would have to take care of since you just got it. Get the codes read...and don't let them keep telling you to drive it to see if it goes away. Diagnosis is THEIR problem, not yours.

There are some of the mods that are nothing but snake oil remedies....and worse yet, some of the mods haven't been tested in the various engines...or are made for the American muscle market. I know that most of the Porsche folks stick with either the OEM Beru or the Bosch....with a fairly new following recommending the Bosche for a cooler spark during the high speed and track runs. Sounds like your Porsche wasn't really compatible with the Pulstars.... I just changed out my plugs after 30K and numbered and kept them all for reference....upon close inspection it was evident they all were evenly gapped, looked just about the same color and appeared to have all worn evenly. Although I put the Beru back in, I would probably go to the Bosch based upon the recommendations I'm seeing coming from some of the tuners and indys.

Brian: I was going thru my old forum subscriptions and came across this one where you suggested a link....and I confess I never went to the link. I just did and John Paterek answers my question EXACTLY. The question posed to him was the very same thing I had done. Thank you...albeit a bit belated....but thanks for the referral to the link. Chuck

When I first got mine it was all original and it stranded me a couple times...just quit after it would sputter a bit, then die and wouldn't start. turned out to be a faulty CDI box that was going out. Replaced it with the MDS 6Al which also has rev-limiter inserts that you can put in. I put in one that dropped the rev limit to 6500....The MSD runs a hotter spark also.

Pierre: Really sorry to hear that buddy....you were my inspiration. When I'd read how many miles you had on that car, it reaffirmed my confidence in looking forward to a long and relatively trouble free relationship....but I think that with the number of miles you had on her when you changed out the engine last time (217,000 km?)....at some point they just get tired...more than just the engine...running gear, suspension, wheel bearings, electrical etc. There comes a point where it becomes questionable how much more money you should continue to throw at her as opposed to moving on to a fresher car.

I was told that it takes about 100 miles for the computer to "relearn" the settings and your driving style....dunno if that's the straight story....but that's what I was told.