Chessie

Greetings -

Just picked up a beautiful black/black 996tt yesterday. 31,000 miles, with a handful of nice surprises, including an ECU mod, a nice aftermarket Pioneer entertainment system, extended leather dash, and a small carbon fiber package (which I didn't think I would really like, but is growing on me), which includes the handbrake, shifter, and steering wheel.

I've been working my way through these forums for a few weeks leading up to this purchase, and I've learned a ton. I spent most of yesterday going through the owners manual (when I wasn't out driving) and getting more familiar with some of the ins and outs. I do, however, have a couple of questions:

1) Fuel filler door actuator doesn't seem to be working. When the car is locked I can still open the fuel filler door. I've done a few searches but can't really find any info here. Any help pointing me in the right direction with respect to troubleshooting and repairing would be greatly appreciated.

2) The car has a black, rubberush kind of center console hump. It seems to have some dirt and debris stuck to it, along with a couple nicks/scrapes. I'm wondering what you folks use to clean and protect this surface. I'm guessing some water and a mild soap solution would be my first attempt, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

3) Rear spoiler - looks to be about a 1/4" gap between top and bottom when in the down position. Is this normal?

4) Any way to tell if the spoiler is raising as it's supposed to at speed? Not sure I can see it back there.

This car is truly amazing, and I really don't know that much about how well it can handle yet. My other car is a BMW M5, and it's quite a ride. But acceleration and handling between these two cars is like night and day - and I haven't really even pushed the Porsche too hard yet.

Thanks for your patience -

Cheers -

-c

Macster

Had the gas filler door fail to lock a couple of times with my Boxster.

What I found was there is a small plastic bushing/sleeve that fits in a hole in the side of the door filler basin/bowl. The hole through which the locking pic extends.

If this bushing is out the pin doesn't extend far enough to egaget the latch on the lid.

If this bushing is lost you'll have to get one at the dealer parts department. Fortunately I found the bushing rolling around loose in the bowl not once but two times. The first time I didn't know what it was and put it in the ash tray in the center console and left it there for months until one day I discovered the fuel door was locked and somehow figured out the importance of that bushing.

About a quarter inch gap (from memory a quarter inch is at the very top of the gap dimension) is normal between the spoiler and the lower portion on the engine compartment lid. The gap should be even.

I can see the top surface of the spoiler when it is up in my car's rear view mirror.

"02996ttx50

1/4 in sounds a bit high, but as mac has noted there is a slight "gap" when fully retracted. i'd call it an 1/8 inch but don't trust my math lol

also.. simply get up to 75 mph and you'll see the spoiler deploy, then under 30 mph or at full stop it'll again retract. if not? you have an issue with it. DON"T ever leave it "up" manually and i would avoid the dash button altogether. that's just me, after two 996 turbos w/ spoilers lol

enjoy it! quite the difference btw 96t and the m5!

drh

Can you elaborate on Not Leaving it Up and Not using the Dash Button?

"02996ttx50

sure. the rams are not designed to hold pressure in the up position for extended ( sorry lol ) periods of time. this will cause undue stress on the system resulting over time in either leaking rams ( loss of fluid ) or outright failure. you'l have to trust me.

for that reason, and that alone, i NEVER engage the dash button. not even during washes. i am that supertsitious about them. they are very finicky and certainly a weak link design wise and i have learned what not to do with this car. leaving the spoiler "up" is ill advised, at best. i chuckle whenever i see a 96t for sale and they show the plumage fully extended like its a selling point lol

these are NOT the 993 spoilers of old lol. your mileage may vary? but it won't for long.

hope that helps.

drh

Thanks! I do prefer to learn from the mistakes/lessons of others.

"02996ttx50

no problem! it's my pleasure to share.. but it wasn't to "learn" lol

Macster

Looked a bit closer at this today. The actual gap I think is closer to 1/8th inch. The gap seems larger because of the rounded edges and darkness this adds.

The spoiler goes up -- in the case of my 03 at least -- at 75mph indicated but 73mph actual. The speedo is optimistic (by 2mph) at highway/freeway speeds. It retracts when the speed drops under 40mph, around 39/38mph. The speedo is not quite as optimistic at lower speeds.

"02996ttx50

of the 100's of highly informative and helpful posts i have read of yours..and ( unlike myself ) you have never been off by more than an 1/8th of an inch lol...and that's saying something.

Chessie

Thank you very much for the responses, gentlemen -

I was able to see the spoiler via my rear view mirror while out on the highway today, so that's one less thing to worry about. Also, sounds like the gap I have at the lowered position is normal.

Macster - thank you for the info on the rubber bushing. I'll take a look and see if this may be my issue as well.

Any suggestions for cleaning the rubber-like console? I think the door sills may have the same material on them. I'm not looking to make them shine or anything, I just want to remove the small bits of dust, and possibly buff out a few fingernail scrapes, etc.

Thank you again for your time -

-c

leftlane

It definitely wouldn't blow up your car to use the button one time to be able to walk to the rear and make sure your spoiler is rising correctly on both sides. Methinks 02996 has scared you a bit. The button is there for a reason.

Also - always listen to Macster. He has great info and never hesitates to fix anything that needs it the right way.

Can't help on the console cleaning, but I'd try mild soap and water to see if that works. Check in with the detailing forum and I bet you get some knowledgable answers pretty quick.

Mtrboatvr6

Back to the filler door, mine is the same way. Im not really sure what is wrong with it yet, but I feel its one of those 'back burner' items on my list.

Chessie

WRT the fuel filler door - I played with it a bit last night. Seems I can pull the pin/cable into the locking position by hand. It feels like it's connected to a motor on the back end someplace. It's just not engaging when I lock the car. Wonder if it's a fuse issue some place? I'll try some more searching.

-c