993 aftermarket Carbon Fiber interior install - DIY
04-22-2007, 03:15 PM
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993 aftermarket Carbon Fiber interior install - DIY
I thought I'd post this in it's own thread so people who are interested can find the instructions a little easier. 
BTW, these instructions are for the aftermarket CF parts purchased from Marcus Buhler out of Germany. They are not factory parts. They are real carbon fiber overlays and match the factory CF perfectly. I have the factory CF shift **** and the factory CF e-brake handle and you cannot tell a difference. Again, it is real carbon fiber, which is easy to tell once you look at the back side of it as it has no finish and you can see the weave.
E-mail is the best way to communicate with Marcus and be sure and tell him you found him from Rennlist and ask for the Rennlist 15% discount. Also be sure to order the full factory replica gauge surround as there is one that does not fully cover the dash and IMHO the one that covers EVERYTHING in carbon fiber looks luch better.
Here's how the install went:
1) I installed the door handles myself in about 30 minutes with no problem. I simply did a search for door handles and found a thread that told me you can pull the bottom half (map pocket) of the door off simply by removing six screws along the bottom edge. It then slides out. Because I had the Nokia sound system I did have to go one step further and remove the screws holding it in place. I was able to remove the three screws and push it to the side just enough to pull the hinge pin that holds the handle on the door. From there, I simply put the new one on after cleaning the pin and putting some teflon spray lube on it (mine squeaked) and put it all back together. Very easy mod.
2) Next was the center console pieces. Most everyone knows how easy the storage bin and the e-brake handle tray are to remove and reinstall. You start with the tray by pulling up the rubber insert in there and removing the two screws. From there it slides back and up. You then remove the two screws at the back of the e-brake handle tray and then one under the handle itself in the center of the tray. I cannot remember if there is another screw, but I think that's it. From there it slides right off over the e-brake handle in the up position. It's a tight squeeze but it slides right off. After that you simply replace those two pieces with the CF stuff and reverse the process.
3) The two pieces around the center console switches are simply glue or stick on pieces, so no explanation needed there.
4) The center dash pieces are all easy glue-on or stick on with the exception of the gauge surround. Here was my experience with these pieces. It seems obvious that the gauge surround needs to go in first. My mechanic and I decided early on the it was best to remove the steering wheel and steering column covers to make this easier and faster. He did that as I'm not knowledgable enough to deal with airbags. Once those were off, we pulled out each gauge one by one. I had a K40 wired into the two of the caution lights in the gauges, one in the gas gauge and one in the clock that were NOT being used, so we had to cut and resplice those during the reinstall, but it only added about 10 minutes. Since each gauge was out I went ahead and cleaned each rubber gasket very well and then covered them with a rubber protectant as they has begun to fade and turn white (like oxidation). They look MUCH MUCH better after that simple procedure.
Anyway, you also have to remove the two ***** for lighting and wiper speed as well as the clock setting button. All in all, eight pieces to unhook and reinstall. We thought the CF piece would just slide in from there but it wouldn't, so we had to loosen the leather dash in two places to get it just loose enough to lift up and slide the CF in. The two places we loosened are behind the clock and one screw behind a small plstic plate at the far left side of the dash where it butts up to the door. Once that is done you can lift the dash just enough to slide it in place. I recommend inserting the left side first as there is more room behind the dash to temporarily push it in the get the right side to pop in place. Once it is in there, be sure to make the bottom edge of the CF Gauge surround slide in behind the vinyl where it meets the dash. It is actually a very good tight fit, and it seems obvious once you put it in that the CF is actually held in place at the bottom by the vinyl on the dash, and at the top by all the gauges. It looks completely stock and is unbelievable looking.
5) The piece around the head light switch is not too difficult. The headlight **** simply pops off, but there is a lot of resistance, enough that you think you might break it but it popped off. The gas flap **** does not unscrew. You actually loosen the screw that holds it in place inside the gas flap. You then pull it entirely out of the car with the cable attached. It sounds like a pain but it was actually easy to get out and reinstall. From there that piece goes in easily. It's a tight fit behind the steering column but we took mine off just to make it easier.
6) From there, the piece around the A/C control and radio is easy, but it is so thin in many places that it is hard to find a place to glue it on. Both ***** above the radio unscrew.
7) The last 3 pieces in the kit I bought were the airbag covers and the piece above the passengers vent to the far right. All three of those are easy, but I would recommend going from driver's side to passenger's side in order as you may have to align some of these pieces.
All in all, I think Marcus' craftsmanship is a 9/10 scale. I have one piece that just doesn't seem to fit right but other than that I love it all. The large piece covering the lower half of the airbag just seems too short and too wide. I plan on letting Marcus know and I'm sure he'll make it right.
Anyway, I hope this helps anyone that tries to install it themselves. I did about 80% of the install with the exception of removing the gauges and the steering wheel. I think I would have been brave enough to try it, but time comes at a premium these days with three kids under 7 and a business to run so I figured it was worth an afternoon paying my mechanic to deal with the complicated stuff. Turns out I was right, because he was able to reomve and reinstall all of it in about 90 minutes, including the time it took me to throughly clean and polish the gauges as well as to stick all of the CF pieces into place.
BTW, these instructions are for the aftermarket CF parts purchased from Marcus Buhler out of Germany. They are not factory parts. They are real carbon fiber overlays and match the factory CF perfectly. I have the factory CF shift **** and the factory CF e-brake handle and you cannot tell a difference. Again, it is real carbon fiber, which is easy to tell once you look at the back side of it as it has no finish and you can see the weave.
E-mail is the best way to communicate with Marcus and be sure and tell him you found him from Rennlist and ask for the Rennlist 15% discount. Also be sure to order the full factory replica gauge surround as there is one that does not fully cover the dash and IMHO the one that covers EVERYTHING in carbon fiber looks luch better.
Here's how the install went:
1) I installed the door handles myself in about 30 minutes with no problem. I simply did a search for door handles and found a thread that told me you can pull the bottom half (map pocket) of the door off simply by removing six screws along the bottom edge. It then slides out. Because I had the Nokia sound system I did have to go one step further and remove the screws holding it in place. I was able to remove the three screws and push it to the side just enough to pull the hinge pin that holds the handle on the door. From there, I simply put the new one on after cleaning the pin and putting some teflon spray lube on it (mine squeaked) and put it all back together. Very easy mod.
2) Next was the center console pieces. Most everyone knows how easy the storage bin and the e-brake handle tray are to remove and reinstall. You start with the tray by pulling up the rubber insert in there and removing the two screws. From there it slides back and up. You then remove the two screws at the back of the e-brake handle tray and then one under the handle itself in the center of the tray. I cannot remember if there is another screw, but I think that's it. From there it slides right off over the e-brake handle in the up position. It's a tight squeeze but it slides right off. After that you simply replace those two pieces with the CF stuff and reverse the process.
3) The two pieces around the center console switches are simply glue or stick on pieces, so no explanation needed there.
4) The center dash pieces are all easy glue-on or stick on with the exception of the gauge surround. Here was my experience with these pieces. It seems obvious that the gauge surround needs to go in first. My mechanic and I decided early on the it was best to remove the steering wheel and steering column covers to make this easier and faster. He did that as I'm not knowledgable enough to deal with airbags. Once those were off, we pulled out each gauge one by one. I had a K40 wired into the two of the caution lights in the gauges, one in the gas gauge and one in the clock that were NOT being used, so we had to cut and resplice those during the reinstall, but it only added about 10 minutes. Since each gauge was out I went ahead and cleaned each rubber gasket very well and then covered them with a rubber protectant as they has begun to fade and turn white (like oxidation). They look MUCH MUCH better after that simple procedure.
Anyway, you also have to remove the two ***** for lighting and wiper speed as well as the clock setting button. All in all, eight pieces to unhook and reinstall. We thought the CF piece would just slide in from there but it wouldn't, so we had to loosen the leather dash in two places to get it just loose enough to lift up and slide the CF in. The two places we loosened are behind the clock and one screw behind a small plstic plate at the far left side of the dash where it butts up to the door. Once that is done you can lift the dash just enough to slide it in place. I recommend inserting the left side first as there is more room behind the dash to temporarily push it in the get the right side to pop in place. Once it is in there, be sure to make the bottom edge of the CF Gauge surround slide in behind the vinyl where it meets the dash. It is actually a very good tight fit, and it seems obvious once you put it in that the CF is actually held in place at the bottom by the vinyl on the dash, and at the top by all the gauges. It looks completely stock and is unbelievable looking.
5) The piece around the head light switch is not too difficult. The headlight **** simply pops off, but there is a lot of resistance, enough that you think you might break it but it popped off. The gas flap **** does not unscrew. You actually loosen the screw that holds it in place inside the gas flap. You then pull it entirely out of the car with the cable attached. It sounds like a pain but it was actually easy to get out and reinstall. From there that piece goes in easily. It's a tight fit behind the steering column but we took mine off just to make it easier.
6) From there, the piece around the A/C control and radio is easy, but it is so thin in many places that it is hard to find a place to glue it on. Both ***** above the radio unscrew.
7) The last 3 pieces in the kit I bought were the airbag covers and the piece above the passengers vent to the far right. All three of those are easy, but I would recommend going from driver's side to passenger's side in order as you may have to align some of these pieces.
All in all, I think Marcus' craftsmanship is a 9/10 scale. I have one piece that just doesn't seem to fit right but other than that I love it all. The large piece covering the lower half of the airbag just seems too short and too wide. I plan on letting Marcus know and I'm sure he'll make it right.
Anyway, I hope this helps anyone that tries to install it themselves. I did about 80% of the install with the exception of removing the gauges and the steering wheel. I think I would have been brave enough to try it, but time comes at a premium these days with three kids under 7 and a business to run so I figured it was worth an afternoon paying my mechanic to deal with the complicated stuff. Turns out I was right, because he was able to reomve and reinstall all of it in about 90 minutes, including the time it took me to throughly clean and polish the gauges as well as to stick all of the CF pieces into place.
04-22-2007, 07:08 PM
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Yeah, before and after if you have them 
04-23-2007, 04:00 AM
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Robert, excellent write-up. Glad you like it as I sure does enjoy mine. I also did the installation myself and found all the pieces fit perfectly. I'm sure you can work out a replacement for the piece that doesn't fit.
One observation though, my car (which is a RHD) gas flap **** can be unscrew very easily... guess Porsche must have used different part. However, I do have to reach over to the left side every time I'm at the gas station!
Enjoy
One observation though, my car (which is a RHD) gas flap **** can be unscrew very easily... guess Porsche must have used different part. However, I do have to reach over to the left side every time I'm at the gas station!
Enjoy
04-23-2007, 02:13 PM
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I put one picture in there that shows Marcus' CF e-brake handle tray and the center console switch pieces, right next to the Poresche Factory CF Shifte4 handle and e-brake handle. Pretty darn good match if you ask me. I thought that picture might help the skeptics that were concerned about his parts being fake CF or poorly made pieces. Fantastic stuff! Thanks Marcus!
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04-23-2007, 02:17 PM
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The last picture unfortunately shows where I think the two pieces that cover the airbag are a little short. I placed the bottom piece right in the center on the area it goes in. If I had installed it either flush with the top piece or flush with the bottom dash, the gap would be alot, ALOT, more noticable. Either way, I am sure Marcus will make it right!
The top piece is also a little short as you can see it does not meet the piece on left or right of it flush at the top, but most people would never notice. All in all, 9 on a scale of quality, and hopefully I can get those 2 pieces replaced.
The top piece is also a little short as you can see it does not meet the piece on left or right of it flush at the top, but most people would never notice. All in all, 9 on a scale of quality, and hopefully I can get those 2 pieces replaced.
04-24-2007, 07:41 PM
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THese have no hinge, so they are meant to cover all of the area. I have pictures of other Rennlister's installs, and I think mine is just a little off. I am sure marcus will amke it right.
As far as the airbag deploying, I am not sure. It does make sense that that you would want it secured though.
As far as the airbag deploying, I am not sure. It does make sense that that you would want it secured though.
04-25-2007, 12:17 AM
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Thanks, Tony, Joe and Foto. I think it looks great. I would prefer to spend the money on HP producing parts, but I guess with a 20,XXX example of this car I just haven't gotten to brave on the engine mods yet! ANd yes, it makes the original parts in the center console look faded and dirty! :-0