There's a button on the center console that turns that light off. Any time I've ever had it come on is with the low fuel light.

 

some solid progress was made this weekend:
I was able to clean some of the primordial ooze to see what it would take to clean the car. Regular washes do nothing to this stuff. Maybe the pictures will show it, but i've never seen such a durable layer of filth anywhere. Imagine the floor of your local dive bar...
It looks like I need a more aggressive yet paint-safe cleaner/degreaser, followed by clay, the I'll turn it over to a friend who will machine polish and wet sand it. I buy his theory that the best detailers are actually painters and body men. One section of the rear fender was cleaned up in just a few minutes and the shine is encouraging.

Speaking of encouraging: I was visited by 3 RL'ers this morning in 2 sparkling p-cars who provided a ton of advice, good wishes, etc. Seeing how sweet the finished product can be gives all the motivation I need to do a thorough job. I never realized how subtly beautiful metallic black is, and speed yellow is always mean. Thanks guys!
I continue to draw from http://www.jackals-forge.com/lotus/ too.

So, after an hour or so of b.s and car talk I got back into the engine bay to vacuum and blast with compressed air. I felt like a dental hygenist working on a giant who had eaten a bag of snickers bars. There was a LOT of crap throughout the bay and my technique with the crevice tool on the vacuum and a 2' kinked extension tube on the compressed air gun (with the end wrapped with tape to prevent scratches) was very effective. Now that a lot of the rubber and plastic covers are removed I can also see whats' what with the engine and I'm staring to understand all that is crammed into the back of this thing.

Over the next few days I'll get to do some detailing before I give the equivalent of a 60k service this weekend. New tires go on this week too.

I hope for a 1st drive on Sunday!

A few questions came up today:
Can rusted brake rotors be cleaned up? How rusted is too rusted?
My front windshield outer seal has a tear. Should I replace front and rear outer seals as a precaution? It looks like I'll be doing a lights out, new gasket, paint correction in about 2 weeks.
I can't figure out how to remove the rear center reflector/light. I've removed the screws on top but its not free and I dont want to break any tabs. Help!

 

Dirty dirty dirty

 

Keep the updates coming! Wishing you the best... Just keep doing what your doing!

 

inside of tailight housings were crusty. note shiny fender!

 

Should I try to find a replacement sticker or remove it completely?

 

getting there. I think i'll start using a nicer camera.

 

Replacement stickers are available.

Once you have removed the top trim piece for the rear reflector housing there are two or four long screws hidden inside. Look down inside the 3/4" holes under where the trim piece was with a flashlight.

I'd replace the seals and inspect for rust as Geolab suggested.. Looks like the paint got really toasted, leave that to a pro and see what they can do. Do all the mechanical first so you don't mess up what the paint corrector does.

Pull the worst rotor off and bring it to a pro to see if it can be saved/reground.

Thanks for taking the time to update us, we are all curious, and wish you the best of luck.

Depending on your frame of mind you may or may not want to keep track of the $ spent.

Regards,

 

Well I'll say that you guys really failed me. Ive had plenty of good advice but one particular warning really would have been appreciated. This morning I was pushing the car around the shop and as I was easing it into position I stopped walking and stood there. The car slowly glided past me and the left rear tire ran over my foot!
Damn widebody. It hurt like hell but fortunately I don't have to explain myself to any medical professionals.

 

wow lol. for the paint i might take it to a professional and let them wetsand and polish it. the results can be extremely dramatic. i would not DIY this unless you have experience doing it, because done wrong, you can do damage that can't be brought back w/o repaint. good luck!

...with the foot too.

 

I agree about the paint. I'm doing the initial cleaning and claying, removing mirrors, door handle, badges, etc and a pro paint & body-man who shares the shop space will do the wetsanding and buffing.

 

dont jump the gun and wetsand as of yet. I would advise using a good compound like Mezerna or Meguiars 105 along with a wool pad and a rotary. My 928 was in barnfind condition when I got it and the paint now is pretty nice. Its amazing the quality Porsche used in their paint process and by wetsanding you are getting a good layer of clear off, so I suspect you may not need to do that with the exeption of some spots... Mine needed minor wetsanding on some areas and that is all. Try it and you will be surprised!

 

I would second Danny's opinion on the Menzerna products. They are safe to use and can give outstanding results. Worth a try anyway.

 

You should have a video cam placed permanent overhead somewhere with motion sensor so you can record the whole process. After you are done, u could speed it up so we can see it all in an one minute clip. )

 

Christian, local guys recommended a really good paint recovery person. You might want to look into that. Price seemed reasonable to me.