misterted

Good point. More than likely you will need a new set of tires.
I was told by the dealer that my car had 75% tread left, but in reality the inner treads are toast.
If you have vibration that's all the sign you need to get new shoes.

And of course, while they're in there, check everything related so you can save money by tackling it all at once.
PPI's are a guide and surprises still lurk.....

Good luck.

dayunbao

The back tires both say 3417, so they are less than a year old. However, the front tires are a different story. The driver's side front tire says 1915, so that one is about 3 years old. The passenger's side front tire doesn't have a date, so I'm just going to assume that it's at least as old as the driver's side. If nothing else, I need new front tires.

By the way, I didn't get the Porsche tool set when I bought the car. Does that mean I won't be able to get the anti-theft wheel bolts off? Will a normal tire shop have the tools to work on Porches? I'm starting to think I should go to an indie mechanic I know, and trust, who specializes in German cars. His garage is a bit far from my house, but he's knowledgeable about Porsches (and BMWs, and VWs, etc).

stever996

The anti-theft wheel bolt socket will not be something a tire shop will have. An independent shop is not the best bet, either. After you have checked the pocket on the spare tire cover, or any other storage area on the car, you may want to get 4 regular wheel bolts to replce the anti-theft bolts. To get the bolts off, it IS possible to remove them with a 12 point socket of a size I can't remember. You pound the socket on, and remove with the socket handle...it's easier than it sounds.

Other than above socket, I don't think there are Porsche-specific tools needed for normal maintenance. That said, if it were my car, I would take it to an independent shop over a tire shop. You should get the real problem IDed rather than what you think is wrong. It would be worthwhile to get an idea of other things that may/may not need attention. You can then prioritize the needs/spending.

LeeVel

"Amazing!"
"Yes! I wish the OP much luck. I think he/she may need some."
"Yeah! Makes me wonder why some people buy these cars."

I'm one of those "some people" and I bought into the idea of a Porsche 911 as a touchstone of automotive brilliance. And yeah, wish me luck too, because I plan to fight the "Porsche tax" the whole way. I won the first round - replaced the front axle boots for 1/6 of what a dealer wanted. These cars are 15% of their original value, and it makes no financial sense to pay maintenance as if they were $100,000 cars. If OP goes to the local "Bob's Big Tire Barn" or whatever, more power to him.

RngTrtl

lols. the 15% price is b/c of the M96 motor. everything else is cheap

stever996

Yes, it only makes sense to maintain a car that was once '$100.000' is if you want the $100,000 experience.. Few people do that, which is a big part of the reason surviving, well-maintained cars often appreciate, or in the case of well maintained 996s today, may be somewhat more expensive than others. The reasons for the 996s low value today are well known and easily found. While the M96 motor iS a problem, it is vastly overstated...it's single digit %-ages. To say 'everything else is cheap' is not to recognize that German cars of any stripe tend to be more expensive to maintain than others. Excellence has a cost. And, admittedly, dealers are not the best choice for cars of a certain age. Knowledgable mechanics for 993s and earlier are hard to find at most Porsche dealers.
For those looking to buy used Porsches, shop carefully, and pay attention to what is said above. Some are just used cars.

dayunbao

New tires?!? Alignment?!? New tie rod ends?!? Oh my god, whatever will I do... Seriously folks, these are all pretty basic parts, with basic fixes, and are things that will need to be done over the life of any car. Chill out. Compared to the 1973 air-cooled VW I'm restoring, which has parts that aren't even manufactured any more (I'm looking at you 9-degree left inner tie rod end), dealing with this issue is...well, it's not really an issue at all.

It's common knowledge that the best ways of dealing with any work or maintenance on a car, Porsche or otherwise, is (in descending order of desirability):

1) do it yourself
2) get a reliable and affordable indie mechanic to do it for you
3) sell your soul to the devil to fix the car
3) disembowel yourself in protest of the unfairness of the universe
4) take it to a dealer to fix it

dporto

Chill out? Judging by your OP - You were totally clueless. Now it seems, not so much - maybe just your writing style. In any case, as you've probably realized, The rear tires wear quicker than the fronts. Good luck with 'er

Porschetech3

True, that's what I was thinking, sort of a Dr Jeckle - Mr Hyde style. Hope you get it sorted GL !!

dayunbao

The "chill out" was primarily directed to the trolls, not the people being helpful. Any advice or insights are welcomed and much appreciated.

About cars in general, only somewhat clueless. When it comes to Porsche specific stuff, like needing a special tool to get a special bolt off so I can remove the wheels, I'm definitely clueless (as this is my first Porsche). This Porsche is also the first nice car I've ever owned (my VW Fastback is cool, but not nice), so I'm being extra careful about what is done to it, who I take it to, how it's washed, etc. I'd rather risk sounding clueless on the forum than showing up to a tire place, for example, and having them do something wrong and damage or break something because neither of us knew about some little thing unique to Porches.

dayunbao

Oops, sorry! Didn't mean to come across that way.

dporto

Cool... No such thing as stupid questions, but you will learn very quickly that there are plenty of questionable answers. Generally speaking, you will need fairly thick skin when "putting yourself out there" on public forums. This place in particular can get a little caustic, but it's usually not malicious. The upshot is that there are loads of smart and helpful people here. A good start is to use the search function and do plenty of reading before asking questions - chances are it's already been covered in some depth. If not, try not to be too general lest you stir the ire of the Renn-Trolls...

dayunbao

Noted, thanks.

It seems to me that people fall into one of several categories when it comes to car knowledge:

1) Can't even change a tire
2) Changes their own oil and things like air filters
3) Isn't afraid to pull an error code and then muck through a Bently's and/or YouTube videos to figure out how to swap out a simple bad part
4) Is wiling fix things that are a bit more difficult to access, and may require some disassembly of the car to access, like ball joints, brake pads, rotors, etc.

and then there are upper tiers of car knowledge, like working on transmissions, rebuilding engines, and knowing a great deal about electrical systems. I'm definitely in category 3, but am trying to move into category 4. Anyway, that's how my journey from being totally clueless to being a little bit knowledgeable about cars has developed.