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It's amazingly easy to swap out rear deck lids.
My son and I did it in 5 minutes.
I also pulled the left taillight just in case I needed to pull the emergency release cable. (I did! But a quick adjustment of the latch fixed it)
I have latches, seals, & fans for all 3 of my deck lids.
So it's just 4 screws and 2 electrical connectors.
Really no need to get spare fans unless you find them cheap on eBay.
Save some cash and then it's just 7 bolts.
You can also find used latches on eBay.
My car is not low key anymore.
But being grey it doesn't stand out like a lot of other colors.
In Texas you can get a ticket for clear license plate covers. The law is there can be nothing covering the license plate. Usually you won't be pulled over and ticketed for just this, but you can. Just like lots of Porsches driving around Texas without a front license plate...just waiting to get a ticket. Some people never get one and some people get 2+ per year.
California has the same law about covering the license plate with about the same enforcement.
At my last CPR refresher training, I sat next to a SDPD cop and we had a lot of time to chat. He said that in his 12 years on the force he's only written 7 tickets and he leaves the missing front plates, plate coverings and soccer moms talking on the phone to "motorcycle cops and the CHP".
None of my five cars have a front plate and two of them don't have the correct style plate for their year. My last plate ticket was in 2008 (and yes, it was a motorcycle cop) so it seems like the odds have been working in my favor. Now watch me get pulled over tomorrow...
Took a ride to the beach with the top down on a perfect day. Went for a long walk on the boardwalk to get some exercise and fresh air. Enjoyed a spirited ride home. Life is good.
I got a ticket in my 997 once because I had a lightly smoked license plate cover. Cop told me they are illegal. I never knew that or bothered to look into it. I feel there was another reason why he pulled me over, but I won’t get into that here. Just saying I don’t think you are in the clear just because it’s visible. Maybe you should double check your local laws to be sure.
Ohio Revised CodeA)(1) No person who is the owner or operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to display in plain view on the rear of the motor vehicle a license plate that displays the distinctive number and registration mark assigned to the motor vehicle by the director of public safety, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under sections 4503.19 and 4503.191 of the Revised Code, except that a commercial tractor shall display the license plate and validation sticker on the front of the commercial tractor.
(2) The license plate shall be securely fastened so as not to swing, and shall not be covered by any material that obstructs its visibility.
All of everyone's points are duly noted. I know I'm playing with fire a bit by having the cover but it's very lightly tinted. It just makes the bright white Ohio plate slightly gray. See my avatar - the cover is on in that pic. It takes being pretty darn close to realize it's there, whereas before with the blue lights you could see from ANY distance it was completely unreadable. It's not a necessity, it came on the car and I liked how it muted the only bright white thing on the car. I drive it around the Toledo suburbs. With what's on the roads next to me every day, this tinted cover is NOT what a cop is wasting their time on. I sat next to a clear cover on some beater the other day that had cracked and yellowed so much nothing was readable in clear daylight. To the "letter of the law" I have not covered it with any material that obstructs it's visibility. The other folks around here...different story.
Ohio Revised CodeA)(1) No person who is the owner or operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to display in plain view on the rear of the motor vehicle a license plate that displays the distinctive number and registration mark assigned to the motor vehicle by the director of public safety, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under sections 4503.19 and 4503.191 of the Revised Code, except that a commercial tractor shall display the license plate and validation sticker on the front of the commercial tractor.
(2) The license plate shall be securely fastened so as not to swing, and shall not be covered by any material that obstructs its visibility.
In Ontario we have to have front and back, and we have to detail them
Number plate to be kept clean (2) Every number plate shall be kept free from dirt and obstruction and shall be affixed so that the entire number plate, including the numbers, is plainly visible at all times, and the view of the number plate shall not be obscured or obstructed by spare tires, bumper bars, any part of the vehicle, any attachments to the vehicle or the load carried.
The next three section also discuss obstructing them with anything that prevents an accurate photograph or reading by a speed camera, red light camera, or toll camera.
I've seen that section above (reference to the "entire number plate") used to write tickets for a dealer frame. If there wasn't a separate section that made defacing or altering them a violation, I would "crop" my front to just the numbers.
I'll probably get flamed for this, but sharing anyway since I found it beneficial.
I routinely use Marvel Mystery Oil in vintage cars (4 oz per 10 gallons) in the fuel (highly recommended by very respected mechanics).
I rarely use it in newer cars, but since I was doing a DT-40 oil change on the 996.1, I decided to add MMO to the fuel and add a little less than a quart of MMO to the oil (I keep the oil level at half-way between marks per Jake's recommendation, so it had room for the MMO). Then I drove it for half-hour or so at elevated RPM's, before draining the oil and changing it. I have to say that, even though the engine was quiet and ran great before the MMO/oil change, it is even quieter and runs better after. I never noticed that on prior DT-40 oil changes. MMO is older than dirt, but never heard a negative thing about it and have had very positive experiences when I choose to use it.
I don't add MMO to oil for full-time use, but I am going to get in the habit of running a bit of it just before oil changes (at least on older and vintage cars).
Just got back from 2 week vacation in Merida Mexico, got pulled over twice by the police, first time I was at a red light and ambalance was behind with sirens and lights on, so I moved over on red light so he could go, my plan is always be dumb gringo and the SOB knew english, he told me it was elligal and I have to wait for green light and he needs to write me up, told him I could fund him in anoother way, he ok, brought out the money and he said hey don't show me money i'll reach in the car and grab it,LOL, next day in one smal town, all the town entrance and exit are guarded by police and pulled over again this time for no front plates, again played dunb gringo,and didnt understand a single word he said, LOL understood everything he said and handed him all the car rental paperwork and international driver license, he was getting a atitude and finally said get out here. So found out front are requireed in Mexico too..
Restored wheels using Wurth silver wheel paint and lacquer clear coat, and using QuickSteel putty to repair very deep scratches. The Wurth paint seems to be an exact match. I didn't want to touch the original paint so I only spot-painted the repaired sections and it was a perfect match.
BEFORE:
AFTER: You really can't tell where it was repaired
I've been trying to sell it for months with only a few nibbles here and there. Ended up selling the car today to a guy who looked at it before but didn't buy it previously for a variety of reasons.
Not sure why it was so hard to get it sold. It was great car and all of the "issues" that it had when I bought it were fixed and it included many extras. I took the car to a shop selected by the buyer to do a non-invasive but still thorough PPI and the only "bad" thing that the mechanic could say about it was that it needed a new drive belt.
So, it was good a 996 as anyone could buy for the price I offered it at ($25k) which was lower than most other 996's offered w/similiar equipment and mileage. I took a little less than I was asking but I still got a good price for it which cover almost all of the costs that I paid to fix and upgrade it.
So, I'm happy.
While I have mixed feelings about selling it but I really don't regret it.
I own 3 other "sports cars," including a 2014 C7 Z51 Corvette Stingray, a 2008 Cobb tuned/M3 modified BMW 335i and a 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder.
The 996 was the most costly in terms of maintenance/repair and the most worrisome" in terms of the possibility of engine killing defects. I didn't dwell on the vulnerabilities of the engine but they did kill the "joy" of owning the 996 a bit for me. The 996 was also NOT the most "fun" of these cars fo me to drive.
I simply enjoy driving the other cars much more.
So, I can now check the 911 off of my "bucket list." I will not be buying another but it was an enjoyable experience while it lasted.
Here's wishing you all many years/miles of fun and problem free driving to come in your 911s.
06-16-2021, 05:56 PM
A)(1) No person who is the owner or operator of a motor vehicle shall fail to display in plain view on the rear of the motor vehicle a license plate that displays the distinctive number and registration mark assigned to the motor vehicle by the director of public safety, including any county identification sticker and any validation sticker issued under sections 4503.19 and 4503.191 of the Revised Code, except that a commercial tractor shall display the license plate and validation sticker on the front of the commercial tractor.
