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Took mine up to the dealer to check on some parts. Coming from Germany 😑
When I left, there were two sales guy next to my car and they asked what year. I said 99 and one said wow I thought it was an 05. "So it's a...99...6?"
Yep
Took mine up to the dealer to check on some parts. Coming from Germany 😑
When I left, there were two sales guy next to my car and they asked what year. I said 99 and one said wow I thought it was an 05. "So it's a...99...6?"
Yep
There's always a segment of Porsche owners that are absolute snobs and have to have a model that they pick on as inferior. All the time I owned my 996, it has been the car that Porsche-snobs attack. I always loved my car and always responded that it's still a 911 and kicks the butt of every 911 that came before it. I now find it hilarious (as always happens) that opinion has turned around and what was once hated is now becoming loved. Ask the 906, 914 and 924 how they feel... what was once hated is now loved and valuable.
Just in time for Halloween I got rid of the pumpkin turn signals and replaced them with the smoked European ones
Take it one step further and replace those amber bulbs with a chrome amber bulbs. You won’t have the egg yolk appearance and just cleans the look up that much more. I just replaced my rear turn signals 5 minutes ago with chrome amber bulbs to completely get rid of all the amber on my car.
My son is car watching my 2003 Carrera Convertible while I’m overseas. I’ve been purchasing parts for maintenance and some for fun parts before I ship her overseas. I intend on having the following work done at a performance shop in Atlanta and then have an ECU flash done. On my things to do list is:
1. Change oil and all fluids with Porsche recommended fluids.
2. Engine Mounts – replacing the engine mounts with Porsche issued mounts after reading the posts about aftermarket engine mounts and J. Raby's comments.
3. Transmission Mount – replacing the transmission mount with a Porsche original equipment mount. I believe it’s the original mount in the car.
4. Manifold – replacing the el-cheapo brand eBay manifold (previous owner installed) with a Top Gear manifold to match the Top Gear 200 Cell Cats already on the car. I was gonna go full Top Gear to include the exhaust, but my research suggests that my factory exhaust with the Fister mod does me well enough. Oh yeah a salesperson from Fabs… said I definitely need their $2.K Maxflo exhaust to bring it all together.
5. IPD Competition & GT3 Throttle Body – I believed the hype . For every it’s a worthless bolt-on post I’ve seen about these plenums and throttle bodies, I’ve seen just as many saying they are the cat’s meow. The guy from IPD said I NEED this, setup. My tuner also recommended it.
6. Secondary Air Injection Pump – I am having what I call the “sewing machine sound” on start-up that lasts a short while then disappears. Reading my beloved forum suggests that the SAI is defective. The prices are all over the map for this one. The majority of the parts that I have ordered came from either Pelican or ECS, but a forum member said he bought a SAI on eBay. I never considered eBay as a source. I couldn’t turn down the new SAI I purchased for $90.00.
7. 997 Airbox and filter – I found a used 997 airbox with a Porsche 3.6 stamp on eBay. I’ve read that it may provide better air flow, but all agree it looks so, so much better.
8. MAF – since I’m tinkering with air flow, I got a new MAF unit as well.
9. Fuel Injectors – these were a bear to source; most locations I searched were out of stock. I ended up getting the “white” injectors from Pelican. I believe the original injectors are in the car now.
10. Injection Coils and Plugs – the current setup is about five years old and were very inexpensive. Purchased genuine Porsche parts from Pelican. I don’t know if these were needed to be replaced but since easy access can be had as a result of the other work being done I thought it a good idea.
11. GT3 Shifter – shifters represent the wild, wild west . As I read what is available, it was clear from the postings – everyone has an opinion on which is the best or which one is wrong. I decided to go with the GT3 shifter.
12. ECU Flash – After all of the above, the same shop will perform a GT3 Performance Tune. What are my goals – just some spirited driving from time to time, better throttle response when needed and more aural stimulation would be great. I’m not looking for great horsepower gains. I will never track her. She will be a semi-daily driver. This is from the tuner’s website –
This tune is for the GT3 3.6L making fast Porsches faster is our Solomotorsports.com. With years of knowledge under our belts, our expert team of Porsche engineers will fine-tune your Porsche GT3 3.6L ECU resulting in higher performance gains across the board. Our Porsche ECU tune for the GT3 3.6L will grant your GT3 3.6L higher horsepower, better throttle response & overall legal drivability. We can even remove limits set by the factory unleashing your GT3 3.6L powerful hidden potential!
After the Tuning Shop -
13. Convertible Top – having both cylinders rebuilt and then taking it to the dealership for calibration. The last time I lowered the top (about a year ago), when I was raising it back up, it got stuck. It eventually closed correctly but it traumatized me, and I have haven’t lowered it since. I want to make sure the cylinders and the microswitches are working as they should be.
14. Wrap – The last stateside event is getting the car wrapped. As a 2003, the paint is in varying degrees of distress. I want to go in a completely different direction by having the car wrapped in a 2018 Porsche 911 RSR inspired style. I’ve selected my color choices and I’m very excited about the possibilities. This is definitely in the category of “it’s not for me but it’s your car, do what you want to do” category. That being said, I’m sure all will not like the results but as said earlier, it is my car 😊.
15. Interior – I’m super excited about this part. I’ve made contact with a local upholstery shop here and told them what I want. The interior as I know it will be completely redone in leather with a color scheme that supports the exterior wrap. I checked out some of their previous work and watched them on some current projects – I’m thoroughly impressed. A tremendous amount of work they intend on doing and the price tag – just over $1K. The cost of labor here is non-existent. Again, in the category of “it’s your car…”
16. Other – I’ve already did a suspension refresh with coilovers and a serious stereo upgrade that purist will not approve of . Lighting – installed LEDs in the tail lights, HIDs in the headlights and a smoke color side marker that has the arrow flash when the turn signal indicator is activated.
As I’ve just completed the purchase of the parts, I will return the States to have the work done. Is there anything else maintenance-wise that you recommend I do before I ship it in November?
Lesson Learned:
a. The forum is a great source of information and entertainment.
b. Opinions take you all over the map. Sometimes it’s hard for a non-wrench turning enthusiast to make the right decisions.
c. Can you believe the vendor hype? The jury is still out on this one.
d. Prices – I tried to get Porsche Genuine Parts or Bosch. The range from generic parts to high end parts can vary greatly.
e. Lastly, I know it didn’t happen if pictures aren’t posted – pictures are coming upon completion.
Thanks for letting me be a member in this great community .
Got my reflectors for the new litronics in. Took a little sanding to get them to fit right, which I didn't expect. But with the clear marker lights and (not pictured) fresh wash it looks like a new car!
12. ECU Flash – After all of the above, the same shop will perform a GT3 Performance Tune. What are my goals – just some spirited driving from time to time, better throttle response when needed and more aural stimulation would be great. I’m not looking for great horsepower gains. I will never track her. She will be a semi-daily driver. This is from the tuner’s website –
This tune is for the GT3 3.6L making fast Porsches faster is our Solomotorsports.com. With years of knowledge under our belts, our expert team of Porsche engineers will fine-tune your Porsche GT3 3.6L ECU resulting in higher performance gains across the board. Our Porsche ECU tune for the GT3 3.6L will grant your GT3 3.6L higher horsepower, better throttle response & overall legal drivability. We can even remove limits set by the factory unleashing your GT3 3.6L powerful hidden potential!
.
Correct me if I'm wrong but this sounds like a tune FOR GT3's! Which I'm sure you know is completely different than your car and will not work, right? By the way, it sounds like it will be a well sorted car when your done. Good luck with the project.
09-23-2021, 05:57 PM
. For every it’s a worthless bolt-on post I’ve seen about these plenums and throttle bodies, I’ve seen just as many saying they are the cat’s meow. The guy from IPD said I NEED this, setup. My tuner also recommended it. 
I want to make sure the cylinders and the microswitches are working as they should be. 
. Lighting – installed LEDs in the tail lights, HIDs in the headlights and a smoke color side marker that has the arrow flash when the turn signal indicator is activated.
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