Did the interior of the 996 grow on you?
#91
That brings up a good point. One thing I never liked about the 996 interior is the blackness of the instrument cluster gauge dial bezels. That blackness worked perfectly on the 993 and earlier dashboards, because there was nothing modern about those interiors, but it didn't work (in my opinion) in the 996 where the rest of the interior is modern. I don't think the factory offered aluminum gauge trim as an option, but they can be bought aftermarket. They are inexpensive and go a long way towards making the gauge cluster fit better with the rest of the modern 996 interior.
#93
Sorry, I was referring to aluminum trim rings around the outside of the gauges -- I should have posted a picture. I don't think there was a factory option for trim rings, but could be wrong.
My car actually had the "matching interior gauge color" option, which I think was something like an $1100 option, but I hated the color and they bubbled, a lot. I think the Alu-look ones are solid dials, but the interior-matching color dials are just stickers that replace the black face (those gauge dial stickers are definitely a quality issue! (especially for what they charge for it)). I wanted to put the dial faces back to black, and there are no aftermarket dials in black (and Porsche doesn't sell OEM black dial faces as a separate part), so I had actually buy another gauge cluster and then transfer the black faces to mine. It was a very painful process, but worth it to me in the end.
The gauge surround was also Savannah Beige and the PO had a dealer replace the leather dash pod (it has full leather option) with vinyl (presumably the original leather one was damaged), so I put leather pod back in with contrasting gray gauge surround (instead of beige). I also added the aluminum trim rings around the dials. The wraparound trim piece under the gauges and steering wheel surround are vinyl ,even with full leather option, and the vinyl color darkened over time to no longer match the leather color, so I replaced those surrounds also (using non-colorfast vinyl on those pieces with the full leather option is another example of a quality issue to me). The leather hazard button had LED's for a hidden K40 radar detector, so I replaced it with new leather surround while I was in there. Originally it was a "sea of beige" with bubbled beige gauges, and the end result was a more contrasting look.
Some people might prefer the look the original "all beige" look before my changes, and others might like the more contrasting look after the changes. That's why I think the 996 interior can look good to anyone as long as you have the options that match your individual preferences.
My car actually had the "matching interior gauge color" option, which I think was something like an $1100 option, but I hated the color and they bubbled, a lot. I think the Alu-look ones are solid dials, but the interior-matching color dials are just stickers that replace the black face (those gauge dial stickers are definitely a quality issue! (especially for what they charge for it)). I wanted to put the dial faces back to black, and there are no aftermarket dials in black (and Porsche doesn't sell OEM black dial faces as a separate part), so I had actually buy another gauge cluster and then transfer the black faces to mine. It was a very painful process, but worth it to me in the end.
The gauge surround was also Savannah Beige and the PO had a dealer replace the leather dash pod (it has full leather option) with vinyl (presumably the original leather one was damaged), so I put leather pod back in with contrasting gray gauge surround (instead of beige). I also added the aluminum trim rings around the dials. The wraparound trim piece under the gauges and steering wheel surround are vinyl ,even with full leather option, and the vinyl color darkened over time to no longer match the leather color, so I replaced those surrounds also (using non-colorfast vinyl on those pieces with the full leather option is another example of a quality issue to me). The leather hazard button had LED's for a hidden K40 radar detector, so I replaced it with new leather surround while I was in there. Originally it was a "sea of beige" with bubbled beige gauges, and the end result was a more contrasting look.
Some people might prefer the look the original "all beige" look before my changes, and others might like the more contrasting look after the changes. That's why I think the 996 interior can look good to anyone as long as you have the options that match your individual preferences.
Last edited by peterp; 09-15-2021 at 07:39 PM.
The following users liked this post:
Breakthru (09-15-2021)
#96
It’s a very basic interior much like the generations that proceeded it. I have always enjoyed its simplicity. Porsche interiors became too luxurious for my taste after the 996. To me Porsche interiors were always just utilitarian and basic which was part of the appeal.
The following 2 users liked this post by Arnuld:
Elumere (10-25-2020),
James_03C4S (10-24-2020)
#97
The other style is the "thinner" gauge rings from Dido Tuning in Poland (https://www.ebay.com/itm/PORSCHE-911...item33c41ab284). These actually come in several finishes including brushed aluminum.
Wide style (aluminum paint stripped, sanded, polished to raw brushed aluminum)
Thin Style (from Dido Tuning)
Last edited by peterp; 10-24-2020 at 09:48 PM.
The following users liked this post:
kc0433 (10-26-2020)
#98
The following users liked this post:
GC996 (09-15-2021)
#101
I honestly wasn't in love with it when I was early shopping these cars. Now I am a huge fan. I personally think a GT3 console delete makes a massive difference in a good way.
It's kind of like the outside. So ugly it's beautiful.
It's kind of like the outside. So ugly it's beautiful.
The following users liked this post:
GC996 (09-15-2021)
The following users liked this post:
GC996 (09-16-2021)
#103
#104
#105
Thank you. The boot is an alcantara one with silver stitching from Black Forrest Industries and shift **** is a RaceSeng Circuit 100. Kind of reminded me of the more modern/current Porsche shift ***** and feels much better in hand than stock.
The following users liked this post:
Sirenty (09-16-2021)