Matt Fresh

I just bought my first P Car, a 996 Turbo single owner, local with 14k miles and am so happy to own this awesome car. I graduated from an E46 M3 that was highly modded but just was never going to be the car that I wanted. Everything has been good so far except I think the car has a messed up clutch. It slips from 1st to 2nd shifts under WOT and when I put it in reverse the car shakes sometimes and feels like it is going to die from mis-engagement. I dont know if it is my lack of experience with this car, being used to the M3, or if it is really f--ked.

I spent the weekend out of town, and was driving a C4S '03 all weekend. That clutch felt rock solid, so I am worried that there is a problem with my Turbo. Is this a common issue? Maybe the previous driver was a crappy driver, or do the clutches go out regularly? I am worried the dealer is going to rip me off, and I am not sure who to trust do do the work anywhere else.

Suggestions...

ebaker

Sounds like it's worn out.

PorschePhD

Clutch is certainly shot!

1AS

Won't it be flywheel too? The chattering would concern me. AS

fc-racer

Doing 1st to 2nd gear shifts without lifting will do your clutch no favours. Even if it's perfect, Porsche clutches seem to be designed to break rather than transfer the power to the remainder of your drivetrain for something far more expensive to break. Try to lift between shifts and see if your clutch behaves.

Because you've already slipped it pretty bad, it may take a few hundred miles of city driving to clear the glaze on the material now. Give it some time before giving it full throttle. Also, the easiest way to test your clutch for slip is to go to a higher gear, 4th or 5th and accelerate from low RPM. When the turbos come in, if the revs shoot up out of proportion to the speed increase, your clutch is either glazed severely or worn beyond specs.

ltc

The dealer will almost certainly refinish the face of the flywheel (if possible) when the clutch is replaced.

Matt, ask your dealer to show you the clutch/flywheel during the repair if you have any doubts.

Matt Fresh

Thanks for the help guys...

I am actually at my new Porsche mechanic's shop right now... he drove the car with me and said that my clutch is ok for a while. I told him that I am used to driving my M3 and slamming the gears very quickly. He told me that in a turbo this is not necessary, and that slow shifting is fine, even on the race track. I think that I just need to adapt my driving habits to the P Car and maybe take a driving class or two with some Porsche Pro drivers.