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That’s what I thought. They look good on the car, but would it concern you that it’s not OEM on a car like this? My mind starts wandering to all the bad reasons someone would swap them out....
If they are Champion wheels, I wouldn’t be that concerned cause they are nice forged wheels and are pricey. I would wonder why the previous owner wouldn’t have sold them separately from the car, however. Maybe they are replicas.
Originally Posted by TopKatz
That’s what I thought. They look good on the car, but would it concern you that it’s not OEM on a car like this? My mind starts wandering to all the bad reasons someone would swap them out....
It is my first 911/997. It’s getting a PPI from Stevens in metro Detroit Monday. Found him on Pcar. Im confident he knows what he is doing but I’ll definitely mention this to him. I had mentioned the main rear seal and the IMS but would love other suggestions.
How many miles on it? A few tidbits to know on the .1:
DME - make sure they check for overrevs, codes.
IMS - 2006 model year and above has the large bearing IMS. Cant and dont need to replace (unlike the 05 and earlier). Extremely low failure rate so not something to worry about.
RMS - it can leak but an easy fix when you replace the clutch. Its a $20 seal. They seem to leak more in cars that aren't used regularly. Its more of an annoyance so you can hold out fixing until the transmission comes off.
Bore Scoring - if the car has cold weather driving in its history (Detroit), you want to be very thorough in checking for potential bore scoring. Its very rare but it happens, and its all associated with cars that hav been in cold weather (midwest, Canada, etc). A few theories on the root cause but the usuals are a) the ethanol they put in the winter blends, b) improper warm up (gunning it before oil temp is up to speed), and/or c) letting the car warm up in the driveway for a long time on cold days (dumps fuel in the cylinders). Symptoms include drivers exhaust getting black (the dealer would clean this), smoke on cold startup, high oil consumption (hard to know from a dealer car), and the last stage is knocking/ticking noise at idle. I would pay a couple hundred bucks extra to get the passenger bank cylinders scoped (this is where the scoring usually occurs). And ask what oil is currently in the car.
Check the Oil Filter - this is my personal recommendation. I would pay an extra hundred bucks to remove the oil filter and inspect, or just have the oil changed. The dealer may have just done so I would ask. The filter is where you can get the best understanding of what's going on with the engine. A clean filter is a clean engine...unless the dealer replaced it.
Starter/Alternator Cable - 997.1s have an issue where the starter cable can build up resistance due to a bad crimp. it leads to a "slow/sluggish start" when the engine is up to temp (over 200F). its a cheap part ($100) but a pain to install. to test for it get the car over 200F oil temp then turn it off and immediately restart it. If its sluggish the cable is bad. They can also sometimes see the cable boot melted near the starter.
Expansion Tank Cracks - the expansion tank cracks on most 997s as they get older. You need to inspect closely for hairline cracks. Another cheap part but pain to install as you need to drop the engine down a bit to get it out.
Water Pump - these are consumable items on the 997. They need to be replaced every 4-5 years. Try to find the history on yours or budget a replacement.
Clutch - these can last 50-100k miles.
Tires - rears tend to last 15-20k miles, fronts double that. Check the age on the tires. If it hasn't been driven a lot in the past few years the they can look new but turn rock hard and dry rot.
Strut Mounts - these can go at 60-80k miles. Typically the fronts go first. To inspect go over some low speed bumps and listen for clunks. The rears you need to go around a bumpy corner at 30mph or so to load up the suspension and listen for rattles coming from the rear seat area. Again, cheap parts (about $100 per strut) but you need to pull the struts off to replace.
Bump Stops - the yellow bump stops on most 997s degrade/disintegrate over time. Not a big issue but they cant be replaced unless you take the struts off. They are like $20 a piece.
Suspension - struts can last a while and you typically dont hear about any issues until 100k+ miles.
AC Switches - the soft touch paint degrades on these and the center console. You can buy replacements from MACarbon.com for $150. The center console can easily be resprayed.
Frunk Switch - usually goes at some point. $100 replacement.
Frunk Struts - these get soft and dont hold up the hood. $100 replacement.
Ignition Switch - these can go. If you have any delay between turning the key and the starter kicking over, its the switch. $100 part, simple fix.
Passenger Mirror - the motors on these sometimes can go. They aren't used much so most people dont realize until after they bought the car.
Gas Caps - the seals can go bad leading to the engine stuttering or a CEL. ~$50.
Expansion Tank Caps - The seals on these can go too. They have an updated part # for these which fixes it. ~$20.
Im on 30k miles of daily driving. Best value sports car on the planet. You will love it if you do your homework and are handy. Or find a good local indy. Dont take to a dealer for repairs unless you like parting with your money. If you want white glove dealer service, get an aftermarket warranty from Fidelity.
Nice. At 22k I would expect the RMS and water pump to need replacement, and probably old tires. You likely wouldn't experience the starter cable issues until 40-50k miles.
And have them take a lot of pics of the bumpers, hood, and windshield to get a feel for the number of rockchips (these cars all get them). Black paint highlights them and you dont want to be disappointed after it arrives.
definitely Kinesis wheels.
When I worked there in 1995, the company was owned by Peter Stacey who had a widebody 914 that he raced. There was a rumor that they used his 914 as a design inspiration when designing the boxster. When I worked there, we actually got a pre-production boxster to mod and show at car week when it was Concours de Italiana and Laguna Seca Classic, pre rennsport reunion and etc. This rumor makes sense to me because Peter had a hand in the design of the famous Shelby Cobra and had attended Art Center in Pasadena majoring in car design. Peter had also had taken over Etoile Wheels previously, which are kind of ferrari dude wheels, I think.
The wheels were high quality. Wheels from that era were sealed with my finger, so they are worth way more.
The wheels were made in house a couple blocks from HRE in Vista/Carlsbad just off Palomar Airport Rd. in a little industrial park. We mostly made wheels for Porsche guys at the time.
The company was sold when Peter Stacey retired. I know the guy sponsored an RWB build but I do not know anything other than seeing Kinesis wheels on an RWB car.
This is is such cool information. Thanks for sharing this!!!
Originally Posted by jamesinger
definitely Kinesis wheels.
When I worked there in 1995, the company was owned by Peter Stacey who had a widebody 914 that he raced. There was a rumor that they used his 914 as a design inspiration when designing the boxster. When I worked there, we actually got a pre-production boxster to mod and show at car week when it was Concours de Italiana and Laguna Seca Classic, pre rennsport reunion and etc. This rumor makes sense to me because Peter had a hand in the design of the famous Shelby Cobra and had attended Art Center in Pasadena majoring in car design. Peter had also had taken over Etoile Wheels previously, which are kind of ferrari dude wheels, I think.
The wheels were high quality. Wheels from that era were sealed with my finger, so they are worth way more.
The wheels were made in house a couple blocks from HRE in Vista/Carlsbad just off Palomar Airport Rd. in a little industrial park. We mostly made wheels for Porsche guys at the time.
The company was sold when Peter Stacey retired. I know the guy sponsored an RWB build but I do not know anything other than seeing Kinesis wheels on an RWB car.
If you really want OE wheels I’ll trade you my 19” OE sport design wheels. They’re powder coated black. All kidding aside, those wheels look really nice. Just because certain wheels are original equipment doesn’t make it the absolute best available option. Every manufacturer, Porsche included, needs to make a profit and has a certain price point they need to meet.
05-18-2019, 11:35 AM
06 C2s. What wheel is this?
