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@darkhorse - you just moved that project to the top of the list! Great info. I had somebody quote $800 just for labor the other day. How long did it take and what instructions did you follow?
@m1a1mg - welcome! Let us know how we can help. After you get the cab you need a coupe for yourself ;-)
@gajgmusic - send pics! your one owner 4S sounds epic.
TheBruce,
It was a few years ago, but I think I used the instructions with the springs; maybe I looked on youtube, too. It's pretty straight-forward. I took most of a day, maybe six hours, but I detailed the wheels, wheel wells, and suspension while it was up with the wheels off. I think a morning should do fine if you're just changing the springs.
It starts going faster after the first one as you get the hang of using the spring compressor to get them in and out.
Great write up. I too picked up a base Carrera for under $30K. I have spent another $1,500 getting it up to speed. Dension BT, trim parts, gear shifter replacement etc. The last thing I need to tackle is the brake dust. Other than that, I am in love. Just added the decals this weekend.
@taguirre - congrats! That is one clean Carrera. Those stripes are epic. I was debating putting them on. I just don't know if a they work as well on a silver car.
Speaking of trim parts, I just did a write up on my center console respray.
Great write up. Thank you for taking the time to post. I relate to many of your experiences. I had a rattle coming from the driver's side seat belt assembly and another from the center dash below the door lock button. Brought the car in and the dealership fixed both of them for no charge.
I bought my 2007 C2 in October from my local dealer. It had 55K miles. They changed the oil, brake fluid, air filter, spark plugs and put on four new tires (Michelin PIlot Sports - N2 rated). I paid $33.9K.
Great post, lot of good information for new buyers. I wish I could have joined the forum before purchasing. Bought 2006 C4 Cab 6 speed, 3 weeks ago 😊 and loving it.
I’m struggling to make a decision on your #32 Aftermarket warranty. Any updates from your side? Did you or did not got one?
Another detail obsessed shopper.....like myself! Very similar looking cars. Mine is a 997.2 S in same combination. Wanted sapphire blue since I earlier had a Cayman S in Silver/black. Bought from an engineer in Austin last summer. I got over the color since prior owner had done 90% of all the mods I wanted to do...someday. Turbo Wing deck, PSE with Sharkwerks X, Fabspeed dual cone intake, spacers, titanium lugs, clear side markers, ceramic tint, pads with more grip and less dust, about new Pilot Sports with 305's rear. Being a software engineer he of course had a Durametric and programmed in some neat tricks I just never would have. Plus all the options I was looking for like PDK, Sport Chrono+, etc. The last 10% is after Market wheels. I still can't decide on what I want.
So, congrats on a successful quest. Hope it is just the start of many years of enjoyment.
@earranagu - I haven't pulled the trigger on the warranty. I was considering just getting a powertrain warranty for any catastrophic IMS issue but haven't been able to get confirmation it would be covered. Out of all the P-car mechanics I spoken to only one saw a single 2006+ with an IMS issue. Lastly, im going on nearly 5k miles and the car has been bulletproof. Not a single issue. I am going to send the oil off to Blackstone after my first oil change. That will drive my decision.
@own_goal - re "a Durametric and programmed in some neat tricks I just never would have"...do tell on what the tricks are?
I need to check my list but two right off the top I like are no foot on the brake to start. You can reach in and start it if working on something. That TT rear wing normally comes up at like 75 it seems. Under hard acceleration it starts up at 38 so totally up by 75. Probably not durametic but car came without PSE and owner added that along with the X pipe. Dual programmed the home link so 1 is closed and 2nd button is open. Slick I thought.
By the way, on my '06 Cayman S bought an extended warranty. Wasted $. Car was solid. Oil changes and tires only.
Great thread! I just recently purchased my first 911 and experienced some of the issues outlined in this thread. Mine was a 2007 911 Carrera Cabriolet with 6 spd manual and sport/sport chrono options. Had 44k miles at the time of purchase.
I've put new tires/wheels, refinished some trim pieces that needed attention, re-finished headlights, ordered new fog lights (went OEM, didn't like the look of the aftermarket ones), and I just recently ordered a new convertible top. Mine is showing some wear and I think black would look much better with my car than grey.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this car, can't believe I didn't get one sooner . I've put over 2k miles on mine in about 6 weeks.
I want to get my HVAC buttons refinished. I'm in the process of replacing the convertible top with a new black top. I love the 19" turbo style wheels I put on the car. I went with Continental Extreme Contact Sport XL tires and really like them. And I want to upgrade the exhaust. Just not sure which exhaust I'm going to go with.
I've also contemplated upgrading the head unit to a modern unit with Apple Car Play. Just kinda torn at the moment because I'm not sure how long I will keep this car (torn between enjoying it for awhile or getting a newer S model or turbo model).
Love this forum. I have found a lot of good info on Rennlist.
One thing I've learned since driving my car: how to deal with brake squeal.
The brakes need way more exercise than you think. Stomp on it. Keep the pad surface constantly re-surfacing. It's not a one time exercise, but a mindset to get into.
I figured I should update this thread with the latest. I think I'm up to 49 lessons learned in my 997 journey, and have had many more in the last few weeks...some good, some bad.
#50 Changing the Oil is Super Easy - I would recommend everyone do it themselves. I followed this post https://rennlist.com/how-tos/a/porsc...ur-oil-383409/. I dont have space in my garage to jack the car so found a tip to cut a hole in the drain pan to fit your arm through. Tight fit but worked great.
#51 Finding Bits of Aluminum in Your Oil Filter is Not Fun! This was my second holy sh** moment. However it turned out to be a great learning process and one where the 997 community was amazing in helping to quickly diagnose the likely issue. Big shout out to @Wayne Smith and @Jake Raby for their help.
Long story short, I cut open the filter and found 4 fairly large, rounded, non-magnetic aluminum bits in the oil filter. Gut punch.
Within 1hr I sent the pics off to the forum and Jake Raby replied immediately saying these likely had been in the engine since new. They were from the original drilling process to machine the oil galleys and just hadn’t been washed out. Some high G turns at an Autocross or backroad rips might have knocked them free after 10 years. My local indy mechanics concurred and said these were larger particles than they normally see but it was definitely not from the ims or cylinders. They said the debris you should be concerned about is fine magnetic particles, almost metallic glitter.
I got a Blackstone report on the oil and Wayne Smith was kind enough to help me drop the oil pan to see if anymore debris was at the bottom. Both came back clean. Blackstone report was "normal" and we found nothing in the oil pan, oil pickup tube or oil filter after dropping it.
#52 Blackstone Oil report - very simple. It costs $25 and takes a week to get the emailed results. I think the trendline data is likely the most useful.
#53 Dropping the Oil Pan - It was a steep learning curve going from the first oil change 3 weeks ago to dropping the oil pan. However its a pretty easy job with Wayne Smith as your instructor and second set of hands.
I would recommend anyone with OCD and patience to do this every 10k-15k miles, if nothing more than peace of mind and to understand your car better. Mine was anticlimactic.
It probably took us 5hrs if you subtract a quick trip to the local dealer. The hardest part was finding the best way to clean off the outside of the oil pan holding the pan sideways so you don't hit the plastic baffle on the inside of the pan. Everything else was very easy following the videos and posts https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...l#post10244928 and
We found a tooth brush and CRC electronics cleaner worked better on the outside of the pan. Brake cleaner evaporated too quickly.
Spreading the sealant evenly took the most effort and patience. You need sealant with a plunger or gun to get an even bead.
Great tip from @steved0x to cut the heads off M6 bolts to use as guides when you are placing the pan back on.
I let the sealant dry for an hour and then was able to easily peel the excess off.
#54 Porsches Eat Rocks and Bolts - I read about this but thought it was urban legend. Nope. In 6 months I had a rock crack my windshield and my back tire ate a big *** bolt. Luckily insurance picked up the windshield and some respray on the bumper so the car looks like new. I had to get new tires anyway so decided to replace instead of patch.
Bumper respray
#55 Check for Wear on the Inside of your Rear Tires - My tires were definitely old but I checked the tread regularly and figured I had 6-9 months left. I was shocked when I got to the tire dealer and he showed me the inside rears were worn to the cord. Dont just give your tires a once over. Get down on the ground and make sure you inspect the inside edge. The high camber makes it wear faster than the rest of the tire.
#55 Use a Tire Installer and Alignment Shop who Specializes in High Performance Cars - i had the inside lip of my rims shredded up by a local shop when they installed my rear tires, as well as a bad tire balance. @Wayne Smith explained the installer just had old equipment and didn't know how to align high performance cars. Lesson learned.
#56 White Smoke on Cold Start - I read this was a normal issue with Flat 6s and experiened it 3 times in 6 months. No huge plumes of smoke, but enough to notice as you are backing out of the driveway. I first read it happens if you only make a short drive and don’t let the car warmup…then i read conflicting posts saying it was if you take a long drive and don’t let the car cool down.
I couldn’t figure out any correlation until Wayne Smith explained the white smoke was water vapor. The 3 times it smoked I had either washed the car the day before, or we had a lot of morning dew, common in SF. Mystery solved.
#57 Spend the Time to Find a Good Local Interior Guy - it will save you a ton from buying new interior bits when they wear and scratch. I found a guy who works on all the CPO used car lots and he does amazing work for cheap. $100 and 1hr to have my leather gear shift and handbrake refinished and the carpet under the rear window re-dyed. Looks like new. Replacing those would have cost $1700.
Before
After
#58 Michelin PS4s: Too Soon to Tell - I had a new set of PS4s installed to replace my old ContiSports. The price was reasonable at $1230 installed, only $100 more than the Potenza S04s. On the plus side they definitely ride waaaay smoother than the Contis. Those things were like driving on bricks, but i suspect that was from their age. On the negative side, they do feel a little "floaty" at the initial turn in of a high speed corner. I had not experienced that before and unsure if its a softer compound, tire pressure or alignment issue.
#59 Make Sure You Inspect the Oil Filter During the PPI - the shop I had do mine didnt do this. I wish I knew to ask given the issues above. For an extra $30 you can pull the filter in a 997.1 or 997.2 without doing a full oil change. The .1 is a little harder and messier as the oil filter is under the car but since its above the sump you should only loose .25 liters of oil thats sitting in the filter housing. Or if you have the time, pay to have a full oil change during the PPI and get a sample of the oil sent to Blackstone before you close.
Great thread. If you don't mind sharing, what was the cost on the bumper respray?
He mentioned $1200 just for respraying the bumper but I don't know what the final tab was. He dealt with the insurance company as a comprehensive claim including the windshield. He said the biggest time was taking the bumper off. If I had to do it out of pocket I would take the bumper off myself and bring it over to a good shop to prep and spray. That should save you at least half.
Great read, Bruce. I just bought my first Porsche 10 days ago, an '06 C2 Cabrio w/66K miles. It was a one-owner car and very well cared for but it has just enough wear on it to keep me from stressing over every bug :-) I appreciate the tips!
05-12-2017, 11:51 AM
Swapping springs
