cgt04115

My last thread did not upload my files properly and then I accidentally closed it instead of deleting it. Stay with me as I get it all up to view..... Sorry for the litter of the forum. If there is a moderator out there, please delete it.


I think it is good to share these experiences for future and current owners to see.

I am from NJ and the second owner of an early car. The car came from California and resided next to McLaren F1 XP4. Needless to say it was and is very well taken care of. After seeing and talking to Jimmy the tech in Fairfield, CT I knew that was the only place for me to send my car. I shipped it at cost because you cannot just trust any dealership to do the service right.

6700 miles and first clutch reading 30.5m So if driven correctly they work great and will last for a very long time. Personally when I see a low mile car with a new clutch a HUGE RED FLAG GOES OFF about who the heck operated that thing. I would never ever spend the money for a low mile car. You just need to spend MONEY to get it to work right at that point. Sitting cars deteriorate much faster than ones who work out. Anyway.....

A few common things that go are, coils, and slave cylinders. Valves will need adjustment contrary to popular belief, my car had about 8 valves under-spec. Also there is a propensity for the cams to pit, 04-05 alike. If you have this issue fight for the factory to replace them at no cost. I know of a few cars that have had this issue and Porsche will pay for new ones. The reason seems to be a faulty hardening process. The outside is hardened and the inside is not. This creates a flexible and strong cam, instead of a stiff brittle cam. Once the pitting shows they will only get worse and effect performance and durability.

The cars NEED TO HAVE ALL CAMPAIGNS DONE. Make sure they are if you buy a car.

During the major I am changing the ten year only clear bra and doing a full detail of the engine bay and under trays inner wheels/wells ect ect ect. The engine and tranny will also get fully cleaned while its apart. Effectively I am getting it to Showroom/Concourse condition. 10 years will hid a lot of dirt even with low miles/no rain driving. I am impressed thus far.

Below see a bit of the process. Engine is being put back together now and everything should be done shortly. I cannot speak highly enough of the Fairfield guys. Send your CGT there. At this point they are the go to IMHO.


Here is a link to some photos. I will continue to populate as more come in. Sorry for some of the low rez photos. Working on finding the originals.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/130846915@N03/

nuvolari612

Thanks for sharing - there are ways to keep a CGT in shape while not adding miles but that's for a different thread and agree if it's not done it's going to cost big down the road.

I love seeing a race car torn apart - keep the info flowing.

cgt04115

I should clarify my statement about low mile cars. The premium is worth it as long as you really get a good idea why its low miles. Was it spun and slightly damaged therefore parked? Was the clutch burned and the owner got scared to drive it? Ect ect. Be a thinker, know what your buying and know what that car needs.

I am convinced these cars can sit for 5-6 years driven only a thousand miles or less and be perfectly fine with just an oil change and new tires. I would recommend going in after a 10-12 year period from the cars last major and do it again, make sure its top shape. Once apart you can really get the thing cleaned up. Not much is hiding after the panes are removed. But thats me, its important for it to be well in my eyes.

superquant

I agree Jimmy is the CGT surgeon and soon my 918 man too!

cgt04115

Congrats! That's one hell of a combo.

And thanks for turning me onto Jimmy, he's a pleasure to work with.

Jamie140

Do tell!

JS

Great thread, thank you for sharing.

Randy K

CGT04115-
Just completed the 30K major service with 29,812 miles on the car.
On this particular 05 car, experienced the following:

Good:
The valve clearance on the car needed no adjusting at all.
The cams had no pitting whatsoever.

Bad:
Front engine motor mount had cracked rubber ... replaced.
Slave cylinder on clutch had been leaking and caused fluid to leak on clutch ... thus occasional slip noted when in power band over 4K RPM.... "Release module" replaced.
Rear shock was seeping ... replaced.
Original clutch was about gone ... replaced.
Power steering feed hose seeping ... replaced.

Routine and precautionary work:
Belts, tensioner pulley and belt roller replaced.
Thermostat replaced
Air filters, Transmission filter, spark plugs replaced.
Clutch line replaced.

mtbscott

Great story. I believe F1 XP4 gets driven too, what a great pair of cars.

cgt04115

Perfect. I love that you use the darn thing and this is exactly what this thread should be populated with. Experiences on fixing the cars. As crazy as the dollars sound for majors, there are many exotics that would be very similar with the same scope of work. If you think other supercars are cheaper to pull the engine to a full once over change the clutch tires and full service work I would be SHOCKED if it was materially less. I think because we pay a Porsche dealership instead of a private specialty shop the figure seems unjust. Why would you be spending that dough at a dealership for a service? Own a vintage lambo/ferrari. Clean the carbs change the clutch and tires ect ect to get it driving perfectly, and I can promise you the bill will be similar. So you get what you pay for. And thats an instant classic with the most unique construction and ethos of ANY supercar made. IMHO.


My suspension was rock solid and the quietest the tech has ever heard. No leaks or cracked anything on the car. That's amazing that the valves stayed true. But with more driving maybe they stay true much much better? I am used to E46 cars and even they have valve adjustments needed on lower miles.

jimmyrepasi

Thank you Gioel and Richard! I always hold all my work to the highest standards and ialways a pleasure to service both of your cars! They are both as close to perfect examples of Carrera GTs as possible

Hope to see you guys soon