X50 has arrived...

Picked up yesterday - Wow. I understood these to be fast but this thing is something else, I'm a Turbo convert...! Pics and spec etc to follow along with a load of daft questions!

Well done Jon! Look forward to seeing the pics.

Congrats Jon. Can't wait the see the pictures!!

Basalt Black / Black Extended Leather / Sports Seats / Aero Pack / X50 / 19" Split Rims / Rims probably not to everyones liking but they are lightweight 19s and I think they add to the 'bad boy' look of Porsches before this one. I have always wanted a 911 Turbo with a big wing, ever since I fell in love with the 964 Turbo back in my youth!! I feel like I've got the old school look with some new new school comfort - overall very happy. Questions to follow...

I love the rims. That black beauty.

Those rims are great what make are they?

They look like Cargraphics to me. IMO they really suit the car. I wonder if they do them in 18's..............?

Thanks for the positives on the rims, I'm not usually an aftermarket guy but I agree, they suit car, espcially in the colour theme. I'll dig out the invoice and confirm excatly what they are. Just got my first new addition today, a genuine umbrella for the passenger sill to keep the other happy!! Original one had gone walkies. Now for some questions. 1. My cars registered as Turbo S on V5 and insurance etc, is this becuase it's X50? It only says Turbo on back and hasn't got PCCBs so it's not an S. Although I'm thinking I'd like an 'S' badge on the back. Do they come as 1 - 'Turbo S' or seperates 'turbo' & 'S'. I've had a look on a few places (Porsche Shop etc) but am unsure. Also is the standard badge chrome finish as there seems to be a few options. 2. I'm going to swap out my PCM1 and remove the Porsche Nav DVD drive below. Rather than blank it off I'd rather add another cuby hole to put the phone etc. I'm sure on none PCM cars I've seen a little storage area here, does anyone have this? 3. Headlamps - Are these sealed units, the inside of the cover seems to have a build up of dirt that could probably be cleaned and refitted if I could get access? 4. Is there a way of identifying which options the car has from any serial numbers etc? Or should I phone Porsche with the original reg/Vin and ask, will they be happy to assist? 5. Any recommendations for a double din replacement that has nav/bluetooth etc? Also is there a thread on replacing that I can use as a guide. Thanks in advance for your help guys

1. Is it a Tiptronic? If so, it is often the case that they put S on the V5. (Tiptronic 'S'). The 'S' on the back is a separate decal. but if you add one, it will look awful, as it will be offset. I'm not a fan of 'vanity upgrades' like this. It's a bit like putting a GT3 badge on the back of an aerokitted Carrera...... Just my 2p's worth. 2. The cubby to replace the nav drive unit is part number 996.552.253.01.01C, and they are £23.34 +VAT. 3. The only access is through the bulb holder - you can't take them apart. 4. If you email me the VIN, I can look up the build codes and options for you. 5. If I was doing this again, I would take a serious look at the new Sony XNV-L77BT unit, as it has all the features you could want, and built-in TomTom Live updates, greed camera locations, Google searches, etc.

Jon, That is a great looking car. Like everyone else has already said, the rims are stunning. I really hope you enjoy the car!!! congratulations

Thanks again guys! 1 - Yes it's a Tip so that clears up the S question! After noticing the alignment issue whilst looking at numerous turbo & turbo S rears I'm in agreement, leave as is. 2 - Thanks Richard - one on order 3 - When you say access, how much access? Could you clean the lamp face do you think? 4 - I'll email you the Vin code - cheers. 5 - That sony looks the business but I'd be stretching the budget, wanted to keep below about £750 really.

It's a lovely car...and the same spec I am thinking about going for.

Good luck with your hunt Steve. Could anyone confirm best way to remove these so I can stick my number plate on flush with the bumper:

Here you go then. £50.01 under budget: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-sony-xnv-l66bt_p-26594.htm I guess that if you taped a bit of soft cloth to a piece of dowelling, you could probably reach through the bulb opening. Worth a try, and will give you some practice on bulb changing!

You are missing the number plate carrier. They are only a few quid from an OPC. One of the cheapest bits of Porsche plastic you can buy.

Funny you highlight that one Richard, I'd found it priced as low as £650! Think I'll be ordering tomorrow. Will have to make up some device to try and clean these lamps then, should be fun I've got the plate carrier, I'm just a big fan of plate directly onto the bumper so wondered how you got those two bits off as they are on tight!

Hi Jon, Congratulations on your new car! I have had my X50 for a couple of weeks now. I have had a long line of interesting cars but the X50 is the car I have been looking for. It combines the qualities I liked in my three favourite cars; the build quality and handling of the Audi (a tuned 'Le Mans' TT), the power of the Monaro (a supercharged 500 BHP V8) and the OMG experience of flooring the throttle in the TVR. I LOVE IT! Like you I feel it is a shame that there is no badge distinction for the X50 which shares more DNA with the 'S' than the standard turbo, other than the liability of 3.5K per corner ceramic brakes that only work at their best when running hot. To address this I bought a genuine Porsche 'S' badge for a modest sum from eBay. I heated up my turbo badge with a hairdryer and carefully removed it by pulling dental floss behind it. I then rubbed down and painted the badges with satin enamel black, fitted new 3M adhesive tape (eBay again) to the Turbo badge and after carefully measuring / marking the position and degreasing the boot lid, fitted the badges dead centre. He are the results. I hope you agree that it works and is an acceptable deviation..... Cheers, B

PS: if you don't want to go to the same trouble, which was only necessary because I wanted to go black, you can buy genuine 'Turbo' and 'S' badges brand new for about £35. Remove your old badge, clean the boot lid with a little vodka, wipe dry and fit the new badges. Wax the lot and you are done, about half an hour's work. If you want the positioning dimensions I can email them to you as I still have them written down. B

That looks a beauty Jon, paintwork looks stunning[ ], I'm not a fan of the split rims BUT they do suit the overall look of your car. will you be at Silverstone or RAC this weekend? Enjoy..... atb Paul

Got that right[ ]. Isn't there an option on the forums somewhere to get a certificate telling you all the different options you car came with?

Yes Chris - as. Club member, you can get a free Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche GB for your car. This shows the option codes, but to be honest, the CofA's are often innacurate. Very nice to have though. Edit: far too slow......

Wow that's a beautiful looking example! I always think the Aero equipped cars look more contempory and you know I'm a big fan of black Good work on taking your time and waiting for the right one. I think you made a very wise choice to upgrade from the Aston

Thats exactly the thing i was talking about, i just couldn't remember the name[ ].

Boggie, Lovely car. Can I ask if you bought it private or trade? If trade, where from? Thanks Steve

Hi Steve, I bought it from Joel at RSJ. I don't usually buy from dealers due to a number of bad experiences in the past, however I would recommend that you give him a ring if you are on the hunt. HERE is a link to my post re RSJ. Tell Joel I recommended him, maybe he will give me a discount on my next car! [ ] Hope that helps, B

Many thanks. As if by chance, RSJ is the company I am currently looking at.

Obviously with a new car on the drive the temptation to spend cash on each and every little thing is high on my agenda! It had it's 48k at Porsche so all maintenance upto date but I'm wondering whether there are any other recommended things I could do to bring it back to it's optimum? I've read transmission oil and filter should be done around 50k even though advised at 100k. Also cleaning up the MAF sensor which can cause problems. Anything else that I could get involved with while my enthusiasm is high! Cheers

Removing the front PU and cleaning out the rads would be good preventative maintenance, and you could fit some mesh grills while you are there. There are some great DIYs in the members Technical Articles section....... [ ]

MAF sensor has been steam cleaned and the tranny oil/filter changed - car feels a bit smoother when going through the range, especially lower down and the gear changes are much improved. I'm really enjoying the drive in the Turbo so far, it surpasses my old Aston by a long shot. God you can drive these fast round bends!! I've had a few lady friends in the vehicle and they both say they can feel how much more stable the 911 feels in the twisties over the Vantage, considering they are hardly car enthusiasts this is saying something!! Richard - Is removing the front PU a simple task? Are we talking a number of screws and will it refit perfectly back in position or will I forever be thinking it's not gone back on right??

I'll email you some of the DIY articles.

Hi Richard, Would you mind emailing them to me too please? Thanks, B

I already had Jonathan's email address, but if you drop me an email via the forum I'll attach them to a reply. Unfortunately the forum doesn't cater for attachments.

Had a go at this yesterday, surprised how easy headlight removal is! Took the back of the cluster off and obtained access via the bulb hole. Long knitting needle with some sponge fixed to the end and cleaned from the inside. Happy with the result, cleaned up reasonably well and looking much better.

I think they are "Veloce XS 19", rims. web link below. Lovely car by the way.[8D] http://www.velocewheels.com/veloceXS19/

Yes they are, but they are the lightweight modular version, special order I'm told:

I'm curious now you've driven it a bit. How does the standard x50 feel compared to my 420 with a map?

thanks...and would you believe they are about 4 miles down the road from me?!

jon, like these wheels but i'm worried they would affect the ride and handling - how do get on with them?

Hi Ben - You were running just over 500bhp when we went out I think? And it did feel faster than my car does, possibly a bit more eager to get going also. I've spoke to Andy, just trying to organise a suitable time!

Absolutely fine! I had the standard 18s on my C4S and there isn't a massive difference in handling. Ride is possibly a tiny bit harsher but not an issue, you just feel the road a little more. If anything the 19s make the ride feel a little more special in my opinion.

[ ] You are in safe hands. It's worth choosing the right person for a map. A poorly informed person could pay £3000 for a Revo map on a 996, it would most likely be installed regardless of condition, by someone who wouldn't have the first clue how to map a 996 themselves, it would lock up the ECU to stop any future alterations and will never run right if the car has a leaking DV or any other fault that hasn't been identified. Andy is an oricle of knowledge on the 996 and will charge considerably less than that for maps he understands and has helped write, he knows what to look for before adding a map and can make tweaks to the software to suit your car and needs. After some bad experiences in the past with tuning cars I am extremely glad he is the one tuning my 996 for me. I've known him for almost 10 years now and I know when he says it should make just under 600hp, that figure will be a minimum rather than a maximum. He likes people to be impressed by the cars not the figures.

Congrats, I can honestly say that your car is one of the best looking 996's I have seen, love the colour combination and rims - well done, hope you have many k's and years of enjoyment with her P.S. I haven't read the whole post but if you need the original spec still I can retrieve this on the Porsche PET system, print it and mail it to you. It requires the VIN no however.

An example of looking up the VIN and options (with a VIN removed for obvious reasons)

Thanks Steve appreciate the kind comments! Certainly ticks the boxes for me! Mr Hamilton was able to provide me with the options report but thanks for the offer!

All good, and you are welcome