Wrong Springs Sent for 996 C4S - Please See Photos

I purchased a set of H&R /Gemballa Red Sport Springs from a Rennlist member. I verified fitment for my car with the seller thinking they had been on his car. I received the springs and believing I had the right springs set them aside until Bilstein to fulfill my rear shock order. They finally came in and I went to do the suspension yesterday and this is what I found: These springs are NOT the right rear springs for the classic Bilstein B8/H&R setup. Not even close. when comparing the photos of a new set of C4S/Turbo photos above there are 2-2.5 coils missing. The seller is now saying they are meant for "stock suspension" which directly contradicts H&R and countless other posts I have read here that you don't put lowering springs on stock shocks if you want any longevity. Here is my ask: Can someone please validate that what I am seeing and saying is correct? Thanks! ​​​​​​​

wag, but those look like springs from a set of H & R coilovers https://www.carid.com/2003-porsche-9...parentsubmodel []=WHEEL+DRIVE AWD+%28All+Wheel+Drive%29

Does anyone have a correct rear set of 996 turbo/C4S H&R sport springs they'd be willing to part with? Thanks

Sorry to hear that Ryan. I recently made a similar mistake, ironically I got springs that would have fit your car, but not mine. Resold them here on Rennlist. The odd thing about yours is the part number on the spring doesn't seem to match anything on the H&R application chart? H&R Applications

Now the million dollar question, what are you going to do?

I personally wouldn't consider buying used suspension parts... but that's just me.

I need a set of H&R rear springs. After investigation - calling H&R and the West coast Gemballa distributor the rear springs turned out to be coilover springs from a 996 Gemballa turbo that had conventional fronts and coilover rears. The seller, a Rennlest member may have gotten away with using that rear spring on his stock shocks but it doesn't make it right. Furthermore, he is reluctant to do anything about it because I didnt say anything immediately. 1. I didn't know and assumed a member of this board with over 400 posts would accurately represent what he was selling and 2. Bilstein had a worldwide backorder so I had no choice but to wait to install them. I didn't find out I had the wrong spring until my rear suspension was already removed. Now I need a set of rear springs STAT and I have been on a spending spree for parts and can't buy new and I can't leave chopped springs on my car either.

Springs are pretty much the cheapest part of setting up your suspension. I know it sucks to have made a purchase used allready, but I would probably suck it up and buy a new set from a forum vendor or even TireRack sells them cheap. That way you can rest assured that you have the proper components for your vehicle, especially considering the nature of how we use these vehicles you would have piece of mind.

ColoradoCayenne4 sold me the springs. He used the rear spring incorrectly with stock rear shocks and they sorta worked until his shocks failed. I validated the rear springs With H&R and the West coast Gemballs disctributor as being the wrong application. I tried to handle this politely in PMs but he said he had never heard that you arent supposed to use stock shocks with lowering springs (BS) and that he had never heard of there beig a worldwide bilstein back order (also very easy to find with a simple search on this board with google). It's not about the money. It's that ColoradoCayenne sold me his problems and I trusted him to send me a set of correct C4S lowering springs and based on our pre-purchase conversation, that is what I believed I was receiving. Why would I check prior to doing the installation if I had assurances? Maybe I should have but I was not counting on but I was not counting on having the wrong springs or him being a jerk about it. My contention is that if someone sells you the wrong product, they whether intentionally or inadvertently misrepresented what they sold they should be at the very least apologetic and as a point of honour to try to make it right. When they come back with "no-backsies" that is a d*ck move no matter how you slice it and that is why I am calling ColoradoCayenne4 out. My daily driver is sidelined. Fortunately, there is another Rennlist member who is a great guy and representative of what the Porsche brotherhood is all about who is helping me out of this jam. If there is no backlash from me calling a spade a spade I'm going to join. I am an air-cooled buy from Pelican and this car has been my first foray into water-cooled. I love my C4S -but a miffed I have to deal with this. -Ryan

Not that it would help now, but I always insist on seeing photos of the part numbers prior to making a purchase like this. Hope you get this sorted out.

Caveat emptor.