White gauges verses Black in C2?

I have black. But, I sorta like white gauges. Not sure their worth $1500+ labor to install though. I was wondering is there any negative feed back regarding white gauges and driving? I spoke to one salesman that told me black is preferred for resale.

I think your salesman might be right. I remember first seeing them in my car and thinking "nice car... if only it didn't have those funky gauges". Now of course I can't imagine having to get by with black ones.

I love my white gauges in my 996. It is not until I get behind the wheel of a Porsche without them that I really appreciated them. Just my opinion of course.

I have black and wish I had aluminum (might get them). Titan...if you want to get white/alum guages..buy the faces and have a shop glue it on, or DIY. They are avail at nrauto.com and performanceproducts.com for like $299...there are people on here that have had it done...and MUCH less than $1500...

I had alum in my first boxster and loved them. I ordered them in my 996... love them. My new boxster does not have them... miss them. Are they worth a $1500 post purchase upgrade.... maybe.

I'm thinking about making the switch too. Was your price quote from the dealer for OEM gauges? If it was aftermarket who was it? If I remember correctly Techart wants $800 for the gauges before install. In another thread someone said the aftermarkets don't have black lettering so they're harder to see. Lastly, are there any warranty issues?

I know that Tool Pants has done several installs of white dials, he might know about warranty.... http://www.performanceproducts.com/P...producttype=20 The lettering is definitely black... http://www.nrauto.com/sub_index.asp?spage=Gauges look for 996 99+ Aluminum Lettering also looks black... dunno...for $300 plus install its not that much of a risk...

MY experience with white faced gauges is that they're impossible to read just before, during and just after sunrise and dusk. I had them in a Mustang Cobra and I'm not sure I'd ever get them in a 996 for the same reason. Are Porsche white faced guages hard to read as I've described? I do think they're very sporty looking nonetheless. If no one here has experienced the same difficulty maybe I'll try them again...

Yes, my sales guy quoted me the 1500 price + labor. However, he also said he might have someone that wants black and would trade even up... that's a good thingy. I am waiting to see.

Ive got the "aluminum guage" option from the factory. At nite they are easy on the eyes, as long as you dont overdo the dimming. However, they look VERY white, even though a closer look reveals a very light SILVER tone. Good Luck in you choice....

My buddy just bought a cluster off of ebay for $175.. The whole cluster!! Just swapped it out yesterday! Here are some before & after pics of mine.. And there is no sign of being difficlut to read at dusk or dark.. Thes are the factory OEM gauges..

was it alot of delicate time consuming work? And, does your odometer still read YOUR mileage, or the clusters...???

It is easy to swap a cluster, and the mileage is store in the cluster not the car. The VIN is also in the cluster. Jeff

As Jeff said its very simple.. and if you buy a whole new cluster. . just take the brain from your old one and switch it with the new one.. that way your miles stays the same.. If you don't swicth out the Brain the dealer has to change the miles over to the new one.. The whole cluster and leather surround piece is held in by 2 screws.. One is behind the hazard switch. The other is in the cluster housing.. Pull out that round vent and you will see the size 20 Hex Screw.. Take off the 3 plugs from the back of the cluster and the whole thing pops out.. Two tips.. be sure to put a towel down between the steering wheel and the cluster.. And when you pop out the wires in the back, push down on the little slits while you pop open the plug.. Doesn't make sense now.. but you will see them when you look at the plugs.. The hardest part was removing the silver rings, but like a dummy I could have just swapped out the plastic face with the rings from the old one...Oh well!!

Sweeeet!! Now I've gotta get one. Do you know the part number by any chance? Also, how long did it take? Thanks Kevin.

Yes its 996 641 103 01 70C It took about 30 minutes.. being very careful Kevin

So does 03 996 GT2/GT3 share the same part# too? Thanks Kevin

I don't think so cause they rev higher so the display has to be different.

Is that part number only for pre-2002 996's or will it work for the post 2002 models in which the speedometer goes to 200 mph.

Im glad this post came up because I too want to swap over. What has stopped me is the refusal of my dealer to adjust the mileage and VIN on the 2nd cluster to mine. They will only do it in the UK (apparently) if the new cluster has less than 60 recorded miles. However if you guys are saying that the dials and pointers can be lifted off the rest of the new cluster and swopped over to the computerised chip of the old cluster, then this excludes the dealer . If this is possible does anyone have any instructions on how to do it? I can remove the cluster from the car no problem.

Looks great Kevin! How come some aluminum face gauges I've seen don't have the turn signal indicators and high beam indicator shown until they are activated, are the one's I've seen factory installed?....Kevin's have the cutouts. I would definitely do it if I could get 'em the w/o the "cut outs"....looks a little too cluttered for me.

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