Better than tech stocks: New to me 996

Hey folks! Just wanted to throw a quick intro to myself here. I just purchased a 77K mile Porsche 996 Cabriolet with Tiptronic. I have no idea what I've gotten myself into and I am looking forward to spending countless hours trying to figure out and fix all the different issues that I will be running into. Very excited! Couple pictures attached and a few key points on the vehicle: - 2003 911 Carrera Cabriolet - 77K miles and had a full engine replacement done in 2014 about 25K miles ago at a reputable shop in Georgia that no longer exists (Roock Auto USA) - I've been trying to research why that was done and if during the replacement some newer parts like RMS/IMS and potentially Nikasil tubes would've been done. The shop doesn't exist anymore and the former owners live in Germany again so hard to find out almost 10 years later. Any pointers what you guys think? It's pure speculation - but I'm hoping since it was a true Porsche enthusiast shop they would've taken care of some things. - I unfortunately can't locate any LN Engineering stickers anywhere, and I also am not able to find the VIN in the LN system, however, since it's a replacement engine that point is moot. - A lot of additional things were done within the last 30K miles, by the very same shop, including brakes, coolant and oil related parts replacements and repairs - Car runs just fine and is otherwise, visually and audibly, in pristine condition (currently that is), however, - About only 3K miles ago it had the head valve plate replaced due to a leak, also not sure why this would happen on a replacement engine so early, but I also don't know what condition the engine was in that was put into - About 2K miles ago it had the coolant hoses and some coolant system parts replaced due to leaks... Thank you to all in this great community for your opinions and help over the next couple of years!

I don't know if LN keeps a record of blocks they re-sleeve, but it might be worth sending them the engine number and asking.

Welcome, nice looking car. Enjoy driving!

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Yes - we do keep a record of all the serial numbers we etch into the block halves and the M/codes of most all blocks as well.

Welcome to the 996 club. Very cool looking cab! Good to see your approach with the car with understanding its history as well as identifying and preventing future issues. You will have a well sorted classic on your hands that will give you decades of enjoyment. The 996 is simply the best.

Congrats on the new 996. If not already done, you may want to change the transmission fluid and filter. Your car has the Mercedes 722.6 tranny. Make sure you get the correct fluid. Pentosin ATF 1 meets the Porsche spec. You can find that at Advanced Auto or other large parts store chains.

Great looking car!

Nice car! I also have an '03 Silver Cab. Sounds like yours was well sorted out before you got it. Agree with replacing the transmission fluid (a little early but you don't know how it was maintained), and any other fluids, like brake fluid, that you can't find evidence of recent replacement. Presume they put new coolant into the car when replacing cooling parts and hoses?

Thank you all for the welcome! I’ve made a note of coolant and transmission fluid. I was kind of planning on doing all fluids anyway, just to be safe. I do still have a post-purchase thorough inspection coming up with a local reputable shop! Will let you all know what else they found!

Here we go, first issue: Foam from the vents don’t worry, I’ll use the search function!

Nice looking cab. Looks like you may need engine mounts (a nice DIY). The exhaust tips look a little droopy.

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Once you find out what's involved in fixing the "foam from the vents" issue you will change your emoji to a

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You have probably read it a hundred times on the 996 forum. Make sure your engine is in good shape. Once you find out it's history and what's been done to it with the rebuild, you will be able to identify next steps. Start by replacing parts that could cause catastrophic failure if they havent already been done such as (1) imsb, (2) Rms, (3) water pump, (4) Uaos to replace aos. Then replace the bits that help the engine to run efficiently. These bits can piggy back the procedures above to reduce your service costs. (1) fuel injectors, (2) spark plugs, (3) ignition coils, (4) MAF, (5) engine mounts, (6) trans mount, (7) clutch & flywheel, (8) oil cooler. Then it's about other bits that eventually crumble with age. This could be engine parts, cooling, suspension, exhaust, etc. It all with be worth it. With the exception of parts pertaining to catastrophic engine failure, you can piece the others out over time with cost effective projects. Best of luck and keep us posted as you proceed. We all love this stuff.

Silver exterior, black interior......... Classic. Nice car, welcome to the group.

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I�m assuming you are referring to this post/procedure? https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...ent-issue.html honestly seems like a good first one to get my hands dirty at.

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thank you for the detailed outline - this is very helpful. I’m definitely planning on having a shop do the parts that can cause catastrophic failure pretty immediately. Car is going in for post purchase inspection next week and depending on what will be the verdict on the engine, I will have them tackle those critical ones right away - I’m going to Midwest Performance in the city. Seems like the owners there are also fairly well connected with the different players in the eco system such as LN engineering. I’ll see how much of the remaining items I’ll do right away but I’m also hopeful that some of those are still in pretty good shape given recent service history. One of my worries is that I haven’t seen any suspension or steering work on the vehicle being done in it’s 77k mile life and I’m thinking some of that stuff will need attention too. by the way, funny coincidence, the guys who owned the Roock USA racing team and also the shop in Atlanta that did the engine replacement have closed up and moved back to Germany (Cologne) to open up shop there and I was able to get in touch with them. Still waiting for a response but have been told I’ll know more within 7 days!

Patrick, didnt know you were in IL. Feel free to pm me if I can help share any info on the 996.

Congrats and welcome! Good looking cab, like those stone guards!

Congrats on the 996! If you're up for tinkering on your car or need to fix some things not working, I.e. cabriolet, water in the cabin, repairing rust, suspension work, etc. be sure to check out my channel. I bought a really abused, daily driver, 996 over a year ago with a rusted out floorboard, broken top, electrical issues and managed to fix most/all myself. I'm waiting on my re-sleeve from LN and once I get it i'll be rebuilding it as well. Have fun! Link in my signature. - Yogi

My car is blowing bits of black foam all over my savannah beige dashboard. I am ignoring the problem for now. The idea of fishing that flap out of its hole is something I am not looking forward to doing! At least for now my A/C blows very cold and I have no need for heat any time soon.

Gorgeous cab! Welcome to the madness

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PM�d you!

Fixing the foam issue is not hard at all. I made a DIY with photos and have it on my instagram. PM me and I'm happy to share it with you.

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Since I'm restoring the interior on my 996 Cab I plan on dealing with that as well. I'm going to scope it from the front center vents to see if the foam has worn off. Believe it or not I never tested the A/C but I know there's refrigerant in it. Did you go through the heater core or did you make some cuts from the front to gain access as per some YT videos out there?

Yes, I went in through the heater core accessing from the frunk.

Just got my first quote for IMS bearing retrofit. 680$ for LN IMS pre qualification inspection (ie crank measurements et cetera) and !!! 5100$ for IMS install with engine/tranny drop and split. So basically 5900$ labor and parts all-in. This is nowhere close what other members seem to have been quoted so at this price point obviously not going with that shop.

Seems on the high side. Also, not sure how much research you�ve done, but I�d recommend �The IMS Solution� - it�s a permanent fix as opposed to the retrofit which is a �maintenance item��

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the guy at the shop here recommended not to go with the solution. He said he hasn�t seen a failed retrofit in the 7 years he�s the ere, even past the LN advertised cycle. He mentioned for the solution the install job is quite a bit harder.

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It sounds like you have a newer block that has the upgraded IMS which requires the block to be split. Whatever you do, don't do an EPS with the Vertex bore method. I was lucky and the oil filter is clean AFTER I did the first oil change but man my butt puckered.

Yeah, the age old dilema on Retro vs Solution. Two exceptional "solutions" that work well. One permanent and one that needs to be eventually replaced every 7 years or so. I see the application and benefit to using both. If you plan on dropping your engine quite a bit like I have done historically for various service items, pretty easy to pop in a new Retro. But no question, the logical appeal and benefit of a permanent solution is strong. I just replaced my Retro which is 10 years old with a new Retro. Sending it back to Charles for analysis. It still looks brand new from the outside. Bet the inside does as well. I certainly didn't baby it. Drove the car like it should be driven. On the track and street. Seems our engines need to be exercised properly and fed a healthy diet of good fuel and fresh oil. Never once questioned the Retro on my car. And I question just about everything...

Thought I’d give a quick update on all the things I’ve done to the vehicle so far! - UAOS-A with Auto Drain - New Waterpump - New Low Temp Thermostat - New Oil Pressure Sensor - Fister exhaust mod - Convertible Top Cylinders rebuild - New Cooling system, tanks and hoses replaced - New K&N reusable air filter and cabin air filter - New control arms, sway bar links - FEAL 441+ coilovers - New belt & tensioners - Tiptronic transmission oil change and cleaning - Stainless steel brake lines and brake fluid flush - New oil filter, housing et cetera... I am running the Raby recommended Diesel oil at 15W-40 with 600ml of Liquimoly Ceratec - I've also had a professional intake and fuel system cleaning done and I'm using a bottle of Jectron every 2nd fill-up i haven’t done and am not going to do the IMS bearing since the engine has the upgraded larger Porsche bearing. Because of the very, very mild scoring I’m also not going to go much beyond the above since I am planning on doing an engine rebuild in the next 9-18 months. Car runs amazingly well anyway. For cost transparency, all of the above has cost me (parts, labor, etc.) ~ $17000. Some of the stuff was just necessary maintenance though at this mileage, and others will be reused when doing the engine rebuild, so I don't really feel like it was wasted money. Sure, if I had a garage & tools & a savvy friend I could prob have done it for 60% of that cost.

Congrats Patrick! Most folks don't know they have bore scoring until its pretty bad. You found it very early on and already know how to medicate it with the proper oil. Your gonna have alot of fun with your cab. Be interesting to see how fast and far the scoring grows over the next year or two. My bet would be very slowly.

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Wow you've been busy. I'm restoring my car as well and you're a bit ahead of me, I better get caught up ...I hope your bore scoring goes into recession. 👍

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Ha! I wish it could do that but it�s fine, I *want* the rebuild, not just need it.

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Nice. They're only 2 hours away from me and I'm new to the area (rural upstate IL) and wondering if/ when I finally pull the trigger on a 996 or 997 where to bring it.

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they are very expensive and the only reason I went is because they�re 10min from my place and have extensive experience with the 996/997cars. The folks there tell me that Charles Navarro himself of LN Engineering has his cars handled there too. Brandon over there worked on my car and he�s a really nice straight-up guy and did an amazing job on my vehicle. however, since you�re rural, those city taxes and hourly rates are a killer (they have a 230$ shop hour if I�m not mistaken, so basically like a Porsche OEM dealer). There are reputable shops in the Joliet and Bensonville area who also work on 996/997 and have a 150$ shop rate! other than that: You get what you pay for, MPC is top notch work! And the team is just really awesome there!

You can also take a look at Midwest Eurosport in Bensonville and Fischer Motorsports in Barrington depending on where you are located. Both are well respected by the club racing and DE community. I have used Midwest Eurosport since the mid 2000s.