Front hood , difficult to close

It's really diffcult to close the front trunk hood on my 996. I have to press on it with my hand hard to close it. Just dropping it will not close it. Is this normal?

Normal - that's what the Porsche badge is for - place your hand on that to push the hood closed without leaving prints on your paintwork Chris.

I was told not to push on the BADGE by my dealer when closing the trunk. Because its Gold Covered in Crystal, it will Crack if repeted force is put on.

Been doing it for 9 years - no problems so far. I'd rather push on the badge than get fingerprints or scratches on my paintwork every time I close the hood. I doubt the badge is gold or crystal, unless there's some limited edition super expensive version available.... More likely its gold colored metal with enamel Part Number: 993.559.210.00 and it only costs $79.95! Chris.

my Sales Rep at Pfaff told me after i bought the car. that it was Gold Covered in Crystal not Enamel. But who knows

If you have to press hard then there may be a slight mis-alignment. Look on the latch (on the hood) and at the lock assembly for wear/shaved metal. There is a DIY for adjustment here .

Alternatively, if you're mildly obsessive like me you can use a microfibre cloth to press down the hood, and keep the cloth in the driver's door side bin.

I have been pushing on the crest as well...didn't leave any gold on my hands!! and who cares that the crest gets some wear and tear......new one cost about 50 bucks!

the 993 996 and 997 crest is curved to match the hood. pushing on it will flatten it.

no it doesn't flatten it!! I have been checking for this..the only one that flattened my crest was that stupid bodyshop..when I had my hood repainted because of rock chips!..SO I had to buy a new crest and have been "pushing it" ever since.....you have to use a little lovin' when you push!!

I guess some guys must like it rough! I have no idea how much force it would take to flatten my badge, or to compress it to the point where the metal turned to gold or the coating morphed into crystal..... But in the last nine years, I've always managed to close the hood before any of the above happened I can't believe people get so hung up about it - I always thought the Germans had been smart in giving us something to press on to save the paintwork! Chris.

There are two black stoppers on each side of the hood. Make sure they are all the way screwed in. This might get you a little more clearance.

My hood became more and more difficult to close in the first year I owned the car. Using this RennTech DIY referenced by Loren, I very easily removed, lubricated, and adjusted the position of the receiver. Now, my hood latches with the lightest of presses.

THe badge was not put there to press the lid shut. I'm sure it's OK to press there, but there is no advantage to it unless your hands are sandy. If you actually worry about leaving fingeerprints, then you really shouldn't be driving the car. Just leave it in its display case on the shelf!

FWIW - when I was at the body shop,the manager who has been doing porsches for 30Y, said you bring the hood down ~ 18 inches and then slam it shut... it seemed weird to me (I just press on the metal) but the body shop guy said he had repaired many hoods due to people pressing it down. Ross

My badge is dented just by all the pushing that the previous owner did!! If you look at the gasket that fits between the badge and the hood, there is a round center opening, if you push that badge a lot, it WILL dent in. http://www.drivewire.com/porschepart...oodemblem.html I dunno if the dent is obvious or not, but I can completely feel it.

Seriously - if you have to push that hard, then you'd better have the mech checked on the hood! Slamming the hood is also a dumb idea - I've seen the result of someone slamming their hood, not realizing that the contents in the trunk were just a little too high.... Yep - nice big ding in the hood with a suitably large bill for paintless dent removal and/or re-spray! Can't understand what all the fuss is about. You close the hood carefully - making sure you don't catch on any of the trunk contents You press gently on the badge The hood is now latched shut... Oh, and for Patrick, I have a black car, and ANYTHING I can do to keep finger marks off of it is worth the effort - thanks for your well informed thoughts though. Chris.