Artic Silver 996 Turbo Ownership Journal

I thought I'd document my ownership of the car. This will help me keep track of things as I hope to own this for a long period of time. The journals are also very helpful during the sales period. I picked up my 996 Turbo from Williams Crawford which was more than a 4 hour journey from London. Out of the cars that I viewed, this was in the best condition from an exterior, interior and underbody perspective. I also had Porsche Torque view the car post purchase. I picked up the car on the 11th of January 2025. Pictures of the pickup plus other cars that I saw:

Congrats -but i cant see the pics....

The first thing that I did was have PCCM Plus installed as this was going to be my main car. I wanted Android Auto for the 3 or 4 days that I drive. Change over was carried out by Porsche Torque a week later. I purchased AA wireless 2 to make the connection wireless. It made the car perfect for my usage. Some pictures of the cars undercarriage, I temporarily had some protection applied but will get the undertray area done when the service is due in April. I've got the car booked in for a paint correction this weekend so updates will follow after I get it back.

What about now?

I can see plenty of nice photos

The Turbo engine always looks a bit grotty underneath , it's because they sprayed it with Cosmoline at the factory and it burns on and looks a right mess but it is protecting it. Looks like you've re-applied some more stuff on there. Manifold bolts on the Turbo's aren't as bad for seizing in as they are in the other cars , first thing I did was take mine out and add some anti-seize paste to them. Your exhaust system nuts and bolts look really good. I bought mine from WC too with 8500miles on it.

Yeah I've had it reapplied, it did smell initially due to the burning but that disappeared. How did you find the service from WC? I was happy with it. Maybe later this year or early next year I'll either get the underside dry ice blasted or have the Autofarm underbody detail and protection completed:

Great looking car. How do you find the PCCM? That’s something that needs upgrading in mine and hopefully it will get switched out this year

Beautiful looking things, I've never really spent any decent length of time in one though and I'd love a day playing in a 996 Turbo to really get a feel for it. Sorry if I've missed it but what did you have before and how do you find the 996 Turbo?

Personally I love it, I'd never want anything else. I drove mine to Sweden last year and never once wanted BT or CP. Phone came out for negotiating some of the big cities and finding Hotels but the radio is enough for me. I don't really want to speak to anyone when I'm on holiday anyway

I find the PCCM Plus an extension of my phone. It's been really reliable. I did get the sd card maps as a backup if I need to use it. The additional microphone that comes with the PCCM Plus has improved call audio for me. Before the 996 Turbo, I had a TT RS and prior to that was an E90 M3 with the v8 NA engine. The 996 Turbo is more engaging than the TT which I found boring because it was too capable and easy to drive. Whilst the turbo is slower in a straight line, it delivers the boost in an intoxicating manner. The M3 was all about the induction noise and probably the only car that I've sold which I miss (I will probably buy another as a second car). It required taking the car above 4k in the rev range to get the most out of it. I think this is one of the reasons why I really like the 996 turbos as the boost doesn't kick in until 4k. You have to work the car and be in the correct gear to get the most out of it which makes it more eventful and engaging.

I took mine out today and it puts a massive smile on my face at the rate it can cover ground. For me even in low revs the turbos have it up to speed in the blink of an eye. Some good info on the PCCM and it’s something I’ll look into

I had car dropped in for a detail at Miracle Details based on one of the threads from 911uk. It went in for the ultimate detail which was a multi stage correction and ceramic coating to the paintwork plus the windows being coated. I added on a deep clean of the arches plus ceramic coating of my alloys. My car looked good from afar as seen here: However under bright light or sunlight at the right angle, the paint was swirly. Silver does a great job at hiding it. The arches were cleaned: Followed by the wheels: The calipers and alloys had a nice wet glossy look following coating which is what I was after: I also had the black plastic parts under the rear bumper, skirts and the front lip coated as well. This should help it maintain its colour without me having to apply a dressing during my washes for a while. Not a huge difference but small things make the car look better: Post correction pictures to follow when I get round to it but you can see a sneak peak in the last two images.

Crikey that looks clean. I’ve never had a car properly detailed or cleaned, I’ve always been a bit lazy like that and it’s been about driving them, but when I collected my 930 they’d done a good job of it and it looked stunning, so I should keep it up really.

I've never had someone else Polish and coat my car before. I normally do it by myself but carpal tunnel makes things like that more challenging. I am a bit OCD when it comes to that part. I was impressed with the condition of the car when I picked it up.

I realised that I never finished updating this. Some before and afters. Its swirl free and the car looks great.

The 996 is an awesome car to drive on a road trip believe it or not. I can only imagine how much more comfortable the tip turbo may be. I enjoyed a short road trip with a dear friend from Stuttgart to Baden Baden and back, stopping over for the GT Open race at Hockenheim. And this was in a GT2 Club Sport too.

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It is. Your post reminded me of my first Euro Hoon as a driver which was done in my 996 Turbo Tip' . My journey home was documented here. https://911uk.com/porsche/home-via-the-d996.86695/

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My longest drive has still been the first drive back from Cornwall to London. Currently using the wife's 1 series for staycations as my main worry is really steep inclines or parking. I just need to do some research on scenic driving routes and plan one for the August bank holiday. Otherwise I'll wait until I've had the undercarriage protection service that Autofarm conduct. The car is comfortable. I'll add this to my reading list. Thank you.

I've added a few small items: The first being the umbrella. My umbrella slot was empty so I had to purchase it to complete the interior. The second item was changing the plastic tab under my right wing mirror which would hang off when folding the mirror in. As for the final item, I swapped the smokers tray out with the non-smokers tray. It looks a lot better. Dated 29/01/03. I found £2.21 under the smokers tray. It must've fallen through the gap over the years. One of my rattles dissappeared. The car will be going in for some warranty work. I've had a creaking noise from my coffin arms. William Crawford will be paying Porsche Torque to complete the replacement. Although it won't be with OEM parts but rather Febi Bilstein as that's whats stated in the warranty terms. It was a quick and easy process to agree which is in line with the excellent buying experience I had with them. I can always swap them out with the OEM versions in a few years time.

I've had two issues with the car. First one was a squeaking noise when turning. Turned up to be my front right control arm. The front two were changed under warranty by William Crawford using Porsche Torque. It was the quickest and easiest experience I've had. The only negative would be that the warranty didn't replace it with the Porchse OEM control arms rather Febi Bilsteins. The cars a bit more harsh as a result but I'll get an alignment dont next month. The second issue happened last weekend on my way to the Midlands where my dipped headlights weren't coming on. I knew it was the switch as its a common issue with the 996 gen as they age. The part wasn't in stock anywhere nearby so I ended up getting it fixed when I returned to London. I also recently went to Japan to find a diecast model of my car. Sadly I didn't find anything in the exact so I chose the colour combination I liked the most. Then this popped up on ebay. Smaller than the size I wanted however it'll do for now.

I hope your Febi Bilstein arms last longer than the Febi Bilstein track rod ends I've just replaced on my campervan, after 18 months and 5.5k miles they both had 4mm of play! I've gone for TRW ones this time.

I hope so too but I plan to switch to the OEM control arms in a few years. It was free as a warranty replacement so I can't complain for now.

I'm coming up to one year of ownership for the car. Final clean for 2025 completed. I've really enjoyed the car and can see myself keeping it for many more years. Worst bits of 2025 for the car include the following: 1. Picked up a dent and marks from a stone/rock (some of it will polish out): 2. Paint on the edge of the boot lid spoiler has gone. No idea how this happened and it makes me sad. I've ordered touch up paint which will have to do for now. I'm not sure if a colour match can be achieved for the rest of the rear if I were to just spray the one panel. This is one for the future. The only big item I plan to sort out in 2026 is an undercarriage clean, having any rust removed and a sealant applied to protect it for many more years. I'm booked in with ARP in High Wycombe for the end of February. Otherwise it'll be standard maintenance plus having paintless dent removal.

Your car looks fab and they are fantastic cars and keepers. The scratch looks like it will polish out for sure but the one for the spoiler is a really strange one as to how that happened, hopefully it will look ok once touched up. Hope to see before and after shots of any work done underneath and what products you use

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Thank you. Hopefully it is less visible with the touch up paint. I'll document the process with lots of pictures and post it all within this thread.

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Make sure you get the touch up paint from Porsche. I regularly touch up any stone chips and quite often, you can't see them any longer as the paint match is so good. I have a very small touch up paint brush, which came with a kit I bought years ago and it makes doing these jobs very easy. The key to touching up chips, is to use a capillary action, where you allow the paint to be drawn into the chip, rather than plaster over it. This way it will just fill the crater and not go over the edges.

I've had an issue which I need input on. The engine has cut out on me 3 times in 3 months. All three times were at very low revs when stationary (like stalling a manual gearbox). The first time I had a low oil pressure warning. I can't remember if anything came up the second or third time. It went in on Friday to the garage who didn't come across any fault codes and visually saw that it was running fine. I also drove it for an hour that day with no issues at all. The garage suggested replacing the crank sensor which could solve it. I've read on other threads that it could just need a tiptronic oil and filter change as the tiptronic box can be sensitive. This was on my to-do-list because it hasn't been done for a long time. Another thread had the cause as a low pressure piston spring (thread doesn't state if the car is manual or tiptronic). My plan of attack so far is to: 1. Replace the crank shaft sensor 2. Bring forward my transmission oil and filter change by several months and have it done. (It was going to be done with my yearly service interval) Any other possible things I could look at? The car runs perfectly fine other than that issue.

ChatGPT says, Scan live data + codes Clean throttle body (very worthwhile on these) Check for vacuum leaks Try MAF unplug test Replace CPS if symptoms persist. Hope you get it sorted mate.

Nothing wrong with doing the oil change on the tip box but if it showed any issues wouldn’t it go into limp mode? I’ve had it do that on me and fixed it with the oil change

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I'll add these to my list if the crank sensor and transmission oil change doesn't sort it out. Yeah, it's because the issue is intermittent that it is difficult to pin down. I drove for an hour yesterday with no issue at all.

I've driven quite a bit over the last 9 days and there's been no issue. It went in today for the crank shaft sensor change, tiptronic oil change with a new filter, sump and gasket. The tiptronic box feels smoother from my 30 minute drive home. I've got a longer drive this weekend so I'll know if it was in my head or not. My polyrib belt has been making noise for a few months now on rainy days, it'll be changed during the May service. This is my next service list: - Minor Service - Replace fuel filter - Polyrib Belt - Change oil final drive - Change brake fluid - Coolant - Replace Oil Sender The yearly spend should decrease after this year (hopefully). I also need to start building a turbo rebuild or replacement money pot if it does happen. Approximately £8k in parts with the GT2 turbos, intercooler and a few other bits. I've only done 2.2k miles since June. The car is on 47k miles.

Such a low mileage! I’m going to hit 100k this year Like you, expecting another set of turbos soon - last done by 9E in 2014 or 15 I think it was

At my current rate, I'll hit 100k miles in 16 to 18 years. Were the turbos refurbished in 2014/2015 or were they brand new? I'm still on the original set.

I’m not sure, I’ll have to dig back through the bills (but I seem to remember they were new) - I did notice it when I bought it in 2019’as a positive sign … it’s just living in Scotland I fully expect they now need some love and attention!

I had the 2 channel Thinkware u3000 Pro dashcam installed today with the involt battery. It's not the slimmest of designs but it is one best on the market currently. I've been wanting one since I had an accident in my wifes car last year. Also the standard of driving in my area is appalling. I chose that particular model for the park mode. From the drivers view: The unit itself:

The car has been dropped off for an undercarriage wash, rust removal and undersealent in the form of Bilt Hamber Dynax UC. I'll get it back in a few days. Hopefully they take good care of it. Lots of pictures to be posted over the coming days to document the process. I'm interested to see what they find. My goodbye to the car:

Here is the car before any clean. I think it's pretty decent overall for a 23 year old car. Waxoyl is visible There's a little bit of surface rust here. Again there's a little bit of visible surface rust The nuts and bolts look like they're in fairly good condition I have no idea what this is, I assume waxoyl Lastly the arches which again look fairly decent: @911UK Is it possible to move thread to the 996 section?

The decontamination and restoration has been completed ahead of the application of the sealant. They've started protecting parts of it as well. Lots of pictures incoming: Ready for the next stage:

Final pictures ahead of collection tomorrow. BH Dynax UC has been applied. It will look a bit more clear in finish as it cures. This should help keep the car in good condition. The exhaust backbox and the exhaust manifold are still rusty. Manifold and exhaust still look rusty

Looks fantastic. How did they do the cleaning?

looking good and now in the 996 section

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Cleaning was as follows (not sure of the order) 1. Remove undertrays, archliners and alloys for cleaning 2. Start on the car with by rinsing, degreasing and chemically decontaminating areas with no sensors 2. Apply APC and scrub like there's no tomorrow 3. Steam clean areas with sensors and engine 4. Removal of rust through sanding after everything has been cleaned and degreased (not sure if this counts as a cleaning step)

I dropped the car off for its service today. It was supposed to be done in June but I had other priorities like welcoming my son who was born in the summer. I plan to start getting some miles in after he moves to a front facing car seat. Car is very unused currently. It's in for the following: - Minor Service - Fuel filter - Polyrib Belt - Brake Fluid - Coolant top up -AC Regas

Congrats on the birth of your son. The car still looks great, how are you getting along with it? If I remember you had an M3 before? Still missing it?

Car looks great

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Thank you Harry. I look forward to driving the car which is a good thing. It has the right balance between driving engagement, comfort and tech (PCCM+). Everything I could want in a car. Yes, I still miss the M3. I look back at my time with it fondly. The engine was special with the Carbon fibre cover paired with the incolnel M sport exhaust. I will one day have the G81 M3 Touring as my family car. A few pictures of the old car: Thank you, doing my best to keep on top of the maintenance I also managed to get a 1:18 scale of the car. Can for reference