My Vesuvio aero 996

Hello all, Thought I’d start a thread on my 996.1 I picked up yesterday. Bit of an early birthday present to myself. Chuffed! Been in the market for a 996 (specifically one equipped with the aero kit) for quite a while. Almost went for a non-aero but when this came up, in budget, I couldn’t not. It’s a bit ropey, but it’s ropey and mine First order of business was to refurb the headlights, before they were more haze than anything else. Next will be coil packs (previous owner noted it would occasionally develop a small misfire when washed, I’ve heard this is coil packs?) and fix an exhaust blow. Hoping to get it in for paint in the coming months but it’ll get a full polish for the time being. Future plans will be to change the wheels, some interior restoration and just generally look after it and enjoy it. A possible Germany trip is on the cards in September. Can’t wait! Had a trip out today to C&M so here’s some pictures of that:

Congrats on your new car it’s a great colour Which product did you use for your headlights?

Congrats and welcome

Quotes source post: 2818164

It was a Koch Chemie compound a friend has with a polisher, followed by a sealant. Prior to that it was a 800, 1200, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000 & finally 5000 grit wet sanding process. Probably a bit OTT on the grits but good to have it as a one and done. And thanks chaps!

Welcome, nice looking car! Are the wheels genuine Porsche?

Quotes source post: 2818230

Unfortunately not! They’ll be going, sometime in the future. Haven’t decided on splits or single piece route yet but we’ll see!

Welcome to 996 ownership! My favourite colour, I saw the car advertised.

Quotes source post: 2818235

Thanks!

Quotes source post: 2818234

Let me know when you're selling them, I might be interested

They look like Cup 1's with split rims

Welcome! Looks great and such a fantastic colour.

Welcome twin. I have a c2 aero in vesuvio.

Quotes source post: 2818419

Ah great. Would be great to see some pictures!

As it was . As it is . Once I have done some small jobs - I’ll lower it and either retain the cargraphic wheels - most likely to go for body coloured oem wheels with a polished lip.

As far as I’m aware - there are no other vesuvio 996 Aeros . I’ve done some small jobs - but need to do a little bit of mechanical work and then to de-gray the interior. Not totally but break it up a little . Good luck with yours !

Looks great! If it's misfiring slightly after being washed, that does indeed sound like cracked, old coil packs letting water in.

Not sure how water would get to the coil packs from washing the car unless a pressure washer was used pointing up under the car but it must happen.

Quotes source post: 2818489

That looks great! I’m so undecided on wheels but I also need to do some homework on what specs will get it sitting how I want it. I’ll pull these wheels off at some point and see what they are as a reference. The offset probably wants to be 15mm further out on the front and maybe 10mm on the rear to fill it out and keep good clearance

Quotes source post: 2818568

I figure when cleaning/jet washing the wheels and arch liners would do it! Our hose pipe ban and current sunshine delays that problem at least

Sent the machine polisher over the car this evening before a birthday dinner, nothing major but shows potential in the paint at least! Getting a nice little parts list together to tackle one by one

I think it’s called the throttle cable on you tube ? White 996, Did a great video on wheels offsets

Quotes source post: 2818722

Thanks I’ll check it out!

Small update. I found a really good way of wasting 3 hours today. Good news, my reverse/back up lights and parking sensors now work. Simple solution, the well documented reverse switch on the gearbox. 5 minutes to change, a stubby 19mm spanner helped a lot. Regarding wasting time, I had read on a forum somebody saying if you’re not using a OE Porsche replacement it’ll leak, so fit a copper washer (or alike) to seal it. After fitting the new sensor (with copper washer) followed by testing every relay and fuse in the car because they still were not working… it clicked. The washer stops the sensor from seating as far in into the gearbox and stops whatever gubbins inside fully depressing on the sensor when reverse is selected. After building engines, doing engine & turbo conversions etc I would’ve thought I’d pick up on that sooner but… ah well, one thing ticked off the list and no leaks without the washer. Another plus, I now know every single fuse and relay works and is well within its resistance values In other news, the opportune time to announce to my father of my recent purchase was apparently yesterday when I got a call he had broken down in his 991 Targa and needed rescue, popped a coolant hose it seems. He loved mine, and enjoyed the ride home! 90’s Porsche to the rescue.

A few little easy fixes over the last couple of days which is always a good fun. When cleaning the contacts on the number plate lights I was surprised to discover they are BMW badged. Looking forward to finding what other German badges I discover on parts around the car! As you can see, said BMW casing is a bit cracked and worse for wear. I’ve ordered some replacement units. But both lights are working for now. Next job was sorting the sunroof and its lack of… function. I was told a replacement switch was probably required (which was supplied with the car!) so naturally, I budgeted for a new motor I stripped the motor apart a few days ago and noticed the alloy gear had split in half with some teeth missing. Ordered replacement gears and installed. Sunroof now works but requires calibration. I’ve read some forum posts on here but didn’t have much luck. For now all the runners have been greased and will tackle the calibration at a later date. Said offending gear below: The other half is somewhere deep in the depths of the interior never to be found again. I imagine (hope) when the sunroof lost its memory, an attempt of manually retracting the sunroof snapped the gear. Lastly, one of the pesky roof rail flap clips was broken and sunken in. Was a bit nervous about removing the trim but it was fine. Replacement in and… Much better. I didn’t get any pictures of how it was before but I think most will know the drill… interested to see if there’s any difference to the wind noise over the weekend. Probably no updates for a few weeks now as time will be spent on the track car (Honda K20 turbo swapped MX5 if of any interest to anybody on here) but hoping to be getting the miles in before the potential Germany trip in August.

Good looking car! The hood emblem looks like a pewter finish instead of the usual colored crest? I don't think I have seen one like that before...maybe it was changed out by a PO?

Yup it’s on the job list to swap back to a new original. Sometimes I look at it and think it sort of works, but mostly I’d like it back to original.

Small update. Think I’ve done about 1200 miles in the car over the last 5/6 weeks. Absolutely love it. Just discovered today a coolant leak at the front. Must be very minor, I smelt the distinctive smell of coolant and had a look in the front grill/radiator areas (knowing it was a “when, not if” issue) and surprise surprise there was some signs on the plastic surrounds but no signs of overheating at all. I’ve ordered a pair of alloy replacements. Less for their extra cooling capabilities but more so for stout-ness. I’ve thought about adding the mesh grills to the front over the last few weeks. Maybe a good idea but I’m not personally a fan of the aesthetic. I’ll sort the radiators myself, quite keen to refresh the hardware underneath and generally see what’s what under there incase anything else needs renewing. Anyway, I replaced the grey bonnet badge which I’m very pleased with. And some general pictures from the last few weeks. Still on the hunt for wheels. Would love some Work Brombachers if they come available.

Quotes source post: 2819407

996 looks miles better than the 991

Let me know if you ever want to part with thise wheels. I quite like them.

The coolant smell may also be due to a crack in the overflow tank. They tend to leak under pressure and drip onto the headers. Take a good look around/behind/under your coolant tank for signs of leakage and check the RH side header for signs of coolant staining.

Quotes source posts: 2825463, 2825499, 2826256

Different vibe ay! He’s contemplating changing it for an Aston. I’ll miss it if he does! The thing is immaculate. Very cool dark blue. C4S with the X51 pack. And a picture with my old 944 at Porsche in the park a couple years ago. Will do! I couldn’t say when as it all depends on what becomes available in replacement The leak was/is from the front. However thankfully it’s had a new header tank in recent years. I got to pulling the front bumper last night, nice easy job. There are a few fixings and trim pieces that are a little worse for wear/showing age which I’ll add to the list for replacement over winter. The leak was from a bit of an odd place, top centre of the drivers side radiator. See darker wet patch below. Assuming a stone has made its way in there. Anyway, hopefully new rads on tonight and do a full flush. If there are any nuances with bleeding these, feel free to chuck over any tips and tricks. Plan is to just get the rear as high as possible and follow standard procedure. I have a pressure bleeder which I’m sure will help!

Once you have topped up the system pull up the bail on the expansion tank relief valve and leave it open until the system is hot. Check the level periodically and top up where needed. You can leave the relief valve open over a few days of driving to help purge all the air. If you are doing a full drain/refill then I recommend following this procedure: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-for...dated-w-refill-procedure-water-pump-tips.html

Thanks gents. New radiators on. I ended up using OE replacements. I originally opted for alloy units (the more affordable ones) but simply, they did not fit, not well anyway. I imagine some QC discrepancies are the cause but needless to say, if that’s the case I’d rather not run them anyway. OE replacements slid right in with ease. Next up will probably be getting it booked in for a service over winter. I’d be more than happy to do it myself but with so many Indy’s near by, it’d be good to get a stamp in the book and a general health check done at the same time. Once everything on that side is confirmed positive, it’ll be moving on to my long list of odds and sods. Nice to have it back on the road. A good clean is required!