new member

Hi I have a 2001 996 C2 Convertible and now I have joined the Club and the Forum. I do live in Monza (Italy) just next door of the F1 track. I like a lot to go with my 996 in the track and to drive it in the road. I am lucky as Germany hiways are not too far and there you may run as fast as you like (no speed limits). In Italy there are "soft" speed limits but a lot of Italians (like me) are driving there so it is better to go slow in the road. I do have a lot of video already on the Internet taken in Monza, Mugello, Magione, Imola, Adria and other smaller track in Italy from my 996. If I am allowed to post here the link (not the file of course) let me know and I will. I am sorry to have missed the Festival on august but the travel to UK in that period was not possible for me. I hope to be able to came next year. If anybody will transit in Monza in the future (jannuary and february 2006 the track is often accesible but only to car with insurance and registration plate) just let me know. Ciao. Alessandro

Hey Alessandro Welcome to the club . Strangely enough, during the CannonBall Run to Rome, we had far better runs in Austria & Italy rather than Germany. I think Germany has the reputation and yes some no-limit stretches and yes the drivers are better disciplined, but overall I feel better to drive everywhere else in Europe, but for Germany & Switzerland... Cheers [ ]

I understad the feeling driving expecially in Switzerland where probably one of their bigger income voice, a part of chocolate, is fine on foreign drivers I must admit that probably Italian police close both eyes with CannonBall Run cars (so far Italian police only got four Gallardo to stop sport cars and hopeful they are always busy in the South Anyways the CannonBall is my dream run. Here some video from my 2001 996 Carrera 2 Cab (note for my Insurance company: video taken on track only ): (click on and then press "scarica" button to download the zippped file) Monza http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=22170816 Date: 19.2.2005 http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=59819691 Date: 16.7.2005 http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=15750500 Date: 26.11.2005 http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=23855926 Date: 8.12.05 http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=72598064 Date: 11.12.05 Mugello: http://911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=86625990 Date: 8.4.2005 http://911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=52464219 Date: 9.4.2005 Imola: http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=58458290 Date: 6.11.2004 Magione: http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=5356628 Date: 15.4.2005 http://www.911ita.com/download/dc.php?dcid=30850726 Date: 16.4.2005

Hello and Welcome Andy! Two newbies this evening! Both with short shifters, aerokits and sports exhausts! Guards Red - Great stuff! If you've got it, flaunt it!

Hi Andy, congratulations and nice colour. Aerokits aplenty this time of the year! Looks like we should set up our own little club [ ] Enjoy!

An Aerokit members only club - genuinely elite! [ ]

Wellcome [ ]

Andy Well done matey, we all look forward to you joiing us at AUTOFARM and hopefully ACE CAFE events in January. Silverstone and M.Keynes events in April and July are on your doorstep also! See you soon or should I say hear you soon (PSE!) Johnny McGirl 996RS

Welcome Steve! How about some more info on the car, and a photo? Edit: You might also want to get your forum name tied up to your membership number. You need to phone the club office or email [email removed] . Then you'll get access to all the 'member only' forums.

Welcome Steve This is a great Forum, loads of great advice. Always nice to hear about what car you have spec etc. I am up in cambridge and dont tend to go to my local meetings a little busy for that but have been to lots of general events which have been really intresting. Enjoy your Porsche Phil

Welcome Steve....what they don't know on here isn't worth knowing.... Hope all goes well with the car and enjoy it. Had mine over 12 months and still grin like a cheshire cat every time i'm out in it! David

Welcome to the mad house Steve! Let's see some pics

Hi Steve, Welcome to the forum. To post a cliche "This thread is useless without pictures" [ ] Always good to post a pic so we can all admire!! I am up to 2 years of 911 ownership had many questions so don't hesitate to ask. Regards Alan

Hi Steve. Hello from south Wales. (isn't it!?) (Go on, you g'boy!, etc.) Adrian.

Hi Guys, Thanks for the welcome, much appreciated. I'm a little new to these web site forums so if someone would let me know how to put up some pictures of my 996 I'll be more than happy to oblige. I've tried the Add Image icon but as all my photo's are on my pc I can't seem to make this work...Help please!

First picture?

And another .... without the wife!

One more for the road.... I purchased the car privately in January 2007. It may have been owned by someone on the site as it had an owners club sticker on the windscreen. It's a 1998 (S plate) 3.4 with a Metropole Blue interior and has covered 82k, although the engine has only done 6k. I will do a full write up about this when I have a spare moment (about an hour will probably be sufficient) suffice to say I paid a heavy price for buying the car privately and NOT having an inspection done. Anyway, I love the car and intend to keep it for another 5 years or so at least. I have changed the wheels to the original BBS split rims after finding a decent set that only needed minimal refurbishment. I think they look great and make the car look "right" although I did get a lot of positive comments about the aftermarket ones in the photos they are a little too bling for my own taste,

Christ Steve!! If I'm not mistaken, that looks like the Lot Valley to me..? - The location I mean...?

Hi Adrian, Blimey! It's actually the Languedoc. A small village near to Clermont L'Herault. We've been staying in the same house for the last 5 years, and have booked again for August this year....a wonderful place...

Another aerokit. Welcome

Hi Steve, Welcome to the site. With reference to the meeting at the Compass Inn (R16) .... we meet on the 3rd Wednesday of the month (not Tuesday). The next meeting is this Wednesday 20th. We generally gather from 1945 onwards. Didnt want you to turn up on Tuesday and think we were an unsociable bunch (cos no one was there) .... [ ] Regards, Jason

Must be aerokit month...thats two of us in a week ! welcome steve [ ]

Signature duly amended [ ]

Hi Paul, Open the cap on the expansion tank in the engine bay on the left. Is the level low? Is the coolant clear blue or pink, or does it have an oily residue? Can you see White streaks down the side of the tank or surrounding the cap?

Rodney, Thanks for your prompt reply. The Oil cap is spotlessly clean, the oil & water levels are fine, I suspect the minimal amount of water lost since I checked when I first purchased the car is from the leak, there are no streaks anywhere & the colour is greeny/blue. Is the system fully closed or does the expansion tank have a small hose to allow excess water out? The water looks to be coming from the area of the expansion tank, I wonder if there might be a small leak in a hose.....or possibly that a new hose fitted prior to my buying the car is slightly loose. I did find a small amount on the garage floor that looked as though it had been sprayed out rather than dripped, hence my suspicion that there may be a small leak under pressure. Not sure about the oil though....its clean & amounts to about 1/4 teaspoon when it drips; there is no sign of oil underneath the car from airflow so again its a very small leak.

The expansion tank is prone to cracking, usually pinhole cracks, and so probably needs replacing. If yours is a facelift model then a new tank is around £50 from Eurocarparts+1-2hours labour+coolant. Add £70 to the tank price if it's a pre-facelift car. Its not covered under the warranty. The main concern is the oil leakage. If it was leaking at the centre rear of the car, I'd put that down to an RMS leak and not worry about it. As the leak is to the left hand side I was concerned that you had oil in your expansion tank (potentially very serious) that was leaking out of the cracked expansion tank. Can you investigate further the exact source of the oil leak in terms of where from the car it's coming from?

Check the cap too. If the part number ends in 00 then it's the old type which are prone to blowing off at too low a pressure. This then leaks into the tray around the top of the tank and down a rubber drain tube to the underside of the car. If the tank is cracked, then you usually get a deposit on the engine compartment paintwork just below the tank. The tank usually cracks at the back where you can't see it.

Thanks for everything so far...... I have looked everywhere and cannot see where the oil is coming from......it is such a small amount that it is not leaving any trace on the engine (the visible parts anyway!). There is a small area of "dirty" oil at the middle of the front of the engine but not enough to drip. As an aside the car had a new main bearing seal about 3 years ago so would I be correct that it would be a modified one by then? The water leak (drip) is directly below the expansion tank so that could be the cause or a pinhole leak in one of the myriad of pipes below it. There is a small drip on the exhaust with a wet area even though the car hasn't run for a few days so I guess the leak is still happening even when the system is not pressurised. The cap is blue & ends in 02....Therefore I have no alternative but to let my local OPC (leicester) have a look because if I dont do anything then it could possibly invalidate my warranty. Any other advice before I get my credit card out would be greatly appreciated

Number one piece of advice: don't take it to the OPC. Unless you want to pay double. It's very likely to be a cracked expansion tank. Take it to an indy to confirm and buy the tank yourself and let them fit it for you. This is not a warranty item. I had the same problem on my last warranteed 911 and did what we're advising you to do. Good luck

Thanks Guys.....My local independent is Gantspeed, I believe they have a good reputation, has anyone used them? What is the "normal" per hour rate at OPC's nowadays?....If I buy the replacement expansion tank & gantspeed fit it what effect will that have on my warranty.....having already had to threaten to take Porsche UK to court once I know how difficult they can be (they capitulated & paid up!!!) Rodney, can you send me a link where europarts stock it for @£70.00...the cheapest I can find anywhere is £135 + VAT. Thanks again for all your help Paul

Hi Paul, I quoted 2 prices, one for the pre-facelift and one for the post facelift tank. I bought the post-facelift tank and it was less than half the price of the pre-facelift one for some reason. So I'm guessing you have a pre-facelift car, so that price seems right. Don't worry about your warranty, I only ever took my car to an OPC for things I knew would be covered under the warranty, for everything else I took it to an indy. As long as the parts are Porsche approved there is no problem. I had lot's of engine work done to my car after I fitted the tank, and with aftermarket HIDS fitted and an aftermarket sports exhaust. None of which they cared about. I think the OPC rate is now £120+Vat per hour. James fuller had his tank replaced at an OPC and they charged him £400 for the pleasure. Yours should cost less than half that at an indy.

Thanks Rodney, Gantspeed have quoted £55.00 per hour...much more bearable. Yep it is a pre-facelift....one of the last! Will let you klnow how I get on.. Thanks for all your help Paul

I have no experience of Gantspeed, but I think they are mainly "early car" specialists - 356 & aircooled 911s. 911 Sport are in the same area aren't they? Again, no experience, but they seem to do more with later model cars.

I didn't notice this. Yes that would be the RMS (Rear Main Seal) they often leak, and replacements leak too but not as often. I wouldn't worry about it as there's no clutch to contaminate, it's an expensive fix on a tiptronic.

My car is going to a local specialist to have the system pressure checked to ascertain where the leak is tomorrow morning. Whilst I was checking around it today I noticed that my front tyres are getting low on tread & have looked at various options...at the moment it has continentals. Has anyone tried Toyo T-1S's or Yokohama S306 tyres. I used Yokohamas on my 944 & they were brilliant. Or would I be better staying with continentals?

hi paul when i had my 996 cab-always seem to get small patches of oil in garage-seal changed on engine & gear box under warranty -also had clutched changed while engine out half the price to change clutch while engine out expansion tank leaking changed under warranty-moved on now 997tt chris

Guys, Thanks for all your help & advice...the problem turned out to be the expansion tank, very small crack. Had the system pressure tested, new tank fitted (£87.00 from Lancaster OPC) & all now working well...total bill £230 so all in all not too bad.

Welcome to you!! Glad you're now on the forum and hope you will now join the club too! Waving to other Porsches? See here http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=489287&mpage=1&key=wave%2Cporsches&#489322 Some do, some don't! No doubt the 996 brigade will be along to say "Hi" soon.[ ]

Hi Martyn, Welcome to the forum, its a great place, lots very nice and helpful people out there! Anything you might need to know then some one here will point you in the right direction I've had my 996 c2 cab for about 10months and totally love it I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine, as for giving other 911 drivers a wave.. well umm.. I used to do that when I had my Z4 and it was usually reciprocated have I have to say I don't find it works as well in my 911 :-( not really sure why but it doesn't deter me I still raise hand if I meet one

Yeah.. I always wave to other Porsches but very rarely receive an acknowledgement... no matter what the model. Used to be different many years ago but there we are. (Oh, and for the record - no, we're not all rich! I'm certainly not!) [ ]

Me either.. rich that is LOL..

Thank you Alan and Dawn for the welcome! Alan, i presume you pick up the Turbo on Monday.....send me a pic when you get it! Dawn.........Thanks for not making me feel daft in asking my wave question!! If you're ever on the M25 between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning or about 6:30 to 7:00 in the evening between jct 6 and 9 i'll make sure i wave to you!!!

Maryn, your welcome but I guess I'm not likely to see you, I'm in Northampton and dont venture round the M25 unless I have too LOL..BUT if I do I'll wave if I see you So have you posted some photos of your new car ? Here's a link to my Flickr page where you can see my car http://www.flickr.com/photos/pivotalphotography/sets/72157620082480226/

Thats a lot of pictures Dawn! Looks beautiful, bet you spend a lot of time polishing it. I'm off out onto the driveway to clean mine now, then i'll post some pictures.

Martyn! We aren't all rolling in dosh like Alan either, so you can feel right at home [ ] [ ] Get that camera out!!

Have been driving 911s for 30 years - never had a new one BTW - and over the years the 'acknowledgement' by fellow Porsche owners has declined considerably in that time. True there are a lot more now and are quite common place compared with late 70's and 80's and I also know that some think the 'acknowledgement' to be a bit elitist. There are also the a few classic snobs who wouldn't 'acknowledge' more recent models. It would be petty to expect all other Porsche drivers to 'acknowledge' but I feel it's a shame that the practice seems to be dying out. Well come to the forum Martyn - there is so much help and advice available here and without it many members (including me) would find ownership much more painful and expensive. Dave Jones

Like Alan used to be.............[&:][ ] To paraphrase the Kinks, "The Porsche man's taken all my dough". I don't have a stately home either, btw!

Hi Martyn Great news on your new car,As to waving to other porsche drivers,why not if they don't wave back so what rise above it,there are many of us who do. Paul&Tanya

welcome Martyn, concur with views of those before me, I always wave and get responses 70% of the time, not rich either especially since my bank shares have taken a tumble[ ]

Martyn, Welcome. I will acknowledge many Porsche drivers but as Colin (also) says I rarely receive an acknowledement; But don't let this stop you. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of the 996 as I have out mine (although nothing compares to my first car a 924, which I still have). Very few of the people I meet at the club are wealthy - however I do consider myself "rich in spirit" [8|] and the forum is a great source of information. Richard is tireless in his support of the 996 register. Enjoy.

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome. I feel part of the family already. I've taken a few pictures so that i don't upset Mr Hamilton...........i just need one of my kids to help me get them from the camera to the computer and then i'll post them. My mate Alan warned me that the Forum was addictive............This is almost as much fun as driving the car..........but not quite! Martyn

I thought when I got my 911 that there would be a certain amount of acknowledgement from other owners, in 6 months I've not had one wave!!! Often wonder whether I pass anyone from the forum on my travels...

Hi Martyn and welcome [ ]

Forgot to mention, welcome Martyn - and get those photos up ASAP!!

Welcome from another Martin... Good choice of colour. I'm not rich either... not since owning a porsche, that is (only kidding). Great car, I'm sure you'll enjoy it - as Richard said TTIUWP though. As for waving... I do, here in rural Suffolk, as there are not many of us about. I wouldn't if I lived in the M3/M4 corridor as they're 2 a penny there.

Hi Martyn, Welcom to the forum and I hope you have a great time with your acquisition. As a teacher I can assure you I am not rich, at least not financially!! If you are in the Farnborough Camberley area and you see an Ocean Blue 996 give it a wave, it may well be me. Mark

HI Martyn When i had my TVRs everyone in a TVR irrespective of age of the car used to wave, and i assumed the same would happen with the porsche, but i have to admit after 4 years of ownership i have given up as there is rarely an acknowledgement. I do think it helps the cameraderie when driving the car to give a wave so how about resurrecting the practice? Julie

Still not managed to get my pictures up yet, but if you look above at Don Henshall's cooment, you'll see my new car.............i bought it of Don!!!

Welcome and congrats on your choice of colour, No doubt John will come along and welcome you to R24

Thanks Andy I have posted and welcomed Martin at http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=821820

Welcome Martin!!

Hi Martin, I don't normally do Red but that works very nice[ ]

Ohhhhhhh i brought a 996 C2 18 months previous, tried everywhere for a Guards red one but to no avail , ended up buying a mint silver one, Then the dreaded phone call, 'Martin, not only have i got a Guards red 996 in its also a Turbo, mint condition' 5 mins later and without seeing it, i owned it !!!!! As described it was the best example i had seen, not even a stone chip in the wheels arches. Manual also. So May 6th, Lets see how it runs at Cadwell park track day [ ]

Martin! We need photographic evidence! [ ]

its hard trying to find such a small image size..... Im on it

Hi Martin Welcome to the club, C4s great value for money cars enjoy

Hi there Martin. I think the site can cope with pretty big images, too.

Welcome, good choice...... Sounds more like an epiphany than a mid life crisis to me [ ]

Lol.... cheers its weird tbh , I’m facinated with it. I’m looking forward to a meet so I can start to learn more about the different models and the 966 in particular , perhaps the wrong time a year but would still be good to get to know about em .... ih

At least I saw my car and drove it before buying but bought it as a trade sale, low mileage full service history and a 111 point check at an OPC!! Enjoy the car they a brilliant![8D]

Evening Andy, im very intrested in learning about the 966 cars, I would have gone to the classic car show tbh but got ropped into a long weekend in Vegas instead. Looking forward to a meet and seeing and meeting other owners. Ian.

That must have been a hard decision[ ][ ][ ]

Lol. Just got in , n trust me the way I’m feeling right now is ... has the car show finished!

Am seriously considering a 996 Turbo Tip Coupe MY2001, as the engines are supposed to be bulletproof and I want a 4wd car to get me back and forth to the station. Anyone have one and have any tips on what to look out for when buying? I will only buy from a reputable independent with warranty.

Welcome to 996 membership who started the thread. I am sure one was for sale on the PCGB website 996T tip. Northway's had 3 turbo's last time I checked. As you say bulletproof engine providing it's looked after properly. I believe common problem are the servo's failing on the rear spoiler. Also know a R19 member had issues with manual gearbox on 2/3rd synchromesh