In the OPC for Sports Exhaust & Service

Yesterday afternoon I left my car with Bolton OPC for its major service and also to have a Sports Exhaust fitted "" oh and not forgetting the obligatory brake fluid change just to help out with the OPC cash flow !! Anyhow I feel like a big kid all excited, waiting in anticipation, and can hardly wait to collect the car on Saturday and play with the new sound system!! I asked to meet the technician who will be working on my car and chatted to him about how I treasure my pride and joy etc just so he would get a feel as to the type of Porsche "˜spotter' I am (yes I said it before anyone else got there!!!). He was telling me how some cars come in for work in a real mess, owners not caring for their cars at all, and he (and service manager Dave) said how refreshing it was to do work for an enthusiast. Seems a really good set up at Bolton and I will let you know how I get on when I collect the car "" fingers crossed all goes well and that no further work is found. At 13k miles I hope not! The new 997 4S cab in black / black and the used orange 997 Turbo are just mouth wateringly beautiful. One day eh!

PSE transforms the 996 [ ]

He was telling me how some cars come in for work in a real mess, owners not caring for their cars at all, and he (and service manager Dave) said how refreshing it was to do work for an enthusiast. They shouldnt be allowed their cars back after servicing unless they PROMISE to take more care of their beauties!![ ]

You'll LOVE the PSE. Immediately after the large grin appears the first time you drive it, you will be thinking "why didn't I do this before?"

Thanks guys Got the usual phone call yesterday with a whole list of things they found that they brought to my attention and "....would I like to attend to these sir...".[/i] Err - no thanks, I'll check them out and get them done at an independent if necessary! I have never been one to pay much attention to the must do this at year 2, 4 etc [/i]because of the low mileage I have done to no. Some years its only covered 1K miles so to do a major service when it was 4 years old and with only 3K on the clock was pointless. It's just throwing good money away and in low mileage cars just unnecessary IMO. Eve now it's just having the minor service done as they informed me that the only difference was the spark plugs and air filter! These were: 1. Wear on the inside of the front 2 tyres - needs tracking and two tyres!! Mmmm nice try - sort that out myself thank you. 2 . The car only done 13k miles and we recommend that you change the spark plugs Mmmm - IMO spark plugs don't go down after that short of mileage - leave them in thank you. They are normally replaced at 48k mile (or four years) so how that can deteriorate sat there doing nothing is nonsense. 3. The car needs an air filter change Mmmm - same as spark plugs really but why not - go ahead - but before you do what will be the cost. "... that will be £200 inc parts and labour..." Err .. ahammm ... thanks for the offer but no thanks! Do it myself. 4. Polyrib belt need changing What! The car has done 13K miles and sat in a garage all its life - no thanks!! 5 There[/i] is evidence of some staining around the water pump and we suggest replacing the pump! Mmmm ..it has never used any water and never overheated. Seems like there are being very over cautious"¦... no thanks guys. Check it out myself first and use an indie if necessary. I guess these guys are only doing there job "" but could you imagine what the cost of doing that lot would be!! And in the most part really unnecessary!! Just an update. Pick the car up tomorrow. [ ] PS On the upside - NO RMS FAILURE !!!!! (yet)

Good luck, hope there are no complications! Wear on the inner shoulders of the tyres can be hard to spot until the car is on a ramp. I was disappointed to learn at MOT time that my rears are quite badly worn in that regard - particularly after I paid Bolton to sort out the wheel alignment when it was serviced (and had new tyres). They were very competitive on tyre prices though, particularly with PCGB discount. Dean and I are going to Bolton next Saturday for the demonstration drive weekend - I'm booked in a C4S Cab at 1pm and a Cayman at 3. Dean is getting a Cayenne Turbo at 2 and a Cayman S at 3. Would be nice to see you if you're going.

Hi Rob Not sure about this coming Saturday - not much I really want to drive at the moment. I had a Cayman off the OPC from Wed > Sat last week and quite enjoyed that - but for me I will keep the 911 faith - for now!! I'll see what the boss has planned for Saturday but I may be pushing my luck s we plan to go to Cornbury House on the Sunday. I did say plan however!! I will let you know if I decide to go.

Collection Post Service and Sports Exhaust "" report What great service these guys at Bolton OPC give! The technician that did my car was a fantastic guy "" Paul Correl - took me and the wife around the car whilst it was up on the ramps and explained what he had done showing us the new exhausts and other places under the car. Paul was a real enthusiast and I know he looked after the car for us as if it was his own. Then he started the car "" wow!!! - what a sound that sports exhaust gives "" there is no way that it will be switched off "" even for the neighbours!!! I love how it quietens in the mid cruising range between 3500-4500 rpm and then comes in again. An awesome sound "" well worth the expense. The service picked up a few items that I mentioned above and the tracking needs sorting ASAP and I hope to be able to find someone near to Preston as the OPC price was just ridiculous. It's a menu priced item at £245 (+vat ??) Whilst the car was on the ramps in the workshop and ready to go I did asked them to fit new plastic spark plug tubes as it was quite obvious from the staining that they needed doing too. They did tell me about this when they called me the day before and would have fixed it for me, but as I misunderstood what they said to me so it was my own fault. Paul stayed past his finish time for another hour to fit them "" that is what I call service and a credit to the OPC. One final thing. The day before I picked up the car the service adviser called me and asked me if I wanted the car washing "" he said that Paul had noticed that I used Zymol and didn't want to wash it without my consent. No worries I said, as long as the sponge is clean go ahead. As it turned out he washed the car the day we picked it up using his own wool mitt and bucket brought in from home. Now that is not only excellent service "" but dedication too. Needless to say a letter of commendation has been sent to the dealer principal. All in all an expensive visit, but well worth it and overall a very pleasant experience.

Hi Peter, Sounds like a great upgrade (no pun intended)! And what excellent service you received. Out of interest, when you say it quietens at 3500 to 4500, do you think it is as quiet as the std exhaust at that speed, or just quieter than itself at other speeds?

Hi Diesel Too be honest I am not that sure - I think its almost as quiet but I only drove it straight home and into garage as it was poring done. I suspect that as its controlled by the cars computer managment system (and not just the switch) then it will be like the standard one. I need to try it some more!!!!

That quiet band (25-30mph??) is for noise regulations in places like Switzerland. Most people disable that feature by removing the speed sensor wire from the exhaust relay.

I see - speed related, rather then rpm related then ... So, Peter must cruise at about 28mph then !!!

I drive mine in noisy mode on the motorway most of the time- it is not boomy at all, in fact the only reason I switch mine to quiet is when I leave first thing in the morning or driving through past houses at night (believe if or not, not everyone shares our love of flat 6 engine notes!) If you switch the bypass on and off there is a v small difference in noise level at cruise but not much- the real difference is under acceleration. You will want to have the auto-switching relay disabled. It sounds a bit odd to me as you accelerate away when it suddenly shuts up at 30. Also, you lose the lovely over-run pops and crackles when burbling past high walls at 30ish...

I use to turn mine off when leaving early in the morning, then one of my neighbours drives his TVR with a sports exhaust which sounds like he has no exhaust at all. The Porsche system on motorways is quiet until you put your foot down and it wakes up, never turn mine off now. I do find it a pain that it cuts out at 27Mph, if i want to disable it, can anyone point me in the right direction as to which wire to disconnect, does the switch still work?? thanks Phil

The dash switch still works. In fact, its worth excercising the valve from time to time or it might seize open. Sorry don't know how to disable the auto-switch, I think it involves snipping off a diode, it was done when I had the exhaust fitted.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=2470&view=findpost&p=11386 You can either snip the diode, or remove the grey/pink wire from the relay board that goes to the auspuff relay.

Just out of interest on the price of tyres how much did you pay for your rears?. I was unfortunate enough to get a screw in a rear tyre half way through its life a couple of weeks ago and had it plugged, it didn't seem to seal. I rang around pitting tyre distibutors against each other and eventually got 2 Continental Sport Contact 2 for £180 each all in. It pays to work them hard, they would have been happy to take £240 each! On a plus side in the interim of the tyres arriving the plug has sealed and I've popped the new tyres on the shelf til I need them.

Oooh errr ... not sure I'd trust my life with a dodgy plug - especially if tanking on at 130+ mph .... :-O

With the "over pressure" what could possibly go wrong? [ ] I know some people have hesitation re plugs but given the design of it I cannot see it is going to come out. I of course don't exceed our national speed limit and so therefore believe any rapid deflation would be controlable.......

... was thinking if you took it to Germany and/or track day.

Having designed, manufactured and sold tyre repair materials for the last 25 years, I feel qualified to comment here. If the 'plug' as you call it is a branded 'mushroom' or 'combination' plug patch and was fitted from the inside of the tyre during a full inspection, by a reputable repairer complying with the relevant British Standard, the repair will be fine, whatever you do with the car. Having said that, if that was the case it wouldn't have leaked after repair, even for a short time. On the other hand, if it was an externally applied string or rubber plug you would be well advised to have the tyre properly repaired or scrap it. Just today I was advised of a fatal incident in the UK being laid at the door of just such a repair. I wouldn't like to hear of another.

One final thing. The day before I picked up the car the service adviser called me and asked me if I wanted the car washing "" he said that Paul had noticed that I used Zymol and didn't want to wash it without my consent. No worries I said, as long as the sponge is clean go ahead. As it turned out he washed the car the day we picked it up using his own wool mitt and bucket brought in from home. Now that is not only excellent service "" but dedication too. The PSE is a must upgrade, totally transforms the car IMO. Also as you will find out the exhaust note really is impressive with spirited driving with an amazing post 100mph note with acceleration. Done on track of course. Got to mention "sponge" cannot be!!!! Surely snow foam, then the purest of cotton applicators and then micro fibre towels. No seriously would no let any OPC wash my P&J now. Swirl mark city on the 1 occasion they did. Sounds like this guy is a credit to the OPC definately an enthusiast. Cheers Alan. (Still got to put the silver dials in)

They were about £430 the pair all in less 10% PCGB so just over £190 each for 18" Michelin Pilot Sports - I had been ringing around before it went in and they beat my best quote at the time. Peter, glad things went well, maybe see you Saturday.

Hi all, Had the PSE fitted to my C4 2 weeks ago and can't believe how much it's transformed the car. I couldn't live with the cut-out so used the renntech solution for snipping the diode, it's quite difficult to get the relay open but is otherwise straightforward. It's so much better without the limiter, you lose a lot of the sound/experience due to it cutting out, it also sounds very odd - makes you realise just how "quiet" the standard exhaust is. The sound going under bridges and through tunnels is incredible, it also sounds great when you're in traffic jams with the sound bouncing off other cars Great to hear another positive report about an OPC. I've had mostly positive experiences with the ones I've used and don't understand all of the negative press they get.

Hi 996C2 I did the Renntech 'mod' as Richard suggested - and getting the cover off was not very easy, but then again I suppose its not meant to be as its sealed!! I thought that was the hard bit BUT - as I gently lifted the diode off the board the dam thing snapped in half!!! Sod law that it would happen to me! Normally this wouldn't matter as the diode removal means that the none cut out mode is there all the time - but I wanted to be able to switch it back to 'normal'. As I understand it this is just a signal path from the speedo and I replaced it with a standard 1N4148 diode. I fitted a switch on the outside of the box so that I can set it back to default mode, so hopefully when I test it all will be well. Even the simplest of jobs sometimes turn into a nightmare eh!!!

Hi Peter, I would like to have added the switch as well but my electonics skills are lacking and the switch probably would have ended up switching off PSM if I'd attempted it [ ] Looking for the next modification now to make my car a bit more unique, thinking about painting the wheels black or grey [ ] Cheers, Gavin

Fascinating stuff. How much was the OPS exhaust upgrade out of interest (and is it possible/cheaper at a 'reputable specialist' as they say)? All the best !

Hi Des The exhaust, wiring and switch all fitted was £1495 inc vat.

GULP............... I really want the PSE .. ... BUT! £1500??!! At the moment I can't really go for it !! .. Deep sigh!! I'm off to Richards friend .. in the near future going down the cheaper route!! ummm remind me of his name please Richard. So haveany of you guys heard the PSE next to a ummm £300. Solution?? Just wondering is there a huge difference? Cheers David

http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/fb.asp?m=307537 That's exactly how I felt. I couldn't justify £1500 either to myself or Mrs H. The mod does give you the same result as the Mk1 PSE, which might not be as loud as the Mk2, but it is a great compromise and worth every penny.

Richard, Do you have Tony's exhaust mod ? If so, can it be turned off for track days and/or early morning departures ? Martin.

Yes - Tony did mine. No - it can't be switched off, as they are welded-in pipes with no valve. There is no embarrassment for early morning departures and late returns. It is only slightly noisier than the standard exhaust until you get to about 2500rpm. This was one of my reservations, and I was also worried about it being boomy on motorways. Totally unfounded worries, as it turns out. Downside is that I might struggle to meet the noise requirements for some track days - but then again I've never taken it on a track!