Orient Express

Actually, if you want to paint the rotor hats, clean them off, use some steel wool to get the surface rust off etc. then wipe them down with some paint thinner or 3M general purpose adhesive remover. For paint, plain old grey primer is the OEM color and material of choice. For a nice trim, I also paint the rotor vents sliver. It is best if you remove the rotor from the car to clean and paint it. That is not that hard, just take the caliper off with 2 bolts, and then the rotor is just held in place with a little phillips screw. As far as masking the rotor or not getting paint on the surface, forget about it! Just focus on painting the hat, and don't fret about the over spray on the disc surface. The first time you apply the brakes, the pads will clean off all of the over spray for you , and leave a nice line. Of course with that said, it is best to apply the paint to the surface you want coated. But don't worry about overspray. If you have ever bought brand new OEM discs, especially german ones, you will find that they are completely painted. With the first application of the brakes, the paint is completely removed with no harm to anything. I have been painting my rotors on all of my cars for 30 years like this, and have never had a problem. Here is a picture of the last respray I did last month. here is what they look like when done.

The micro-switch for the top center latch is in the windshield header assembly. This is the part in the photo. Before you go on a wild goose chase, check the action of the flap as I described. The assembly in the center of the soft top is the latch and the latch motor, no Micro switch there. However the latch motor may have gotten out of synchronization as well. There are instructions in the owners manual on setting it back to the correct state. Have you been over to see the problem for yourself and checked the state of the latch assembly? If not, I would suggest a visit to check it out first hand. Bring a felt bumper foot and stick it on the flap to see if that fixes the issue. BTW, Silver Star comes very highly recommended. We are having a PCA Concours event there later this year.

Here is what I do with service groups that perform below my expectation, or ones that I have a dispute about broken parts etc. with. I simply pay them their invoice amount minus the cost of the broken part plus 1 hour labor. However if you have already paid them before resolving this issue, shame on you, as you just lost that leverage! :eek: Now onto a possible solution. If I understand your post correctly, the broken part in question is the header latch receiver on the center of the windshield header. This is the part includes the map and courtesy lights. In the center of this assembly is a little opening with a spring mounted flap on it. Behind the flap is a micro-switch that is activated by the flap being pushed up by the roof latch. There are several of these micro-switches on the top mechanism that tell the controller that various events have or have not happened during the opening and closing cycles. The little flap can get slightly bent so that the micro-switch does not fully engage. It can be quite literally 1/100" out and the micro-switch will not close. A fix to this is to place a small round self adhesive furniture/knick-nack felt foot on the center of the flap. This will give the flap the extra depth it needs to actuate the micro-switch. I had a problem with the switch on my Cabriolets top, and this is how I rectified it. However if the micro-switch is broken, then all bets are off. You can either repair/repair the micro-switch, or get a new latch receiver assembly. You can test the switch by pressing on it with your finger. If you hear it click, then it is OK, it just the flap that is bent out of tolerance. Think of it on the bright side, at least it did not happen on a Friday night 300 miles from the nearest Porsche dealership whose service department was closed on the weekend anyway! (ask me how I know....)

the third single one is for the phone, you can toss it :) You beat me to it! :clapping: But save it, as you never know when you will need some of those little pins to add something or repair a connector on the radio. (worst comes to worst, don't toss it, send it to me, I tend to collect stuff like that)

Is the CD connector pin-out different for the traffic pro? Are all 3 of the sub connectors for the CD changer plugged into the radio?

Yes this is quite true. This method is used to find vacuum leaks. By putting the propane source next to the intake system, if there is a vacuum leak sucking in air, the car will be running lean, when it starts sucking in the propane, then it will run rich, and the idle will change. When that happens, you then can check out the hose that you had the propane source next to, and chances are you will find a leak! BTW the propane is UNLIT!

Only the rears are included in the retrofit kit. The fronts are the same as stock.

Yes, the 030 kit comes with new shorter rear bump stops. You can certainly replace the front ones with new pieces, but unless you have been bottoming out your suspension, or driving in some sort of corrosive environment, the fronts are probably just fine.

Also check the hex head screw that holds the shift knob to the shifter for tightness. This is where my shifter buzzing was coming from.

Congratulations on your successful install. Since you live in Georgia, the switch will come in handy on Sunday mornings during "quiet time", or when you are stuck in traffic on GA400. I'm glad my experiences were helpful in getting you through your install.

The 200 21 kit is the one that I installed, watch out on the switches, there was a batch that regardless of the part number, they were all right side switches. That picture is interesting. It looks like the mod that some folks do to a regular 996 exhaust to make it into a PSE wanta-be. What is the photo from?

From the looks of this photo, you may not have a weeping RMS. That brown/black stuff on the bellhousing is cosmoline that has picked up road grime. It does not look like there is any shinny oil that would indicate a leak. But no harm in letting your warranty dealer confirm that. You don't have to bribe your dealer with letting them do your oil change to get warranty service, just go down and ask them to look at it. A technician can tell very quickly by looking at the gunk on the bellhousing if it is oil from the RMS/IMS or just road grime.

This is what I use, the Wallmart special. They have number sizes, and I have the #7 for the Porsche. The manufacturer of this one is FloTool, and it is graphite plastic. I think it cost $4.

My shop vacuum is a Sears 2.5 hp model, and it has a rectangular attachment. I run the tip at a slight angle across the top so that it pulls in air and water as I move it across the top. Works great, and makes for a cleaner top after washing. No soap or hard water residue.

An In-Line FM modulator is your best choice for a CDR-23 MOST radio. I do not recommend a FM transmitter.

I second Loren's analysis, if the CEL went out after a number of drive cycles, then it was a transitory fault like an O2 sensor on its last legs. The fault will be stored in the cars memory, so it will be easy to read. Once we know what the fault is, we can proceed on a remedy.

Kim: I installed the vacuum tank, but you are right that you will be a Y connector short if you connect your vacuum tap to the existing line like I did. So you can either go over to your local auto parts store and get a Y or a T connector or go over to your Porsche or VW store and get the "official" german part. The Porsche part number and Nomenclature is "928 573 727 03 Y-piece" I'm glad my DIY helped out. One last thing is to make sure that you put the 2 little wires that connect to the vacuum switch in some flexible plastic conduit. I stuck a piece of shrink tubing over the end that the connector is on and secured the conduit to the connector that way. Or pick up a dust boot for the connector at the Porsche or VW store. The part number is 443 906 102 G and has audi rings on it.

Yikes! Someone actually went to the trouble of adding an additional bellows just to get a vacuum tap? (I pity the fool...) :P Only do this if you are a Masochist! Vacuum is vacuum, it does not matter where you get it in the intake stream. The easier more efficient, better way of getting a vacuum tap is to simply add a Y connector to the existing Vacuum tap on the back bellow as seen below: Here is what you are looking for: and by adding a Y connector this tap you end up with this: One line goes to the existing vacuum switch, and the other goes to the PSE vacuum switch. The white and black plastic round thing is a one-way valve to keep the vacuum line to the switch (and in the case of the PSE, the vacuum tank) evacuated when the car is off. There is an extra one of those in the kit as well, assuming that if you install the other bellows, you will need the valve as well. The extra bellows that come in the PSE kit is for those cars (the PSE kit is a All Of World kit) that don't have a emissions related vacuum switch installed at the factory. It does not mean that you have to install it! Does this clear things up?

That cable is the emergency release pull cable. There should be a little hole in the bottom of the cavity where the tail light goes, stick the end of the cable in there so that it can be grabbed from under the car.

The correct weight of these wheels is W=(VM-(vm-CW)). You can derive this with your bathroom scale. :eek:

Porsche recommends a G12 type of coolant. An compatible aftermarket brand is Texaco-Havoline DEX-COOL. Here is another thead that discusses this issue. It does not get to the substance of the issue until the last posts. Be sure you do a complete flush of the old coolant.

Air Pressure is probably the reason for the steering response feeling better. PSM has nothing to do with the steering system. If you have to ask about tracking a car with PSM on or off, then it is probably best for you to drive on the track with it engaged.

Just go to Sears. You can get a very nice quality torque wrench, jack stands, floor jacks, and even ramps there. You can get a nice "soft" socket for wheel bolts from Boothedesign. The owner, Ralph Boothe is one heck of a fellow, and a great automotive engineering legend.

When drying your soft top, have you tried using a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the water? Not only does the top dry without lint, but by sucking up the residual water, you also remove any dirt that is still in the fabric.

And those are? Here are my favorite 3: Nevada -US 95 between Amargosa Valley and Tonopah - pavement is noisy, but straight, with excellent visibility. California - I 40 Between Barstow and Needles. The best and smoothest asphalt anywhere, and slightly downhill grade the whole route. On the weekends it is patrolled by air. Nebraska - I 80 between Lincoln and Ogallala. This is such a boring road, you want to drive as fast as you can just to get past it. These roads are all lightly travelled during the week, straight, flat, in the middle of nowhere, and good for 180 easy. And the last one is maybe CA190 from Towne Pass (el 4956) to Stove Pipe Wells (el 5) (31 miles all downhill with a couple of negative-G washes on the west entrance to Death Valley :jump: ) This one is good for 80-90 during the week.