Mark996

I've been the (very proud) owner of a 2004 MY UK spec C4S Cabriolet for the past few days. Thoroughly enjoying it so far and it feels like a quantum leap forward from 1998 Carrera 2. I do have one niggle. The car has PCMII with the phone module. I've inserted the SIM card and the module has no difficulty obtaining the network, etc. I can also place and receive telephone calls. My difficulty is that the built in microphone in the car seems to be working very poorly. People either can't hear me when I speak or, if I shout very loudly at the microphone (attracting curious looks from other road users!), they can hear me very faintly. Is there any easy way of improving the microphone's sensitivity/pick up? I know from this and other forums that people don't think the Porsche phone is a fantastic system but I can't believe it's THIS bad. I've searched the archives but can't find anything relating to this; any thoughts or suggestions would be most gratefully received. Regards, Mark

Hi all, Just to update, the dealer phoned this morning to say that their diagnosis was a dead alternator. The replacement will be €625 plus 1.5 hours labour. I've told them to go ahead with the work and I'm going to start asking around to see if I can locate a good independent specialist in the area so that I can keep my options open when next I need some work done. Thanks again for the words of advice; it's fantastic to be able to draw on your experience and knowledge when necessary. :thumbup: Kind regards, Mark

Thanks, 1999Porsche911 - hopefully it won't be anything to blow the Christmas budget! I'll let you know the outcome. Regards, Mark

Hi all, Just had the unpleasant experience of seeing my baby put on a flat-bed truck and driven off to the Porsche dealership. I was driving along a motorway at about 85 mph when suddenly every single dashboard warning light came on at once. About 3 or 4 seconds later, the car just lost power and I coasted to halt on the hard shoulder. Couldn't re-start the car and all the warning lights stayed on. I phoned the recovery service and while I was waiting the electrics behaved rather oddly (windows going down by themselves, the red gear indicator light (Tiptronic) running up and down through the gears, etc.)After about 25 minutes, the battery died completely; nothing was turned on, the key wasn't in the ignition and so I think the only thing using power was the hazard warning lights. When the recovery guy came, we were able to start and drive the car with a battery pack connected to my battery; otherwise, my battery wouldn't hold a charge. All the warning lights stayed on. Two other things that might (possibly) be relevant. (1) I had a new battery put in two weeks ago; car has been running perfectly on the few occasions I've used it since. (2) It was raining very heavily and there was a lot of surface water and spray on the road. The Porsche service centre will be looking at the car on Monday. I am astonishingly ignorant of things mechanical (I had a warm glow of pride for several days when I managed to change a light-bulb on the car recently) and would like to sound even vaguely intelligent when talking to the dealership. My question:- the recovery guy said he thought that the alternator had failed on the car. Does anyone here have any thoughts on whether these symptoms sound like something that might have been caused by a failed alternator? If not, any suggestions as to an alternative cause? Thanks in advance, Mark

Thank you, Demon, Perry and P. Viby, for the suggestions. I eventually heard back from Porsche and after discussing the problem for a while and trying a few things, they eventually suggested that I break a window (or they very kindly offered to send someone over tomorrow to break it for me!) and drive it into them for analysis. For what it's worth, you were right, the rear driver's side window is the cheapest to replace, apparently. The problem is definitely with the lock in the driver's door; for some reason, neither key opens it. They don't know why this might be; they know the lock hasn't been damaged or replaced as the Porsche main dealer has been servicing and maintaining this car since the first day. As a last resort, I phoned a friend who is a fellow car enthusiast; he suggested disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes (to allow the alarm and remote sensors to "forget" they have been triggered and inactive respectively) and then reconnect and see if the remote control works. It was _extremely_ difficult to get at the emergency trunk release without removing the front right wheel but it is possible. Popped the trunk, disconnected the battery for 30 minutes, reconnected it and !Voila! the remote controls work again. I still don't know why the keys don't work (they still won't lock or unlock the car) but the remote control is back working again. The Porsche Dealer is taking the car in next Monday to take a look at the lock but in the meantime I have the car for four days of fun on the windy roads of West Cork (Southwest of Ireland). I am so looking forward to it :jump: . A sincere thank you to all on the forum for your kind suggestions and happy motoring. Mark

I'm waiting for the dealer's service department to phone me back; when I called yesterday, they said that no-one was available to speak to me. There's only one main dealer in Ireland and while I haven't yet had any personal dealings with them, I have heard people say that their level of service leaves a lot to be desired. I'll keep trying them but I was hoping the collective wisdom on this board might be able to make up any defects in the "official" service... Mark

O.K., after quite a few sweaty, frustrating minutes, I've learned that I don't have what it takes to be a competent car thief. I can't get the coathanger into the car, the rubber seals are just too tight against the window glass. Anyone else have any suggestions on how to unlock the doors? :help: Many thanks, Mark

Thanks PorschePRH, it's definitely worth a try. I'm slightly nervous of damaging the finish on the door handle but it's a small price to pay for four days of getting to know my new toy!! I've just read the 2003 C2 owner's manual available on this site and it seems that the remote control sensors in the car deactivate themselves to spare battery life if unused for more than 5 days. I'm supposed to unlock the driver's door using the key and then use the remote control to reactivate the sensor. If only I could open the door with the key... I'll give the coat hanger a try and hope that no curious policemen happen to be passing by... Thanks, Mark

Perry, Thanks for the suggestion but nope, I've tried turning both keys in both directions, tried holding them for up to 10 seconds at the extreme positions in both directions, tried pressing th unlock button while turning the key; doesn't have any effect on the doors. I'm not entirely clear on what a 'deadlock' is or how it works but I wonder if this is it in operation?? Mark

First of all, I'm new to the forum, having bought a 1998 996 Carrera 2 Coupe Tiptronic (UK, RHD model) two weeks ago. My thanks in advance for all the help available here and apologies for the stupidity of my questions. I've just come back from a week's holidays. Before leaving, I locked the car with the remote control and now I can't open the car. The batteries in both key fobs seem to be working perfectly (red lights flashing when the button is pressed) but they don't unlock the car doors. Equally, I've tried opening the doors with both keys but I can't seem to unlock the car. It doesn't seem to be a battery problem; I tried to jack up the car (more for the sake of just doing something rather than with any specific plan in mind) and the alarm activated. Indicator lights flashed and horn sounded; it sounded to me like there was plenty of power still in the battery. I can't open the front trunk to try charging or replacing the battery because (if I understand the forum posts on this topic correctly) I need to take off the front right wheel to get at the emergency trunk release cable. I have locking wheel nuts on the car and the key for opening them is safely locked inside the car. I'm supposed to be bringing the car away for a few days tomorrow (440 miles of twisty country roads) and if anyone has any suggestions or thoughts, I'd be incredibly grateful. Regards, Mark