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Chuck Jones

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Everything posted by Chuck Jones

  1. Chuck Jones
    Too bad you didn't take pictures. I....like a lot of the guys here...are visually oriented and sometimes even the best description leaves something to be desired. A picture is truly worth a thousand words.
  2. Chuck Jones
    I saw the wheels Carrera Mike had made up by CCW wheels in Florida. I really liked them so I ordered a set from John. You won't find a more helpful or informative guy when it comes to wheels and tires. He offered to sell me the tires for the Tire Rack price and send me a complete set of wheels and tires...already balanced with center caps ready to just bolt on. I ended up ordering a set of the T10...which have fewer spokes and let the rotors show through...also a lot easier to keep clean. John put them on a Southwest airplane and had them to me within one day after they were completed. That's service with a smile!! I stayed with the 18 inch for a number of reasons....and the tires are Michelin Pilot Sports..... sizes are backs: 315/30/18 and fronts: 235/40/18. They look great...and give the car a more aggressive look. For those who will say that they look too "blingy"....I like them that way....and no, I wouldn't consider going with the black centers. Hopefully the picture will come thru....I'm not very good at this photo stuff. chuck
  3. Chuck Jones
    First of all...RMS is nothing more than an oil leak. It seems like the acronym RMS strikes terror in the hearts of everyone who hears it. There are guys on this and other forums who have had RMS and dealt with it by a piece of cardboard on the floor of the garage and putting oil in it once in a while. Now if the leak is really bad, then obviously you have to attend to it. RMS is usually more commonly encountered with the 99-00 cars and even some of the newer ones. A newly designed gasket is supposed to fix the problem. If you can't do it yourself, you can spend about $6-800 getting it fixed....and sometimes it comes back again. I'd be more concerned with issues like the intermediate shaft failure or the intermix issues than I ever would about RMS. I've NEVER heard of anyone replacing an engine simply becasue of RMS leaks....unless Porsche did it under a CPO warranty....which would be rare. If they did replace an engine and paid for it themselves....someone fed them a line. I'm not a "veteran" by any means....but if you do a search on the word RMS you'll get all the info you need.
  4. Chuck Jones
    You spent a lot of money on aftermarket upgrades....I hope you have a flash that can be reversed.....especially if something goes wrong with the car. I've read on Rennlist that Porsche will void your CPO warranty if they can even remotely connect an engine problem to the flash. I'd bet that a dealership will run your DME right off the bat and if they spot the flash...that can be grounds for denial. I'm waiting for my CPO warranty to expire before I do any upgrades.
  5. Chuck Jones
    I thought it was a great get together for a first effort. Mostly Boxters this time.....one 996 and a TT....but it was a great group and has a lot of potential to develop into a great get-together. We have two Porsche afficianados who have lifts and who have offered to let us use their garages for future Work on Cars Days. I would imagine that for the next one, we might try to get some more complex projects going. I know that I'd like to do a SSK, and I heard one of the other guys talking about brakes. We can also entertain the possibility of doing oil changes as long as we have the disposal issue dealt with. I'd like to thank Loren and his wife for hosting our first get together. I enjoyed meeting a great bunch of guys and their wives, and sincerely hope we can do this again soon. BTW...Loren.....I would be glad to be the volunteer photographer. I'm something of an amateur photographer and love taking pictures....so count me in on that job. Regards to all. Chuck
  6. Chuck Jones
    I did the lawn vac and also used a custom made skinny flat vacuum extension and got way up in there and cleaned it all out.....THEN I took it over to Loren's and he took off the front bumper and Oh MY!! You should have seen all the crud that was sandwiched between the radiator and the AC condenser.....from the front it looked clean, but in between is was ugly. So looking at it thru the grill it looks nice and clean, but it's not. Chuck
  7. Chuck Jones
    Maurice: Yes...it is the Midnight Blue.....I was trying to find either an Iris Blue or the Lapiz (which is close to Iris), but this one came along and I just couldn't pass it up. It's a bit darker than I wanted, but in the sunlight, the blue comes thru. I'm enjoying it immensley....although I wouldn't wish a vehicle fire on anyone....in this case, it allowed me to finally get the car that I've always wanted. Here's an updated picture of it with the new CCW wheels on it....these were custom made for me by CCW out of Florida and the quality is outstanding!!
  8. Chuck Jones
    By your description I take it that it's a 99 with the mechanical release? If so, you need to take out the latch mechanism and lube it. there should be a DIY on this subject. If you need a new latch, I have one that I bought sometime back for my 99 996 that caught fire and burned. I've got a number of parts for that car...latch, new cable, EVOM Cool Air Intake....complete brand new 30K mile parts necessary for that maintenance., complete set of wheels and Michelin PS2 tires etc.... Do a search first for the DIY on the latch....then if that doesn't work, PM me and I'll discuss selling you the part at a savings if you need it.....I now have a 996TT...and don't need the parts. Chuck
  9. Chuck Jones
    When I was negoiating with the dealer he mentioned that there was some CF in the car, but I had no idea of the extent of it. When Loren ran the option codes for me, it showed that all the CF work along with the aero kit was all done by Porsche as a special order item. Obviously, I'm extremely pleased with how this deal turned out. Althought this was a "long distance transaction"....it's a definite success story. So this is an example of how an eBay transaction can be a positive experience.
  10. Chuck Jones
    Halleluja....Great Day in the Morning......My 996TT X50 got here this morning so I'll be able to show up with the replacement car for my burned out 99 996. See you all there. Chuck
  11. Chuck Jones
    Based upon a discussion thread over on Rennlist, I went to the website for CCW performance and was duly smitten by the quality and design of their wheels. I was particularly interested in the T10...which is a lightweight forged wheel. Granted, they are a bit pricey (the T10's run $2700 in either 18 or 19 inch), but for the quality and what you get....they're every bit as good as a $4K set of champions. I'm seriously considering them. I would invite you to go take a look.
  12. Chuck Jones
    Loren: Thanks mucho. I'm anxious to have you run it and see what info the DME has stored...even though it's under CPO warranty, I'd like to attend to any issues well before it gets near expiration. I was hoping it would be here for the Work on Cars Day (WOCD), but I don't think it'll make it here by then. Ran into Bob from the Placer County S.O. and he reiterated his willingness to let us use his lift and garage for future WOC days. We also have Dave up in Placerville who has offered the use of his lift and garage. Hopefully your WOCD events will become more popular and attendance will improve. I'll probably see you next weekend.....I'll bring the 930. Maybe you can do a quick engine swap for me...that should only take a couple hours..... :)
  13. Chuck Jones
    Well....although I lost my 996 to a fire....I have managed to close the deal on an 02 996TT with the X50 package, and I'm hoping that the car will be here in time for the Work on Cars Day....but it's reallycutting it close....and I don't think they'll be able to get it here from the East Coast by then.... But Loren, I'll show up to give you a hand....and bring some specialty tools just in case.... Chuck
  14. Chuck Jones
    I just bought an 02 996TT X50 that will be delivered in about 7-10 days from back east. I have a question about getting the car certified for California emissions.....hopefully there are California guys on this forum. With an all wheel drive like the TT...how do they usually smog your cars? Very few smog stations can do an All Wheel Drive vehicle, so what do they usually do? I'm going to have to smog mine in a week or so and need to know the process. Chuck
  15. Chuck Jones
    It's been great being here, but after my 996 caught fire, I felt it was time to use the insurance payoff to move into the TT world, so tonite I finalized the deal on an 02 midnight blue/black interior... 996TT X50 with 19K miles and the aero kit. It also comes with a one year CPO so I feel a bit more confident about the deal. I will of course post appropriate pictures when I get the car and am looking forward to finally getting the TT I've wanted all along. I wish you all the best of everything and will be dropping in now and then. Regards, Chuck
  16. Chuck Jones
    I'm not aware that Porsche has a "chirp" like some other cars have to indicate it's locking. (At least not the older 99-00) Your indicator is the lights flashing. The short beep...as far as I know...is always an indicator that something is not locked....or a sensor is indicating the wrong signal. My front trunk had a defective sensor in the latch and would give me that short beep when nothing was amiss. Loren ran it on his computer and it showed the front latch as open when it wasn't. Have someone run it on their reader to get the code for what's causing it. The dealership should be able to do this very quickly.
  17. Chuck Jones
    Shucks....since I posted this, my 996 caught fire and was totalled....but I'd be happy to come , bring any necessary tools and help out....however it doesn't look like there are very many folks signed up.....and everyone needs to congratulate Loren on being a brand new "GRUMPA"....or maybe it's GRAMPS..... Loren: Is this still on schedule in view of everything you have going on? Chuck
  18. Chuck Jones
    There's one thread on Rennlist that's a real kick....a guy found a "device" that no one could ID until a former government reader suggested that he check into the names of the previous owners.....and that the "government" must have had an interest in the movement of the vehicle. Not suggesting that in this case, because it's been confirmed as a LoJack, but it was an interesting thread to say the least. I guess PO meant Police Operations.... :)
  19. Chuck Jones
    I just drew a little friendly flak from IslandmanPA over on Rennlist asking if I had a fire extinguisher in the car....sort of a rhetorical question at this point.....moot too. At any rate, he's always touting his halon extinguishers at a reduced price. You might want to give him a PM over on Rennlist and see what his rates are. I just added a comment suggesting that he's getting some free advertising and to post his prices for the two sizes....one is about a 1.5 pound unit and the other is a 5 pound unit. I could have stopped this fire with the small one. I also tried to pull off one of the battery leads and didn't have anything available to loosen the nut. I might also consider going to some place like West Marine and getting a really good solid and well built marine wing-nut type disconnect on one of the battery posts....most likely the positive side since there are components that have their own grounds and simply disconnecting the negative post may not stop it...dunno really....just an unqualified guess about the negative ground. Chuck
  20. Chuck Jones
    I asked the insurance folks if they had traced down the cause of the fire. The fellow was pretty candid and said that it was obvious that the fire was caused by an electrical short under the dash and that it would cost them around $1K to pay someone to trace down the exact cause....and since they were totalling it anyway and there was no reason to suspect arson or foul play, the were just totalling it with cause listed as "electrical fire". I have gone on this forum a number of times inquiring about a periodic "hot smell" I was getting every once in a while....and I had Loren put the car on his computer and read out all the codes and there was nothing amiss. The only curious thing was that when I would lock the car, I'd get that little quick "beep" of the alarm horn that tells you something is open....when in fact I had systematically gone thru the car and ensured that there was nothing open. Loren's computer pointed to the front hood latch assembly...probably the alarm sensor there.....but the fire was under the dash and no where near the front latch. So the only thing I can think of is that periodic hot smell I'd get...but I thought it was coolant possibly being exhausted by the pressure cap. I'll never know now....but one thing I DO KNOW is that the next car will have a Halon extinguisher in it.
  21. Chuck Jones
    IZZY: I'll feel a lot better if by my example I can help save someone else's car. I had tossed the idea of buying a good halon extinguisher back and forth, and decided that I just didn't want to spend over $100 for an extinguisher. I'm so sorry now that I didn't make that small investment when I've spent over $6,000 in various mods for the car....then cheaped out on a good Halon extinguisher that could have saved me. That doesn't make any sense does it? My new car WILL have an extinguisher in it. I'll probably go to a 996 twin turbo X50.....they're really coming down in price and they're looking like an attractive buy.
  22. Chuck Jones
    Although Olyoak would appear to have an aversion to the RSS plenum....and he's totally entitled to his opinion....I happen to have one that I'm taking off my 99 996 that caught fire. (See posting under Dash fire) I replaced the original plenum so I now have this one that's about 5 months old. The fire was in the dash, not the engine, so the plenum is in like new condition. If you're interested in it, I would be happy to discuss a sale. I'm asking $600 for it. New they are about $900 +, and yes, as Olyoak said, they do tend to lighten your wallet. Please PM me if you have any interest. Chuck
  23. Chuck Jones
    As you can see, it used to be a very nice car...I loved the Iris Blue and can't seem to find another one....but I'm pretty sure I'll be going up to a 996TT X50 as long as calamity has made up my mind for me. Hey guys....in truth...buy a good Halon fire extinguisher....they're about $125 for a good one, but they can save you the heartache of watching your car go up in flames. chuck
  24. Chuck Jones
    Guys: I'm driving out to Niello Porsche tomorrow to take pictures and try to find out what started the fire. I'll be sure to follow up and post my findings to you folks. Since I haven't heard of this happening to anyone else, it would appear, at least preliminarily......that this is a one time anomaly and not somehting that is a recurring event. I will keep you posted....especially because it involves a safety issue...not to mention the heartbreak of watching your pride and joy go up in smoke. For the record....there were NO electrical mods or aftermarket devices in there. I had a CDR 220 Porsce radio...so whatever went wrong involved OEM stuff....whatever it was. In spite of the loss.....I am looking forward to getting the insurance out of the way and chasing down a really nice 996TT hopefully with the X50 option. chuck
  25. Chuck Jones
    I had the disheartening experience of watching my 99 996 burn today. I was driving down the road, and all of a sudden the dash lights came on and the engine died. I managed to make it thru the light and around a corner. The dash was smoking thru the AC vents. I popped the hood and checked the battery....no smoke or sparks. Went back to the car and it was burning under the dash.....dropping firebombs of burning plastic onto the floorboards. I tried to stomp it out but the stuff was like liquid napalm. The car started filling with smoke, so I wend in thru the passengers side and started hauling out my paperwork and glasses etc from the center console.....all of a sudden BAM...the air bag on the steering wheel deployed and hit me in the side of the head. It was a glancing blow thank goodness or it could have broken my dogone neck. I have a fused spine at C4 and that could have paralyzed me. At any rate....an unmarked CHP car came up and the fellow hit it with some extinguisher dust that effectively turned my car into a barn find. I'm afraid the car is toast....so I'll be looking for a twin turbo to replace it. Just a reminder to those of you out there who think it will never happen....don't cheap out...go buy a good Halon extinguisher, and if the car catches fire inside....remember to watch out for the air bags....they can be very dangerous if they hit you just right. Chuck
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