Running Report 1 - November 2002

Purchasing Experience

My name is Emanuele Corbani and I'm from La Spezia, a small town on the north western coast of Italy. My hometown is just 10 kms east of the worldwide-known villages named "Le Cinque Terre". I'm a mechanical-automotive engineer and I'm actually working for a company which produces and runs waste-to-energy powerplants.

My father and I have always been fond of cars. We are both members of the Historic Car & Bike Club in my town and we're proud owners of a 1963 FIAT600 Allemano in show condition. In my spare time (not too much indeed) I serve as a road marshal in national rallies. The idea of purchasing a Porsche came by the beginning of 2000, with my father's 50th birthday approaching. He wanted to present himself something special, so we started looking for a sports car with a reasonable level of reliability which could be left parked outside without sleeping in it. The 964 was the perfect choice, as it was a classic 911 with a more user-friendly behaviour, and with all the gadgets we were both accustomed to, such as power steering, air conditioner and electric seats. At first we visited both authorized dealers and Porsche-only non official dealers. We found a very good petroleum green C2 with only 39000 kms, but it was overpriced (close to 993 money!) and several high mileage cars which didn't convince us. However, thanks to a very professional dealer in Parma, car-search journeys weren't useless, as we had the opportunity of test driving both C2 and C4. I was immediately impressed by the clean handling of the C4 as well as by its weight. Both me and my father imagined quite a nervous car, which would "feel" far lighter than our family Saab. We were both happily disappointed as the C4 felt safer on the road than our Swedish coupe…but with twice as much as power!

We found the right one 30 kms from home, from a multi-brand car dealer who works mainly with Mercedes. He had a 1990 C4 in Guards Red with 98000 kms. These were the "plus" it came with:

Of course there were also some "minus"

After 1 month, several test drives and an ONU-like diplomatic action we got the C4 for little more than $20000 in March 2000. The price included a new satellite anti-theft system by Italian leader VIASAT and a 6 month warranty on mechanical parts.
 

March 2000 to March 2001

Our C4 got its first real cool drive in April 2000 when we travelled to Munich (Germany). We performed an unique test : "Is it possible to use a 964 as a family car and go on holiday with it?". The answer was :"Sure", even if my mother who spent 1800 kms cramped on the backseat wouldn't agree!. We reached 230 km/h on the autobahn. I couldn't push the 964 to its maximum speed because old tyres were still on. The 964 behaved superbly in all conditions and we were able to keep 180 km/h even under heavy rain in full safety (or at least we felt it). In the following months the C4 suffered a brake fluid leakage problem. After a long search job we discovered it was the central diff locking piston which was replaced by our dealer under warranty. By the end of summer 2000 our 964 got a new set of rear tyres. I have 993 alloys all round and rear tyre size is 255/40 ZR17. This size is marked as "standard" on homologation chart for Italy, whereas 16" wheels are considered "alternative". I chose KUMHO Ecstas, which have a good value-for-money index. Front tyres, Michelin Pilot, were still in good shape and were left on. I didn't perform front alignment and this proved to be a bad idea, as I noticed later slightly irregular wear on driver's side tyre.

During summer the 964 was mainly used as a weekend drive, for quick transfers to the coast of Versilia (very cool discos) but it experienced also town traffic. I was positively surprised by fuel consumption on motorway (comparable with my father's Alfa 166 2.0 Twin Spark). Of course it's better not to use 964 in town because an average of 5-6 kms per litre is all what you can get even with careful driving. When winter came I sometimes drove the 964 to Pisa, where I studied at the university. I noticed that it was very difficult to keep the inside of windscreen dry, as in my old Fiat 600 which had no hot air fan. I thought the C4 had just the dashboard fan and since it worked, I thought that humidity were a common problem to Porsches. Some old 911 owners told me that there was no way to solve it, apart for a good piece of cloth. Only one year later, with my first visit to Rennlist forum I discovered that there was a rear fan…and its fuse was blown. I replaced it with a tougher one, but an alarming sound came from the fan so I decided to disconnect it and delay the solution of the problem to the following autumn.

In November I had a problem with exhaust silencer, which became suddenly louder, and finally opened up producing a nice, but not legal F1-like roar. I replaced it with a genuine Porsche unit which proved to be very expensive, about $1400. From March 2000 to march 2001 I covered about 9000 kms on the 964.

March 2001 to September 2002

On June 2001 it was time for fluids&filters service. My mechanic in La Spezia, an independent with good experience with 964s, provided me a complete service kit from Porsche for about $300. The kit included, fuel filter, spark plugs, oil filter, air filter and some other stuff. I decided to have exhaust valves clearance checked, and it was perfect. By the same time my mechanic replaced camshaft-box gaskets. I chose Castrol RS for oil change, with a viscosity of 0W50. I think a "0" oil is a good choice even if in La Spezia climate is mild because oil lines on 964s are really long and therefore provide hard work to oil pump, especially at start-up. The final cost of service was about $650, oil included. By the end of the summer I finally replaced rear-fan fuse with a tougher one. The fan was very noisy, and I decided to remove and check it. Fan bearings were literally pulverized, and the fan was rubbing on plastic cover. Unfortunately by that time I didn't know how to contact a Porsche wrecker in Italy so I had to buy a brand new part for $350.

In summer 2002 I started looking for a new clutch, as I noticed the typical "hard pedal & immediate declutching" which means that the end is near. However, since it's an expensive part, I decided to use it until its death. When I experienced the first slipping I put on a complete new set, including disc, bell, bearing and updated centring element. When engine was down, I checked my flywheel and with great happiness I found a 1996 LUK unit on. Probably It was bad season for friction surface, because a few weeks later brake pads light came on. New pads were ordered and put on in record time by my local mechanic, just in time for my first track day. I went to Varano Melegari, near Parma, a track which is well known for the epic challenges between touring Alfa156 & BMW3s. I came there in a free test day and I entered the track as a "vehicle of historical interest" together with a Ginetta and a '70s Marcos Mantula. Lapping in the 964 is an incredible experience. The engine pulls well and 4WD system allows you to get out of corners throttling hard without problems. I experienced unhappy behaviour only once in a chicane, when I tried to get too much out of my road-legal tyres. At the end of the session I remembered the sad stories of Rennlist about warped rotors and I performed two cool-down laps.

Now my 964 is an almost perfect car. With a brand new set of Falken tyres and a clean with Synpol cream every two weeks it still makes heads turning. I use it everyday to commute to work, and I keep in touch with Rennlist daily to know it better and better.
 

Running Report 2 - May 2003

These months have been relaxing for my 964, which has been used mainly in town traffic for a 4 kms commute to and from work. In town I could enjoy the elasticity of the engine (as usual) pulling well even from very low rpms. On the other hand 4WD transmission is an handicap. Extra weight and moving parts are perceivable thru the clutch at any start-up, and fuel consumption is obviously affected. However, it takes really heavy traffic to go below the barrier of 5 kms per litre. What’s nice is the respect obtained by the 964. Other drivers seem to think twice before doing hazardous overtaking or lane changes, and they all give way prudently and with wide margin when required. Effect of 911 shape charme? Only in part, unfortunately. Probably it’s more due to fear of of high insurance bills in case of accident.

At the beginning of February some nice guy (fore search of a better word…) scratched with a key my left front fender and door. Other cars on the street got the same treatment. I tried to fix the scratch on the door, more superficial, with polish and Teflon cream, but it still remained visible. No hope for the fender, which was scratched to the deepest primer. I decided to do nothing to it, afraid I could make things worse. Last week, after complete wash and polishing I realized I could no longer stand it and I tried with my Porsche retouch kit. Result was better than expected, even without levelling the the retouch with polish. In any case, I’ll have it fixed by a professional, together with some minor dents on bumpers. I also performed another DIY job on bodywork. I noticed that the long plastic panel running under the left door was loose, and that I was nearly loosing the triangle-shaped part attached to the back. It was due to snapped clips which were virtually impossible to find. I fixed it with silicon glue. It proved to be invisible (glue is under the panel), waterproof of course and long lasting. What’s more, when I decide to make a more orthodox fix, I ‘ll remove it easily without chemicals.

New Sound System

In March I upgraded my sound system. I still had factory Blaupunkt Coburg installed with its own amplifier under the passenger seat. Even if it already had RDS and CD-changer support, it was showing signs of age. I searched thru the web for a high performance model which would fit dashboard’s night and day design. I discovered that actually most of stereos have silver or grey body, which creates an "odd spot" on 964 dashboard. Fortunately I found a Blaupunkt product line especially designed for Audi, which seemed good also for my car. I installed an Orlando CD72, with single-CD reader. I kept original amplifier, even if it’s less powerful than the one onboard the radio. I kept it for two reasons. First I didn’t want to mess up cables and electronics which can provide nightmarish results on a 13 years old car. Second, the auxiliary amplifier enables some geometry and mixing functions of the radio which would be invisible otherwise. Sound is sensibly better than the one from original Coburg and impact on dashboard is satisfying.

Since my car has entered her 120000+ kms age, I’ve decided to pay more attention to oil consumption. I record mileage any time I add a litre of Castrol RS, an operation I perform any time the gauge drops sensibly under the "half mark" at hot idle. I’ve noticed that my average consumption is about 1 litre per 1100 kms. I consider it satisfying, mainly because my genuine user manual (it’s so genuine that it’s in German…ouch!) says that permitted oil consumption is "…up to 1.5 litre per 1000kms".

New Home

Hopefully, in a couple of running reports my 964 will get a new home. A new garage block is being built in front of my house and I’ve booked a couple of attached car boxes. No more outdoor parking at last!

Running Report 3 - May 2004

This year it was time for electrical jobs on my Carrera 4. On August, while cruising on the motorway I suddenly felt a loss of power together with erratic revving under acceleration. It could be only one thing: a failed coil. I drove carefully home and I performed a DIY check of the ignition before going to the workshop. Basically I unplugged the feed coil to the distributors with engine on and I discovered that slave distributor wasn’t powered.
I had the attached coil changed and electrical continuity of ignition system checked (from coil input to plugs). Fortunately everything proved to be OK.

On the other hand I’m still fighting without success my battle against humidity. September and October were particularly rainy in Italy and my C4 is stored outdoor. On the first sunny day I decided to remove all carpets and leave the car open with floor matting turned upside down. I discovered with horror that matting was soaked with water and there was even a small ditch on passenger’s side bottom. Thanks god 964s are galvanized and radio cables are running in an ermetic conduit (or at least it seems so). Anyway, with a bit of patience I tidied up everything. I gave the final touch to the job by steam-cleaning all upholstery. This operation caused me a little trouble with my neighbours as I drove a power cord from my apartment (3rd floor) to the cleaner on the road!! It’s a hard work but really satisfying. Soon after steam cleaning upholstery seems to be simply vacuum cleaned, but in half an hour it really gains back the colour it had when new. This effect lasts for quite a long time.

In december, after more than 3 and ½ years of daily driving my 964, I decided that I needed an extra car. Now I’m a proud owner of a 600cc turbo (!) MCC Smart for town use. Of course it’s guards red as well…and with user manual in German only. It’s my curse!

At the beginning of the new year I replaced my alternator which was showing clear signs of age. Voltage regulator was behaving badly at startup and inner bearing was noisy. This time I decided not to exploit the part to the death as i did with the clutch and I performed a “before failure” replacement. I chose a reconditioned unit with new bearings and new regulator. I kept my old unit because I’m planning to have it refurbished as well (it’s a 1 month job from sending to delivery). It’s an easy to sell part and, hopefully not, it may be useful in the future.

I also tested my ability on a DIY job, quite easy indeed but really helpful. Noticing an oscillation of revs at idle I decided to clean up my idle speed valve. With the help of a can of gun cleaner and compressed air I removed a huge amount of dirt which was literally choking the valve. The result was surprising: perfectly regular idle and a sensibly better behaviour at low revs. It’s an operation that I suggest to all enthusiasts.

Tomorrow, March 19th I’m completing my 4th year of 964 ownership. What can I say…surely it has been a really positive experience up to now. Like John “…I knew almost nothing about 911s when I bought the car” (Yes, I do have my March 2004 issue of 911 & Porsche world!) and in these years I’ve learned lots of things about this model. What’s more I have improved my driving style, “thanks” also to a couple of spins, luckily with no damage, which taught me where the limit of the car is. A track driving course with my 964 is in the pipeline, as soon as I have some spare time.
Last but not least both porsche964.co.uk and Rennlist are currently helping me to keep my english trained…another good DIY job!