Mark's reports are published in 911 & Porsche World.  Here are four of his reports in chronological order. Click the report to jump to it.

Running Report 1 -  February 2000

I have been interested in Porsches since I began to notice 911 turbos appearing on the roads in the late 70s.  Particularly vivid is the memory as a seventeen year old in about 1982, driving my first car, (an 850cc Renault 4) down a motorway slip road trying to keep up with a black 911 turbo.  At the time, I was immensely proud of the Renault, even though it had a top speed of only 70 mph, and a 0-60 time of around half a minute.  Of course as soon as we hit the slip road going down onto the motorway, the turbo accelerated away so fast, I was left stunned, with my foot flat on the accelerator, going no where.  I had to have one of those cars !

In 1985, as a student at Southampton University, at the age of 19, I bought my first 911, a ten year old 2.7 Targa for £5,000.  In retrospect this was probably a mistake, although it was to provide me with some valuable experience on what to avoid when buying a 911.  The main problem was rust.  There was rust everywhere, on wings, doors, under the carpets in the front footwells, the list was endless.  I quickly realised that there was no way I could afford to have the car properly restored, even if it had been economically viable to do so.  It was a pre-galvanised model, but even so, one expert who I showed it to said it must have been kept in a particularly corrosive environment.  He had never seen one go like it, he said.  In spite of all the problems, there were some redeeming features.  It was amazing fun to drive, especially with the roof off.  It impressed the girls (always an important factor when you are 19) and it felt extremely fast.  The engine was perfect, as strong as an ox, and it sounded great.  My mum even liked driving it to the shops.   I once remember taking my 85 year old landlady in it to get her pension with the roof off.  She loved it, and said it sounded like there was “a tiger in the boot”.

I sold the car after a few months of ownership and moved on to a series of less exciting cars, including some Renault five turbos, and a 16v Clio.  Then, in 1996, I decided to venture once more into the world of 911 ownership.  I was particularly interested in a 911 SC, since this fell within the range of what I could afford at the time (about £12,000 to £13,000).  I also liked the shape, with the wider wheel arches, and the Fuchs alloy wheels.  I went to see a couple of cars but I didn’t see anything that impressed me.  One had a smoky engine and the “service history” on the other turned out to be a few receipts from Kwik-Fit.  Then I spotted an advertisement for a left hand drive 1984 3.2 Carrera from left hand drive specialist Nick Faure.  I went to see the car, and was impressed.  The words “rocket” and “guided missile” were all I could mumble as I staggered out of the drivers seat after Nick let me take the car for a test drive.  

I part exchanged my two year old Clio 16v and added £3,000 to meet Nicks asking price.  I regret I didn’t haggle harder, as the car subsequently turned out to have a moderately serious oil leak, and it wouldn’t go into first gear if the car was moving.  With the onset of wet weather I had a never ending battle against water leaks, from doors, lights and bonnet.  Two new P700 front tyres cost the best part of £300, including tracking.  The car was reasonably practical everyday transport, starting instantly in all weathers, running smoothly and handling superbly, but by the winter of 1998, I had decided the time had come to move on.  And that is where the Carrera 4 story starts.

I bought my 1989 911 Carrera 4 in December last year for £18,950.  It is a left hand drive German import, with two previous German owners and a well documented (mainly) Porsche service history.  For the first four years of its life it was serviced by the Porsche factory in Stuttgart, and then until 1997 by Hahn Official Porsche Centre, also in Stuttgart.  It had 70,000 miles on the clock when I bought it, in part exchange for my previous car, a left hand drive 1984 911 3.2 Carrera.  Fitted options included full red leather interior, air conditioning, heated electric seats and special option paint colour (BMW graphite metallic).  All original tools and accessories were included with the car.  But why did I choose a Carrera 4 you may ask ?  Well, I was actually looking for a Carrera 2, but when a sound Carrera 4 came along, after looking at a quite a few “dodgy” Carrera 2s, I liked the car and the way it drove so much, I bought it.

On the plus side, the car has proved to be solid, reliable, and (mostly) free of accident damage.  The service history shows some minor accident repairs were carried out by Porsche to one of the front wings about three years ago, but to such a high standard that nothing is visible to the naked eye.  Service records show it has had two new clutches, the second barely a year after the first in 1994.  The car steers, handles and brakes superbly, in wet or dry conditions.  The engine performance is all it should be, and it always starts on the button.  The car is vibration and rattle free, and the gearbox is perfect.  Traction, needless to say, is superb.

Now to the down side !  I have had a series of minor (and not so minor) problems with the car in the nine months I have owned it.  It has certainly absorbed a lot of my spare cash, but then I expected that to some extent, as the car is 10 years old, and I always intended to restore it to near perfect condition with the intention of keeping it for the foreseeable future.

When I bought the car I was very careful to ensure the engine was free of oil leaks.  Some people seem not to mind oil leaks in a 911, or are at least content to put up with them, but I must say I object to the pools of oil the car leaves behind everywhere and the unpleasant burning smell of oil dripping onto hot exhaust pipes.  My two previous 911s (the 1984 Carrera and a 1975 2.7 litre 911) had both dropped oil, so I was determined to ensure it didn’t happen this time.  However, when I got the car home, after the long journey to collect it, sure enough there were traces of fresh oil on the undertray.  As weeks went by, the leak got worse.  Fearing the worst, I took the car to my local independent Porsche specialist, Steve Bull Specialist Cars of Devizes, who I can highly recommend.  Steve certainly knows his 964s inside and out, and quickly diagnosed a leaky power steering pump seal, which he replaced at a cost of around £250.  This certainly improved the leak, but did not cure it completely as we later found both the cam covers were also leaking.  These were later removed and resealed when the car was serviced, and I am happy to report the engine now appears to be leak free, touch wood.  At the same time, Steve replaced both engine fan temperature sensors, one of which had burnt out, and one of which had jammed open, causing the fan to pulse on and off continually.

The next problem was the unexpected appearance of a small rust patch just below the rear window seal.  On further investigation the rust appeared to extend right behind the seal, underneath the glass.  I took the problem to Autocrash, a local body repair shop, whose services I have used before, and whose work I rate very highly.  They treated the problem, and “re-galvanised” the area with a zinc coating, but were unable to explain why the rust had appeared.  Porsche of course fully galvanise their car bodies, and corrosion is unheard of on a late model 911 as far as I know.  The work necessitated removal of the rear windscreen, which is a risky process, and potentially expensive, as the screen can easily break during the removal process. All in all the cost of the work came to a total of £340.

Around this time, a mysterious humming noise appeared after I accidentally allowed the car to run very low on fuel.  Replacing the fuel pump and fuel filter eventually seemed to cure this problem.

Other costs have included four new Bridgestone SO2 tyres at £500 for the set, a full service including brake fluid change for £475, fully comprehensive insurance at £570, and numerous minor items such as an engine immobiliser (£150), a new rear wiper arm (£85) and new front brake pads.  A word of warning here - don’t try to fit your own pads, - leave it to the professionals !  Both sets of pads were stuck in the callipers and required dismantling of the calipers to remove them.  In spite of fitting the correct Porsche pads and anti-squeal shims there is now a distinct squeal from the brakes, which Steve tells me will probably only really be cured when the time comes to replace both disks and pads.

A kind neighbour who works for a car air conditioning company offered to test the air conditioning system for leaks and to recharge it with gas.  The old gas had apparently leaked out onto one of the front heater control motors, and disabled the heating on the drivers side.  This was relatively easy to fix once I discovered how to remove the little motor and clean it up.  I am happy to report that the complex “climate control system” (computer controlled heating and air conditioning) now works perfectly.

Future projects may include reconditioning of the bright red leather interior, and repair of the original Becker Mexico radio cassette, which I am told requires a new FM module.

So far, I (and my wallet) have just about survived the experience, but I will write again as soon as I have something more to report.

Running Report 2 - August 2000

I have just bought 2 Continental Conti-Sport Contact CZ91 205/55 ZR16 N1 front tyres at £83 each  which I am very pleased with.  At around £60 cheaper each than the Bridgestone SO2s I previously had fitted, handling and performance so far seem unaffected.  They are a Porsche factory fit on some models, I believe, so come with the Porsche seal of approval.  I would expect the SO2s to outperform them in the wet, but we shall see.  www.tirerack.com allowed me to compare the prices and features of different tyres, and to see what alternatives exist to the Pirellis and Bridgestones.

On the subject of web sites I should also mention www.pcapotomac.org and www.rennlist.com, two excellent sites which deal with the 964 (amongst other Porsche related things) and allow you to post and read comments and suggestions from other owners and experts.  The Porsche Club GB 964 register has also recently set up a web site which deals with owners queries and problems.  This can be found at www.titanic.co.uk/964

I am often asked about fuel economy, or “I bet that costs a lot to run”.  A sticker on the fuel gauge recommends “Eurosuper Bleifrei” petrol for this car.  I think that translates as ordinary “premium” unleaded.  I usually seem to put in about 68 litres at each refill at a cost of about £52.29.  The same quantity of super unleaded costs about £57.73.  Each refill lasts about two weeks, giving an average of about 22-25 miles per gallon.   As in any car, fuel economy depends on how hard you drive.  If you are happy to potter about, the 964 can be reasonably economical.  I have tried both 95 octane ordinary and 98 octane super unleaded, but tend to use super unleaded as I find it gives a noticeable improvement in acceleration.

In the first sixteen months of ownership I have driven 13,000 miles in the car.  I use it daily, to commute to work (about 10 miles) and for longer journeys at weekends, and in the course of my job.  During that time, reliability has been 100% (touch wood), but there have been a few minor problems since my last running report.

Although the passenger side seat heating has always worked fine, I found the drivers side only worked if I kept my finger on the switch.  This was obviously not practical in daily use, so I decided to try to fix it.  I took the drivers seat out, and exchanged the electronic control unit with the one in the passenger seat, to see if that fixed the problem.  It didn’t.  But I did find three deutschmarks, a small perfume spray, some buttons, a receipt in German dated 1992, a biro, a paperclip, one tablet in its foil casing, and a small German clothing label.  Gradually the lifestyle of the previous owner is coming to light.

As the seat heating elements themselves were working, it could only be the switch that was at fault.  I took the switch apart, removed the temperature adjustment contacts, and hey presto, it worked.  I now have a hot seat, but no way of turning the temperature down.  Perhaps I should invest in a new switch, but at £51.00 plus VAT from Porsche, that seems a bit extravagant.  Breakers I have contacted are understandably only willing to sell the whole seat, not small parts thereof.

I recently found that the windscreen washer system was pumping water into the boot due to a faulty return valve which was allowing water to overfill the intensive screen washer bottle.  This problem was solved by inserting a one way valve in the pipe that runs between the washer nozzles and the intensive washer bottle.

One of the central locking passenger door top buttons stopped flashing - so I bought a replacement unit from Douglas Valley breakers (01257) 472444 for £21.00.

Front brake disks will be required soon - I hope this might cure the squealing evident since I changed the pads last year.

I am presently fighting a battle against water leaking in beneath the rear window - quite a tricky one this, as it will mean removing and drying out the rear soundproofing and carpets, once I have stopped the leak.  At the moment I am re-applying sealant, and hope this will do the trick.  Once I have stopped the leak I can begin the drying out process.

The car is booked in with Steve Bull (my local Porsche specialist- 01380 728334) next week to see if it is possible to fix the exhaust catalyst exhaust heat shield, which is prone to rattles, and to see what it will take to renew the alternator and fan belts which are squeaking.  The socket where the special tool fits inside the alternator spindle is damaged, so renewal of the belts will necessitate removal of the alternator. I will see whether it will be necessary to replace the alternator at that time, or whether it can be repaired.  In the meantime, I can cure the squeaky belts by the application of WD40.

And finally - a few notes on the subject of buying and owning a left hand drive 911 based on personal experience, in response to Messrs. Ticehurst and Ward’s article in the February 2000 edition of 911 and Porsche World.

1. I agree that buying abroad can be a risky business, so it makes sense to buy a car from a reputable dealer or Porsche centre, unless you know what you are doing. 

2.  One should not assume that German cars are worn out wrecks with a dubious past.  Many are fastidiously maintained and have a full service history, just like British cars 

3. On the subject of insurance costs, I have owned two left hand drive 911s, and in my experience insurance companies make no distinction between left or right hand drive.

4.  I agree that second hand left hand drive 911s sell for less money than equivalent right hand drive cars, but this is not a problem, as they cost less in the first place.

If people prefer to stay with RHD and pay UK prices then that is fine.  I find that buying left hand drive makes your budget go a whole lot further.

Mark Geraghty

Running Report 3 - February 2001

Since my last report, I have been working hard at fixing a leaky rear window by applying and re-applying silicone sealant around the rubber seal. I have removed, dried out and re-fitted the rear sound proofing and carpets, where water had leaked in and touch wood, no more water appears to be coming in at the moment.

I have purchased some new rear tyres - Continental CZ91 225/50 ZR 16 N1 from Bathwick tyres in Salisbury, at £94.00 each including VAT and fitting. (01722 321377). I have found that prices seem to vary widely, so it pays to shop around. Quotes I received for the same tyres varied from £94.00 to £150.00 each. Tyre wear and handling have so far been excellent.

The rattle in the catalyst heat shield I mentioned in my last report has been fixed by my local independent Porsche specialist Steve Bull (01380 725444) - Steve drilled out the standard bolts and replaced them with screws. The bolts had rusted and allowed the shield to come loose. The car is now running silently and rattle free at last.

One of the front heater blowers has been squealing at low fan speeds - I have fixed the problem with help from fellow RennList members (www.rennlist.com). Access to the fan proved surprisingly easy, and liberal application of WD40 did the trick. There was a slight smell of WD40 inside the car for a short time. George Rochford from Cleveland Ohio and Alan Letts from Cincinnati kindly provided the expertise and 964 factory manual pages I needed to help me do the job thanks to the power of the internet. I had heard of a heater problem on a 964 costing more than £400 from an OPC to put right, because of the labour involved, so I was anxious to tackle the job myself.

The unofficial Porsche Club 964 register web site (www.titanic.co.uk/964) goes from strength to strength, with useful exchange of technical information and ideas. Thanks to Ken Chambers (964 Register Secretary) and others for setting it up and running it. The hope is to have as many register members as possible online in order to facilitate communications about events, meetings etc. 964 owners who are non register members are also welcome to join, as are those who are interested in buying a 964.

Application of Autoglym resin polish (£6.99) has been a revelation - a deep, lustrous glassy shine has revitalised the paintwork, and introduced me to the anorak world of car polishing.

I purchased a set of floor mats from Southbound Motor Trimmers (01264 810080) at a cost of £51.50. They seem to be good quality, and I am very pleased with the fit and the 911 logo.

After noticing the exhaust was blowing, I contacted Maniflow of Salisbury (01722 335378) who specialise in stainless steel exhausts. The problem was fixed by welding the stainless steel rear box where the seam had split. The total cost was £85 plus VAT, much better than the £280 I was quoted to replace the unit.

I renewed my insurance for £650 with Performance Insurance which is not too bad for fully comprehensive cover for a 35 year old with unlimited mileage, full protected no claims bonus, and business cover too. I have no claims or convictions and live in a “low risk” area. I have also added my girlfriend Fiona to the insurance at a cost of an additional £60 per annum. She enjoys driving the car, and has offered to swap it for her Renault Laguna any time.

We took the car on a trip to Germany at the end of September to visit its “roots”. The car spent the first eight years of its life in or around Stuttgart, where the first two owners lived. We spent time in Cologne visiting friends, in Stuttgart and in Fussen, in the Bavarian Alps. The Porsche Factory museum was interesting and certainly worth a visit. We did not join one of the regular factory tours but if you are interested in doing so, it possible to telephone in advance to book a place. The food and hotels in Germany were excellent, and not too expensive. We enjoyed driving on the (mostly unrestricted) autobahns, but did find the traffic a little fast at times, even though we were in a 911. One or two particularly bizarre examples come to mind - how about being tailgated by a Renault Twingo at 110 mph, or undertaken by a “Smart” Car at 100 ? Still, we had a good time and arrived home in one piece.

Before leaving for Germany I had noticed a strange crunching sensation when accelerating in second or third gear. On returning to the UK I booked the car in to Steve Bull for further investigation. Steve diagnosed a fault in the clutch/flywheel assembly, so I gave him the go-ahead to take out the engine and gearbox to see what was causing the problem. It turned out that the rubber clutch damping ring had come adrift necessitating replacement of the clutch. I was relieved to hear that the flywheel was OK. The replacement parts were all genuine Porsche items, with parts and labour guaranteed for two years. The cost of the work came to a total of £1,104, of which labour formed a modest £300. Not bad for at least 10 hours work. Steve informs me that the 964 Carrera 4 is one of the most labour intensive of 911s to work on. While he reckons he can remove a 911 3.2 Carrera engine and gearbox in an hour, the same job on a 964 Carrera 4 can take far longer, due to all the add-ons and ancillaries such as power steering, torque tube, 4 wheel drive sensors and so on. Still, a new clutch was last fitted over 50,000 miles ago, so I guess it was due for a replacement anyway.

Running Report 4 - August 2001

Well, its time to pull out the invoices and look back at the work I have had done to my 964 since my last running report, printed in the February 2001 edition of 911 and Porsche World.

Back in December I booked the car into Steve Bull Specialist Cars in Devizes, Wiltshire (01380 725444) for a complete overhaul of the brakes. I recall that there was a fair amount of wear on the front and rear discs when I bought the car in 1998 and since then I had covered an additional 30,000 miles, so there was no doubt the brakes needed doing. After replacing the front pads myself about a year ago, an alarming amount of squeal had been evident at low speeds when the brakes were hot. Fitting so-called anti-squeal shims at the rear of the pads did not help matters. I now know that it is advisable to replace discs and pads at the same time, especially if the discs are badly worn, as mine were. It is also essential to fit new steel calliper plates where these have corroded, as these allow the pads to fit snugly in the calliper, reducing the amount of vibration (and hence squeal) that can occur.

I investigated the option of using non-original parts, but became convinced of the advisability of using genuine Porsche items, as I believe Porsche give the discs additional hardening, and they therefore wear at a slower rate. Steve put the car through its annual MOT test at the same time, and even though I had taken no particular care to prepare the car for the test, it sailed through first time with no work required. All in all the cost of the MOT test plus four new discs, four sets of pads, sixteen anti-squeal shims, four calliper plates (the ones on the rear callipers were OK and did not need replacing) plus four wear indicators and seven hours labour came to £840. Now I am happy to report the car is blissfully squeal free.

I have recently been having fun with the array of warning lights which live in the dashboard clock on a 964. Sometimes they come on when the ignition is turned on, (as they should) and sometimes they don't. I have replaced the bulbs and cleaned the contacts, and (touch wood) everything appears to be working properly now. A word of warning to anyone considering trying the same job. When I took apart the circular connector at the rear of the clock I discovered that there are eleven tiny colour coded wires which pop out in no particular order and are very difficult to put back, especially if you are colour blind like me. With the help of my girlfriend Fiona who can see colours and a copy of a 964 wiring diagram I managed to put the wires back in the right order, and we now have a functioning clock and warning lights once more.

During the floods last winter I found myself unavoidably driving through water up to a foot deep on a couple of occasions with no immediately apparent ill effects. However, on feeling under the floor mats a few weeks later I discovered that the foam sound proofing under the mats was soaking. On closer inspection I discovered that the flood water had seeped in through a hole above the clutch pedal, so I removed all the sound proofing, dried it in the airing cupboard and re-installed it. So far there has been no recurrence of the problem, but I am staying away from deep water from now on.

Driving to my local convenience store one evening I noticed a loud groaning from the engine bay when turning the steering wheel to left or right. On checking the power steering reservoir I noticed that fluid had been leaking out from the joint where a rubber hose leads into the reservoir. Replacing the hose clip and re-filling the system seems to have cured the problem.

Two years since recharging the air conditioning system the refrigerant appears to have leaked out once more. I will be booking the car in with a local air conditioning specialist for a leak test and a re-fill as it appears we may have some warm weather soon.

Finally the car has just had a 24,000 mile service which included new spark plugs. The service was performed at a total cost of £569.73 including VAT by Steve Bull Specialist cars in Devizes, Wiltshire. I had reported increasing reluctance to start first time and settle into idle, so Steve altered the mixture settings to take account of a higher mileage engine. This and changing the plugs seems to have cured the problem. So now, although it is fast approaching the 100,000 mile mark, the car is running better than ever.