My 1998 996.1 C2 Project
Discussion
Inspired by a number of recent positive reviews of the 996 from journalists I respect, an ambition to always own a 911, the great value for money of 996s nowadays, the sound of a flat 6 engine, and a number of inspiring 996 project threads (such as this... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&... I took the plunge and purchased my own 1998 Carrera 2 996 last summer.
The idea was to buy one this year (to hopefully coincide with a move outside of London where I can garage the car). However, a great example came up last year and I could not resist. In summary, these are the basic details...
- 1998 996.1 Carrera 2, hence cable throttle and (hopefully!) the more resilient earlier 996.1 engine (dual row IMS and less likelihood of bore scoring).
- Silver with amber head and tail lights (looks great in my opinion)
- Black interior with sports seats
- No sunroof
- M030 pack from factory (although I wonder how much remains - see below...!)
- My favourite wheels (18" hollow-spoke wheels from the 993 Turbo - these were available on early 996s from factory)
- Plenty of miles (approaching 150k(!), although seems reasonable in my opinion given the car is c. 22 years old - hasn't been sitting around for years at a time)
- Upgraded with semi-solid RSS engine mounts, 997 GT3 gear linkage and Danske (2gundo'd") back box, otherwise reasonably standard.
- Very detailed service history (appears the last two owners were very much the enthusiasts!)
- Still original engine (although original engine suffered a crack on bank 1-3 at c. 90k miles so this was replaced by Northway)
- Gearbox replaced at 145k miles (believe LSD from M030 pack has not been carried over, so now just on the standard diff)
- Gearbox replaced at 139k
- Clutch and LN IMS kit at 141k
So what's the plan for the car? Well I am a car enthusiast so to get out and drive it on a weekend as regularly as I can get away with! However, the other plan is to learn as much as I can about it as I live with it. My car ownership history is not too extensive having previous owned just 3 cars - a Porsche 924 (strangely the cheapest thing I could insure as a teenager) then a Noble GTO-3 (nuts!) and then a Mk7 Golf GTI (I had grown-up - briefly!). However, those 3 cars were all bought to enjoy for a period of time and then sell. This is a little bit different - I want to learn how it works and change/upgrade bits as they begin to wear out, and keep the car for a very long time (as long as we still have petrol is the current thinking).
I am slightly ashamed to admit that, for as much as I love driving cars, I know very little about being mechanically minded and how to service a car. I blame this on living in London all my life, but I plan to change this with the 996 and learn more and more as the years go past. Maybe this thread could read like a very amateur version of the 'Knackered 996' thread (shared above - my favourite on Pistonheads) over time and I hope I move from the position of having to learn everything about the car to being able to help out others about their 996s over time?
What have I learnt so far? Well, apart from picking up what I think is a bit of a gem of an early 996, I have learnt how to perform a minor service on the car at the end of last year. When purchased I engaged a specialist (ex. OPC with plenty of experience on 996s and 997s, now operating independently) to carry out a pre-purchase inspection of the car. He also very kindly offered to talk me round the car when he serviced the car in December. I learnt (don't laugh!) how to change the oil and filter (and inspect for any fragments of metal in the oil filter - luckily nothing to note!), how to change a pollen filter, and then he took me round on a detailed inspection of the underside of the car walking my through areas that may need attention in the medium-term. For example some of the fixings on the exhaust are corroding and the front bump stops are beginning to perish. I have also how to put the car on a CTEK trickle charger for a month at the end of last summer whilst I was away on honeymoon.
So, why start this thread now and not when I purchased the car? Well, firstly I wanted to make sure I hadn't bought a lemon! Knowing I have not, and knowing that I plan to keep the car for many more years to come having really enjoyed getting to know it over the past 6 months, it seems about right to start. Part of me wanted to wait until I have moved out of London and have a garage to keep the car in, because then I can really start to learn and do much more to the car at a greater rate, for example I would like to refresh the suspension for something a little more focussed (and do the bump stops at the same time) but I'd like to wait until I am not driving over speed humps for the first 5 mins of every journey.
However, there are things that maybe I can look to do now. My current thoughts as follows...
- Centre console delete. Any good recommendations about where best to pick up a kit for a reasonable sum? I am struggling somewhat with legroom and think this may help out a lot.
- Legroom generally. I have moved my drivers seat as low as it will go but I would still like to be slightly lower given legroom issues and also the fact that the steering wheel feels like it's mounted slightly too low. Scouting the forums I cannot see any easy fix...? Long-term fix could be some buckets (love the OEM Recaros but the price is scary!)
- Interior leather. I'm tempted to have a go at trying to refresh the colour of the interior black leather. There is small discolouration around the driver's bolster and steering wheel. Any ideas on good products?
- Radio head-unit. Had not crossed my mind until I saw this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-jv1WJLxoo. This looks appealing but would prefer the one with DAB connectivity I think. Anyone any experience with these?
- Being parked on the street I am wondering whether or not to get a dashcam with parking mode. Any recommendations (inc. how to not run down the battery!)?
- Also I really love the look of these 917-style shifters... https://www.nineelevenoutlaw.com/, but they are pricey!
Longer term...
Who knows? At some point the exhaust will need doing and it certainly sounds tempting to look at a full system including 200-cell cats and manifolds (again I would want to future-proof and find something of a high quality that should last). Suspension refresh is on the cards but not until I move out of London. A mechanical LSD maybe when I need a new clutch (and maybe I'll want a new LWFW too!). I am also wondering whether or not to invest in a deep sump kit and a third radiator. Whilst the plan is not to track the car right now, it may be something I would like to do in the future. Then, when the inevitable does happen with the engine, maybe an expensive trip up to Hartech…!
Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully I can update this thread slowly over time as I experience more of the car. Anything you think I could look at whilst still in London (pre-garage)? In the meantime, here's a pic of my car together with one learning to do an oil change...
Henry
The idea was to buy one this year (to hopefully coincide with a move outside of London where I can garage the car). However, a great example came up last year and I could not resist. In summary, these are the basic details...
- 1998 996.1 Carrera 2, hence cable throttle and (hopefully!) the more resilient earlier 996.1 engine (dual row IMS and less likelihood of bore scoring).
- Silver with amber head and tail lights (looks great in my opinion)
- Black interior with sports seats
- No sunroof
- M030 pack from factory (although I wonder how much remains - see below...!)
- My favourite wheels (18" hollow-spoke wheels from the 993 Turbo - these were available on early 996s from factory)
- Plenty of miles (approaching 150k(!), although seems reasonable in my opinion given the car is c. 22 years old - hasn't been sitting around for years at a time)
- Upgraded with semi-solid RSS engine mounts, 997 GT3 gear linkage and Danske (2gundo'd") back box, otherwise reasonably standard.
- Very detailed service history (appears the last two owners were very much the enthusiasts!)
- Still original engine (although original engine suffered a crack on bank 1-3 at c. 90k miles so this was replaced by Northway)
- Gearbox replaced at 145k miles (believe LSD from M030 pack has not been carried over, so now just on the standard diff)
- Gearbox replaced at 139k
- Clutch and LN IMS kit at 141k
So what's the plan for the car? Well I am a car enthusiast so to get out and drive it on a weekend as regularly as I can get away with! However, the other plan is to learn as much as I can about it as I live with it. My car ownership history is not too extensive having previous owned just 3 cars - a Porsche 924 (strangely the cheapest thing I could insure as a teenager) then a Noble GTO-3 (nuts!) and then a Mk7 Golf GTI (I had grown-up - briefly!). However, those 3 cars were all bought to enjoy for a period of time and then sell. This is a little bit different - I want to learn how it works and change/upgrade bits as they begin to wear out, and keep the car for a very long time (as long as we still have petrol is the current thinking).
I am slightly ashamed to admit that, for as much as I love driving cars, I know very little about being mechanically minded and how to service a car. I blame this on living in London all my life, but I plan to change this with the 996 and learn more and more as the years go past. Maybe this thread could read like a very amateur version of the 'Knackered 996' thread (shared above - my favourite on Pistonheads) over time and I hope I move from the position of having to learn everything about the car to being able to help out others about their 996s over time?
What have I learnt so far? Well, apart from picking up what I think is a bit of a gem of an early 996, I have learnt how to perform a minor service on the car at the end of last year. When purchased I engaged a specialist (ex. OPC with plenty of experience on 996s and 997s, now operating independently) to carry out a pre-purchase inspection of the car. He also very kindly offered to talk me round the car when he serviced the car in December. I learnt (don't laugh!) how to change the oil and filter (and inspect for any fragments of metal in the oil filter - luckily nothing to note!), how to change a pollen filter, and then he took me round on a detailed inspection of the underside of the car walking my through areas that may need attention in the medium-term. For example some of the fixings on the exhaust are corroding and the front bump stops are beginning to perish. I have also how to put the car on a CTEK trickle charger for a month at the end of last summer whilst I was away on honeymoon.
So, why start this thread now and not when I purchased the car? Well, firstly I wanted to make sure I hadn't bought a lemon! Knowing I have not, and knowing that I plan to keep the car for many more years to come having really enjoyed getting to know it over the past 6 months, it seems about right to start. Part of me wanted to wait until I have moved out of London and have a garage to keep the car in, because then I can really start to learn and do much more to the car at a greater rate, for example I would like to refresh the suspension for something a little more focussed (and do the bump stops at the same time) but I'd like to wait until I am not driving over speed humps for the first 5 mins of every journey.
However, there are things that maybe I can look to do now. My current thoughts as follows...
- Centre console delete. Any good recommendations about where best to pick up a kit for a reasonable sum? I am struggling somewhat with legroom and think this may help out a lot.
- Legroom generally. I have moved my drivers seat as low as it will go but I would still like to be slightly lower given legroom issues and also the fact that the steering wheel feels like it's mounted slightly too low. Scouting the forums I cannot see any easy fix...? Long-term fix could be some buckets (love the OEM Recaros but the price is scary!)
- Interior leather. I'm tempted to have a go at trying to refresh the colour of the interior black leather. There is small discolouration around the driver's bolster and steering wheel. Any ideas on good products?
- Radio head-unit. Had not crossed my mind until I saw this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-jv1WJLxoo. This looks appealing but would prefer the one with DAB connectivity I think. Anyone any experience with these?
- Being parked on the street I am wondering whether or not to get a dashcam with parking mode. Any recommendations (inc. how to not run down the battery!)?
- Also I really love the look of these 917-style shifters... https://www.nineelevenoutlaw.com/, but they are pricey!
Longer term...
Who knows? At some point the exhaust will need doing and it certainly sounds tempting to look at a full system including 200-cell cats and manifolds (again I would want to future-proof and find something of a high quality that should last). Suspension refresh is on the cards but not until I move out of London. A mechanical LSD maybe when I need a new clutch (and maybe I'll want a new LWFW too!). I am also wondering whether or not to invest in a deep sump kit and a third radiator. Whilst the plan is not to track the car right now, it may be something I would like to do in the future. Then, when the inevitable does happen with the engine, maybe an expensive trip up to Hartech…!
Anyway, that's it for now. Hopefully I can update this thread slowly over time as I experience more of the car. Anything you think I could look at whilst still in London (pre-garage)? In the meantime, here's a pic of my car together with one learning to do an oil change...
Henry
Challenge you may be facing is that the wheel adjusts only for reach, not for rake. This meant that in my car (hard backed sports seats, three spoke wheel) I punched myself in the leg when turning left.
I deleted the centre console, and abruptly had room for my left leg under the wheel - but then my left buttock started going to sleep when driving for more than an hour due to the angle my leg had to be at. So I changed the wheel to a Cup wheel, and had the foam in the drivers seat scalloped.
This kind of worked - the driving position was much better as the wheel was smaller, so there was more clearance, and it was much closer to me, so I could push the seat back a little and still have a nicely bent arm when holding the wheel.
But I could not see the tops of the clocks. A problem. I then fitted an eccentric spacer which moved the wheel a little closer to me, and upward.
This made a surprising difference, and I drove it like this for a while. Then I fitted a Recaro SPG and it transformed the car - dropped me much lower, meant I could see all the clocks, and put the wheel in a great place.
This took some time, and more money than I'll mention here (I'm having the SPG trimmed in leather to match the interior and whilst that's being done fitting heating elements to it).
As an interim move I have a 3" steering wheel extender that you're welcome to try - it may move the wheel into a space that your leg is not trying to occupy.
I deleted the centre console, and abruptly had room for my left leg under the wheel - but then my left buttock started going to sleep when driving for more than an hour due to the angle my leg had to be at. So I changed the wheel to a Cup wheel, and had the foam in the drivers seat scalloped.
This kind of worked - the driving position was much better as the wheel was smaller, so there was more clearance, and it was much closer to me, so I could push the seat back a little and still have a nicely bent arm when holding the wheel.
But I could not see the tops of the clocks. A problem. I then fitted an eccentric spacer which moved the wheel a little closer to me, and upward.
This made a surprising difference, and I drove it like this for a while. Then I fitted a Recaro SPG and it transformed the car - dropped me much lower, meant I could see all the clocks, and put the wheel in a great place.
This took some time, and more money than I'll mention here (I'm having the SPG trimmed in leather to match the interior and whilst that's being done fitting heating elements to it).
As an interim move I have a 3" steering wheel extender that you're welcome to try - it may move the wheel into a space that your leg is not trying to occupy.
TurboRob said:
Welcome to 996 ownership!
Centre console delete makes a big difference if you're long in the leg department. Later seats from a 997 (bolt straight in, require a couple of wires to be spliced) are much lower and improve the driving position no end.
Interesting, hadn't not contemplated 997 seats. Had assumed the option would be to go down the Recaro route (either OEM, SPG or PP) if I can not get completely comfortable in the 996 sports seats first. I'll have a go at the console delete first before fiddling with the seats... Centre console delete makes a big difference if you're long in the leg department. Later seats from a 997 (bolt straight in, require a couple of wires to be spliced) are much lower and improve the driving position no end.
skinny said:
Congrats and enjoy!
Topgear get a pretty good rep for stainless exhaust systems including 200 cell cats. Plus a discount through 911uk forum. Change the manifold bolts for something that won't disintegrate again
That's the plan - improve as well as replace when the time comes. I've heard good things also but such a minefield out there of options. Going on sound only I'd like to replicate something close to this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L253WRKui8 . Although would like to keep a stock lookTopgear get a pretty good rep for stainless exhaust systems including 200 cell cats. Plus a discount through 911uk forum. Change the manifold bolts for something that won't disintegrate again
Dammit said:
Challenge you may be facing is that the wheel adjusts only for reach, not for rake. This meant that in my car (hard backed sports seats, three spoke wheel) I punched myself in the leg when turning left.
I deleted the centre console, and abruptly had room for my left leg under the wheel - but then my left buttock started going to sleep when driving for more than an hour due to the angle my leg had to be at. So I changed the wheel to a Cup wheel, and had the foam in the drivers seat scalloped.
This kind of worked - the driving position was much better as the wheel was smaller, so there was more clearance, and it was much closer to me, so I could push the seat back a little and still have a nicely bent arm when holding the wheel.
But I could not see the tops of the clocks. A problem. I then fitted an eccentric spacer which moved the wheel a little closer to me, and upward.
This made a surprising difference, and I drove it like this for a while. Then I fitted a Recaro SPG and it transformed the car - dropped me much lower, meant I could see all the clocks, and put the wheel in a great place.
This took some time, and more money than I'll mention here (I'm having the SPG trimmed in leather to match the interior and whilst that's being done fitting heating elements to it).
As an interim move I have a 3" steering wheel extender that you're welcome to try - it may move the wheel into a space that your leg is not trying to occupy.
Sorry, made me laugh when you said you punched yourself in the leg! I'd love a rake adjustment but it can't happen. I'll do the console delete and then go from there. Need to make sure I order the right one - I've worked out there is the delete piece that needs to be combined with a small piece of plastic trim to go between the kit and the gear shifter and need to try to get the off-black piece to match with the early 996 interior (seems that the black plastic on the interior darkened after the first few years). I deleted the centre console, and abruptly had room for my left leg under the wheel - but then my left buttock started going to sleep when driving for more than an hour due to the angle my leg had to be at. So I changed the wheel to a Cup wheel, and had the foam in the drivers seat scalloped.
This kind of worked - the driving position was much better as the wheel was smaller, so there was more clearance, and it was much closer to me, so I could push the seat back a little and still have a nicely bent arm when holding the wheel.
But I could not see the tops of the clocks. A problem. I then fitted an eccentric spacer which moved the wheel a little closer to me, and upward.
This made a surprising difference, and I drove it like this for a while. Then I fitted a Recaro SPG and it transformed the car - dropped me much lower, meant I could see all the clocks, and put the wheel in a great place.
This took some time, and more money than I'll mention here (I'm having the SPG trimmed in leather to match the interior and whilst that's being done fitting heating elements to it).
As an interim move I have a 3" steering wheel extender that you're welcome to try - it may move the wheel into a space that your leg is not trying to occupy.
How did you decide upon the SPGs vs the OEM buckets or Pole Positions? Was it just a question of sitting in a few to find what was most comfortable? What's the cup wheel btw? Do you have a link with a pic? That's very generous on the loan of the extender, thank you. Are there any Porsche events you go to typically (think your profile says you're London). It would be amazing to have sit in the SPGs if ever we can coordinate...?
Will keep an eye on this as I also picked up a silver (meridian rather than arctic) 3.4 (C4 rather than C2) earlier this year.
Just got mine in the garage and up on the stands this week to start doing a full suspension refresh along with any other nasties I find, have already replaced all the pulley bearing as one was noisy and replaced the pattern header tank with OEM. Being a Scottish car I'll have some rust to tackle but was pleasantly surprised to find the inner arches in relatively good nick once the liners were removed. Bit of surface rust on exposed areas which I'll grind, treat and paint. Only other discovery so far is disintegrating radiator mount brackets.
This isn't my first car build/restoration but is my fist 911. It's quite interesting to see some of the thought in the engeering/build of the 996 as I slowly take it apart. Just little things like foam on the inner arch lip between the metal and the liner to prevent rubbing makes you remember it was once a very expensive car.
Hopefully I can share some of the wisdom I hope to gain over the next few months. Hope to have the car back on the road for the summer.
Just got mine in the garage and up on the stands this week to start doing a full suspension refresh along with any other nasties I find, have already replaced all the pulley bearing as one was noisy and replaced the pattern header tank with OEM. Being a Scottish car I'll have some rust to tackle but was pleasantly surprised to find the inner arches in relatively good nick once the liners were removed. Bit of surface rust on exposed areas which I'll grind, treat and paint. Only other discovery so far is disintegrating radiator mount brackets.
This isn't my first car build/restoration but is my fist 911. It's quite interesting to see some of the thought in the engeering/build of the 996 as I slowly take it apart. Just little things like foam on the inner arch lip between the metal and the liner to prevent rubbing makes you remember it was once a very expensive car.
Hopefully I can share some of the wisdom I hope to gain over the next few months. Hope to have the car back on the road for the summer.
Henners84 said:
Sorry, made me laugh when you said you punched yourself in the leg! I'd love a rake adjustment but it can't happen. I'll do the console delete and then go from there. Need to make sure I order the right one - I've worked out there is the delete piece that needs to be combined with a small piece of plastic trim to go between the kit and the gear shifter and need to try to get the off-black piece to match with the early 996 interior (seems that the black plastic on the interior darkened after the first few years).
How did you decide upon the SPGs vs the OEM buckets or Pole Positions? Was it just a question of sitting in a few to find what was most comfortable? What's the cup wheel btw? Do you have a link with a pic? That's very generous on the loan of the extender, thank you. Are there any Porsche events you go to typically (think your profile says you're London). It would be amazing to have sit in the SPGs if ever we can coordinate...?
SPG's have more of a history with 911's than the PP's, I tried one in a local motorsport place and fit so I bought it.How did you decide upon the SPGs vs the OEM buckets or Pole Positions? Was it just a question of sitting in a few to find what was most comfortable? What's the cup wheel btw? Do you have a link with a pic? That's very generous on the loan of the extender, thank you. Are there any Porsche events you go to typically (think your profile says you're London). It would be amazing to have sit in the SPGs if ever we can coordinate...?
I'm in SE London, you're welcome to pop over or we can arrange a time/place to meet if there's an event.
I was looking at Recaro's, the ones fitted to a Megane looked a cost effective option however I believe the 996 specific mounts are £400 the pair:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Full-Leather-Recaro-Tre...
The red aero kitted one a few threads down appears to have these fitted.
Alternatively the early Lotus Evora have the Recaro CS seat: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Evora-Recaro-Driv...
CcAAOSwCkZdh1oI
or the Audi TT QS has Pole Position seats (assuming you don't need access to rear seats)
Fortunately while sat in a traffic jam I was messing around with my seat controls and found another 1.5" of drop which suddenly made the position far better and able to see the top of my dials so I stopped looking at aftermarket seats...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Full-Leather-Recaro-Tre...
The red aero kitted one a few threads down appears to have these fitted.
Alternatively the early Lotus Evora have the Recaro CS seat: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Evora-Recaro-Driv...
CcAAOSwCkZdh1oIor the Audi TT QS has Pole Position seats (assuming you don't need access to rear seats)
Fortunately while sat in a traffic jam I was messing around with my seat controls and found another 1.5" of drop which suddenly made the position far better and able to see the top of my dials so I stopped looking at aftermarket seats...
Completed the centre console delete mod today. I thought I'd share the results...
Firstly I'd thought I'd check the mod with my insurance company (Classicline, in my case) to see if I need to disclose the mod on my car. The response was no in my case as they deemed the change to be 'just slight interior changes'.
Next step was to order the kit online. There seem to be a number of places to order the 'centre console delete' kit online from either the UK, Europe or the US. I ordered mine from Gert at Carnewal, but there are a number of other places selling. I paid c. 240 EUR (inc. VAT and shipping) which seems expensive but also about the going rate for a black one for a 1998 car. It may initially appear that there are cheaper ones online but you need to be careful to make sure you order both required parts (the carpet piece and a very small plastic trim piece) shown here...
The other thing to check is that you are ordering the right coloured parts. My car has a 'black' interior. The leather seats and carpet are black, however the trim colour on 1998 model years is a very dark grey (don't think black plastic trim came in until 2000). I believe the correct colour of trim is 'granite grey', however Gert took my car's VIN number to make sure he was sending me the correct coloured part.
So today I started work and the whole process took maybe just under 2 hours. I needed a T20 and T30 torque screwdriver, Philips screwdriver along with a 10mm spanner and socket. I also needed a drill and 6mm drill bit. Work involved the following...
1. As I had the phone mount on the left side, I had a to first unscrew the phone base...
2. Unclip side pieces (v simple, start at the end towards the front of the car)…
3. On the side with the phone holder there are three more screws to remove...
4. Then begin to remove centre console elements (these unclip simply - you need to start with the unit at the top and finish at the bottom)…
5. Unclip carpet pieces further forward in the footwell and then unscrew two screws each side of the centre console piece which means it can now be pulled out...
6. From here the next step is to remove the transmission tunnel consol, where you first unclip the leather around the base of the gear lever and then proceed with unscrewing a number of screws located along the consol (front, ashtray in the centre, and rear cubbyhole)…
7. Next I had to remove this metal piece (four nuts to unscrew). This was actually pretty tricky due to tight access but it can be done using a spanner or socket...
8. I also needed to remove these red pieces...
9. After removing all of these pieces it was then time to fit the new carpet piece of the centre consol delete kit. To fit, you need to lift the transmission tunnel as high as possible a wiggle the carpet piece into position. This was a little tricky to coordinate (hint, make sure the gear level is in 2nd) but I got there. The next stage was to slide the carpet piece forwards in the car which was probably the hardest bit as the fit was very, very tight (hint, pull the sides of the carpet piece apart slightly as you push and wiggle into place). The rear section of the carpet piece attaches to the transmission tunnel piece by sitting over the rearward two bolts per step 7 (hint, the holes in the carpet piece are too small and requiring drilling wider with a 6mm drill bit to get the correct fit). After this, tighten the nuts on these two bolts and then re-fix the transmission tunnel piece to fix into place.
10. All that is remaining is to fit the plastic trim piece and the mod is done. Final results as follows...
Legroom is much improved and I have saved 1.5kg. Hurrah!
Firstly I'd thought I'd check the mod with my insurance company (Classicline, in my case) to see if I need to disclose the mod on my car. The response was no in my case as they deemed the change to be 'just slight interior changes'.
Next step was to order the kit online. There seem to be a number of places to order the 'centre console delete' kit online from either the UK, Europe or the US. I ordered mine from Gert at Carnewal, but there are a number of other places selling. I paid c. 240 EUR (inc. VAT and shipping) which seems expensive but also about the going rate for a black one for a 1998 car. It may initially appear that there are cheaper ones online but you need to be careful to make sure you order both required parts (the carpet piece and a very small plastic trim piece) shown here...
The other thing to check is that you are ordering the right coloured parts. My car has a 'black' interior. The leather seats and carpet are black, however the trim colour on 1998 model years is a very dark grey (don't think black plastic trim came in until 2000). I believe the correct colour of trim is 'granite grey', however Gert took my car's VIN number to make sure he was sending me the correct coloured part.
So today I started work and the whole process took maybe just under 2 hours. I needed a T20 and T30 torque screwdriver, Philips screwdriver along with a 10mm spanner and socket. I also needed a drill and 6mm drill bit. Work involved the following...
1. As I had the phone mount on the left side, I had a to first unscrew the phone base...
2. Unclip side pieces (v simple, start at the end towards the front of the car)…
3. On the side with the phone holder there are three more screws to remove...
4. Then begin to remove centre console elements (these unclip simply - you need to start with the unit at the top and finish at the bottom)…
5. Unclip carpet pieces further forward in the footwell and then unscrew two screws each side of the centre console piece which means it can now be pulled out...
6. From here the next step is to remove the transmission tunnel consol, where you first unclip the leather around the base of the gear lever and then proceed with unscrewing a number of screws located along the consol (front, ashtray in the centre, and rear cubbyhole)…
7. Next I had to remove this metal piece (four nuts to unscrew). This was actually pretty tricky due to tight access but it can be done using a spanner or socket...
8. I also needed to remove these red pieces...
9. After removing all of these pieces it was then time to fit the new carpet piece of the centre consol delete kit. To fit, you need to lift the transmission tunnel as high as possible a wiggle the carpet piece into position. This was a little tricky to coordinate (hint, make sure the gear level is in 2nd) but I got there. The next stage was to slide the carpet piece forwards in the car which was probably the hardest bit as the fit was very, very tight (hint, pull the sides of the carpet piece apart slightly as you push and wiggle into place). The rear section of the carpet piece attaches to the transmission tunnel piece by sitting over the rearward two bolts per step 7 (hint, the holes in the carpet piece are too small and requiring drilling wider with a 6mm drill bit to get the correct fit). After this, tighten the nuts on these two bolts and then re-fix the transmission tunnel piece to fix into place.
10. All that is remaining is to fit the plastic trim piece and the mod is done. Final results as follows...
Legroom is much improved and I have saved 1.5kg. Hurrah!
nunpuncher said:
I know it's a popular mod but I'm not a fan. To me the dash looks weird floating, and if anything it makes the "horseshoe" area more awkward looking as you have this vertical flow that just stops dead.
I thought the same at first for similar reasons but then saw a few in the flesh and then changed my opinion to quite liking it. Depending on your setup it removes some not so attractive plastics from the dash. However the real want comes from having that extra bit of legroom. The result is so much more comfortable than it was before. I'm 2 meters tall with very long legs and although i was going to do the console delete; I have heated seats (buttons on the console) and liked the storage in the center console. So I did the following:
- Longer seat rails are available for the 996. Cannot tell you the part number, but my specialist (he's as tall as I am) installed them for me the day I got the car. Cost me next to nothing.
- I got one of these: https://www.design911.com/Steering-wheel-extender-...
Night and day difference and more than roomy enough.
I am still looking at other seats though, as I don't like the standard ones.
- Longer seat rails are available for the 996. Cannot tell you the part number, but my specialist (he's as tall as I am) installed them for me the day I got the car. Cost me next to nothing.
- I got one of these: https://www.design911.com/Steering-wheel-extender-...
Night and day difference and more than roomy enough.
I am still looking at other seats though, as I don't like the standard ones.
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