Resources for a new 996 Owner

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5chn3ll
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Resources for a new 996 Owner

Post by 5chn3ll » Thu Jan 18, 2018 5:22 pm

In addition to a forum full of self-described know-it-alls, there are a few things you'll find handy when you acquire your first 996.

Books
The 996 Essential Companion by Adrian Streather
This is less of a how-to book and more of a what-the-hell book. The Essential Companion helps explain a lot about the car, provides a wealth of information about the differences between 996 versions, and mountains of other information. This isn't the book that will help you change your brake pads, but it is the book that will help you get a better understanding of the 996 as a whole.

Porsche 911 Service Manual - Bentley Publishing
This is a nuts-and-bolts, nitty-gritty service manual. It covers a great many projects, but the degree of detail can vary between projects. This is not an idiot's guide to first-time car repair, but if you're a semi-established weekend wrench, this book will give you the confidence to tackle projects and save a bundle of money vs. helping put your indie's kids through college.

101 Projects for Your Porsche 911 996 and 997 1998-2008 - Wayne Dempsey
Somewhere between Essential Companion and the Bentley book falls Wayne Dempsey's 101 Projects book. There are a wide variety of projects covering everything from changing the cabin air filter to dropping the engine.

Fastening Specifications for Porsche 911 (Type 996) Automobile - Knowledge Gruppe
This resource supplements your other 996 documentation with the specs for every nut and bolt holding your 996 together. It may be overkill for the causal wrench, but as you get deeper and deeper into the engine bay, having the correct torque specs at your fingertips becomes invaluable.

Recommended tools, in addition to your normal
[*]An OBD-II code reader, either a standalone unit or a Bluetooth or WiFi dongle and app combo.
[*]A full set of security Torx bits. Not all Torx fasteners on the 996 are security, but you might as well buy the right set first.
[*]A full set of metric sockets and wrenches, including various wobble and standard extensions.
[*]A decent floor jack, at least two jack stands, and some hockey pucks (unless you have a fancy jack that mates with the Porsche jack points)
[*]A full set of metric hex keys / Allen wrenches



What did I leave out? What did I include that I shouldn't have? We'll keep this list updated and growing.

Understeer: You will hit the wall with the front end.
Oversteer: You will hit the wall with the rear end.
Horsepower: How hard you will hit the wall.
Torque: How far you will move the wall.

Gone hunting with Alec Baldwin and Dick Cheney. Back soon.

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: Resources for a new 996 Owner

Post by FRUNKenstein » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:59 pm

Join PCA and become active in your local club. The membership dues are cheap and you get a subscription to Panorama, which is a nice publication. Autocrosses are another nice benefit. You'll meet some nice folks. Not that I go there often, but our local dealer gives a 15% PCA discount, which save me over $100 recently when I got new keys made for my car.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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Sneaky Pete
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Re: Resources for a new 996 Owner

Post by Sneaky Pete » Tue Jan 23, 2018 10:09 am

kcattorney wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:59 pm Join PCA and become active in your local club. The membership dues are cheap and you get a subscription to Panorama, which is a nice publication. Autocrosses are another nice benefit. You'll meet some nice folks. Not that I go there often, but our local dealer gives a 15% PCA discount, which save me over $100 recently when I got new keys made for my car.
Completely agree KC. I have been a member for 13 years and yes most of the folks are great. The benefits of joining the PCA are worth the dues.
Pete

PCA Member and National DE Instructor
2005 997.1S 4.0......yeh it's not a 996...so what!
2017 Audi Q5 S-line
2012 Ram 3500 Deleted Diesel
1964 Spitfire Racecar
1973 Group 44 Spitfire Racecar

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