Photogirl

16 minutes ago, ATM said:

My 986 is guards red with Ambers. It would probably look better with clears but not sure I can be bothered changing them. Also I have the plastic window but again not sure I wanna change to glass as its a different shape roof line and looks less original. 

 

That's the tricky thing with these old cars now. I'm not sure if original wins or we should make them our own.

Nobody in their right mind is going to look at a 986 and go 'what an idiot - fancy swapping out those amber bits for clear ones'  or 'who would fit a glass rear window'.

Those are not mods in the sense that they would sully the original. On the other hand if you create something that makes you look like a 1980s Italian boy racer then you have arguably 'made it your own'. 

Personally, I bought a brand new set of original Porsche lights with all clear parts - my set of lights with amber parts is safely boxed and stowed in the garage. They can be swapped over in a couple of minutes if I feel like it. As for the rear screen - I prefer the plastic version as it's a little bigger on visibility. 

What I'm also seeing is the original base model fetching the same money as later 986s, so it seems the purer simpler version is desirable. 

Good to know you've had a better experience, but I suspect that is the exception rather than the norm. 

I've had several disappointing encounters with them and I can't say it's changed over the years, even trying to get them to bring out a classic register form felt like an imposition. 

I'm surprised they don't have credit card swipers outside the loos. 

That's awful service, but unfortunately what I've come to expect from Porsche over the years. They have always seemed to have a measure of contempt for owners of older models. I don't think other sports car marques are as bad, in that regard. 

7 minutes ago, Boxsum said:

I also went to a Porsche meet at the weekend and hid in the car park. On walking around and talking to the car owners I still feel there is some Porsche snobbery in regards to the 986, I’ve only ever been to 3 events and found this at them all, so this could be why. I would love to go to a 986 only event thou.

I saw quite a lot of snobbery towards the 986 a few years ago - all that silly 'hairdresser car' and 'not a proper Porsche' nonsense. But in recent years I haven't encountered it, at least not visibly. My 986 gets more attention than the 987.2 (Cayman) I also drive. I've had people say they prefer my 986 because it has sleeker lines and a more classic purist look. 

You get snobbery everywhere, mostly from the people who have new very expensive Porsches or other marques - they will look down on anything more than two years old. I wouldn't worry about it. I would guess you're most likely to encounter that mindset at PCGB events.

If I wanted to I could sell Bambi and put it towards a 981, but I honestly don't want to sell her - it's not the time to part with something which might become sought after (I appreciate that remains to be seen). 

I suspect a 986 only event would be fairly unlikely, at least in the UK (plenty of them still in the US where their value seems to be increasing faster than over here).

20 hours ago, the baron said:

I’ve always thought the 2.5 in launch colours is the one to have but I might be a little bias 🤔

I'm sure you're right, it's the pure form which seems to be desirable. From what I'm seeing the earliest 986s seem to be holding value better than the later ones. At the very least, they don't appear to be cheaper than the younger ones. It used to be said that the 'S' would hold value better, but I'm not seeing that either. The early base model seems to be having a popularity surge. 

 I've only seen a couple of them in the last few months in the UK. There are some cheap pickings out there, but the ones I've seen when looking for a friend have been shabby (by my standards) and would take either a good deal of expense or a lot of enthusiast expertise to sort out, in running and performance terms rather than tackling the cosmetics. 

I'm so glad I kept mine, it gets more attention these days which is interesting. I went to a big Porsche club gathering at Goodwood a few weeks ago and mine was one of only two 986s there. 

Still waiting on mine, it's been a number of weeks now and I've tried chasing it. I'll give it another week and try again. Pretty bad service, but that's been my experience at OPCs.  Emailed my OPC a week ago about it and was told they would chase the badge and plate surround, but the paperwork wasn't something they could help with (as that's administered by Porsche Cars GB). 

11 minutes ago, edc said:

 if the root cause isn't the IMS bearing failing first itself then there can be some other engine fault that shows up as extra stress and the bearing going. Any replacement bearing will likely fail again. 

Thanks - that's interesting. I had always assumed it was down to the bearing itself being weak or poorly designed, and not coping with periods of low/uneven lubrication. I'm wondering what engine faults might lead to the IMS failing (though from what I've heard it doesn't seem to be related to bore scoring).

I'd be interested in how many of the replacements have failed. Would all the replaced bearings be of a 'reinforced' design and if so does that mean you're largely protected going forward? I've heard of a couple of incidences where a replacement did fail (catastrophically) but I'm not sure of the particulars.

Aside from the fitment issue, I'd be interested to know if it was in fact compromised in its function, or worn/damaged in the same way as a properly fitted IMS would be. 

6 minutes ago, Daboy3000 said:

I would imagine that yours was just badly prepared, too far gone or just a cheap fix. With the products I'm using they're is no reason for it not to last. 

Yes, the prep is everything - I literally spent days on the cleaning and degreasing. It also depends on which products are used, and some require a separate sealant. A lot also depends on the type of leather.

23 minutes ago, ½cwt said:

I don't want to put a dampener on this, however my driver's seat had the side bolsters filled and coloured by a previous owner.  Unfortunately by the time I got it the cracks had reappeared and an upholsterer I took it to said new leather was the only option, or as I did in the end a better second hand seat.  Hope yours lasts better @Photogirl and @Daboy3000.

I'm hoping mine will last - I spent an age just on the prep and the end result looks original. I wasn't recolouring, just restoring areas of the same with an exact dye match. My bolster leather colour is scratch-prone (metropol blue) and came to me with a bit of wear. It's back to looking good now but may need periodic retouching (when other people damage it - always the way and I literally dread taking my car to a workshop). 

As you say, sometimes restoration is the bit in between an eventual re-covering (or replacement) if you're doing large areas. 

Awesome job @Daboy3000!  I've recently finished restoring my interior leather, time consuming but well worth it. My leather (factory original) felt almost like it had some kind of coating on it, it was so hard to get the dye to soak in despite endless cleaning prep and stripping attempts. I used the Colorlock dyes and found them to be quite thin, I used around ten thin layers on some areas.

Then first time in the workshop after finishing and they managed to scratch the side of the driver's seat. 

You've done a fabulous job with that badge, it looks perfect. 

12 minutes ago, the baron said:

Is the gen 1 996 considered a classic now?

Porsche All Porsche Classic Models - Porsche Great Britain

15 minutes ago, Daboy3000 said:

Can you Effing believe it, just got a delivery I was not expecting today!  I must have sounded like I mean business in my email 😆....

...probably helped that no one responded for a week because he was off.

 

Thought it was just one plate surround you got, fantastic, means i'll have a spare!

 

Good luck sorting it @Photogirl, speak to Michael Elliott - michael.elliott@porschemidsussex.co.uk

Glad it arrived!  I'll call Michael - from recollection it was Jeremy I spoke to.

So in total, what did you get - is there also a folder and some paperwork confirming the new status of your car?

9 minutes ago, Daboy3000 said:

These are the exact words in an email from the Aftersales Manager. (his spelling mistake) "Joining the resister is straight forward and does not require a visit to the centre, we will fill on the form on your behalf and you should receive a membership pack shortly."

Interesting, thank you - I'll phone them tomorrow to clarify. The guy I spoke to said I should sign something (not sure what). 

6 minutes ago, Daboy3000 said:

Porsche Sussex got back to me. Said they will send it out this week. No need to go to the dealership. 

Mid Sussex Porsche told me they had set me up for the register (and I'd get the bits in the post within three weeks), but I would still need to go to them to sign the form.

56 minutes ago, the baron said:

I registered 10wks ago, still nothing, have chased my OPC but got to thing as yet 🙁

That's really bad service, 10 weeks is unacceptable. If you haven't done this already, next time you're passing an OPC I'd recommend going in - they'll be able to find your registration on their system. I've always found OPCs snobby towards Boxster owners  😾

After a shelf fell off the garage wall and dented Bambi, Kris from www.removethedent.co.uk came out and did a lovely job of completely smoothing out 5 little dings, for a very fair price. Kris covers most of the south east and I would definitely recommend him.

33 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

...if you intend to take it into London.

I'm hoping I won't have to. 

Interesting thread (not had a chance to read it all yet, but I will). I put my 1998 2.5 986 into the checker and it said 'non-compliant'.  I then did my 2012 2.9 987.2 and that came back as 'compliant'.  Having checked the emissions reports from both cars at last MOT, my 986 came out cleaner. 

3 minutes ago, Boxsum said:

@Photogirlyellow callipers on a 986

They look really nice (as does the car)!  They set off the centre badges nicely.  I'm strongly leaning towards doing mine in yellow.

I'm loving all the answers and thoughts in this thread - really useful, great pictures, and also entertaining.   👍

I can feel a brake caliper fetish coming on, so don't be shy about revealing yours or admitting to what you secretly think about. 

@Menoporsche - no way could I live with an orange body and red calipers, gasp. Your orange calipers look superb.

2 hours ago, ½cwt said:

I'll keep an eye on this, did mine some time ago but didn't use a lacquer.  They need another buff up and then UV lacquer spray like this to protect.

I used Meguiar's metal polish on the Cayman's headlights and a buffer, then a couple of coats of wax. Came up like new. I'll only clear coat them if I'm ever forced into a full on multi-sanding restoration - but with regular maintenance hopefully they won't get to that point. 

What did I do to my 986 today? I cried over it. Having got it back from the bodyshop two weeks ago for getting scratches and scuffs out that other people had done to it, there was another event yesterday. Somebody had put up a shelf in my garage and had then overloaded it. The shelf collapsed overnight onto my car leaving two dents. 

Tomorrow I am taking my dented car to Chilly Willy's in Worthing to get the aircon diagonosed.