My First 911 Diary (Heidi's Diary)

[Spicy9114S]

Hello all.

I've had my 997 (affectionately referred to as Heidi) for a little over two years now and I've been meaning to start a little diary of my ownership for a while now. Kind of an online time line for me and anyone that is interested. Hopefully it will be lots of good stuff and not much bad.

First some background I guess.

Ive been a car guy for my whole life and have always had German cars, mostly VW's owning:
Golf Mk2 8v
Golf Mk2 16v big bumper
Golf Mk1 GTI
Golf GTI Cabriolet (i only had this for a short while as i quickly decided a convertible isn't for me)
Corrado G60 which i had for 8 years and should never have sold (was an amazing car) :-(
BMW 320D touring which I still have as my daily driver

But Ive always wanted a Porsche for as long as i can remember, and i even remember when I left school, I bet my dad I'd have a Porsche by 25. a bet I lost.

When the time come to buy my Porsche I looked at what was around in my price range and decided it was going to be a 997.1 but would I get a S or a 4S and what options would I look for. I was leaning towards the 4S mostly because of the wider hips lol.

I had a look at a few different cars and there were some nice ones but nothing really stood out and grabbed me until I saw Heidi.

She is a 07 Black 4S with some of the key options I wanted,
Black car with black leather
Lobster Claw Alloys
Full electric memory sports seats
Bose system
Sports Chrono Pack
Short Shift kit
No rear wiper
No sunroof

She had had only 2 previous owners including the current owner and 54,000 miles with full-service history with a new clutch fitted at 50k which was also very positive.

The current owner had carried out a few mods which I think was the reason it stood out over the others I had looked at.
he had lowered the car and spaced the wheels which I feel gives it a more aggressive stance.
He had also fitted the LED rear lights and front indicators which I thought was a nice touch.
I was a little disappointed that it didn't have the sports exhaust option as I like my cars to sound "throaty" but was pleasantly surprised when I found out the previous owner felt the same way and it had Dansk Rear boxes fitted (I later found out it had Dansk 200 cell cats fitted to)

Needless to say, I took photos of the service stamps in the service book and phoned the garages to have a chat about the car, the last of which was Brooklands Specialist Vehicles. I spoke to Barry for ages about the car, (which he knew well which was very reassuring) Porsches and cars in general. In fact, I still take it to Barry for all the servicing and general work.

I was actually flying to Dubai for work the next day, I managed to fit in the calls and research around work and ended up paying a holding deposit 2 days later and then waiting excitedly to pick her up when I got home, which ended up being father's day. A nice present to myself.

So far since owning her I have gone through a few maintenance costs a few repairs and some nice carbon acquisitions. (I love carbon fiber and titanium I guess form my interests in MTBs and motorsport)

So to the time line so far:-

June 2018

Time of Purchase.

I fitted a full set of Pirelli P-Zeros all round as the tyres were a little low and It's nice to know she is wearing fresh rubber. I also replaced the rear number plate lights and side repeaters as they looked a little aged.

November 2018

I took Heidi to Barry down at Brooklands Specialist Vehicles Swanley to have the brake fluid changed as I noticed it was due. While Barry was checking over the car, he noticed the front coolant pipes were getting a bit ropey. Apparently, a common thing which 997s of this age. Something I than had changed to make sure it wouldn't fail on me while driving,

I also found my first bit of Carbon 'Bling" in a multi-function carbon fiber steering wheel which Barry fitted and coded for me.

March 2019

After driving Heidi for a while, I decided to get cruise control fitted. Partly for comfort and partly to help save my licence. This was fitted at Porsche South London for what I thought was a pretty reasonable cost.

September 2019

I replaced the battery as I have always noticed it felt a little sluggish when starting despite being on a trickle charger whenever she is not being driven. I bought a Bosch S5 110 Battery which I have to say made a big difference when starting.

January 2020

I finally found a carbon fiber gear knob to match the steering wheel. This was quick and easy to swap out and looks awesome.

March 2020

The air-con stopped working so I took her down to Brooklands and after a full check of the air-con system Barry confirmed that it was the common Condenser leaking issue so I had him change both the Condensers and fit a protective mess over the grills. He did a good job and you barely notice them which is awesome.

April 2020

During lock down boredom I ordered a Resonator bypass pipe and bung. I was interested to know if the idea it increases induction noise were true. This again was an easy swap and only took around 10 mins. I think the noise is slightly deeper under heavy acceleration so I've decided to keep it on for now.

June 2020

Having owned Heidi for two years and doing just over 4K in her she was approaching 60K miles so I booked her in with Barry for a 60K service which included

spark plugs

transmission fluid

oil and filter

Remover and clean air filter (I have a BMC Filter fitted)

Brake Fluid change

Belt was fine as the previous owner had changed it @50K

Full check

I was shocked at how much smoother the car felt after the service. It just seemed to rev much cleaner and the throttle response felt more instant. Let's just say I was very happy when I drove it home.

I also managed to get a carbon fiber handbrake to complete the carbon trinity and I'm very happy with it, although I still think a little bit more carbon on the interior wouldn't go a miss lol.

So that brings us up to date.

I'm looking at getting the geometry checked and adjusted for a fast road set up soon so I'll try and get some photos up, and let you know if I notice a big change when I get it done.

 

[jonttt]

I love a journal / dairy so thanks for posting :thumb:

Also a :thumb: for the carbon bits......the holy grail is the centre console.....it was an expensive option when new and hard to find second hand especially an undamaged one as most for sale have cracks.........worth keeping an eye out on ebay but you have to have an element of luck ie I dropped on a mint one for £450 within driving distance within weeks of buying my 987 (they are the same except the 997 has an additional rear section) :wink:

 

[Spicy9114S]

Thanks 👍

Yeah I do love those center consoles in carbon. It's on my list.

I'm also after the vents and cup holder in carbon, there's a half decent set on eBay in Australia but I think he wants to much for them. The fact they havent sold despite the seller saying he's had loads of interest I think proves me right.

I might try with another offer soon. Let's see how much the Geo set up costs me first lol

Also would like a couple of carbon accents on the door cards then I think I'll be happy.

 

[G2]

Always great threads :thumb:

There is a trim piece forward of the door handle by the speaker grill. Don't think they ever came in carbon so dip or wrap. Takes seconds to remove with a trim tool.

 

[Spicy9114S]

I've got a carbon plan lol

First is the cupholder and vents.
Then I want to do the door card, handle, the trim under the door pocket and the little bit next to the door handle (see poorly marked photo lol)
Then the center console.

Then I think I'll be happy.

Just a matter of finding the bits and having the available funds lol

 

[Spicy9114S]

So took Heidi to have a suspension health check today before booking her in for her geometry setup. And happy to report that she passed with flying colours.
Looks like the previous owner replaced the top mounts and various bushes when he fitted the lowering springs so big win for me

Had a good poke around under the car while she was on the ramp and was happy with what I saw so I'm a happy bunny today lol.

 

[Spicy9114S]

Also got to see a direct comparison between standard ride height and Heidi's lowered stance.
Quite a big difference I think.

 

[Spicy9114S]

Got Heidi back yesterday from having the Geometry set up.

Decided to go with a company called Precision Alignment London as they were recommended to me. When I popped in for a chat with the guys they were very friendly and helpful. They also had McLaren Sena and a Carrera GT in there so thought they would probably know there stuff.

They explained about the string process and I decided on a fast road set up.

When they began the alignment process they found that the front right wheel bearing had some play in it so they advised I changed that. Heidi had to stay a little longer while they ordered in a new wheel bearing from Porsche and cracked on. Apparently a big job with the 4s because of the 4-wheel drive. I was very pleased with the work and the communication through out was excellent with updates and they even sent a few pictures while doing the alignment which I've added (I did ask if he could send a photo or two, the string process just seems so cool lol)

Unfortunately I picked it up at 16:30 on a Friday afternoon so wasn't able to give it a decent push because of heavy traffic but I could definitely feel the difference, even just sat at speed on the motorway. There are a couple of nice sections on way home which I got to test the difference in feel. One is a nice sweeping sweeping corner and the other a quick left, right, left flick. I must of driven them 1000 times and it felt totally different through the corners, way more balanced and poised.

I'm off to Caffeine and Machine on Sunday so will hopefully be able to give it a little bit more of a road test on the less congested Sunday morning roads but on first impressions I'm very happy
:thumb:

 

[911Time]

Great thread - thanks for sharing the story so far :thumb:

If you don't mind me asking, approximately (% wise) how much did they add for setting up a 4S over a 2S? PM me if you prefer.

I've not been able to use mine lately but based on my previous experience, had been contemplating some geometry tweaks, for a slightly sharper set-up. Maybe through Centre Gravity, who are in easy striking distance of me.

Look forward to your next update and hearing your thoughts on how the geometry changes have affected the handling.

Have fun!!

PS: Also interested to know how the ticket/booking arrangement goes at C&M in practice?

 

[Spicy9114S]

I'm happy to report the Geometry set up on Heidi is so much better than before.

Though the tight and sweeping A roads on my way to Caffeine and Machine yesterday it was so much better.

As I mentioned I my last post it just felt so much more stable and poised both accelerating through and out of the corners.

Also Caffeine and Machine is an awesome place. Well worth checking out if you haven't been.

 

[911Time]

Thanks for the update Steve - sounds like money well spent !! :thumb:

Are you able to quantify the differences, in more specific detail? For instance, how does the new set-up feel in comparison, with regards to: Turn-in, response to steering inputs & changes of direction? Are there any perceptible changes to steering feel, feedback, return to centre etc?

Apart from Heidi :wink:, any other interesting machinery at C&M?

 

[Spicy9114S]

I can try, lol

I never track my car and I don't get much opportunity to really push it, so I'm no Chris Harris when it comes to this stuff but before I had the Geo done if felt bumpy and skittish around corners and always made me nervous like it was gonna jump out of line or like it wasn't settled, kinda agitated. It was almost like I had to fight to hold it on the line of the corner. (fight may be a little strong a word)

I thought this was mostly down to the reduced travel due the the lowering or maybe the springs were too stiff. However I did wonder if the previous owner ever had the geometry checked after lowering it so that's why I decided to get it checked.

On Sundays drive after a good 100 odd miles on the motorway I was very pleased to see some pretty nice country roads with a combination of wide sweeping bends and tight downhill bends so thought I would give it a good push.
I was surprised how much better it felt, it was more confidence inspiring, it seemed to turn in quicker, felt way more stable through the corners didn't moan when I changed direction at higher speed like it used to and seemed to hold better accelerating out of corners too. It just felt like I expected a Porsche to feel.

When we got there the guy following me said "your car just looked so planted through all those corners, it just looked like it was stuck to the road" which was nice to hear but is probably down to the fact it's lowered and the wider stance with the spacers makes it look so wide and flat from behind, Well that's what people tell I've never seen it moving lol

As regards to centering and feedback, the centering and steering feel is the same, it felt a little more planted on the motorway but tramlined when in the slow lane lorry ruts but I was expecting this and is in no way terrible, or really off putting while driving.

I know it's probably not the best explanation out there and I don't know how far off it was when I gave it to them. He did say it wasn't far off but was off left to right whatever that means lol but I'm very happy with the results. I wanted a tighter, more poised and controlled car that would encourage me to push a little bit rather than feel sketchy through corners and that's exactly what I got

:thumb:

As regards to Caffeine and Machine mate the place is awesome. Now I am gonna say that when I went it was sunny and a lovely day, probably one of the last we will have and that probably helped with the turn out. But there was an F40, Porsche 2.7 RS, lotus esprit, e type Jag, Alfa 4c, E30 M3, some M2s, a 1M, Aston's, a mach1 Mustang, some sweet MK1 golfs, a short wheel base Audi Quattro, Sierra Cosworth, Cayman GT4, some mint ford capris and a triumph spitfire, RX7, RS4s the list just goes on and on. It was everything from a MK1 mini all the way to the F40, jap, German, british all types shapes and sizes.

My only gripe is because of the whole CoVid situation you have to order drinks from your table via an app, which was quick and easy and I never had trouble finding a table but the service did tend to be pretty slow in getting your order to you, but it wasn't a nightmare as you just found a table and sat there looking at the cars around you as you waited.

 

[Spicy9114S]

Sorry managed to post the same thing twice lol

Might as well add it was a awesome day around, very happy with the car and the day out :thumb:

 

[911Time]

Thanks for that Steve :thumb: :thumb:

The individual changes might have been small but sometimes the combined effect of many small discrepancies between toe-in/out, camber and caster, can be considerable!!

I would imagine what he meant by it being "off, left to right" is that readings were slightly too high positively on one side and slightly too low negatively on the other, the combination of which would have a major effect on how the car would handle and react to your inputs.

It's surprising how many owners fit lowered suspension (wider wheels, different offsets or even sizeable wheel spacers) but fail to optimise the set-up with appropriate geometry, so maybe like you said, the previous owner failed to do that :?:

Either way, it seems like the adjustments have pulled everything together nicely and the car is much more composed and handles like it should now :thumb:

Sounds like you had fun at Caffeine and Machine and there was a good range of machinery. I knew about the table ordering via App and am not surprised service was a little slow. Good for them tho', that they've created a system to keep going through these challenging times!!

Thanks again for the additional info. Look FWD to the next installment :thumb:

 

[MaxA]

I too like a good diary/project thread; if there's a way of posting your alignment settings, that might help quantify your observations.

I can only agree that alignment is often forgotten, and that most cars can benefit from a good precise alignment, not just "stock settings" which are in fact just something set up within a range of settings (with a tendency to understeer).