TECH: PROJECTS
Dan’s 997 C4S, Gary’s 957 Cayenne Turbo.
Since buying my 997 Carrera 4S in June 2019, the car has been put to good use both at home and abroad, not least during a trek from my abode in Norfolk to the water’s edge at Lausanne, located on the Swiss side of Lake Geneva and formerly home to Porsche racing driver and team boss, André Wicky. The car performed faultlessly during ten days of darting around what the locals know as Lac
Léman, though I had every confidence it would do so thanks to a major service and clean bill of health courtesy of independent Porsche specialist, PIE Performance, before I set sail for the land of chocolate and cheese.
Time flies almost as fast as a water-cooled 911 at full chat — the end of October marked a year since PIE technician, Billy Mclean, carried out a full inspection on the car, before replacing all fluids, filters, spark plugs and belts, which is why, once again, I found myself at the company’s Suffolk headquarters for an additional stamp in the car’s service book. I’d also noticed a slight knocking noise coming from the Basalt Black beauty’s front end in recent weeks, a complaint requiring further investigation, though I suspected compromised lower control arm bushes following Billy’s previous assertion the factory rubbers were nearing the end of their service life.
He examined my 911 from top to bottom, closely inspecting every aspect of its bodywork and chassis. A small amount of play was confirmed around the suspect wishbone, leading me to place an order for a Powerflex track control arm and bush kit, which arrived just before we went to print with this issue of 911 & Porsche World.
Comprising a pair of front control arms with polyurethane bushes pre-installed, this true ‘fit and forget’ solution avoids the hassle of technician or home mechanic having to remove and fit stubborn replacement bushes. After all, how many of us have a hydraulic press in our garage? Not me, that’s for sure.
Billy was remarkably thorough, noting every defect, no matter how minor. For example, he was keen to point out a scuff on one of the front indicator lenses, as well as the presence of slight corrosion on the gearbox oil cooler line. This was precisely the attention to detail I’ve come to enjoy from taking my car to PIE, enabling me to come away from the firm’s workshop with a thorough understanding of my 911’s overall condition and being able to prioritise
‘need to fix’ jobs against lesser important tasks labelled ‘nice to fix’.
When selecting a 997 to buy, I was only interested in cars manufactured from late 2006 onwards. More specifically, I was only considering cars with engine numbers (68509791 and later) confirming Porsche’s factory update to prevent the infamous IMS bearing failure suffered by earlier watercooled 911 engines. Nevertheless, no M96/M97 is considered entirely free of risk. A tell-tale sign that trouble lay ahead would be detection of metal filings in the outgoing filter or lubricant.
To my great relief (although I shouldn’t have been surprised), the spent oil and filter were entirely free of the feared contaminants. With Billy’s inspection of the fluid complete, the filter housing was cleaned, a new filter was installed and the rest of the service could press ahead as planned. All new consumables were promptly added, with the excellent condition of the despatched items proving the car is operating in tip-top condition. It’s a fact confirmed by a healthy service history and supporting paperwork from Porsche main dealers, as well documentation from PIE.
Billy confirmed my 911 to be in excellent order throughout, though suggested replacing top mounts at the same time as the aforementioned tired rubber bushes. In addition the service, he replaced the brake fluid, scrutinised the battery state and voltage, the condition of all windows and washers, all drain bungs, the coolant level and strength, all radiators and finished up by vacuuming loose leaves from intakes in the front bumper. Additionally, he checked and adjusted the handbrake. Next up, a return visit with my newly acquired Powerflex control arms in hand. Stay tuned!