991 Illuminated Carbon Fiber Door Sills

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The only option I wanted that wasn’t present when I purchased my car was the illuminated door sills in carbon fiber (it never occurred to me to ask the dealer to add the sills when I bought the car). I periodically lamented this omission and after a year of wishing and wanting I finally took the plunge. I never felt like the old inserts looked bad, but I always felt like they were out of place.

My local dealer was willing to price match a well known online vendor on the part and the quoted install price was reasonable enough that I was happy to have them do it (again, wary of doing any electrical work on the car myself). As it turned out, the total cost of the sills was only a couple hundred dollars more than adding the option when the car is being ordered new.

One thing you can be sure of: I will pick carbon fiber every time.

The carbon fiber illuminated sills look amazing. The “Turbo S” lights up in a very crisp bright white each time the door is opened and the carbon fiber insert is much longer than the stainless plaque. Admittedly I don’t notice it every time, but I usually do and it’s a very satisfying upgrade.

From what I was told by my dealer (and also from what I’ve read online) the install is difficult. In particular the dealership had trouble reprogramming the lightning control module. They also put a small dent into the door frame while removing the old sills (you can read about that here if you’re interested). Regardless, I’m extremely pleased with this mod and it will absolutely be included on my next 991.

The video below shows the operation of the illuminated sills and discusses install complications:

991 Hardwired Radar Detector

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As has been mentioned on my blog, last year I bought an Escort Max 360 radar detector. I have enjoyed the unit quite a bit and have it an indispensable part of my driving repertoire. Due to power cord limitations I had the unit mounted fairly low on my windshield which caused the unit to be comfortably out of reach. With no easy way to hit the mute button I typically kept the volume lowered which meant that I sometimes missed warning. Most aggravating, however, was the cord constantly being in the way. Eventually I decided it was time to hardwire the Max 360.

Easy enough to fix! I purchased an Escort Directwire SmartCord and  had my local dealer wire it up (I’ve become more wary of messing with my car’s electrical systems). They actually created a new circuit for the detector, ran the wires behind the paneling and relocated the Max 360 underneath the rearview mirror. Having the mute button / indicator lights located to the left of the PCM has been very nice. And what do you know, it’s even wired up correctly (i.e. it doesn’t come on when I open my car door, only when  they key is turned to the accessory on position or the car is running).

Life with a cord was tough… the detector was over my clock, too far back to reach, power cable dangling out. Thank goodness for the Escort SmartCord! Detector repositioned and no cord, no problems!

In short, hardwiriing the detector is a functional and aesthetic upgrade that I would definitely recommend to anyone with a windshield mounted radar detector 😀

I did consider the Escort Max Ci system but felt like there were too many drawbacks. For example, the price seemed high and the technology was essentially the same as what I already included in the 360 (minus the laser shifters, which I don’t really think I need). I am always hesitant to be an early adopter of technology- I’d like to see the system vetted prior to a purchase like that. Additionally the Max Ci can’t move from car to car, I had a Beltronic STIR-Plus system installed on my ’07 Corvette and while it was cool to have everything integrated I actually preferred my STi Driver.

The video below shows the radar detector components, mounting location, installation information (as noted above I did not do the installation) and operation:

991 Renline Magnetic Phone Mount

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Other than sticking your phone into the glovebox or center console the 991 series cars have no place (and certainly no good place) to put one. I suppose this is common problem on many vehicles but I’d had enough. After trying other solutions (i.e. a phone holder on my windshield) I was excited when Rennline released a 991 phone mount and decided to give it a whirl.

The Rennline system uses a ball joint that’s secured into place by piggy-backing on two screws holding in the PCM. You simply remove a trim piece on the center console and install the bracket. A magnetic mount secures onto the ball joint and a magnet is placed on your phone or inside your phone case.

I put some BHQ-blue vinyl over the magnet on the back of my phone.

The unit is well constructed and holds the phone securely. I recently got a new smaller phone and even with my far-left magnet placement the PCM screen is still badly obstructed by the phone. I think Rennline could have engineered the bracket to position the phone further to the left. Even with this limitation the system works well and is far superior to anything else I’ve found. Running my lightning cable from the glove box to the phone is fairly simple and unobstructive as well. Until something better comes along or Porsche addresses the issue I would recommend the Rennline magnetic mount to anyone looking for a place to put their phone.

The video below shows portions of the unboxing, installation and positioning of the various magnetic components:

5/20/2017 Update: After a few days of using the phone mount I can definitively say it works well. The location, aside from cutting off a slice of the PCM screen, is great. It’s easy to plug in, select music, use the maps, and even activate the voice control for music or to send a text (only when I’m stopped). Because my magnet is located at he bottom of the phone it’s quite stable when I’m pressing the home button which is helpful too.

Porsche 991 Dummy Key Swap

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These days a lot of cars have a push button start- you leave your keys in your pocket and press a button somewhere to start your car. The Porsche “entry and drive system” is the same thing but instead of pressing a button you start your car by turning the “dummy fob” which is kept in the ignition. [As a side note, I find it very satisfying to turn a key, as opposed to pushing a button. Additionally there is some interesting history regarding why Porsche opted to place their ignition location on the left of the steering wheel]

Since there is dummy key that makes it something that can be customized. And since I am a compulsive customizer I ordered a new dummy key in the same color as my car’s exterior (carrara white metallic). I really like the contrast and the white key actually makes it easier to find.

Oh hey, a new fob. Looking good in there! Much easier to locate too!

Below is a video of my dummy fob and a demonstration of how to remove the old fob and install the new one.

Ducati Hottie

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Once in awhile I come across a bike that makes me rethink my ownership stance. For awhile it was he Harley Niterod. And now it’s this Ducati XDiavel:

Art on two wheels. Maybe one day… probably not.

I don’t think it’s in the cards, but a guy can dream!

Goodbye Carmen!

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I knew it was coming, but it was still hard to believe when it actually happened. Although it’s not mine, I have lots of good memories of this car. In fact I can still vividly remember the first time I saw it cruising down State Street in Orem. I had nearly bought a green Camaro a few years before. It was quite literally my dream car. But things change- Justin said it’s too hard to maintain, tune and drive. A new chapter is starting and Carmen isn’t in this one…

Goodbye Carmen! Safe Travels.

It’s not a great quality video, but this is Justin and Carmen running an 11 second quarter at Rocky Mountain Raceway back in 2011. That was a fun night; Jim and I both ran 12 second quarters in our Corvettes.

I remember selling my cars was often difficult. But I never regretted letting any of them go. I similarly hope that Justin has no regrets – merely happy memories of better days. She was the first, but she won’t be the last.

Happiness Anyone?

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4/30/2017 – This post is part of a large release of “DRAFT” entries. Many of these these entries were never finished (and may still not be) or were composed but never published for one reason or another. If you run across one of of these in a strange spot or out of chronological order that may be one reason.

Restaurant Reviews – 2015

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4/30/2017 – This post is part of a large release of “DRAFT” entries. Many of these these entries were never finished (and may still not be) or were composed but never published for one reason or another. If you run across one of of these in a strange spot or out of chronological order that may be one reason.

Bona Vita

CAPTION

Can be very good. Hit or miss.

TemptAsian

CAPTION

Tried it once but the food was only so-so

May 1, 2017: This was going to be part of my restaurant review section. But I never got around to it. The caption text is woefully inadequate, I know- never bothered to write anything real.