sevenfourates 987.1 Meteor Grey Cayman.........

[jcm987]

@sevenfourate Couldn't agree more about the Topgear exhaust. I had one for 1 year and what a piece of crap it was and terrible customer service. 

First I asked will it pass track day noise limits, they said yes of course it will, its designed for MSV limits. 

First test it was 104dB, black flagged, not suitable for ANY UK tracks. Had to make substantial baffles to shut it up. 

Second, DRONE!!! Unbelievable drone on the motorway, a sign of poor quality. 

Third, exhaust brackets broke in half, they repaired them for free, but 4 months later they broke apart across their weld repair. The reason was incorrect fitment, that then cause my headers to crack due to the stress. They said it wasn't their fault and that some fitment issues causes this?

 

I've been for a short ride in a 987.2 with a Remus and it sounded amazing inside and out, probably worth the money.

On the cheaper end my Miltek exhaust is great quality and they have good customer service, only negative, it's a bit quiet. But no drone at all and very track day friendly. 

 

[sevenfourate]

34 minutes ago, jcm987 said:

@sevenfourate Couldn't agree more about the Topgear exhaust. I had one for 1 year and what a piece of crap it was and terrible customer service. 

First I asked will it pass track day noise limits, they said yes of course it will, its designed for MSV limits. 

First test it was 104dB, black flagged, not suitable for ANY UK tracks. Had to make substantial baffles to shut it up. 

Second, DRONE!!! Unbelievable drone on the motorway, a sign of poor quality. 

Third, exhaust brackets broke in half, they repaired them for free, but 4 months later they broke apart across their weld repair. The reason was incorrect fitment, that then cause my headers to crack due to the stress. They said it wasn't their fault and that some fitment issues causes this?

 

I've been for a short ride in a 987.2 with a Remus and it sounded amazing inside and out, probably worth the money.

On the cheaper end my Miltek exhaust is great quality and they have good customer service, only negative, it's a bit quiet. But no drone at all and very track day friendly. 

 

Horror story indeed buddy on the TopGear. What a bunch of Clowns. No surprise though perhaps; the more you delve into the company....

 

I’ve heard Milteks on a few VW’s and a good friend of mine had one on his old Audi RS6. That was glorious ! But.....I’m not surprised the Cayman version is a little quiet. The design of the pipework doubling around and snaking before entering the rear boxes looks a sure-fire recipe for muffling (ironic hey 🙄....) the sound. It’s a design not used by any other aftermarket manufacturer I’ve seen. Bet it’s still a lovely tone though ?....and must suit you a treat doing Trackdays.

 

And I’m not sure the words Miltek and cheap go together 🤣 (Funnily enough Gen1 systems are more expensive than Gen2’s. Supply and demand: even though there were twice as many Gen1's made compared to Gen2's i guess.....). **Do you know something I don’t 😎
 

Glad I’m not alone on the sound of the Remus ! Think I’m pretty much down to just commiting to that now or not bothering........

 

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by sevenfourate

[Dougle_turbo]

Just get a Carnewal exhaust, you won't be disappointed or broke with the result.

[sevenfourate]

2 hours ago, Dougle_turbo said:

Just get a Carnewal exhaust, you won't be disappointed or broke with the result.

 

Spoilsport ! 😎 (Of course i see your point). But isn't half the fun in researching / deciding ? Or are you the absolute stereotypical "man-shopper" 😂

 

Think i'm going to just get the Remus. You can't quantify the price of enjoyment....

Edited January 20, 2020 by sevenfourate

[jaketame]

I brought Nicks old Cayman R exhaust and sent that to Belgium to Gert.

 

So I now have the a Cayman S with CR GT Exhaust. Cost around £650 including Precision Porsche fitting it.

 

It sounds amazing and for all intent purposes remains stock 🙂 

[sevenfourate]

4 hours ago, jaketame said:

I brought Nicks old Cayman R exhaust and sent that to Belgium to Gert.

 

So I now have the a Cayman S with CR GT Exhaust. Cost around £650 including Precision Porsche fitting it.

 

It sounds amazing and for all intent purposes remains stock 🙂 

Awesome. I did read that. I’d like to hear it sometime too if you ever make a short vid ! ? 😎

 

Latest Gen1 is 2007/8.  As awesome as Gerts mod / Carnewal sounds.....bearing in mind nothing is done to the outside of the system when he does his stuff......(And my exhaust is a Minimum of 11/12 years old) I’d much rather get a stainless set-up....
 

Cheers.

[GlosRich]

If you want to improve the look of your existing one Syer, find a local company that does media blasting, maybe the softer type, that would take off the rust and dirt, and then get it treated in some way?

 

I think Carnewal might offer some kind of cleaning service?

 

[sevenfourate]

1 hour ago, GlosRich said:

If you want to improve the look of your existing one Syer, find a local company that does media blasting, maybe the softer type, that would take off the rust and dirt, and then get it treated in some way?

 

I think Carnewal might offer some kind of cleaning service?

 

 

I didn’t know about the exterior service Carnewal offer Rich. Infact I was under the impression when these mods originally started from Gert - the outside was purposely left as-is so as to not alert Porsche dealers to any changes if warranty work was being done (?). Maybe that’s not the case now as mine for example is quite some way out of warranty 🤣

 

I’m am Engineer by trade: and kind of hands on with metal every day of my life. We also get a lot of stuff blasted / powdercoated at work. 

Two things concern me:

 

1: Some exhaust systems are ‘aluminiumised’; and have some kind of extra protection on the outside. So using something like glass beads at low pressure or even one of these modern bio-degradable media’s (Bi-carb of soda (?), will of course clean it up -but MAY actually help accelerate corrosion if not then re-finished somehow.

 

2 : None of the above tackles corrosion thats occurred from the inside. And I have read of a few stock Gen1 systems doing this and needing replacing.
 

Im just about set to order the Remus. Head, heart and ears are pulling me that way now 😎
 

Thanks for your thoughts though 👍

Edited January 23, 2020 by sevenfourate

[GlosRich]

The Remus will be high quality and lovely. Whats it like in terms of noise? Do you ever want to track your car, as I've heard sometimes these exhausts can take you over the noise limit at many tracks.

 

 

[sevenfourate]

2 hours ago, GlosRich said:

The Remus will be high quality and lovely. Whats it like in terms of noise? Do you ever want to track your car, as I've heard sometimes these exhausts can take you over the noise limit at many tracks.

 

 

There’s a decent video of the exhaust sounds on the bottom of the previous page buddy.

 

And no i'm not planning on taking on track (Although i'd think this would be pass or be damned close to noise limits for Track use). I used to do alot of motorbike Trackdays; so 've kind of 'done that' and got it out of my system as such.....

Edited January 23, 2020 by sevenfourate

[Rob63]

The stock exhaust system is stainless steel, at least on my Gen 2. It can be cleaned to some degree by an application of Harpic Max Power Plus 10, brush on, leave for 10 mins then rinse off. I'd expect an 'aluminiumised' coating on a steel exhaust system to last no more than a year in the UK! Ceramic coating would probably be better?

 

I bought and fitted the Remus CBE, great quality, good fit and conversely easy to install with no dramas although the brackets for the tail pipes are a little poor in design and fiddly . It didn't make a lot of difference to the noise level to be honest, that came with the fitment of the Topgear headers. And to be perfectly honest I had no issues in installing them, the quality was very good, everything fitted as intended, but the best part was the noise and the increase in power.

[sevenfourate]

A little "progress" today, amongst an expanse of doing nothing....

 

Centre console is out (Going body colour with this - apart from Ashtray lid / trim piece below the handbrake; where i'm going with Black and Matte Lacquer to contrast with the console itself and provide a little 'break up' of colour):

 

 

Two top of sill trim panels out. And going with same Matte / Satin Black colour....but again painted and with a lacquered finish instead of that rotten soft-touch rubberised coating like the standard part / centre console etc:

 

 

 

And air intake grilles removed: to also go Satin / Matte Black to provide a bit of contrast on the outside and fit in with the Matte Decals and badging:

 

 

***I've also removed the outermost restrictor / cover plate on the passenger side intake. Some call this a de-snork. Others seem to remove the short plastic inlet-tract pipe too, in order to achieve full de-snork mode (?).

 

Either way i need to find some suitable mesh for the intermediate trim piece now; to stop AOP's or small children being sucked in and to tidy up the look.......

[sevenfourate]

Arghhhhh.....Fugg it. Removed the airbox inlet tract pipework too this am; so that both the outer baffle plate and the pipe itself now lives on a garage shelf - and not on the car 😎 Fired the beetle up, got it warm and blipped the throttle a few times. Sound is definitely increased even sitting statically. Above 3.5K on the road it's meant to be quite noticeable and louder still. Then cleaned-up 12+ years of grime in that area and came back in the warm 🤣

 

Researched online / measured components; and have bought some 3mm thick semi-rigid plastic mesh with 7mm holes; and also some 14mm ID x 3mm wall thickness UV, grease / oil etc resistant Vitron rubber O-rings.

 

Plan is to cut the mesh to size, form holes in the mesh so that it tightly slides over the protrusions on the "De-snork" trim plate. Then use the thick-walled and snug-fitting O-rings to slip over the protrusions....thus holding the mesh in place.

 

We'll see !

[sevenfourate]

How ironic my worthless, often mocked 'French' ; and much thrashed daily runs painlessly on the 2p a year i religiously spend on it 😂 But the Beetle shits its pants while sat still and SORN'd in the garage..... 🙄

 

Even more ironic that the rear main seal (Which was originally 'perfect' / never leaked) and only got changed when i stuck a new clutch and flywheel in - has now developed a drip......

 

So here we go again 😏 (With a minty fresh and supple gasket produced on 31st Jan 2020 !!) :

 

 

Bought a couple of genuine exhaust gaskets and some stainless bolts to refit with:

 

 

If this fails my next purchase will be one of these:

 

 

And a large box of these:

 

 

**Whether the current one fitted was faulty, was poorly fitted and *nipped up somehow, ie: One of the lips (Inner especially as you can't see it) tucked under when being fitted etc i can't answer. But i will be participating / overlooking the fitting of this one myself ! And it is what it is really. No major deal - just a bit of a pain in the butt and the price of a semi-high maintenance older toy i guess......

 

 

**********Anything else i should be doing whilst "in there" ?**********

 

*Looks like i might need 2 x Engine half case bolts (57 seconds onwards on below video):

 

**Is it the same as shown; on a 987 2.7 Base does anyone know ???????

 

What else ??

 

 

[Lennym1984]

I don't think porsches really like being left standing. Both of mine have always felt better when used regularly (my old one used to really like a trackday to clear out the cobwebs). Unless the rms is pissing out oil, its not desperate and could be left until a more convenient time

[sevenfourate]

1 hour ago, Lennym1984 said:

I don't think porsches really like being left standing. Both of mine have always felt better when used regularly (my old one used to really like a trackday to clear out the cobwebs). Unless the rms is pissing out oil, its not desperate and could be left until a more convenient time

It was SORN’d late Dec Lenny. And has been started, ran up to full temp and at the very least ’moved’ every weekend since. 
Many do say they do better from constant use though: agreed....I’m not wholly sure these circumstances / the short timescale involved means every Porka in the World that has a period of low activity should be expected to throw its guts out ??

 

And yes ! I know quite a few leak a bit; and that most (?) owners ‘leave it’ [Many at least until clutch replacement time]. I will be getting it done soon as it’s back and taxed though. It’s really no huge issue - and as much as anything I’m just documenting my journey. Good, bad and indifferent alike !

 

Ta !

[PMGPete]

Having this done on mine at the minute while they are doing the LSD.  Just one of those things that would bug me even though its merely weeping. 

 

 

[Tozerman]

I have exactly the same problem on my car.

Last March/April I had both RMS/IMS seals replaced and one of them is slightly seeping

 

To say I am pissed off is an understatement, I just think it is a piss poor design from Porsche.

This never happened on my 20 year old Honda S2000 I had previously, that engine was as dry as a bone. Hell even my 81k Honda CRZ daily (which is used and abused)is dry, WTF was Porsche thinking ?

 

I think I am going to leave it TBH, maybe the garage would redo it under some kind of guarantee, but I can't be arsed.

It only a small seep and apparently "they all do that"

 

[sevenfourate]

4 hours ago, Tozerman said:

I have exactly the same problem on my car.

Last March/April I had both RMS/IMS seals replaced and one of them is slightly seeping

 

To say I am pissed off is an understatement, I just think it is a piss poor design from Porsche.

This never happened on my 20 year old Honda S2000 I had previously, that engine was as dry as a bone. Hell even my 81k Honda CRZ daily (which is used and abused)is dry, WTF was Porsche thinking ?

 

I think I am going to leave it TBH, maybe the garage would redo it under some kind of guarantee, but I can't be arsed.

It only a small seep and apparently "they all do that"

 

What a downer mate. Surely it's worth a phone call in the first instance ? Guess they can always argue its the seal not the fitting per-se though. Which i why i can't be arsed getting into that argument and am starting afresh.

 

But yes - the whole Porsche crank seal issues; seems to have been going on since the year dot. And only 'cured' in very recent years if you read-up.

 

Amongst my "research" online.....i've come across one guy who in recent times was about to install his 3rd seal in as many months 😥

 

All his had been fitted DIY (He completely seemed to know what he was talking about). But what you don't know is if the crank or cases had a nick in / gauge out of etc. Either way though that's a little soul destroying.

 

Roll on dry days out; and drier garage floors 🙄

 

[sevenfourate]

28 days to hibernation ending.....1st April being "D-Day" and when i become a menace on the roads once more 😂😎 ...........and I have to say - i've really missed the little base-model Beetle.

 

My sprayer popped into work yesterday and my centre console and other interior parts being painted / re-finished are just about done. So we'll be re-fitting those, then i'm having a little remedial works / professional valet of the leather seats. Then the car goes off for the final small bit of bodywork we somehow both missed last time around; along with the dreaded rear-main seal renewed - during the last week of this month.

 

In terms of niggles, visuals, mechanical gripes etc - that should be 'us' 110% good to go and everything factory fresh as it practicably can be for a 13 year old car. Really looking forward to driving, enjoying and attending some local shows / meets etc this Summer then. Something i didn't really manage last year after buying the car late; and losing it when having bits and pieces done....

 

Roll on the sunshine ☀️