Kicking an old dog here.
As a member of this forum for a number of years now, I've had the opportunity to engage with all sorts of characters. The spectrum of personalities is broad. Welcome to Earth; we serve all types.
Many forum members here are generous with their knowledge and experience on technical aspects - I've taken and given back from the great pool of knowledge myself. I've even lent specialized tools out to other members to help them along. It's impossible for one person to know everything which is what makes a forum so valuable in sharing collective knowledge and experience.
On the other hand, there are others who are completely closed minded and combative even as they share their experience to claim some sort of perverse authority. There is a prevalence of holier than thou which is unique to the 911 vein here relative to other forums I frequent. Enter the old dog element...and rhetorical questions.
Do old dogs know that they are old dogs? Not usually.
Are they aware of the breadth of experience that they do NOT have? No and they don't care.
Do they know what hubris is? Maybe but they refuse to self diagnose.
I believe this is a unique characteristic to the classic 911 world where a huge disparity of experience separates owners/DIY folks and professional mechanics. I believe there is a far higher proportion of rookie wrenchers here who nut swing from the vocal old wrenches. The rookie wrencher hangs on every word as gospel from the old dogs... not understanding there are other folks who have decades of experience who don't live and die by internet forum fame and who add diverse experience. This same experience/competence disparity is far less pronounced elsewhere in the automotive internet landscape for other makes and even other Porsche models. Honest question to consider for those of you who have wide ranging experience - is there a higher percentage of inexperienced/less mechanically inclined old 911 owners than for all other makes/models that are enthusiast supported? I believe the answer is a resounding "YES". And that's not necessarily a bad thing as long as everyone understands the pitfalls that come along with believing everything you read on the internet from old dogs.
Enter the master craftsman.
The master craftsman is slightly suspicious of advancements due to the familiarity with his trade and tools. What separates a master craftsman from the old dog is knowing that excellence is not a static condition. The craftsman is receptive to advancements in methodology and values the experience of others no matter the perceived tenure of the source. He seeks to continuously add to his knowledge base understanding that one is a student for a lifetime. The old dog is not a student and hasn't been for a long time - he writes off any change from his kibble as worthless. The old dog knows all and is not to be questioned, period.
We could use more master craftsman and fewer old dogs around here in my opinion. The old dogs and their minions are a nasty lot to encounter; they add some value to the community while simultaneously sucking new life out.
To the old dogs like HS and their trolls:
Diversity adds strength. This is the most valuable lesson lost on the old dog types. If the community is to thrive then it should be less inbred... there's a wave of next generation owners who are taking on ownership of these old cars. You can choose to either fight the experience and knowledge they bring or you can accept it, and value it all while understanding that you don't know what you don't know. This requires the old dog to rewrite his book often as a wash of new information floods in. If you choose to fight it, they will bypass your corner of the community and build their own. They may even cherry pick low hanging hard data from you on their way by. Your community will then wither and die. Your kibble will be a petrofied turd sitting in a dark corner of the internet years from now. Adapt, be receptive and humble and your legacy will survive.
My $.02 that I had to get off my chest. Feedback welcome.