It’s often only the front mats in a 911 that get worn and need replacing. So if your rear mats still look good, and you own a 996 or 997 here’s a great way to save money. Rather than buying a set of 4 mats, simply purchase the equivalent set of 2 front Boxster car mats.
VicRoads has given the Roadworthy certificate a modern make over and introduced the Roadworthy eCertificate (eRWC). Ironically the ‘green slip’ is now white but uses a ‘greener’ process.
Under this new system, when a roadworthy test is undertaken by a registered provider, VicRoads will automatically email a copy of all completed reports and an eRWC to the email address of the vehicle presenter.
The vehicle presenter will receive:
• the first test report and the second test report (if a second test was needed)
• the Roadworthy eCertificate.
The key benefit of the Roadworthy eCertificate system is that it automatically provides VicRoads with information on every eRWC issued. Conveniently, you can also email on a copy of the Roadworthy eCertificate to a third party, which can make applying for Historic/Club Permit Registration easier or selling or buying a vehicle more straightforward.
Please note the same conditions apply to the new Roadworthy eCertificate as the paper based version. The eCertificate is still only valid for 14 days. After 14 days VicRoads will automatically cancel the Roadworthy eCertificate and you will need to start the process again, and pay for a second Roadworthy eCertificate!
Now track events are regularly back on the calendar, here’s a handy reference checklist in case you’re feeling a bit rusty when preparing for events. As most track events start early in the morning with scrutineering, packing your bag the night before can take the pressure off. It also gives your Dorian time to charge overnight.
The checklist below is designed to assist your Track Day preparation. If you have any additions or changes to the checklist, or pre Track Day routines that you’d like to share, please add them the comments box below.
CHECKLIST
Documents
Apparel
Equipment
Other Useful Stuff
If you’ve always wanted to get your Porsche out on the race track and see how it performs, NINEAUTO have two events scheduled in May that should help make it easy to take that first step.
PERFORMANCE DRIVING EXPERIENCE WITH NINEAUTO AND EVOLVE DRIVING – 28TH MAY 2021 – SANDOWN RACEWAY
NINEAUTO have teamed up with Evolve Driving to offer Porsche owners a performance drive day at Sandown Raceway on Friday 28th May. This is the perfect opportunity for those with limited or no track history to experience the amazing handling and performance of their Porsche in a safe environment with no speed limit!
The Evolve Driving team will lead the day, educating drivers on how to drive safely at speed whilst giving you the opportunity to have professional driver coaches (who have race experience) to sit beside you and guide you around the track.
We have secured a special price of $495pp (Usually $585pp) for the event which includes:
NINEAUTO technicians will be on hand to help with your car set up or any mechanical issues that you may experience throughout the day.
Places are limited so please register your interest with the team at NINEAUTO on 9090 7522 or send us an email at admin@nineauto.com.au
INTRODUCTION TO PERFORMANCE DRIVING WITH NINEAUTO, EVOLVE DRIVING AND SPECIAL GUEST: SAM BRABHAM (CARRERA CUP GB, RACING FAMILY HERITAGE)
7pm – 12th MAY 2021 – NINEAUTO – 19 WANNAN ST HIGHETT
NINEAUTO and Evolve Driving are holding an open invitation night on Wednesday 12th May from 7 -8.30pm to discuss preparing yourself and your Porsche for a performance driving or track event. We will cover:
On the night, Sam Brabham (Carrera Cup GB, 3rd generation of the Brabham racing dynasty) will be joining us to share some fantastic racing stories of the Brabham family and what it takes to drive a Porsche fast!
All customers and their friends are welcome but please let us know you’re coming prior to the event via phone on 90907522 or send us an email at admin@nineauto.com.au
If you have any questions or queries on these events, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Cheers, Tim, Stuart and the NINEAUTO team
Happy Easter from the Team at NINEAUTO.
We’re closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday, and will be back on Tuesday 6th of April.
VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) were introduced for all Porsche models manufacured after 1981, and consist of 17 characters. All over the world car manufacturers use VINs as a vehicle identification tool. (The letters O, I and Q are not used in a VIN as they can be mistaken for the numbers 0 and 1. However they didn’t envisage the same issue with the number 5 and letter S which often catches me out!)
If you’re interesting in decoding your Porsche’s VIN this link explains what each of the 17 digits represent.
However, you can also use the VIN to find out more detailed information about your own vehicle or a prospective Porsche purchase by running a VIN check. There are a number of suppliers of VIN checks, at NINEAUTO we tend to use CheckVIN.com.au at a cost of AUD $9.90 per check.
Here’s a screen shot of the report you’ll receive back. (In the interests of privacy we have made changes to the report, but it remains indicative of the information you’ll receive back from your search.)
We are excited to announce that with the easing of restrictions on 28th October 2020, NINEAUTO is now able to offer a full range of services. Whilst we are operating in these challenging times we will be following a ‘COVIDSafe Plan’, including additional hygiene steps and social distancing precautions to keep our customers and staff healthy.
During Covid restrictions many of us are driving far less than we would usually. Hopefully ‘Danny Boy’ will soon allow us to travel further than a 25km radius, so we can take our cars out for a solid run, or even an extended weekend blast! Here’s hoping. In the meantime, many Porsches have been stored for weeks or even months without being driven. Over time, your cars battery will lose charge, and then may begin to struggle to hold full charge. When we do eventually get the green light to go cruising, you may find that you’re battery is flat and won’t hold charge even if you attempt to charge it over night.
Modern cars (Porsche’s included) can also suffer from batteries with low charge. I have had issues with my 996 where accessories do strange things when the battery is low or nearly dead. Even when stopped and locked, modern Porsches do continue to use the battery to maintain their systems and alarms. Some cars may lose programming if the battery is completely dead.
The best way to preserve your battery when your car is not being regularly run is to hook the battery up to a trickle charger. Modern “smart” trickle chargers have circuitry to cycle on and off to maintain the battery charge at its optimum. The charger can sense the battery condition and will not overcharge the battery. Some also have the added features to recondition flat batteries if they have been run flat for minimum period of time.
With modern trickle chargers and batteries, you can simply hook up trickle charger and leave it until you next use your car.
Things to consider when using a charger:
1. If you have a light under the front or rear hood, and have the hood open to charge the battery, consider removing the globe to prevent continual battery drain or premature failure through being constantly on.
2. The charging process gives off hydrogen and some older batteries require ventilation to prevent the build up/concentration of the flammable gas.
3. We have heard of car fires from use of fast chargers (Note: little heard with low amperage trickle chargers). Recently, in nearby Brighton, there was an older car that caught on fire at the starter motor, likely explained through excessive charging of the battery and poor wiring. Rare but worth noting! With older cars that do not rely on the battery to maintain systems, you may consider disconnecting the battery terminal before charging for long periods.
If you’ve noticed the front bonnet struts on your Porsche are starting to fail, we recommend you replace them sooner rather than later to avoid the trunk lid descending unexpectedly. Unfortunately, we have a customer with a couple of stitches in the back of his head, who is a huge advocate for early replacement…
The good news is that replacing the 2 bonnet/trunk struts is not an expensive exercise. Depending on the 911 model the genuine Porsche struts range from $75-$90 each. However, good quality Aftermarket struts are also widely available at a substantially reduced price. For example, the cost to replace the front bonnet struts on a 996 using Aftermarket struts including the associated labour cost is $135 including GST. A relatively small price to pay to avoid a sore noggin!
In 2020 with many of us driving less and working from home the option to move to a Club Permit is worth considering. If you don’t regularly drive your classic Porsche… moving from standard vehicle registration to a club permit can save you a lot of money! VicRoads issues club permits for 45 driving days or 90 driving days, but there are a few hoops you’ll need to jump through to get one.
Broadly speaking these are the steps required:
Check the vehicle eligibility
Join a VicRoads approved vehicle club
Check what certificates you need
Complete the forms and get your application approved by your vehicle club
Submit the application and pay the fee
This VicRoads website link takes you through the steps and requirements in more detail, but here’s a couple of tips for first timers…
As a starting point you’ll need to check your car is eligible for a club permit which is sometimes referred to as a Historic Plate. Vehicles manufactured more than 25 years before the date of the application for a club permit fit in the Classic and Historic vehicles classification and are eligible, so even the early 993’s can now be driven on a club permit.
Under a club permit you can either choose to drive your vehicle for a maximum of 45 or 90 days per year, and are required to keep a log book and make an entry for each day the vehicle is used. The logbook must be filled in before you drive the vehicle… there is a hefty fine associated with driving without a completed logbook!
Once you’ve confirmed that your car is eligible, you’ll need to join an approved vehicle club. Most of our customers join Porsche Club of Victoria (PCV), the joining fee for PCV is $50, plus an annual $200.00 (single), or $215.00 (including partner). This PCV link details the requirements to achieve club approval of your application, including vehicle documentation, photo submissions, and the completion of forms. One of the documents required is a current Certificate of Roadworthiness (RWC). It’s important to note that the RWC still needs to be current (no more than 30 days old) when the final application is made to VicRoads, otherwise a new RWC will be required!
So what’s the payoff after all your endeavours to secure a club permit? A club permit for 45 days costs $79.60, and 90 days costs $153.90, and includes the cost of a logbook. This is a substantial saving versus the standard vehicle registration fee of $834.80, even after you take into account the cost of joining a vehicle club. Plus when you move to a club permit there is often an associated saving in vehicle insurance costs. The good news is that once you have a club permit, it’s easy to renew each year.
