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NINEAUTO Porsche Service

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Tel: 03 9090 7522
Tel: 0407 325 878
19 Wannan Street
Highett 3190
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Daily Driver

Finding it difficult getting your key in and out of the ignition?

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If you’re having difficulty getting your key in and out of the ignition, it’s more than likely that you need to replace the ignition switch. The primary role of the ignition switch is as the name suggestion to engage the ignition system of the car, but it can also have several other functions. These functions include activating the radio, windscreen wipers, headlights and other accessories. As a result, if your ignition switch isn’t working properly these accessories may start to be affected and may not turn on or off, which may in turn leave you with a flat battery.

Ignition switch failure is a very common issue for both the Boxster and 996. The good news is that if you choose an original equipment manufacturer part (OEM part) rather than a Porsche genuine part, it doesn’t need to be an expensive exercise.

Replacing an Ignition Switch is another one of those situations where choosing an OEM part delivers significant saving. This is because Porsche no longer just sell the ignition switch for the 996 or Boxster, instead they insist you purchase the entire ignition switch housing which is 10 times the price of the switch alone!

We recently removed and replaced the ignition switch on a 2003 Boxster using an OEM ignition switch and charged $255 which included both the part and the 1 hour of labour cost associated. If we had instead used the complete Porsche ignition housing (Porsche don’t sell the ignition switch as a stand alone item anymore) the cost would have been $766, that’s $700 more for just the part! Furthermore, if you’d have taken your vehicle to a Porsche Service Centre you’d be up for another $100 in labour costs, as they charge a $100 per hour labour premium versus NINEAUTO.

If you are interested in finding out more about OEM part here’s a link to a previous post all about the benefits of choosing OEM parts where appropriate. https://nineauto.com.au/2018/10/12/oem-parts-a-great-alternative-to-genuine-porsche-parts/

Macan – Servicing Costs Compared

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Around Melbourne’s Bayside suburbs the sporty Macan is becoming increasingly popular, with its stylish compact body, highly responsive 7 speed gear box and dog friendly interior, it’s outselling the Cayenne by almost 3 to 1. With Porsche SUV now accounting for over 70% of new Porsche car sales. In fact, the latest Porsche Australia new car sales figures show the Macan as the most popular model in the Porsche stable, outselling the iconic 911 by more than 5 to 1!

In an effort to save money, we are starting to see Macan owners opting for service work and non-warranty items to be undertaken by Independent Porsche Specialist rather than the Porsche Dealerships. With experienced Independents offering a substantially lower hourly labour rate, and access to both genuine and/or cheaper non genuine parts where appropriate, the savings can be significant.

Although not common knowledge, you are able to take your car to an independent mechanic and still maintain your warranty, but conditions do apply. (This Consumer Affairs Victoria link highlights the key stipulations if you choose to go Independent.) It can be difficult to compare service costs between Dealerships and Independents as many of the web advertised Dealership Service Pricing excludes parts and doesn’t clearly state the items included. The best way to compare service costs is to get a detailed quote for whichever service  is due, and ensure that it includes both labour and parts. That way you’ll avoid any nasty surprises and be able to make a more informed decision when comparing your servicing options.

Porsche Warranty Extension for up to 15 Years!

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The current new car warranty for a Porsche is three years which comes around very quickly.

If you aren’t ready to trade your vehicle in for a new one, you can now extend the factory warranty for up to 15 years! The qualifications Porsche place on extending your warranty is that your vehicle is aged between one and fourteen years and that the total mileage is less than 200,000 km. Your car must have been serviced to the factory schedule, using genuine Porsche parts only and the works must be undertaken by a professional mechanic. Each warranty extension is available for 12, 24 or 48 month terms (to a maximum of 15 years) and is accepted by Official Porsche Centres throughout Australia.

At NINEAUTO we can assist you in servicing your Porsche to maintain your existing warranty. We can also assist in extending your warranty, by organising a technical inspection at our local Porsche Centre and providing the necessary documentation. If your vehicle’s policy has expired, provided the ownership of the vehicle has not changed, the warranty may also be extended once the vehicle has passed the technical inspection and any faults detected repaired using Porsche Genuine Parts.

A recent change in Porsche’s warranty policy also allows for the factory warranty to be transferred to the next car owner if the vehicle is sold privately.  This now gives prudent secondhand Porsche buyers the option of privately buying a vehicle with a factory warranty, whereas in the past their search was limited to secondhand vehicles from a Porsche dealer.

Porsche Bump Stops – Small but Mighty

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These small rubber cones are probably up there with brakes and wiper blades as one of the most commonly replaced parts on a Porsche. Judging by appearance, the humble bump stop looks like a very basic part, however the role it plays in protecting your suspension and improving your ride is significant. Without bump stops, or with torn bump stops, if your wheel hits a bump your suspension can bottom out putting expensive suspension parts at risk of damage. Essentially a healthy bump stop is your last line of defence in protecting your suspension components and axle. In addition, bump stops also aid the function of suspension springs, so driving your Porsche with damaged bump stops can impact how your car rolls and pitches, and its overall balance.

Torn Old Bump Stop beside New Bump Stop

The good news is that these rubbery cylinders are inexpensive at around $40 a bump stop. The cost associated with replacing a torn bump is really driven by labour costs, as bump stops can be tricky and time consuming to replace. How long it takes to replace torn bump stops is dependent on the Porsche model you own and how many bump stops need replacing. It’s normally the front bump stops that require replacing as they work harder than the rears. Front bump stops take on average 2 hours to replace and rears can take up to 3 hours dependent on the Porsche Model.

New Bump Stop Installed

Missing scheduled servicing can be costly

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Over these crazy covid times, many have chosen to delay the scheduled servicing of their Porsche. Letting your service lapse a couple of months over the due date isn’t really a big deal, and is unlikely to have any impact on the performance of your car. However, we strongly encourage wherever possible sticking to the recommended service schedule. Servicing on time is your best insurance to avoid foreseeable mechanical issues that could prove costly if they remain unchecked. Regular servicing is also a key criteria for most prospective Porsche buyers, so a well maintained Porsche is likely to maximise your car’s future resale value.

If you were fortunate enough to negotiate free servicing when purchasing a vehicle, your last free dealership service needs to be completed no more than 4 weeks pasts it’s due date. For example, if you purchased a car on 1st June 2019 and received 3 years of free servicing from the dealership, you would then only be eligible to receive a free third service up until the end of June 2022. Back in 2020 with covid restrictions initially precluding non-essential servicing, many customers scheduled service timing were pushed out with a potentially costly knock-on effect. Let’s say your first service may have slipped from June to September 2020, you then undertook your second service a year later in September 2021. However, if you then wait until September 2022 to book your car in for your third free service it will be well past it’s June 2022 due date window, and most likely you’ll be paying for a ‘free service’!

911 Front Bonnet Struts

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996 Front Bonnet Struts

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!

Wet front carpets and faulty electrics in your Cayenne?

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If you have experienced wet front carpets or ongoing electrical issues, the problem could be that you have blocked plenum drains. Cayenne’s have a series of drain systems that take water from the sunroof, where the bonnet meets the windscreen and also the side sills. If you hear sloshing after a heavy rain, it’s likely that one of these drains may be blocked.

A blocked plenum drain can cause water to flood electrical components or flow through certain holes in the firewall into the cabin. We recently had a Cayenne with a wet passenger foot well due to a blocked plenum drain. This is always concerning as underneath the carpets are wiring looms, and overtime wetness can easily lead to wire corrosion and shorting!

Plenum drains can become blocked from leaves, small sticks and other debris getting clogged in the drain outlets (or the main chambers in severe cases). The drain outlet has been cleverly designed to allow water out and prevent bugs/debris getting back up, but can easily get blocked if leaves, sticks or other debris gets caught in the drain.

Image – Drain Grommet. The grommet ends star design narrows to allow water out but prevents bugs/debris getting back in. This can get blocked if the debris is already in the drainage system.

As part of an annual service the plenum drains should inspection to ensure that they are free from debris and water cannot get trapped and accumulate. To prevent blocked drains, we recommend routine cleaning of the drain outlets. However, accessing and cleaning each of the drains can be a challenge if you don’t have a hoist and aren’t confident removing access panels and wheel arch liners.

If you suspect a blockage in your Cayenne plenum drains, please bring it in to NINEAUTO and we’ll check it over for any blockages.

Boxster Roll Bar – Painted to match Car

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Looking for a way to make your ride more unique? Check out the matching colour roll bar on this Porsche Boxster!

Whilst having work completed at NINEAUTO, one of our customers decided to paint the roll bar on his 986 to match his car’s paintwork.

A simple idea with a spectacular result… It’s a real standout compared to the dull standard black bar.

Sticky Climate Control Switches in your Porsche?

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Sticky and worn climate control switches can compromise the everyday enjoyment of your Porsche and really date a car. Overtime, sweaty, oily hands and constant use can leave switches sticky to the touch with faded often illegible markings. This is a common problem that can make the interior of your Porsche look a little rough, and negatively impact a vehicles resale value.

If you want to refresh your climate control switches we can organise the unit fascia to be restored to look like new!

Attached are photos of a recently restored fascia, refurbishing the switches and laser etching of switch markings makes a noticeable improvement to the look of the unit and your car’s interior, and will eliminate those sticky switches.

Cayenne out of Warranty

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Launched back in 2002, there are now many older Cayenne’s still on the road providing a great driving experience, but no longer under manufacturer’s warranty. As a result, we are getting more and more calls and web inquiries from Cayenne owners who are exploring for the first time servicing options outside of the Porsche Dealerships network.

Although not common knowledge, you are able to take your car to an independent mechanic and still maintain your warranty, but conditions do apply. (This Consumer Affairs Victoria link highlights the key stipulations if you choose to go Independent.) Understandable for many, dealership servicing is the preferred and an easy option whilst your car is under warranty. However, once your warranty expires, the flexibility of choosing cheaper aftermarket parts over Genuine Porsche parts (where appropriate and available), combined with a lower hourly labour rate can make moving to an Independent Specialist an attractive option. To highlight the magnitude of potential saving, this link takes you to a previous NINEAUTO post ‘OEM Parts offer great savings on Cayenne Brakes’.

With the latest Australian figures showing the Macan outselling the Cayenne 2 to 1, it’s likely the current trend we’re witnessing of Cayenne owners moving toward Independent Specialist will be followed in the future by savvy Macan owner too. At least we hope so…