Top Tips

With Melbourne weather really heating up, you’ve probably had your car cooling turned up to maximum… especially on those sticky humid days where opening the windows just doesn’t really cut it.

If you have been underwhelmed by a coolish breeze rather than an icy cold blast from your AC, this may signal the need to get your cars AC re-gassed. Although there can be several reasons why your AC is inefficient, a common and easy to fix issue is that your system just needs a re-gas. It is recommended that a car’s AC is re-gassed every couple of years, as most vehicles loose between 5-10% of their AC gas annually.

A re-gas costs is $247.50 including GST, and is a quick procedure for most modern Porsches. For the older 1980’s and 1990’s models fixing the AC can often be as simple as the repair of leaking “O” rings. The AC problem children in the 911 family are the 964’s and 993’s, they are notorious for having evaporative issues as well as compressor problems. To diagnosis these more complex issues your car may need a re-gas with a dye in the system to find the fault.

If you’ve identified a Porsche that ticks all your boxes, getting a vehicle Pre Purchase Inspection (PPI) can give you both peace of mind, and added confidence when negotiating the purchase price. A Pre Purchase Inspection will provide a detailed report identifying any small or large issues, and gives you reassurance that you really understand the condition of the vehicle. In the current buyers market we’re undertaking around 3 PPI’s per week!

For the best outcome, it’s important to get the Pre Purchase Inspection undertaken by a mechanic with a detailed knowledge of the car make and model you are considering purchasing. This also gives you the added benefit of being able to tap into their expertise so you’re better equipped to understand the likely outlays associated to fix any identified issues, and build this knowledge into price negotiations.

At NINEAUTO we offer a Pre Purchase Inspections Service for all Porsche models, where we thoroughly inspect the vehicle’s exterior, interior, mechanical workings, perform a diagnostic scan if applicable and also perform a road test. The inspection takes around 4 hour and costs $750 including GST. For modern Porsche models after 1997 (996 and Boxster 986 onwards), we always begin the PPI with a Rev Range Check to understand if the engine has recorded any over revs. (See previous NINEAUTO post on Rev Range Check Prior to Purchase for more information.)

Once the PPI is complete we’ll provide you with a detailed report, and guide you through the inspection results so you can make your vehicle purchase with confidence. Being well informed of the overall condition of the vehicle, and the likely pitfalls on a particular model is likely to save you money in the long run, and enable you to make a more informed decision.

In the event that your lively banter moves to serious contemplation and the potential procurement of a new ride, we suggest a PPI (Pre Purchase Inspection). See previous NINEAUTO post on PPI’s. For modern Porsche models after 1997(996 and Boxster 986), we always begins a PPI with a Rev Range Check to understand if the engine has recorded over revs.

Car engines are designed to operate up to a maximum rotational speed, (measured in RPM). The car manufacturers install a rev limiter to prevent an engine speed exceeding a pre-determined point of where the engine can safely operate. At full throttle and whilst holding the accelerator pedal down indefinitely the engine can’t and won’t exceed the rotational speed of the limiter. However, when a driver selects too low a gear relative to the speed of travel, the momentum of the car can mechanically drive the engine past a point of safety. Rev range history is permanently stored in the car’s ECU.

At NINEAUTO we use a revs checking tool to ascertain if the odometer is accurate, and to analyse the engine’s computer to see engine range history of the engine including over-revs and when they occurred, rev-limiter usage, and operating hours. In addition, we can also determine if the car has any stored fault conditions. These faults may identify required outstanding works that need to be built into the negotiated purchase price.

After evaluating the revs check report, we will either recommend continuing with a PPI, or that this is probably not the vehicle for you.

Please note that a high range rev does not automatically mean the engine has an issue. Further review of engine data, timing of rev recording and other testing may be required to determine whether there is a potential issue.

This year, a number of customers have passed on cars based on the rev check. Whilst this wasn’t the outcome they were looking for, the upside is they have saved money by not progressing with an unnecessary PPI and haven’t purchased a car that may have issues in the future!

Example of rev range report extracted from a US Turbo’s ECU.

At NINEAUTO we use both OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and genuine Porsche parts. A part can be described as genuine if it is supplied directly through the Porsche network. Genuine Porsche parts will always come in Porsche packaging and be labelled with the relevant Porsche part number. Normally these parts will be identical to the ones supplied when your Porsche was built, however sometimes Porsche do choose to supersede a part but these updated versions are all rigorously tested and fit for purpose… often it’s simply a colour or material change to help Porsche consolidate their parts portfolio.

It may surprise many people that most Porsche parts are not manufactured directly by Porsche and are instead contracted out to specialist suppliers. These third-party parts manufacturers supply Porsche, who then use these parts in vehicle assembly and vehicle servicing. Many of these parts are also available direct from the ‘Original Equipment Manufacturer’ and are often referred to in the trade as OEM parts. For example, Porsche use brakes supplied by Pagid making them the OEM supplier of the part. So in this instance you could choose to purchase brakes directly from a Pagid supplier or go through the Porsche network. Whilst OEM parts don’t have Porsche packaging and don’t always display Porsche part numbers they are often mechanically the same and therefore a savvy choice. (However, there are some parts that are exclusively supplied by Porsche and there isn’t any OEM equivalent available.)

For both the Porsche Cayenne and Macan, the parts we most frequently replace (excluding the oil filter) would be brake pads and brake discs. Given both Porsche models are relatively heavy vehicles, designed to be driven ‘passionately’, it’s not unusual to chew threw brake pads and or brake rotors every three years or so. For many Porsche SUV’s, especially the older ones, OEM parts can be a much cheaper option to genuine Porsche parts.

Choosing an Independent Porsche Workshop that offers OEM parts where available and appropriate can be a smart choice that can deliver significant cost savings.

It may surprise many people that most Porsche parts are not manufactured directly by Porsche and are instead contracted out to specialist suppliers. These third-party parts manufacturers supply these parts to Porsche, who use them in vehicle assembly and vehicle servicing. Many parts can be sourced directly from the ‘Original Equipment Manufacturer’ and are often referred to in the trade as OEM parts. For example, Porsche use brakes supplied by Pagid making them the OEM supplier of the part. So in this instance, you could choose to purchase brakes directly from a Pagid supplier or go through the Porsche network. Likewise, you could source an OEM battery from Bosch or OEM Clutch Discs from Sachs rather than sourcing via Porsche. Whilst OEM parts don’t have Porsche packaging and don’t always display Porsche part numbers they are often mechanically the same and therefore a savvy choice. In many cases OEM parts are often the cheaper and more convenient option to genuine Porsche parts. However, there are some parts that are exclusively supplied by Porsche and there isn’t any OEM equivalent available. Often these exclusive Porsche parts are held in stock in Germany and can take 2 weeks to arrive!

Where it makes sense, we tend to use the cheaper OEM parts sourced directly from the original manufacturer rather than going through the Porsche distribution network. If the OEM parts are visually different and will be on display, we may sometimes opt for a genuine Porsche part depending on the desired look and car requirements.

A wide range of OEM parts are available for the majorty of Porsches and can deliver significant savings to your servicing and maintenance costs. In the past sourcing OEM parts for Cayenne and Macan’s was challenging. However, as these vehicles have increased in popularity, the range of OEM parts available in the market has also grown.