991.1 C4 GTS Newbie - advice needed

[david.pearce2]

Hi everyone - I’m chuffed to bits to be getting my hands on a 991.1 C4 GTS in a few weeks time. I’m still speechless from the test drive. That noise!

Any tips on what I should and shouldn’t do once I get the car - warranty, tyre/alloy insurance, protecting the paint work, protecting the car, etc?

It won’t be my daily driver (but I’m pretty sure I’ll be out in it regularly!) - are there any issues with under using the car?

 

[595triple]

Hi David, you’re going to get addicted to that noise!

Sadly I just gave up my .1 manual GTS after 4 yrs of smiles to allow for other Porsches.

My car was a daily. I did 36K over 4yrs inc touring and track. I also happen to be one of the admin team on the FB group ‘991.1 GTS enthusiasts’. In addition to here thats also a good place to find out ‘stuff’.

Generally the cars bullet proof with a few little caveats.

- if its still on P Zeros, ditch those for Mich PS4’s or Cup 2s. Steering and suspension will be 100% better. Road noise will decrease but mpg will drop a little.
- the most common failures I hear about on the FB group are engine mounts and rear springs. Both these are warranty items. Its a no brainer to take the Porsche warranty. I had it for 3 years but only claimed on washer jet and pipe. However, an engine mount will be way more than the warranty cost.
- Overtime the rear dampers wear. A ‘clonk’ over speed bumps is a sure sign of this. You can see the rod of the damper easily. If its smeared the seals gone. These are not warranty. A pair of these fitted by a good indie is about £1700. Via an OPC £3K+.
- Retro fitting Car Play is easy for the PCM and this generation. Just ask.
- Get a torque wrench (I sell them) so you can have tyres replaced anywhere. Otherwise the centrelocks will limit your options and you will pay over the odds.
- PPF is worth it, particularly around the rear arches. Especially the drivers side. Note you have to declare it on insurance. Do NOT have PPF applied to headlamps. This can cause delamination due to this era of production.
- A must is Zunsport grilles. Rad’s are very exposed and leaves can get in and cause rot.
- If your interested I can give you a link to a workshop manual for the .1 series. Depends how dirty you get your hands!
- I personally think the brakes are average. I thought it was just mine but tried another car and just as average. Braided lines make a big difference. You can go all the way up to 380mm on stock calipers if needed.

This is the main stuff I think but ask away!

 

[Lancerlot]

Since it will not be your daily driver, get yourself a smart charger (Ctek etc.) as you will need to keep the car on charge when not in use in order to avoid battery problems. Buy an appropriate charger to the type of battery fitted. It's probably Lead Acid or AGM - Lithium Ion batteries require a different type of charger.
Enjoy.
Regards,

Clive

 

[david.pearce2]

Hi David, you’re going to get addicted to that noise!

Sadly I just gave up my .1 manual GTS after 4 yrs of smiles to allow for other Porsches.

My car was a daily. I did 36K over 4yrs inc touring and track. I also happen to be one of the admin team on the FB group ‘991.1 GTS enthusiasts’. In addition to here thats also a good place to find out ‘stuff’.

Generally the cars bullet proof with a few little caveats.

- if its still on P Zeros, ditch those for Mich PS4’s or Cup 2s. Steering and suspension will be 100% better. Road noise will decrease but mpg will drop a little.
- the most common failures I hear about on the FB group are engine mounts and rear springs. Both these are warranty items. Its a no brainer to take the Porsche warranty. I had it for 3 years but only claimed on washer jet and pipe. However, an engine mount will be way more than the warranty cost.
- Overtime the rear dampers wear. A ‘clonk’ over speed bumps is a sure sign of this. You can see the rod of the damper easily. If its smeared the seals gone. These are not warranty. A pair of these fitted by a good indie is about £1700. Via an OPC £3K+.
- Retro fitting Car Play is easy for the PCM and this generation. Just ask.
- Get a torque wrench (I sell them) so you can have tyres replaced anywhere. Otherwise the centrelocks will limit your options and you will pay over the odds.
- PPF is worth it, particularly around the rear arches. Especially the drivers side. Note you have to declare it on insurance. Do NOT have PPF applied to headlamps. This can cause delamination due to this era of production.
- A must is Zunsport grilles. Rad’s are very exposed and leaves can get in and cause rot.
- If your interested I can give you a link to a workshop manual for the .1 series. Depends how dirty you get your hands!
- I personally think the brakes are average. I thought it was just mine but tried another car and just as average. Braided lines make a big difference. You can go all the way up to 380mm on stock calipers if needed.

This is the main stuff I think but ask away!

Thanks for all of this - really good to know! I’ve been a Porsche fan from the year dot. It’s felt a lifetime to get my hands on the one I wanted!

When I took it for the test drive the car was flashing up a fault which the Indie (RPM Specialist in Harrogate) said they’d sort. I believe it was to do with the engine mounts (PASM?). Assuming they’re sorted, would you still go with a warranty or bank the £3k over 3 years and pay for anything that goes wrong? The advice here seems pretty split. The car has done 31k miles.

The car has MPS4’s on and I’d be interested in buying the torque wrench off you.

If I’m not tracking it would you still go with braided hoses for road use?

I’d opted for the zunsport grilles but not the PPF - the car looks like it has some sort of clear film on the rear arches already - I’ll ask the garage about it.

I plan to do about 4-5k miles per annum in it. Cannot wait!!!!

 

[david.pearce2]

Since it will not be your daily driver, get yourself a smart charger (Ctek etc.) as you will need to keep the car on charge when not in use in order to avoid battery problems. Buy an appropriate charger to the type of battery fitted. It's probably Lead Acid or AGM - Lithium Ion batteries require a different type of charger.
Enjoy.
Regards,

Clive

Hi Clive - much appreciated, thanks for the advice. If I’m out in in 2-3 times a week (say average 100 miles a week) would I still need to have it on charge?