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?

 

[david.pearce2]

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!!!!

**correction to this reply** the garage has confirmed it’s a PADM fault (not PASM)

 

[malarcy]

**correction to this reply** the garage has confirmed it’s a PADM fault (not PASM)

That PADM fault is the "engine mount" one referred to above - it happens a lot - I know of people with 981's (same setup) on their 3rd replacement on low mileage cars.

Re Porsche warranty - if it's not already under Porsche warranty then there is a "gate" to cross to get it on the books - many will have an opinion on the rights and wrongs and the value and putting the money in a jamjar in the shed etc - but it's an extended warranty/insurance policy so it's their ball, their rules.

The gate requires that you have owned the car for at least 3 months, that the most recent service in the book was done at an OPC, and that it meets their requirements for genuine parts - battery, suspension components etc. and that it has N rated tyres, with an minimum amount of tread, matched at least across an axle but ideally matched all round...... and some don't like things like Zunsports being fitted.

That costs £200 ish on top of warranty, once you have the warranty - then at renewal it's an email and a confirmation of servicing at OPC

Depends of course on how much ( if any remediation ) is required, but one PADM, or a gearbox, or a failed heated rear window element in a convertible roof will be more than warranty cost - which in my case I "man maths" out to about a tank full of vpower a month (ish).

As ever, no wrong answers, your car, cash, decision re how you roll with covering potential bills etc.

Key thing is - remember to enjoy having and driving it.

 

[david.pearce2]

Thanks Malarcy - the garage I’m buying it off is fixing the PADM and putting it through its major service. Based on your response that means I couldn’t take it to an OPC and get a warranty. Even if they do their 111 point inspection first? Have I understood correctly?

 

[malarcy]

If the most recent recorded service in the book is OPC then I would suggest telling the garage to not stamp the book.

Or tell them not to service it at all and factor in getting your next service done at OPC - with a price adjustment.

Friend of mine bought a car from a decent Indy. They serviced it and stamped the book. He just got the OPC to service it again - told them to factor in the 111 point check since they were servicing it anyway and then put it on warranty.

You can get a warranty if you meet their criteria. That might mean buying a battery or tyres you don’t need or servicing a car that doesn’t need it etc.

I couldn’t possibly comment but I have heard rumours that people have been known to “lend a battery” for a morning to another enthusiast.

 

[LucyO]

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?

No you wont, or should need to if all working ok. If you leave car for any length of time the cabin AC fan may freeze. If it does, give it a little nudge manually - open the air box under the frunk, use a pencil not your fingers!

 

[LucyO]

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!

Tyres - agree, but if for road use I'd tend to PS4s, but check the pressures, dont over-inflate as affects handling a lot.
Zunsports - absolutely! Not cheap but are the best, Very important to preserve the life of condensers and rads, which are expensive to replace. Look good too.
PPF - bear in mind that a front end re-spray is circa £400 and that's where most of the damage happens. My ghetto GTS (a C4S with GTS gubbins) has 87k under the belt and has chips everwhere. Character I say.
Suspension stuff wears and you need a budget for that, not too dear.
Warranty, I think you can get this upto 15 years and 100k subject to inspection etc. I have spent nothing in 2.5 years on anything that would have been covered by warranty apart from a couple of failed change over valves - £200. These cars are very reliable. A previous owner replaced 1 of the 2 an engine mounts, it cost £1000 to do.
Brakes - I am happy with mine, I did put braided lines on a previous 987 and they did make an appreciable difference to that car, which I tracked. But go easy on the brakes. I have not replaced my discs or pads yet, probably next year, after 30k I expect. They are expensive.
I suggest you put £3k a year away for maintenance, £4k if you drive it hard.
And keep it clean and condition the leather / alcantara / rubber seals. Do that yourself with nice stuff if you can

 

[david.pearce2]

Thanks for everyone’s comments, they’re much appreciated. I now have the car (OMG what a car) and opted for the Zunsports and a ceramic coating - the car has some stone chips on the front already.

I live close to Weissach - the independent garage. I had a chat with Tom, the owner. I’m going to get them to take a look at the car and, based on their experience, advise whether a warranty makes sense or not (given the car is 11 years old and any warranty would be to cover the next 20k miles and 4 years of driving).

They’re doing the Porsche 111 point check (cost £180 - a little less than the £600 Porsche quoted me).

This car is a keeper. I’ve spent 42 years wanting a 911 and a little less than that researching them! I settled on the 991.1 GTS because of the engine sound and it’s just stunning to listen to and drive. Given all of the above and the fact I’ve not heard great things about the OPC network (servicing, attitude and cost) I’m therefore taking my GTS into the world of independent servicing (with Weissach).

If you’re not planning to resell, resale value becomes fairly meaningless!