Porsche Connect Plus

[owensc1]

I’m getting a new 718 Boxster GTS soon and wanted to ask for member views about Porsche Connect Plus? I gather Nav is free for a year (or is it 2?) but I’d probably use Google Maps anyway, and I’m not interested in paying extra for either data or music streaming. However, I may look at taking out the service for vehicle tracking, as my experience with Tracker has been poor. So, what what does that cost and does anyone know what class it comes under in the Thatcham categories, which I’d need to know for insurance purposes? Many thanks

 

[JurassicGTS]

The Porsche tracking system is the highest level tracker available S5.

'S5 trackers are the highest specification Thatcham approved vehicle tracking systems available on the market. Previously known as Category 5, Category S5 is the new Thatcham classification for these vehicle trackers.' 'Thatcham Category 5 is the highest specification stolen vehicle tracking device that is approved by insurers. Category 5 gps trackers are ideal for high performance and high value vehicles, and when fitted correctly provide the owner with peace of mind that their vehicle is secure.'

It is supplied by Vodafone, I think it must have been upgraded as I had heard very poor reports but mine works seamlessly with the Porsche Connect system and shows the location of the vehicle at all times on the My Porsche app. Fortunately I have not had to see if it works if the car moves without the tracker.

It is subscription £230 I think, I also had to have it as my car is valued at over £80k, which seems to be the trigger point for underwriters.

All other Porsche Connect services are free for 2 years, such as map updates, live traffic and some useless things like petrol prices, weather, news etc. You do get Amazon music though.

I also bought from Amazon a 64 GB 3 data sim card for the car as it's a chunk cheaper than Porsche's offering.

 

[JurassicGTS]

Are you running I Phone or Android?

 

[gdavison]

Another consideration which used to be worth looking at re Porsche tracking was to not take it and to get 3 year gap insurance instead. Reason is Tracking is couple hundred GBP a year and twhen I last did this GAP was under more than a annual Tracker subscription but was for 3 years. So over the 3 years GAP was cheaper, returned full price of vehicle to you if stolen and not returned, versus tracker which "may" return a stolen vehicle to you. Tracker is for the benefit of the insurance companies .. One issue is getting car insurance with no tracker, so look to Admiral who don't need one. With changing prices etc you would have to do your own costing analysis as it may not financially work anymore

...... but mine works seamlessly with the Porsche Connect system and shows the location of the vehicle at all times on the My Porsche app. Fortunately I have not had to see if it works if the car moves without the tracker......

Seeing location of vehicle is part of the Porsche App as it is used for the "Navigate me to my vehicle" function. As well as the Notification of the inbuilt alarm being sent to the App, You also get the 3 programmable alerts, which are Speed, Location, Valet. I use the Location alert with a couple hundred meter area around the house, so get a alarm every time I drive away from the house (and return). I also drop a area when I park and would want to know if the car moves. I also use the valet alarm which is combination of a location and max speed when dropping car off at OPC for service to be notified of any joy rides []

 

[JurassicGTS]

Other insurers were far more expensive than my current insurer who required tracking. I think I did try Admiral but as it was over £80k they also wanted the tracker...maybe wrong could just have been their price as I am only paying £240 with Saga, who wouldn't have required the tracker if the car had been under £80k. Porsche Insurance Services wanted £1500

I also took out ALA Gap, great value for money.

Will have to read up more on the tracker as I like the location and valet modes you have detailed

 

[JurassicGTS]

"You also get the 3 programmable alerts, which are Speed, Location, Valet. I use the Location alert with a couple hundred meter area around the house, so get a alarm every time I drive away from the house (and return). I also drop a area when I park and would want to know if the car moves. I also use the valet alarm which is combination of a location and max speed when dropping car off at OPC for service to be notified of any joy rides"

On the Porsche Connect I only have Speed and Location alarms on mine, no Valet mode

On the VTS I have Workshop, Disarm, Transport modes, which only seem to set a final time.

 

[gdavison]

"You also get the 3 programmable alerts, which are Speed, Location, Valet. I use the Location alert with a couple hundred meter area around the house, so get a alarm every time I drive away from the house (and return). I also drop a area when I park and would want to know if the car moves. I also use the valet alarm which is combination of a location and max speed when dropping car off at OPC for service to be notified of any joy rides"

On the Porsche Connect I only have Speed and Location alarms on mine, no Valet mode

On the VTS I have Workshop, Disarm, Transport modes, which only seem to set a final time.

Interesting.. My Boxster is a 981 GTS so well before Porsche Connect days, so my response was based on what I can see in Porsche Connect for my Cayenne eHybrid .. I (foolishly it seems) assumed that the same features where on all models, apologies for miss info

 

[owensc1]

Thanks all for the feedback, which is really helpful and I will sign up for it then. I use IOS (iPhone) and have a linked Apple Watch too, but can’t yet find the Car Connect app for the latter referred to on Porsche’s site, which I think may be for the USA only.

 

[Wollemi]

Thanks all for the feedback, which is really helpful and I will sign up for it then. I use IOS (iPhone) and have a linked Apple Watch too, but can’t yet find the Car Connect app for the latter referred to on Porsche’s site, which I think may be for the USA only.

Porsche Car Connect and Porsche Connect apps are both replaced by the My Porsche App. The other app to get is the Porsche Good To Know app which has all the information contained in the manual.

 

[JurassicGTS]

I decided to treat my Macan to a years subscription to Porsche connect to get some map updates, Amazon Music, etc.

Got a new pairing code but it would not take it. My OPC said I have to contact Vodafone even though I pointed out it's Porsche Connect not Porsche Car Connect the tracking system that Vodafone run. Called Vodafone on the number my OPC gave me to be told it's nothing to do with Vodafone. So I now have to go back to my OPC to get the pairing code re input, whilst my OPC is still insisting it's a Vodafone issue!

Very confused and frustrated, wish I hadn't bothered now

 

[Scrounger]

You shouldn't need to ring anyone. The subscription should automatically renew when you buy it on your MY PORSCHE web page.

Dan

 

[JurassicGTS]

You shouldn't need to ring anyone. The subscription should automatically renew when you buy it on your MY PORSCHE web page.

Dan

That is my understanding, however even though the renewed subscription is showing on the My Porsche account the car still shows subscription end date 12/21 when it expired.

I was at Bournemouth's 75 open day and my service contact had their data techy look at the car and after 30 minutes playing around just scratched his head took photos of the PCM and said he is going to have to make some calls, so something is amiss!

Interestingly now where there used to be, even though they didn't work as the subscription had expired, the app icons for news/weather/fuel etc, these have now gone from the screen which the techy has never seen

 

[owensc1]

I've been playing with the remote functions on my new GTS and I'm still mildly confused by the Connect Remote Services, as the website (having selected the 718 in the UK) specifically refers to being able to unlock / lock the car remotely. I used that option actively on my Supra if I wasn't 100% sure I'd locked it, together with other things like remote ventilation, lights, etc, when returning to the car. I never used things like the concierge service for nav, hotel booking, guidance on POIs, etc.

However, all I seem to have on the core My Porsche 'Overview' screen is details of tyre pressure differentials, mileage, trip data, service dates. Under 'Functions' (I have the Security element too for VTS) I can set speed or location alarms, navigate to my car and suspend tracking for various reasons. That's all fine, but there seems to be no option for vehicle locking, let alone the other things I had access to with my Toyota (using BMW systems). Am I missing something or is that just the way it is given our aging 718 tech?

Maybe it will be addressed when My Porsche updates next - it is supposedly going to incorporate the information from the 'Good To Know' app when that is disabled (advised due at the end of June), but that's still not happened yet.

 

[JurassicGTS]

Chris, welcome to the dinosaur age aka Porsche Info Systems.

All you can do in addition to what you have listed is see whether the car is locked or not. You cannot lock or unlock it from the App, in fact you basically can't do anything from the App worthwhile.

My wife's Nissan App is far better

 

[gdavison]

Amazingly the functionality of what you can do in the app changes from vehicle type to type .. with my Cayenne E-Hybrid I can lock & unlock the car from the app

 

[Cobydog]

I had the tracker activated on my new GTS 4.0 and after about a week, the fobs stopped being being picked up by the car so every time I drive, I get calls, texts and emails to say my car is being stolen. All very distracting.

Speaking to Vodaphone is next to pointless - You can select to speak to an operative, but they are not customer services and can't help from a technical perspective.

The advice the guy gave me was not to keep the fob anywhere near the key.....quite difficult in the confines of a boxster cabin....

If you try to call customer services, make sure you make a cuppa and sit back as you'll be waiting along time for them to pick up.

I did speak to customer services last week and they said they would send me a new fob - still waiting.

 

[JurassicGTS]

I had the tracker activated on my new GTS 4.0 and after about a week, the fobs stopped being being picked up by the car so every time I drive, I get calls, texts and emails to say my car is being stolen. All very distracting.

Speaking to Vodaphone is next to pointless - You can select to speak to an operative, but they are not customer services and can't help from a technical perspective.

The advice the guy gave me was not to keep the fob anywhere near the key.....quite difficult in the confines of a boxster cabin....

If you try to call customer services, make sure you make a cuppa and sit back as you'll be waiting along time for them to pick up.

I did speak to customer services last week and they said they would send me a new fob - still waiting.

Not to keep the fob and key together just in the car or at all times?

I keep both together in a foil lined metal container is this likely to be an issue?

 

[Cobydog]

they meant whilst in the car - he said put the fob in the centre console away from the key - I had mine in a pouch which I attached to the key each time I drove the car - a pain, but I meant I couldn’t leave the fob in the car By mistake.

Anyway, after typing the reply earlier, the new fob arrived in the post and after being on hold for 30 minutes, I got through to customer services and had the new fob linked to the car.

All seems fine now so will see how this fob fares over the next few weeks.

 

[JurassicGTS]

Good to know, I always have the fob in my back pocket.