[androdev]

In a 345-horse open sleigh...



Midnight madness...

[Turbohead]

11.7 litres for 100kms is really good fuel economy for a sports car! It's an incredible feeling for the heart and the brain to celebrate in unison!

[androdev]

Sport for all - All for sport

[GTO]

Originally Posted by androdev

Sport for all - All for sport

So incredibly satisfying to see a sports car being used like this. You must be a rare 2-door Porsche owner in India who takes his ride for shopping (specified 2-door so Cayenne owners don't put their hands up).

This is how I'd use my sports car. Everywhere. I don't believe in the concept of garage queens.

[androdev]

The frunk (front trunk) hood struts were not able to hold the hood up, seems to be a very common problem with age of these cars. Managed to get them from the US (~80$ for Porsche, but I got under 50$ for Stabilus OEM pair without Porsche brand - easy to google ) and installed them today. Very simple DYI. There are two metal C clips which hold each strut in place at both ends. I used a small flat head screwdriver to pry open the top clip. Did not have to remove the bottom clip as I could detach the strut by twisting it away.

Following pictures show the mechanism of the clip and how to remove it (actual removal had to be done under the hood)



Top strut is with the clip, bottom strut is without the clip:

[123.rishabh]

Originally Posted by androdev

In a 345-horse open sleigh...

Attachment 2097005

The Dynamic lights make it a delight to drive at night.
The throw of the high beams and the quick response of steering turning is just amazing.
How would you compare the headlamps to your S350 ?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by 123.rishabh

The Dynamic lights make it a delight to drive at night.
The throw of the high beams and the quick response of steering turning is just amazing.
How would you compare the headlamps to your S350 ?

I think both are identical (same tech, same time period, etc.) - just psychologically 911 feels brighter as you sit closer to the source of the light. However you get blinded royally inside 911 - you will feel like Stuart Little in front a Forutner in the night

[turbowhistle]

Originally Posted by androdev

However you get blinded royally inside 911 - you will feel like Stuart Little in front a Forutner in the night

Hahaha, this is really apt. I felt pretty much same once in a while in the Mini but Germany isn't that bad when it comes to big SUVs, people prefer wagons and everyone minds their high beams.
How's you back doing, got used to the seating yet? I can't imagine how you must be feeling switching between this and the S.

Also 12L/100km is really really good, I used to regularly see very similar figures on Autobahn but mine was just 176 horses. Kudos to you for using this car to the fullest, these cars are really impractical to own and do everyday stuff.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by turbowhistle

Hahaha, this is really apt. I felt pretty much same once in a while in the Mini but Germany isn't that bad when it comes to big SUVs, people prefer wagons and everyone minds their high beams.
How's you back doing, got used to the seating yet? I can't imagine how you must be feeling switching between this and the S.

Also 12L/100km is really really good, I used to regularly see very similar figures on Autobahn but mine was just 176 horses. Kudos to you for using this car to the fullest, these cars are really impractical to own and do everyday stuff.

No back issues as such but I wish I were a bit taller by two inches (I am 5'8") to get the perfect view. It doesn't have much seat height adjustment range.

Unfortunately poor timing to buy a car as this year has been a complete wash out. Looking forward to share some updates in the coming days - hopefully no more waves of deltas and gammas!!

[KingKong]

Hope your Porsche is doing well. Please post an update like you did for the S.

[akash_v12]

Hi androdev, hope the 997 is doing well!

Since you said that you'd like to get the top of your dashboard in black, why don't you look at steering wheels. A bunch of companies have come up and are making really good wheels these days (both quality and customisation wise). I know it's nowhere near as close as the entire upper portion being black, but it is a nice way to break the monotony caused otherwise.

[androdev]

All this feels strange and untrue
And I won't waste a minute without you




That was my Covid isolation corner. Enough has been written about Covid and my story is hardly interesting except that contemplating death and helplessness in the midst of horror that was unfolding does unlock some parts of your brain. I don’t really know what has been unlocked though. Time will tell. I suppose "live the moment, stop saving and buy a fun car" is not an option for me!

So you pulled my heart out
And I don't mind bleedin'
I came to love you anyway




It took some time to make peace with a used car and all the apprehensions about possible abuse during previous ownership and hidden problems that are waiting to show up. It is very easy to abuse a low-slung car with a high revving petrol and PDK - especially when you decide you are going to sell it off.

I procured a diagnostic cable just to do a quick sanity check. Over-revs are reasonable - Range 1&2 are very routine and my own driving has contributed (I was observing how these numbers increase after a few drives). Totale mileage divided by Operating hours gives average speed of the car during its lifetime. A crazy low avg speed can mean that the ODO has been tampered. I think my odo was adjusted but I can't be sure and decided not to worry about it. The service history is kosher, it got a brand new PDK 2 years back. I wrapped up the investigation with a favourable conclusion: just told myself all is well.

VW diagnostic cable and software are awesome. This Porsche stuff has very restrictive licensing (I can't use it with another VIN) and functionality is also not as good as VW.

Just the two of us, we can make it if we try
Just the two of us, you and I






I like long drives, part of the reason why my S-Class thread sees frequent updates. This car lacks comfort and space but I am not going to be deterred by such minor inconveniences. I can do intergalactic travels with just a towel.

However a bonafide team-bhp member can not deviate from manufacturer recommendation when it comes to the fuel. I am sure the car has been run exclusively on bog standard petrol for the last ten years before I bought it. I have done some very scientific looking trial runs to evaluate XP95 and XP100 and came to the convenient conclusion that XP100 is not worth it for my engine. XP100 has marginally improved air-fuel ratio (Lambda). Ignition angle doesn’t show any pattern. Boost is another parameter to be observed but it is not applicable to my NA engine. These results are for 3rd gear full throttle.

XP100 is shown in red colour





Maybe the car needs multiple tank-fulls to show improvements due to change in fuel. Overall I feel nobody knows any technical info about these fuels - how they are made, how reliable their RON ratings are, any potential damages to the engine due to additives, etc. I might make a few more attempts to compare other fuels (standard fuel, Speed 97 etc.) and update this thread but overall I don’t feel concerned with fuel for this 2010 era engine.

I will have to find a solution for the spare tire without which I can't plan any long distance travel. Hoping for something less dramatic than this:



May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of changes shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young
May you stay forever young




To begin a journey with a ten year old car requires tempered expectations. It took me some effort to get used to the rattles (coming from OCD S-class). The biggest relief was to discover that one doesn't need to do high speeds to enjoy a car like this. I always oblige the children on the road by doing a throttle blip - it's a humble engine but still a treat for our roads.

The PDK is amazing - I am trolling in MT vs AT discussions on team-bhp. MT is awesome but it's tough to use the awesomeness on every journey. PDK with paddle-shifters in manual mode is not too far behind MT but you will find yourself using it ALL the time. The engine builds up revs and speed really fast, so you need to be very focused to time your shifts. Not exactly a great comparison but Honda City and Polo etc take plenty of time to build the revs (and speed), so there is ample time to look at the road, look at the tacho and check your phone notifications before flicking paddles to shift. There is a reason why the tacho is the central piece on the instrument cluster. Not to forget the sound and precise dynamics. This really sets sports cars apart compared to powerful sedans. Kind of obvious to many I suppose, but I understood many of these subtleties over the last few months of driving this car. I can now relate to why bikers make such a big deal about different bikes.

There is some advantage in getting such a car in your 40s - you are not seeking cheap thrills and putting yourself and others in danger. I still have some way to go but I am heading in the right direction. If roller coasters were sports cars, this car is the gentlest one that lets you experience all the emotions of a roller coaster ride.

I have the annual service due this week and I will post an update after the service visit. Thank you for reading. No, I don't sing songs to my car, just included them to break the monotony.

[androdev]

Got the car back from service. The last scheduled service was done around this time last year, so I decided to send it for a scheduled service. Even though I have only covered around 2.5K km during this period, I prefer to stick to an annual service regime.

As some of you know, Porsche Bangalore dealership (Friendly Automotive) has been closed and Porsche Kochi (EVM Premium Cars) is catering to the Bangalore market. They are using the Raja Skoda service facility (Whitefield area) to service Porsche cars. To be honest, this facility is much better than the earlier Maruti service facility in Indira Nagar. The good news is that there will soon be a new dealership in Bangalore (by VST group, a familiar name in Bangalore) and hopefully they will have a better infrastructure/servicing facility. Most of the technical staff of previous Porsche dealership are still around (currently working for EVM) and will be retained by the new dealer.

I was planning to go home after dropping the car but I hung around as I was promised delivery in about four hours. I spotted this lovely red 993 (LHD import) that has come for service - couldn't resist asking the staff if it was for sale ;-)





Here is my mighty white 997 Carrera rubbing shoulders with poor cousins in the service bay.



The service, while minimal, was done very professionally. The technician knew my car very well from the previous ownership and I picked his brains to know more about the service in general - did the car miss any required service in the past, or should I go for any preventive maintenance given the age of the car, etc. Past perfect and future perfect, no need to be tense. He has been with Porsche Bangalore for the last 7 years and he seems to know these cars very well. I am glad the technical staff have been retained during the dealership rejig. The service bill came to 38K.



XP100 outlet near KR Puram hanging bridge is relatively a convenient location for me - a serious weight loss exercise for my wallet, but I am going to stick to higher RON fuel at least during the honeymoon period. I also got this 20L can from Amazon (seems to be out of stock now) and I have been using it for pit stops.





I could be wrong but based on whatever research I have done, XP100 seems to be the only high octane fuel in India that has some refining technology behind it instead of just using additives. However the outlet manager (it's a COCO outlet) told me they might discontinue XP100 due to lack of patronage.



As per the service tech, Porsche dealer sells some additive bottles to be used with regular fuel which are popular among their customers. They are currently out of stock and fresh stock is expected. I will use regular fuel once I got hold of some of these cans.

Some miscellaneous pics from service visit (engine oil, window cleaner additive):





The same gloomy covid isolation corner turned into a thing of beauty with a double rainbow.

[viXit]

What a delight it is to read threads like these. Not a lot of Luxury/Sports car owners seem to spare time for sharing the fun with others through threads like these.

The shot of the keys with the book brought back memories of my time as a ten year old Porsche Fan.


<3

[androdev]

Originally Posted by viXit

.

The shot of the keys with the book brought back memories of my time as a ten year old Porsche Fan.


<3Attachment 2230916

Wow cool. Lovely pic. My son picked up this book when he could barely read. We were browsing stuff in Sapna book store in Indira Nagar, must have been 8 years ago. I remember discouraging him that it's too expensive and suggesting some moral story books.