When we bought our 2009 Cayenne one of the first things I did was to protect the outside of it with a clear bra. This turned out to be a great investment and my only regret is that I didn’t do something to protect the inside of my Porsche at the same time. You see, we split our time between Maine, Florida and a little barrier island off the coast of Massachusetts. Each one of these locations offers something unique in the way of dirtying the caramel interior of my Porsche (sand, mud, salt and slush). After nearly two years of stepping in and out of my Cayenne, the front mats were in pretty poor shape. With the weather turning colder and snow on the horizon I knew I needed to do something before things got any worse.
After looking around on the web I found a number of choices for Porsche Floor Mats
Then there was AutoAnything.com. They have a huge selection and are currently running a sale where you can save up to 35% off list on Floor Mats &get Free Shipping on top brands like Husky Liners, CatchAll, Hexomat and more! What’s nice about AutoAnything.com, is the selection (pricing ranges from $25 a set to over $100).
I wanted to buy the branded, heavy duty mats from SuncoastParts.com. Not only are they a sponsor of our site, but it’s where we buy almost all our parts (for all three of our Porsches) and they always provide us with great service. Unfortunately, this one time, they simply didn’t have the color I wanted available (I wanted to closely match our interior color vs. offset it) and I couldn’t wait due to impending snow fall.
I considered the selection from AutoAnything.com (as they were by far the cheapest) but in the end I felt you really do get what you pay for. While some of their offerings were decent, none seemed to be a true custom fit and perhaps more importantly, none of them used our factory hardware to snap down. If this isn’t a concern and you’re cost conscious, they do have some good, inexpensive choices.
Rear Seat with Mat Installed Below
Front Driver's Seat
Rear Cargo Liner
Rear Mat is all One Piece
Passenger Seat in Porsche Cayenne
So, after careful consideration I ended up ordering the DigitalFitTM FloorLinersTM from WeatherTech (pictures above). While more expensive than their all-weather floor mats, the Digital Fit mats are custom cut to match the shape of my Cayenne and they used the factory floor snaps to stay in place. Even better, I already had a WeatherTech® Cargo Liner in the back of the Cayenne, so now everything matches.
Final Thoughts of New Porsche Floor Mats
When my new mats arrived all I needed to do was take them out of the box and snap them into place. For the front mats you must remove your carpets in order to install the WeatherTech mats. Not only does this ensure you won’t further stain your Porsche mats, but you can use the those factory clips (in the Cayenne they’re round snaps) to hold the mats in place. While they recommend you remove your carpets in back too, I found that the WeatherTech mats were simply too short (see picture in gallery of rear seat. Notice how the new rubber mat stops well short of covering the original mat?). They fit the floor space in the back of the Cayenne perfectly, but they didn’t run under the back of the front seat the way the carpet does. After looking at pictures of all the various offerings, it seems this is a shortfall for any selection. As the rear mats don’t snap in, I opted to keep my carpets in place to further protect the floors in the event that any of my long legged friends decide to stretch their dirty shoes beyond the reach of the new mats.
One last thing to note. WeatherTech calls the color I ordered Tan. However, as you can see in the pictures, and like my cargo liner in the back, it’s more of a dark beige than anything else. It sill looks better than an even darker color like grey or black, but it’s definitely darker than it appears on the WeatherTech site.
Do you run Winter Floor Mats in Your Porsche
What about you? Do you use winter mats in your Porsche? It doesn’t matter if you drive a Cayenne or drive your 911, Boxster, Cayman, etc. year round. Any model can benefit from the protection these custom fit rubber mats afford.
Ever notice the center lock nuts on some Porsche race cars? Unlike the black/silver RS Spyder wheel nuts available on street cars, some racing Porsches will have red nuts on one side and blue on the other.
Notice the red nuts on the driver’s side above (you can click on the image above for a larger version)
A number of you wrote to us and wanted to know why? The colors aren’t just aesthetic; Red nuts are right hand threads and blue nuts have left hand threads. What’s the difference? Simple, right hand threads are nuts that we’re all familiar with. You know, “righty tighty, lefty loosey”.
In racing, it’s not uncommon to install right hand threaded nuts (red ones) on the left (US driver’s side) and left hand threads (blue ones) on the right (passenger side). Teams do this so that all the wheels can come off by turning the nut in the same direction (toward the front of the car). UPDATE: A number of you have written in to mention another reason for the right/left threading; so the nuts won’t loosen when the car is moving/accelerating.
Note the blue nuts on the passenger side of the 918 RSR
If there’s something you want to know about your Porsche, or Porsche in general, let us know. We’ll do our best to find an answer for you. You can get in touch using our contact form or give us a shout on Facebook.
The answer to this question most likely depends on both where you live and what you drive. You might be the type that no matter what, you’re driving your Porsche year round. Or, maybe you live in a colder climate with lots of snow and salt and need to prepare your Porsche for winter storage. Maybe you’re lucky and do both, we do (we store our 911 and 993 and drive our Cayenne). What ever you do there are choices you need to make and things to consider.
If you store your Porsche in the Winter
Saying goodbye to your baby while it sits quietly in winter hibernation is hard enough. Don’t make it any harder on yourself by making some of these common mistakes that will haunt you come spring time.
Common Mistake #1: Forgetting to over-inflate your tires. At best, this will leave you with flat spots. At worst, you might need a whole new set of tires. What ever you do, don’t go over the maximum pressure recommended for your tire. A good Porsche tire gauge can help.
Common Mistake #2: Forgetting to disconnect the battery or connect a trickle charger. There’s nothing worse than going to start your Porsche for a nice spring drive and find the battery dead and you’re not going anywhere.
Common Mistake #3: Not using a fuel additive (like this fuel preservative from Griot’s Garage) in your winter storage routine. Condensation in the fuel system is good for nothing but trouble.
Common Mistake #4: Forgetting about your coolant lines. If you’re air-cooled you don’t need to worry about this, but for those of you with water in the veins, a Corrosion Inhibitor is essentially like a fuel additive for your coolant. It works to prevent corrosion from developing in your radiator and coolant lines.
Common Mistake #5: Forgetting to reduce your insurance coverage. We’re not agents, so be sure to talk with yours first, but if you’re not going to be driving your Porsche you can remove or reduce a significant amount of your coverage. All you really need while it’s being stored is “comprehensive”. We save $100s every year with this little trick.
These are but a few of the costly mistakes you could make if you don’t store your Porsche properly. Check out our 10 Easy Steps to Winterize Your Porsche for a complete list, and links to products that will ensure your Porsche stays in tip-top shape while it’s tucked away.
If you drive your Porsche in the Winter
Believe it or not, most 911s (excepting some older turbos) make for great winter drivers. The rear-engine configuration puts so much weight over the drive tires, as long as you have good winter tires, you’re biggest concern (besides other drivers) will probably be ground clearance and getting over larger snow drifts.
Here are some winter driving tips straight from the Porsche Camp4 Driving School:
Cars respond more slowly on slippery surfaces. Always wait a moment after steering, braking, or accelerating to see how the car behaves before giving it more input.
Visibility is greatly reduced in bad weather. Make sure you can see clearly, and turn on your headlights.
Brake carefully and accelerate more gently.
Get the car pointed where you want to go before getting on the gas.
Look farther ahead. So many of us keep our eyes glued to the back of the car in front of us. The car goes where you look, so get those eyes up and anticipate your next move!
For even more detailed information and tips see our post on preparing your Porsche for winter driving. Be sure to read to the end as lots of users posted their own great Porsche winter driving tips.
As the media hype around hurricane tropical storm Irene grows and the TV meteorologists preach on about the impending Armageddon I’m not too worried about us, or our house, as we already have emergency plans in place. However, I do begin to wonder, how can I protect our Porsches?
I find myself pondering this question again and again. Unlike Bill Musselman and his floating Porsche above, I’m simply not that prepared or resourceful to do something spontaneous. I need a plan. Chances are you do too.
As we live in New England, we tuck away our Porsches (except for the Cayenne) in storage for six long months in order to avoid the salt and sand of harsh new England winters. As a result, we are well informed on the proper Porsche winter storage procedures and have that process down pat.
However, the rest of the time, we always have at least one Porsche (usually more) in the driveway at our summer home in Maine and no garage to store them in. Up until now this hasn’t been a problem.
Don’t let this happen to your Porsche
Sure, we get thunderstorms and even the occasional hail storm, but we’re used to these and have covers and other options to protect our Porsche(s) from your run of the mill weather. Now a hurricane, that’s a different story. Our home and driveway are surrounded by trees so the possibility for serious damage is very real given the strong winds that accompany a hurricane. What to do?
Securing our water toys is easy, we simply put the boat and Sea-Doo on their lifts and tie off the jet-ski for a little extra protection (this way if it floats off the lift it won’t drift away). We can’t tie off the Porsches (can we?), a lift won’t help, and even if we had a garage we need a hurricane proof door to be really secure (those of you who live in Florida and other hurricane prone states now all about this). We need a bunker of sorts.
The spot where we store a few cars in the winter is just down the road from us. Not only is it a safe and secure storage space, it’s built in a stone quarry that is both protected from the wind and completely devoid of trees. However, it’s not staffed and this being Maine, you can occasionally run into trouble tracking someone down to gain access. Fortunately, after a few calls we get in touch with the owner and explain our plight. He graciously interrupts his own day and offers to meet us to open the door and get our babies out of harm’s way?
I quickly realized that while we have emergency plans in place for our personal safety and our home, we never really planned (or even gave thought) to protecting our Porsches in the event of extreme weather (as it’s simply never been a problem before). The closest we came was earlier this summer when an unexpected hail storm hit us on what was otherwise a warm, sunny day. Fortunately, we received a delivery that day and were able to use the packaging as make shift shields. See the video below (if you can’t see it via email simply click on Develop a Disaster Plan for Your Porsche and you’ll be taken directly to our site). Now, we have an even better car cover and keep things under the house to use as shields should this happen again.
The Importance of Developing a Plan
Do you have a plan to protect your Porsche?
John and I were lucky there was no damage to any of our cars after the storm you saw in the video above. Fortunately, the experience taught us a lesson to get more prepared (we just didn’t count on a hurricane). So, regardless of where you live, there’s always a chance for some type of natural disaster. If you put some simple plans in place chances you, and your Porsche, will be safe and sound. Don’t wait for a flood, hurricane or other storm to find out you have no place to go. Some things to think about now in order to avoid hassles later:
Find a place to safely store your Porsche (other than your garage) in the event your garage (or lack there of) just won’t cut it?
If you live in an area prone to floods, find a spot on higher ground.
If you live in an area prone to hurricanes, invest in a bracing or a specialized door to wind-proof your garage.
Take a few minutes to review your insurance coverage and make sure your Porsche is valued properly and look to see what’s included/excluded from your policy. Depending on your particular policy you may need special riders or coverage for damage as a result of storm/flood.
Lastly, remember it’s only a car, your own safety comes first and like the picture below shows, there are some things you just can’t plan for.
One of the many benefits of publishing PorschePurist is that we sometimes get a first look at various Porsche related products. A few weeks ago, Griot’s Garage (a PorschePurist sponsor at the time) sent us a bottle of their new Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner to try out prior to it hitting the market. While we were happy to try it, the weather wasn’t very cooperative and then once it was, we procrastinated a bit. I mean let’s face it, for most of us, cleaning the wheels on our Porsches just isn’t that much fun. It’s necessary. It can be satisfying if they’re especially dirty, but fun? Nope! The good news is, with this new Griot’s product it just got a whole lot easier.
Review of Griot’s Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner
We’ve tried a number of different wheel cleaners over the years and spent considerable time and money doing so. When we received the Heavy-Duty Wheel Cleaner from Griot’s, I was interested, but didn’t expect much. After all, it’s just a wheel cleaner, right?
The Test
We had about 3 weeks of rain here at the lake, so the 993 hadn’t seen any real use for close to a month. Once the weather finally cleared John and I went for a number of “spirited” drives along the coast of Maine enjoying the 993 and the scenery. 500 miles of hard braking later, we had built up quite a coating of brake dust on our 18″ Turbo Twists. While the picture above doesn’t really capture it, the brake dust was thick and hard inside the wheel.
Following the directions that came with the cleaner I rinsed the wheels first with water. Once done, I sprayed the cleaner directly onto the wet wheel. It was at this point that I noticed the first difference with the Griot’s product. Not only was it going on thick and sticking to the wheel (see picture above), it didn’t smell caustic (a lot of other cleaners we’ve tried make it hard to breathe just being in their presence); this was a very pleasant surprise.
After letting the cleaner sit for about three (3) minutes you could notice the cleaner changing to a pinkish/red hue. This color change lets you know the product is working and in fact, at this point, a considerable amount of brake dust was already washing away of its own accord. I would think, that for wheels with light brake dust, you could simply rinse them at this point with a high power spray and most of it would come off. However, Griot’s doesn’t recommend that and our wheels had heavy, heavy dirt/dust so we needed to srub a bit with a brush (you can use a rag if you like, but a simple, inexpensive wheel scrubber brush makes the job much easier, especially in those hard to reach places).
I spent less than one minute on each wheel (not including elapsed time as the product works) between wetting, applying and scrubbing. The end result, was one of the cleanest wheels I’ve had in a while. There are other wheel cleaners out their that work in a similar fashion to the Griot’s formula, but most are corrosive and caustic with a higher price point: Griot’s product is only $16.95 for a 35 ounce bottle and $49.99 for a whole gallon of the stuff.
With these results, it’s pretty simple to recommend Griot’s Garage Heavy Duty Wheel Cleaner. You can purchase on Amazon. Remember, and this is my only complaint, if you buy the 35oz bottle, it doesn’t come with the sprayer. You’ll need to buy that separately. However, the sprayer is cheap, durable and reusable (or, simply use one you have lying around from another product, just be sure to rinse it thoroughly first).
If not, you should. Not only will it save you some $$$, you get a great sense of accomplishment from a job well done. Even if you’re not handy with a wrench or don’t have a ton of tools there are some simple, routine maintenance items you can do in your Porsche without going to school to be a Porsche tech. What type of DIY maintenance projects have you tackled on your Porsche?
One such project we decided to tackle is changing the plugs in our Porsche Cayenne. While changing the plugs in our 993 can be a bit of a challenge (think dropping the motor), doing so in a 2009 Cayenne V6 is a breeze. This was our first plug change on the Cayenne and it took less than 60 minutes. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the hardest, I would put this at a 2. The only reason it’s that high, is that it can be a chore to remove the coils, but this only takes patience and a bit of leverage. Here’s a brief tutorial for any of you that might want to do so yourself.
Parts and Tools Needed
- 1 Socket wrench and at least a 9″ extension (we connected up a 3″ and a 6″ to reach the deep plugs) - 1 5/8″ spark plug socket (make sure it has the little rubber grabber installed) - 1 Porsche mystery tool found in your Cayenne tool kit - 1 longish flat head screwdriver or some other implement to remove coils (more on this later) - 1 Flashlight or shop light (optional)
The Process for Changing Spark Plugs in your Porsche Cayenne
Depending on your garage, experience, equipment, etc. you may want to amend these instructions slightly to fit your specific needs. Bottom line, it’s a fairly easy project and you simply need to be sure not to damage the plug wire clips as they are a bit fragile. Unfortunately, we learned this the hard way. The good news is a local dealer had a replacement piece in stock and it was only $18 bucks. We’ll give more detail on this at the end of the post.
1. Open the hood.
2. Remove the front plastic engine cowling. This is the small plastic strip that runs horizontally across the motor and encompasses the oil cover cap. It simply un-clips with some light tugs on each side. You’ll need to remove your oil filler cap to get it completely off.
3. Once removed, you can see each of the plugs are placed squarely in the center of the manifold with the plug wire clipped to the top of the coil (remember the coils sit over the spark plugs in this engine design) via a black plastic snap on clip.
4. To remove the plug wire you’ll need the mystery tool we referenced in our tool list above. If for some reason you can’t find yours, you could easily fashion something out of a small piece of thick gauged wire or even a wire hanger (these can come in handy for other uses too).
5. Simply maneuver the tool so it’s under the clip (as in the picture above) and give a slight tug upward. This will disconnect the plug wire cap from the top of the coil and expose the coil. If you find any debris, like the leaf we found, be sure to remove it before taking out the coil and plug. You don’t want leaf litter or any other type of debris falling into the cylinder once that plug is out.
6. Now, remove the coil from the top of the plug. The hardest part about doing this is breaking the suction the coil has on the plug. Twists and turns help as do some good leverage with either your own strength or that of a screwdriver.
7. Once you have the coil out, you’ll need to place it out of the way and remove the spark plug using your ratchet and socket. Remember, you’re going to need that long extension as you get further back along the engine where the plugs are buried a bit deeper. We were going quickly, so we would just lie the coil along the manifold for easy access. If you’re worried about knocking it around, you might want to lay it on your work bench or on a cart. We don’t recommend putting them on the ground as you don’t want to get them dirty and you wouldn’t want to take a misstep and crush one underfoot. While they aren’t terribly expensive, it could still make for a much longer day.
8. Once the plug is removed, clean out around the plug hole to remove any small debris and then simply insert your new spark plug into your socket and screw it back in. Remember not to over-tighten. Now replace the coil (again make sure it is clean of any debris) and push down until it “pops” back on. Re-clip your spark plug wire to the connector and repeat the whole process five more times.
We had one problem
Even though we knew the plug wire clips were fragile, one of ours still broke during the removal process. Fortunately, the clip that attaches from the plug wire to the coil is actually two separate part numbers (see the picture above).
If you look closely at the picture above (click on it for a bigger version), you can see where ours broke if you look just to the left of the VW logo. That’s right, it’s a VW part too. In fact, our local Porsche dealer didn’t have one in stock, but thankfully Gary, the parts guy at Darling VW in Bangor Maine, did! It was a matter of seconds to re-attach it and we were good to go.
One DIY project on the Cayenne done. Next up is how to replace the cabin filter in your Cayenne.
What type of DIY projects have you tackled on your Porsche?
After what seems like one of the longest, coldest and snowiest winters in just about forever, spring has finally sprung here in the US. For a good number of you that means it’s time to get your Porsche ready to go back on the road. For those unfortunate souls who, for one reason or another, might need to put their Porsche away for a bit, here are our tips on preparing your Porsche for storage.
Now for the rest of you. I know it’s an exciting time and it’s hard not to just open that garage door, whip off the cover, start up your beloved Porsche and hit the road. Trust me, taking a few extra minutes to make some minor checks and adjustments will do both you and your Porsche a world of good. The following steps are done (in some form or another) for both our ’97 993 and our ’73 911 but are good for just about any Porsche. If you have additional steps to add, please comment below and we’ll add them to the list for next year.
Spring Start up Procedures for your Porsche
1.Open the Garage Door: If you haven’t already done so, now would be a good time to open that door. While the chance are slim, you never know what type of vapors might accumulate. Opening the garage door will not only provide fresh air, but also give you some natural light to complete your inspections.
2. Give it a Visual Inspection: Walk around the car in order to eyeball the tires, the lights, the interior, etc. What you’re checking for is to make sure that nothing went flat, no cracks developed in any visible gaskets or lights and to ensure that no unwanted stowaway built nests in your tailpipe, airbox or anywhere else for that matter. Don’t forget to look under your Porsche for any signs of new leaks that may have magically developed over the winter.
3. Check your Hood Latch: In the winter, a number of you may have rigged your hood lock so that it doesn’t/can’t catch in order to close the hood most of the way yet still turn off the engine light. Be sure to make sure you use the release lever on the hood so that when you do close it for real, you don’t bend the locking mechanism. This is a mistake you will only make once and if we can help you avoid it, all the better.
4. Check your Battery: Most likely you have some form of trickle charger connected to your Porsche this winter. Not only do these devices ensure an easier spring start-up, they help to greatly extend the life of your battery. Remove your charger (and don’t forget any lines you may have run under the hood too). If you didn’t use a charger, reconnect your battery (hopefully you have your radio code in a safe place) and ensure it has the proper charge.
5. Tires: I know, you already did a visual inspection on the car. That’s okay, go back over your tires. This time, use a gauge and check the air pressure (I use this Porsche Tire Gauge as it came with my 993, but any accurate gauge will do). If you followed our instructions for storing your Porsche then most likely you over inflated your tires for winter storage. Use this time, while the tires are still cold to get the most accurate readings and adjust the levels accordingly. While making your adjustments be sure to look for any cracks in the sidewall or treads and keep on the lookout for flatspots. Most flatspots can be driven out over time. However, if you find dry-rot or a crack, it’s time to check out Tire Rackand select new tires for your Porsche.
6.Proper Lubrication: Most likely, your Porsche has been sitting for months. This means most, if not all, of the oil has settled and your engines delicate moving parts will have little to no protection coating them. For some, this may be overkill, but if you want, simply remove the DME or fuse that controls the fuel pump. This will allow you to turn the Porsche over a few times in order to bring the oil and fuel pressure up. Once pressure is up, replace the DME or fuse and you’re ready to start it up.
7.Start your Porsche: If you stored your Porsche properly and you followed the instructions above, your Porsche should start right up. Once you have it running be sure to turn on all the lights and blinkers to make sure your electrical system is working properly. Ideally you’ll have someone in the garage with you to check your brake lights. Be sure to pump your brakes a few times just to actuate those calipers/drums and lines in-case they became a little tight during storage.
8. Take it for a Test Drive: Roll your Porsche out of the garage, test the brakes and take it out for a 20 or 30 minute drive around your neighborhood. Be sure to take it slow at first and allow your Porsche to come up to temperature. For air-cooled Porsches you don’t want to let the car idle to bring it up to temperature, you definitely want to drive it. Keep your revs under 4000 RPMs until that oil is nice and warm and be sure to bring a cell-phone with you in the event things don’t turn out as planned.
9.Final Inspection: When you get back to your garage do one final walk around. Check everything again and be sure to get down and check for leaks. While you might not have seen any leaks during your initial inspection, bringing the Porsche to temperature might now show where a gasket cracked or otherwise failed during storage. Check all your fluid levels, dust it off and you should be ready to enjoy your Porsche for another season.
Every year we get numerous request from regional Porsche clubs asking if they can reprint this article. The answer is yes! All we ask in return is a link back to our site from your website and to cite PorschePurist.com as the source.
Lastly, each year our readers help us out by providing their own check list. Does yours differ from ours? Do you have any tips that are model specific? Let us know and we’ll add them to the master list.
Email
. They have a huge selection and are currently running a sale where you can save up to 35% off list on Floor Mats &get Free Shipping on top brands like Husky Liners, CatchAll, Hexomat and more!
What’s nice about AutoAnything.com
but may require some cutting (in the rear to get the right fit) ($99.95). And, 2. The DigitalFitTM FloorLinersTM
which are custom cut to fit your Porsche perfectly right out of the box and offer even more protection that the “all weather mats”. ($179.90)
can help.
. There’s nothing worse than going to start your Porsche for a nice spring drive and find the battery dead and you’re not going anywhere.
to try out prior to it hitting the market. While we were happy to try it, the weather wasn’t very cooperative and then once it was, we procrastinated a bit. I mean let’s face it, for most of us, cleaning the wheels on our Porsches just isn’t that much fun. It’s necessary. It can be satisfying if they’re especially dirty, but fun? Nope! The good news is, with this new Griot’s product it just got a whole lot easier.
makes the job much easier, especially in those hard to reach places).
and $49.99 for a 
.
. You’ll need to buy that separately. However, the sprayer is cheap, durable and reusable (or, simply use one you have lying around from another product, just be sure to rinse it thoroughly first).
connected to your Porsche this winter. Not only do these devices ensure an easier spring start-up, they help to greatly extend the life of your battery. Remove your charger (and don’t forget any lines you may have run under the hood too). If you didn’t use a charger, reconnect your battery (hopefully you have your radio code in a safe place) and ensure it has the proper charge.
as it came with my 993, but any accurate gauge will do). If you followed our instructions for storing your Porsche then most likely you over inflated your tires for winter storage. Use this time, while the tires are still cold to get the most accurate readings and adjust the levels accordingly. While making your adjustments be sure to look for any cracks in the sidewall or treads and keep on the lookout for flatspots. Most flatspots can be driven out over time. However, if you find dry-rot or a crack, it’s time to check out 
