Does your Porsche have an iManual?

The site is fairly new and only covers current models. However, there is quite a bit of “ever green” material on it that is pertinent to lots of different model years. We asked Porsche if there were any plans to go back further and they said no. However, it should be kept up to date going forward and the new 911 should come on line in the next few weeks. Take a few minutes and check out the site. You just might learn something!

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Which Porsches are the Most Expensive to Insure?

Insure.com recently commissioned an outside polling company to conduct a survey on average auto insurance rates. Using data from six of the largest carriers (Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, Nationwide, Progressive and State Farm) and across 10 ZIP codes in each statem they put together a list of the least and most expensive cars to insure. Not all models were available, especially some of the more exotic ones.*

Three of the Top Ten Most Expensive Cars to Insure are Porsches

Or are they? Look at the list above. There are some fairly prominent manufacturers missing (at least with regard to sports cars). No Lambos, Ferraris, Aston-Martins, etc. In fact, based on this list, it seems that Porsche might be the least expensive to insure (amongst its peers on this list).

Strangely enough, the Audi R8 Spyder Quattro Convertible tops this list at $3384 annually (more than $700 per year higher then a Porsche Turbo S Cabriolet). I say strangely because the Porsche has an MSRP of $172k vs $160k for the Audi and the Porsche produces 12 more horses at 530 hp vs. 518 for the Audi.

Personally, I think anyone that spends $160k plus on a car isn’t too worried about the cost of insurance…

*Survey Methodology

Averages are based on insurance for a single 40-year-old male who commutes 12 miles to work each day, with policy limits of 100/300/50 ($100,000 for injury liability for one person, $300,000 for all injuries and $50,000 for property damage in an accident) and a $500 deductible on collision and comprehensive coverage. This hypothetical driver has a clean record and good credit. The rate includes uninsured motorist coverage. Average rates are for comparative purposes. Your own rate will depend on personal factors.

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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

• SuncoastParts.com (this is where we buy almost all of our parts and accessories) had a couple of choices including a relatively inexpensive set of rubber floor mats ($92.95) as well as a complete set (front and rear) of fitted and branded heavy duty Porsche floor mats ($189.95).

• 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).

• Lastly, I looked at WeatherTech mats. They offered two choices: 1. The WeatherTech^® all-weather floor mats designed to keep your vehicle floors clean and clear of rain, snow, mud and debris. but may require some cutting (in the rear to get the right fit) ($99.95). And, 2. The DigitalFit^TM FloorLiners^TM 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)

What We Chose and Why

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.

So, after careful consideration I ended up ordering the DigitalFit^TM FloorLiners^TM 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.

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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.

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.

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*Special thanks to Orbit Racing for help with answering this question

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
• Be aware of reduced grip.
• Take corners at lower speeds.
• Brake sooner and longer than on dry surfaces.
• Apex later. (don’t know what “apex” is? check out our Porsche motorsport terminology for more information)
• Look for fresh snow – it provides more grip.
• Avoid icy ruts.
• 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.

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[Picture Source: PelicanParts.com and iedei.wordpress.com]

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.

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

• 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.

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[Images via: Green Porsche in Flooded Garage, Frozen Porsche]

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).

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PorschePurist.com’s Disclosure

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)

Parts Required

No two plugs per cylinder here. Just purchase six pre-gapped plugs from your favorite Porsche parts house and you’re good to go. We purchased our set six of genuine Porsche plugs for $72.00 from Suncoast.

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?

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Porsche Spring Start-up Tips

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.

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For those of you who live in warmer climates, drive a Cayenne, or put snow tires on and drive your Porsche year-round, regardless of the weather, this post probably isn’t for you (but you may want to check out this one on preparing your Porsche to drive through the winter). For the rest of you, do read on as it’s that time of year again and you may be thinking about winterizing your Porsche.

When we first started PorschePurist we focused only on air-cooled Porsches. Not wanting to discriminate we now include water-pumpers of both the front and rear-engined varieties. As usual, if we missed anything in our list, or your process differs, please let us know and we’ll add it in next year.

Winterizing your Porsche: The Short Form

Below this list you’ll find a detailed explanation of each step along with links to places for purchasing certain supplies.

1. Set the date.
2. Wash and clean, inside and out.
3. Gas it up and include a fuel additive like STA-BIL.
4. Fill your tires to the maximum pressure allowed by your tire; or, use a set of tire cradles that are shaped to the tire and help to prevent flat spots without the need to over inflate.
5. For those of you pumping more water than oil through the pipes, be sure the check and top off your anti-freeze.
6. Disconnect the battery or attach a trickle charger.
7. Put the car in gear or park and don’t apply the parking brake.
8. You might consider placing some type of reusable desiccant in the car, like this Peli Desiccant Silica Gel if your garage is not climate controlled. Remember, you will need a number of these as the interior of your Porsche is a large space (we use five of them in the 993). You can easily check them once a month or so and reactivate them per the instructions.
9. Cover it.
10. Call your insurance company and let them know the car is off the road. In most cases you can reduce all your coverages to minimum and remove the liability insurance (in some states this can save you as much as $100 per month).
11. Play racing games, drive simulators and wait for the snow to melt and the salt to get washed away so you can prepare to drive your Porsche again in the Spring.

Preparing your Porsche for Winter Storage

1. Set the date: Living in New England, We’re never sure what the weather is going to be from one minute to the next. As fall gets closer to winter we pay closer and closer attention to the weather. We’re obsessed with keeping our cars clean and rust free (something that’s hard to do with the amount of salt placed on the road during a typical New England winter). So, rather than taking any chances, we watch the weather and make sure to have our cars prepped and ready before the first snow flies.

2. Clean it inside and out: The cleaner the car is when you put it away, the better it will look every time you check in on it. We usually do a complete wash and a put a quick coat of wax on just for that added protection. Don’t forget the wheels. The last thing you want to do is leave brake dust on your rims to sit and eat at the finish for the winter. In fact, if you get the wheels good and clean you might consider putting on some Armor All Wheel Protectant. This stuff works amazing and will make keeping your wheels clean and brake dust free come next driving season.

3. Gas it up: Make sure you have as full a tank as possible. I make it a point to gas up at the station closest to my garage right before I put away my car. With a full tank you help to keep out any unwanted condensation or water build up that can happen when a car sits all winter long.

3a. Use a fuel additive: I like STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer. Read the directions and use the proper amount for your tank size. The key with any fuel additive is to put it in prior to filling the tank and then to make sure you drive for a few miles to get the additive throughout the entire fuel system.

4. Tire Pressure: There’s not need to put your car on jack-stands (which most wouldn’t recommend anyway). Simply put a good amount of tire pressure in each tire. Make sure you don’t over inflate past the manufacturers recommend capacity, but you should go over the recommend driving pressure. In general, tires can lose 1 psi per month under normal conditions and an addition 1 psi per ever 10 degree (Fahrenheit) drop in temp. As a general rule of thumb, I put 50lbs of pressure in each tire. You have to remember to do this when the tires are cold or you won’t get an accurate reading and you may end up with flat spots. There is nothing worse then taking your Porsche out for the first time in the spring and having damaged tires due to flat spots from storage. Properly inflated tires will avoid this.

Another option to consider is to use some type of tire cradle. Basically, this is a shaped piece of plastic or hard foam that “cradles” your tire and will keep them from developing those dreaded flat spots. One such product to consider are Flatstoppers from Brute Industries. (the makers of RaceRamps.)

5. Check and top off the anti-freeze: With the introduction of the Porsche 996, Porsche gave us the first production, water cooled motor in a 911 (don’t forget about the motors in the 924, 944, 928 and 968 series either). Each new Porsche model since has continued this water pumping tradition. Regardless if your Porsche is stored indoors or out (you never know if your indoor space may loose power) it is a good idea to to check and top off all your fluids, paying special attention to your engine coolant/anti-freeze. Once topped off, be sure to run the car for a few minutes to ensure that fluids are properly circulated throughout the engine block. The last thing you want is to come back in the spring and find your beloved Porsche weeping green tears into a puddle around the tires.

6. Battery Maintenance: Some people like to take the battery out of their cars or at least disconnect them. Not us. We like to use some form of Battery Tender to make sure our battery is always fresh and ready to go. It would be a shame to get a nice Spring day, go to start the car and find you have a dead battery (not to mention, it can get expensive replacing your battery every year).

Let’s face it, the electronics in a modern Porsche tend to eat up a battery pretty easily if the car isn’t used frequently. So, either disconnect it or put on some type of Battery Tender. What you definitely want to avoid is starting your Porsche and letting it “warm-up” or run to charge the battery. This simply allows condensation to develop or collect in your motor (you won’t get it hot enough to burn it off) and can possibly cause long-term damage. Don’t believe us? Look in your manual, you will see this is not recommended. A few additional things to remember if you do decide to disconnect the battery: 1. you will need to have your radio code handy in the spring to get your system functioning again. 2. If your Porsche is equipped with an electronic hood latch, be sure not to close the hood all the way. If you do, you will need to jump the switch through the fuse box which is entirely all to annoying when you simply want to drive your baby again. A simple way to avoid this is to place a small piece of foam padding under the latch preventing it from engaging.

7. No Parking Brake: We always just leave our car(s) in gear or in park and left the parking brake off. Different people say different things about this step, but we’ve always felt, why risk it? Why risk having the parking brake freeze or bind over months of storage. We’ve heard others say that long term use of the brake system can stretch the cable and weaken the system. If you are worried about your Porsche going for a drive without you behind the wheel, a simple and inexpensive wheel chock works very well. If you don’t want to spend the money on something application specific, grab a piece of wood from the pile and snug it under a tire. This will work just as well.

8. Keep it dry: Moisture is your enemy during long term storage. The best way to win over the wet is with the use of simple dessicant packs. Personally, I like these Peli Desiccant Silica Gel Packs because they are inexpensive, self contained and more importantly, reusable. Five or six of these should be sufficient for most Porsche applications (you’ll need more for a Cayenne or Panamera). At the end of the season (if you have a lot of moisture you may want to check more frequently) simply place it in the oven until the color changes back indicating dry and you’re ready for the next season.

9. Cover it: Even if your car is in a nice heated garage, securely tucked away with the key hidden, we’ve always thought it a good idea to keep our cars covered. This way, you don’t have to worry about anyone or anything bumping into or crawling on or over you nice paint. We use a thick, padded, custom fitted cover from California Car Covers. If you do use a cover make sure it covers your exhaust pipes. If you don’t use a cover (or yours doesn’t cover the pipes), you might want to think of covering your pipes with something (those big 16 oz keg cups work great. simply insert them into your pipe bottom first). The idea behind this is to keep out any rodents that might want to try and build a nest for the winter. You laugh, but we’ve seen it happen to friends cars and it can be very frustrating and expensive. If you’re looking for a cover and don’t want to spend the money on a custom one, Empire Covers offers the lowest price for car covers of anyone else we’ve seen!

10. Save some money: We know that many of you may not have access to winter storage and as a result, need to rent storage space from a local garage or self-storage area. A great way to help offset the cost of this storage area is to reduce your insurance coverages. Specifically, call your insurance company and let them know you’re taking the car off the road for the season. They should remove all the liability coverage (as you won’t be driving) and reduce your other coverages to the state required minimums. Depending on where you live and the type of coverage you have on your Porsche this could save you anywhere from $50 to $500 a year in insurance costs.

That’s it, you’re Porsche is now ready for a rest and you can begin planning your drives for next spring. Remember, your Porsche will get lonely so be sure to visit often. One of the main reasons we purchased our Porsches was the look of the 911. It’s a work of art that gives us enjoyment every time we see them. So, when we don’t get to drive over the winter, we sneak a peek into the garage at least once a week, just to check in.

Is there anything we missed? Do you have other steps in your winterization process that other readers may benefit from? If so, let us all know by commenting below.

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