Published in the September 2013 issue of “Die Porsche Kassette”

I thought I’d put together a quick “top 10” but it hasn’t been quick at all. This has taken serious thinking, to put them in order and to pick the top 10.

No. 10

Don’t drive on worn tires

Make sure you regularly inspect your tires, and especially look at the inside edge which, because of the negative camber in our cars, tends to wear quicker.

Worn tires can be very dangerous especially when wet since they loose their capability of pumping out water and can easily hydroplane and lose adhesion to the road.

No. 9

Don’t drive with the wrong psi

It’s almost as bad as driving on worn tires. Make sure to check the tires’ pressure often and adjust accordingly. On new cars there’s a warning light to remind you, but on older cars you need to make it a habit.

The correct psi should be shown on a sticker inside one of the door frames.

No. 8

Don’t try to $ave using cheap gasoline

By using a lower and cheaper grade

of gasoline than the one recommended

by Porsche, you may think you’re saving

money, but in the long run the car will

consume more gallons per miles driven,

throwing your “savings” out the window.

The recommended gasoline grade is specified in your owner’s manual and/or next to the gas cap.

No. 7

Don’t put oil in your coolant

It’s very easy to mistake (if you’re color blind) the coolant cap and the oil cap especially in a Boxster or Cayman where they are side-by side.

The oil cap is always yellow and the coolant is blue.

People who remove both caps at once could easily make the mistake.

If you do mistakenly put oil in your coolant, the whole system needs to be flushed and replenished with new coolant.

No. 6

Don’t put coolant in your oil

I know at least of half a dozen cases in the last couple of years where someone has put coolant in the oil or vice-versa.

If coolant is mixed with the oil by mistake, the oil needs to be drained, filled with fresh oil, run for a few minutes and drained/filled again.

No. 5

Don’t go over 5,000 mi. without an oil & filter change

The new synthetic oils can certainly go well over 5,000 miles without breaking down, but the only (cheap) way of “looking” inside your engine is by inspecting your oil filter and carefully looking to see if there are any metal particles embedded in the filter’s paper folds. At our shop we always cut and spread out each and every oil filter element that we replace and then we carefully inspect it under a strong light source, with a magnifying glass and a magnet. A small amount of aluminum particles are normal and come from regular use. What you don’t want to see are shards, strands or large chips or any ferrous particle (attracted by the magnet) which are indications of unhealthy wear.

No. 4

Don’t go over 2 years without a brake flush

Because brake fluid is very hygroscopic (water absorbing) it will pull in water molecules from the air, through the brake lines and into the brake fluid.

As we all know, liquids are very hard to compress and that’s why brake fluid is a liquid. But when water mixes in as soon as the fluid’s temperature reaches 212 ºF the water boils and becomes water vapor which is now a gas and is easily compressible. When this happens your brakes become mushy and the pedal fells like it wants to go down to the floorboard.

No. 3

Don’t go over the recommended service mileage

Porsche recommends specific service intervals for each particular car. Make sure you know your car’s service intervals and stick to them.

The services performed at each interval makes sure that your car runs in optimal condition and therefore saves you money in the long run.

No. 2

Don’t overlook an “idiot” light

First, make sure that they are all working by testing them regularly. If one of them is not working then when it needs to warn you of that issue you won’t know.

To test the “idiot” lights switch on the ignition and look at the dash lights.

They should all momentarily light up. If some don’t their bulbs may be burnt.

No. 1

Don’t overlook your IMS

If you have a "wasserboxer" (water-

cooled flat-6) from 1997 through 2008* you could have an issue with your IMS (intermediate shaft) bearing.

The good news is that there now is a final fix for the IMS bearing malady. It's called the TechnoFix DOF.

(*) except Turbos and GT3s.

If you follow this list of 10 don’ts you and your car will be happy for a very long time.

To learn more about all of these technical topics and more, please visit my website at: wwwPedrosGarage.com.

Happy Porsche’ing,