DIY Maintenance and Modification

Technical Forum for the Porsche Macan
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Guy
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Post by Guy »

Having spent a bit of time on the US Macan forum recently, I notice that a significant proportion of their forum members seem far more prepared to carry out DIY maintenance and modification than us Brits. They have entire threads/topics devoted to both modification and maintenance.

Given that the Macan was only released in 2014, the majority of subject Macans must be under warranty, but those in the US seem to be much more prepared to do work themselves, often will the full knowledge of their OPC. US forum members have purchased spares and occasionally even sought advice from Porsche dealers/technicians.

Some of the US forum stuff that I have seen discussed from a DIY perspective include:

- Engine performance upgrades (far beyond the ‘power chips’ that are occasionally mentioned here!)
- Suspension modifications.
- New sound systems – complete new systems of amps, speakers and subs
- PCM modifications including CarPlay retrofit and screen mirroring through ‘video in’ adaptors
- Retrofit of Porsche options such as smokers pack, tow-bar or comfort/LED lighting
- Hardwired dashcams
- Hardwired radar detectors (allegedly ;) )
- Routine maintenance from oil/filter changes through to brake pads/discs.

Avid readers of this forum will also remember one of our Australian colleagues who thought little of removing all the doors from his Macan to retrofit running boards – although to be fair remoteness from the nearest dealer was a factor here!

Meanwhile, back here on MacanForums.co.uk we seem to be limited to replacing wiper blades and (for the very ambitious) topping up AdBlue! Changing headlight bulbs is viewed as a ‘no-no’ by many UK forum members, and even something as benign as painting brake callipers is looked upon with horror – even when getting an expert to carry out the work.

Some consumables are easy to replace – cabin/engine air filters, oil/filter etc – so why don’t we give it a go? There’s no reason why you can’t use Porsche genuine parts, or approved oils. In the same way that ‘taking your own engine oil’ to a service should reduce its cost (as recently discussed), there’s no reason why you can’t turn up have already replaced air filters etc.

I am looking forward to carrying out some of the less ambitious non-safety-related work or repairs, but probably only once my car is out of warranty. Guides are available (YouTube, the US Forum etc) for most things, and there is only a limited requirement for specialist tools or test gear/diagnostics.

Are most members (like me) worried about warranty implications, or simply happy to pay ‘through the nose’ for routine maintenance for the short period of their ownership, leaving DIY to the second and subsequent owners. Thoughts?

happy days
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Post by happy days »

Would you buy a used Porsche without a full Porsche service history book full of stamps?
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Guy
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Post by Guy »

^ No, but I'm not in the market for a used Porsche, and not looking to sell mine for many years!

(However, my post was more to discuss the trans-Atlantic 'differences of approach', rather than to defend what I may chose to do with my car! :D )
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ScotMac
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Post by ScotMac »

I actually would prefer to do some of my own maintenance. There are always stories of garages not changing oil or filters, but still charging the customer.

If I changed filters etc. I am not limited by time and could clean things and lubricate things that a garage has not got time to do. If it takes me all day to do an oil change then no big deal.

If I get charged £400 ish for an oil change then I probably will look at doing it myself.
CharlesElliott
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Post by CharlesElliott »

I can / would / will do maintenance myself, replacing pads and disks, hardwiring speed camera alerts etc. Replaced a lower control arm on my Boxster. I buy genuine Porsche parts but prefer to do the job myself so I know exactly what is being done.
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ScotMac
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Post by ScotMac »

With everything, I am happy to pay if I can get someone to do a "good job". Unfortunately most companies and people are only interested in getting the money and getting the job done as quickly as possible. Porsche seem fine so far :?
Andy352
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Post by Andy352 »

I'm the same, quite happy to do oil changes, routine maintenance etc myself. A lot of talk on here about voiding warranties but I find some of them hard to believe. Porsche oil filter comes in a Porsche box but is exactly the same Mahle filter inside the box as used by a variety of VW engines. Porsche filter £22, Mahle filter about £6. I also have read on here that "if you can afford 60 or 70 thousand to buy a car then you should buy Porsche spares" that's certainly not my thinking.
Guy, I love reading some of the modifications that our friends over the pond do, quite a lot that I wouldn't like to attempt.
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Paul
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Post by Paul »

The main difference is the (relative) unwillingness of UK customers to start any form of litigation. Here in the UK the dealership (and not Porsche) decides what is or isn’t covered under warranty in the first instance. Because the dealership will suffer an annual audit on any warranty work carried out (and have a debit-back applied for any claim deemed inapropriate) they will always err on the side of caution.
As has so often been pointed out on here, there is no way fitting a hard wired dash-camera, for example, would have any bearing on a trasfer box failure. Despite this logic, dealerships may use this as an excuse not to carry out the warranty work (and annecdotes from various people reinforce thus,) whereas in the US, I imagine customers may be more forceful in their interaction.
It may also have a bit to do with the population of this forum who, in the main, are full time working professional (or retired same) with little or no interest / time / competence to start tinkering around on a Sunday pm!
Exceptions to the above are of course there (as CharlesElliot points out👍)
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Guy
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Post by Guy »

Interesting post from Paul above pointing out the cultural (and perceived legal) issues. So perhaps us DIY enthusiasts need to be prepared to be a bit more American in our approach! ;)

But it's good to see people with a similar view to myself, and perhaps over time this forum will evolve to include more technical and maintenance hints, particularly as the car gets older (and out of warranty, of course).

Anyway, my OBDII EM327 wifi interface arrived in the post yesterday so I'm off to the garage to have a play ... with my Mk4 VW Golf ;)
happy days
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Post by happy days »

I replaced pads discs and sensors on my 986 (just because I could and Porsche are 50 miles away) but towards the end I had it serviced at a local independent specialist. FSH is important for resale.
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