NEW 981 BOXSTER OWNERS - PROSPECTIVE PURCHASERS FORUM

[MadMark981]

jredram said:

Hi Guys, newbie here but been following the thread for ages whilst trying to put a spec together. Finally managed it (below) and just wanted to thank you all for the mountains of info, photos,opinions and facts. Special double hat tip to the guy who mentioned that you can change the beam direction for LHD/RHD with PDLS.(Can't find the name/post but I haven't seen it anywhere but here) Especially important for me as I have ordered LHD (intend to spend as much time abroad as here) and I didn't fancy sticking bits of plastic all over those gorgeous lights. Wasn't going to spec PDLS till I saw the post. Result.

Agonised over every option (it becomes a lot easier when you finally give in and admit you are going to spend a lot more than you thought!) and every colour combo (really like GR but was worried about fading in hot climate) so eventually went classic.

Dropped a deposit in March, July build!!! Apparently they only build UK LHD twice a year. Not sure I can contain myself for that long without serious injury.

Boxster S
Black convertible top
GT Silver Metallic
Black leather interior
Deletion of model designation
Roll-over bar with exterior colour paint finish Wind deflector
Bi-Xenon lighting system with Dynamic Light System (PDLS)
ParkAssist rear
Automatically dimming interior and exterior mirrors with integrated rain sensor Aluminium Look fuel cap Exclusive
Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) incl. mechanically locking rear differential Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK)
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM)
Sports exhaust system (incl. sports tailpipe)
Exclusive
20-inch SportTechno wheel Exclusive Wheels painted in black (partially) Exclusive
Seat heating
Seat ventilation
Smoking package
Floor mats
PCM package painted Exclusive
Sports seats, electrical (14-way) with memory package
White instrument dials Exclusive
Silver-Grey seat belts Exclusive
Centre console trim painted Exclusive
SportDesign steering wheel
Key pouch leather Exclusive
Aluminium brushed interior package (with leather interior/with PDK) Exclusive
Sound Package Plus
Porsche Communication Management (PCM) including navigation module with universal audio interface

Afraid you will have to wait for the photos. Thanks again

Congrats on the order - the only thing is that I'm surprised you didn't spec the Sports "Plus" seats when they're only an extra £350 (or so) on top of the electric seats you already have. Wiith such a comprehensive spec, this ssems like a glaring ommission to me! Just my 2p....

I ordered mine at the end of February and I'm about to take delivery (at 9am tomorrow) - so I fully understand the feeling of anticipation ....

[jredram]

MadMark981 said:

Congrats on the order - the only thing is that I'm surprised you didn't spec the Sports "Plus" seats when they're only an extra £350 (or so) on top of the electric seats you already have. Wiith such a comprehensive spec, this ssems like a glaring ommission to me! Just my 2p....

I ordered mine at the end of February and I'm about to take delivery (at 9am tomorrow) - so I fully understand the feeling of anticipation ....

Hi Madmark,

You probably won't be reading this for a while, too busy racking up the miles. Let us know how it went.

You must have a different configarator to me, mine comes up as a £688 difference and you have to draw the line somewhere though they would have been nice. Depending on the answer to the question below they may be on the horizon!!

One thing does concern me and hope someone on here may be able to help. Seen a post on here from tonyj74 at the end of last year re PSE on a PDK S. Tony seems to think that there is a nasty droning sound when cruising between 3-4000 rpm whether the PSE is on or not, a sound that is not evident on a manual with PSE. It was so bad he had the PSE changed for a standard exhaust. I have only tried the PSE on a manual and specced it on my PDK so I am a bit concerned that, like Tony, it will be unpleasant when in cruising mode. Waiting for my OPC to find me a PSE PDK to try but have any of you had a similar experience? Feedback appreciated before lockdown.

[stevod]

jredram said:

One thing does concern me and hope someone on here may be able to help. Seen a post on here from tonyj74 at the end of last year re PSE on a PDK S. Tony seems to think that there is a nasty droning sound when cruising between 3-4000 rpm whether the PSE is on or not, a sound that is not evident on a manual with PSE. It was so bad he had the PSE changed for a standard exhaust. I have only tried the PSE on a manual and specced it on my PDK so I am a bit concerned that, like Tony, it will be unpleasant when in cruising mode. Waiting for my OPC to find me a PSE PDK to try but have any of you had a similar experience? Feedback appreciated before lockdown.

I didn't find it droned, more like boomed under gentle power at around 1800-2100rpm, which was 70mph ish in 7th. Whether this bothers you will probably only depend on how much time you spend doing motorway runs. I've never used 4000rpm as a cruising speed in this country!

Hope this helps.

S

[breadvan]

What Steve said.

To have the noise when you do want it far outweighs the noise when you don't.

[monamimate]

stevod said:

jredram said:

One thing does concern me and hope someone on here may be able to help. Seen a post on here from tonyj74 at the end of last year re PSE on a PDK S. Tony seems to think that there is a nasty droning sound when cruising between 3-4000 rpm whether the PSE is on or not, a sound that is not evident on a manual with PSE. It was so bad he had the PSE changed for a standard exhaust. I have only tried the PSE on a manual and specced it on my PDK so I am a bit concerned that, like Tony, it will be unpleasant when in cruising mode. Waiting for my OPC to find me a PSE PDK to try but have any of you had a similar experience? Feedback appreciated before lockdown.

I didn't find it droned, more like boomed under gentle power at around 1800-2100rpm, which was 70mph ish in 7th. Whether this bothers you will probably only depend on how much time you spend doing motorway runs. I've never used 4000rpm as a cruising speed in this country!

Hope this helps.

S

I have a manual so can't comment on PDK drone, but as said here above, the sound of PSE with Sport mode also activated is just sublime - hope tonyj74's issue was an isolated one, 'cos PSE is definitely worth ticking.

[jredram]

stevod said:

I didn't find it droned, more like boomed under gentle power at around 1800-2100rpm, which was 70mph ish in 7th. Whether this bothers you will probably only depend on how much time you spend doing motorway runs. I've never used 4000rpm as a cruising speed in this country!

Hope this helps.

S

Thanks stevod and well done for spotting the deliberate mistake- I meant to say 2-3000rpm Car is intended as primary means of transport to anywhere warm, usually southern France/Spain so some motorway miles are unavoidable. If, as you say, the boominess is limited to 1800-2100rpm I suppose the answer is to travel a bit faster or slower!
Anybody tried any of the aftermarket exhausts? Seems to be any amount of them in the good ol' US of A but a distinct lack over here.

[Ed50]

Hello all,

Just returned from a weeks touring or should I say fly collecting in Scotland and need a bit of advise prior to speaking with OP.

Well my 981s returned a pretty impressive 35mpg whilst covering our 1800 mile round trip which is the up side but on a down note can anyone
assist on my concerns.

1. Luckily the weather was good so we had the roof down 90% of the time but was alarmed by the odd mechanical noises coming from the engine area.
When I say noises, which are indeed difficult to describe but almost like a Magpie cackling or something mechanical actuating.These noises were consistent
and appeared to be evident from both sides of the vehicle and really quite loud.

2. When we took delivery of the car it had a damaged gearbox oil seal which made a complete mess of my garage floor from the leak.This was fixed by OP but with
that in mind I now wonder if this is a continuation of an on going gearbox fault as the vehicle at times was tricky to put in to gear from the PDK's position P often
feeling stiff and difficult to engage accompanied with a clack.

3. Also at times the drive appeared a little jumpy when setting off from cold and would soon be accompanied with the clacks and cackles even at low speeds and whilst
not under any pressure of heavy inclines.We also felt and could smell that the vehicle appeared to be very hot although the vehicle gauges only showed normal readings.

Well to keep this short I think I read somewhere that owners could be expected to here mechanical noises from their cars which is ok,but if that is the case I think its a bit
OTT in mine as its spoiling the drive as it is so distracting and leaves you wondering whats fell off or whats about to fail.

Finally and to take the biscuit it has started messaging up a yellow gearbox warning which requests the vehicle to be put back into P,well I've checked the book and that signal
has I believe 4 entries so I guess its off to the OP.

In a nut shell anyone else had this or can anyone confirm their P&J is this noisy or performing in this manner,any advise please.

Thanks Ed.

[monamimate]

Ed50 said:

Hello all,

In a nut shell anyone else had this or can anyone confirm their P&J is this noisy or performing in this manner,any advise please.

Thanks Ed.

Hmm, some of this is familiar, but mostly not.
I can't report any disturbing clacks and clicks, but have noticed some occasional light hesitation on part throttle when cold, nothing dramatic though.
The car will still produce smells when hot (but does not feel hot as you describe).
That's about it (but pls note mine's a manual, not PDK, as you refer to PDK problems specifically)

[Ed50]

Bump.......surely some one knows something even on a bank holiday ?.

[Globs]

If I'd spent that much money on a car Ed I'd be demanding a new gearbox.

Or a new car.

[Nano2nd]

Haven't noticed any of that on mine Ed, is yours a 2.7? I can't get no where near 35MPG! Only think I've noticed on mine is sometimes the change down from 3rd to second can be a bit jerky when your coasting up to a roundabout for example, also once it did make a discernible clack one the change, but only once.... I've used it every day and done just over 3400 miles on the 2 months I've had it

[Ed50]

Hi Pete,

Mines a 3.4 so I'm really pleased with my return and before Lumpy arrives on the scene I really haven't been driving like Miss Daisy honestly.

More to the point I'm getting really nervous about these noises and messages that are inconsistently getting flashed up so I'll be on to Martin
in the morning with my latest tale of woe .

What with starting off with the oil leakage problem and now this I must admit to be getting a little bit deflated with the whole thing and I'm
beginning to wonder whether its worth the garage room sadly .

Washed it today to remove my extensive Highland fly collection only to reveal a fine collection of stone chips just to put the top hat on it .

[MadMark981]

jredram said:

MadMark981 said:

Congrats on the order - the only thing is that I'm surprised you didn't spec the Sports "Plus" seats when they're only an extra £350 (or so) on top of the electric seats you already have. Wiith such a comprehensive spec, this ssems like a glaring ommission to me! Just my 2p....

I ordered mine at the end of February and I'm about to take delivery (at 9am tomorrow) - so I fully understand the feeling of anticipation ....

Hi Madmark,

You probably won't be reading this for a while, too busy racking up the miles. Let us know how it went.

You must have a different configarator to me, mine comes up as a £688 difference and you have to draw the line somewhere though they would have been nice. Depending on the answer to the question below they may be on the horizon!!

One thing does concern me and hope someone on here may be able to help. Seen a post on here from tonyj74 at the end of last year re PSE on a PDK S. Tony seems to think that there is a nasty droning sound when cruising between 3-4000 rpm whether the PSE is on or not, a sound that is not evident on a manual with PSE. It was so bad he had the PSE changed for a standard exhaust. I have only tried the PSE on a manual and specced it on my PDK so I am a bit concerned that, like Tony, it will be unpleasant when in cruising mode. Waiting for my OPC to find me a PSE PDK to try but have any of you had a similar experience? Feedback appreciated before lockdown.

Hi jredram,

I failed miserably to rack up the miles (only done 200 so far) as the weather was atrocious when I picked the car up on Friday (when I had the whole day off to drive it)! I then spent most of Saturday giving her a "proper" clean and some hard wax (6 hours, but a much better shine and a more intense colour reflection). Then I was on a three line whip to go and do a long walk plus BBQ with the better half on Sunday, plus needed to do some serious tidying up in the garden on Monday (after a quick early morning whizz in the sunshine)! Got up this morning, took one look at the weather and decided to take the dirty diesel rather than drown my new P&J!
- However, I can report that it's magnificent! A much better noise than my 987.1 (much more guttural, more exhaust rasp and much more induction noise - but with slightly less of the high frequency "zing" of the earlier car - well at least below 4,000 rpm); it also feels much more responsive to the throttle than the 987 – and faster – even though it’s still running in. The balance of the car takes some experience to believe, the turn in is stunning; so far I’ve not been able to get it to understeer in the dry and you can feel the PTV working to “tip you in”. Even coming from a 997 GT3 on Cups, the sheer level of cornering grip available is extremely impressive! The brakes are superb and confidence inspiring – none of the “squish” of the demonstrator, a mere brush of the pedal produces hard deceleration. Yes the steering still lacks the level of feedback I had in my previous Porsches, but it’s much more precise. The manual gearbox is exactly as billed, light, slick and with a quiet mechanical “clack” as you swiftly move between gears. Lovely! So far, so good, everything works beautifully and I love being able to drop / raise the roof from the remote …. Happy days!

Ah - right - I was looking at the cost difference between the non-electric / manual base seats compared to the plus seats on the full leather interior I specified - which is approx. £360. I can see that for the adaptive - it's even more! However, I've had a few people to take for a spin this weekend and everyone without exception said how fabulously comfortable and supportive the seats were!

I've tried the PSE on both a PDK and a manual car and I can confirm that with the roof up - there is slightly more of a drone - but only with the roof up and it's quite rev dependent - generally below 2,500 rpm. If you have 20" wheels - the tyres make quite a racket on motorways anyway (although the Bridgestone S001's my car has seem better than the Pirelli PZero's that were on the demonstrator I tried); but in my view it's worth opting for - the howl under full acceleration and the fireworks on the overrun are delicious ..... not to mention the thunder when you start it up from cold in a car park! However, it's worth comparing them because I think because the PDK spends more time at lower revs when in full auto (although in the demonstrator I used manual mode a lot and stayed over 4,500 rpm whenever possible - so it was only even noticeable on motorways).

Happy playing! MM

Edited by MadMark981 on Tuesday 28th May 21:51

[lumpystew]

Ed50 said:

Hi Pete,

Mines a 3.4 so I'm really pleased with my return and before Lumpy arrives on the scene I really haven't been driving like Miss Daisy honestly.

More to the point I'm getting really nervous about these noises and messages that are inconsistently getting flashed up so I'll be on to Martin
in the morning with my latest tale of woe .

What with starting off with the oil leakage problem and now this I must admit to be getting a little bit deflated with the whole thing and I'm
beginning to wonder whether its worth the garage room sadly .

Washed it today to remove my extensive Highland fly collection only to reveal a fine collection of stone chips just to put the top hat on it .

Hi Ed,

I'm here. lol

I think a stern word in the OPC's ear is needed.

Took mine down to Monaco for the GP at the weekend and can honestly say fuel consumption is incredible on the long motorway runs and the car did everything I needed it to do.

Loads of luggage space - Great fuel consumption - Sounded amazing in the tunnels - Down shifting whilst speeding down the Avenue d'ostende got everybodys attention - And not to mention being bowed down to by an R8 and a Gumball Aventador on the French roads was something else (Mind you I was getting up to 175mph on some parts when the mood took me).

Still love the car - It may be (dont speak too soon) that I have got a good one as you have not had the best start with yours.

Give the OPC a round of tablets and get them to sort it out pronto.

[Ed50]

Yo Lumpy,

Have had a word with OPC and I'm taking it in next Wednesday,just hope its a nice morning so I can go out with a Tech to confirm my concerns rather than leave it
with them to be run roof up on test when the accompaniment of clanks and clacks are less audible.

Pleased yours is running well and that you to have enjoyed a healthy mpg on your road trip,obviously its not only me thats driving like Miss Daisy then.......unless its
just Pete with a very heavy right boot.

I was so pleased with my overall 34.8 return over my 1800 miles Highland Hoon which obviously included 700 miles of motorway driving to get up there and back.
Christ, nearly overtook a Eddie Lorry at one stage

[MadMark981]

God miles must really loosen these cars! My car really must be very tight (250 miles so far) as I haven't been beyond 4,000rpm and yet 28mpg is the best I've seen - even on the motorway!

[Ed50]

A few Highland shots with apologies for my lack of cropping ability to get to 2mb.







Spied this little red beauty in Portree on the Isle of Skye........nice.

[Ed50]

What size boot are you wearing Mark?,clearly a good long run helps but even scuttling about locally i've been returning 31/33mpg.

[Ozzie Osmond]

To get mine over 30 mpg on anything other than a steady motorway cruise you'd have to be driving like a nun!!

On the basis of 6 months driving it looks as though an overall average in the high 20s is on the cards - and I don't do a lot of city driving.

[Advan]

On the motorway if i am gentle i can just about get to 30mpg.
Have averaged 27mpg overall but that includes a couple of long runs to Cornwall ,on normal non motorway runs i am only getting 23 / 24 max .
On the mechanical noise issue i have not heard anything like that with the top down. Doesn't sound normal to me .