2003 PORSCHE 911 CARRERA ESP

Unleadedfuelsmaynotbeavailableoutsidethe
continentalU.S.andCanada.Therefore,werec-
ommendyoudonottakeyourcartoareasor
countrieswhereunleadedfuelmaynotbeavail-
able.

Octaneratings

Octaneratingindicatesafuel'sabilitytoresist
detonation.Therefore,buyingthecorrectoctane
gasisimportanttopreventengine"damage".
TheRONoctaneratingisbasedontheresearch
method.TheCLC(U.S.CostofLivingCouncil
octanerating)orAKI(antiknockindex)octane
ratingusuallydisplayedonU.S.fuelpumpsis
calculatedasresearchoctanenumberplus
motoroctanenumber,dividedby2,thatiswrit-
tenas:
RON+MON
2
orR+M
2
TheCLCorAKIoctaneratingisusuallylower
thantheRONrating:
Forexample:95RONequals90CLCorAKI
178Maintenance,CarCare
Fuels
containing
alcohol
andether

SomeareasoftheU.S.requireoxygenated
fuelsduringcertainportionsoftheyear.Oxyge-
natedfuelsarefuelswhichcontainalcohols
(suchasmethanolorethanol)orether(suchas
MTBE).
Undernormalconditions,theamountofthese
compoundsinthefuelwillnotaffectdriveability.
YoumayuseoxygenatedfuelsinyourPorsche,
providedtheoctanerequirementsforyourve-
hiclearemet.Werecommend,however,to
changetoadifferentfuelorstationifanyofthe
followingproblemsoccurwithyourvehicle:
-Deteriorationofdriveabilityandperformance.
-Substantiallyreducedfueleconomy.
-Vaporlockandnon-startproblems,especially
athighaltitudeorathightemperature.
-Enginemalfunctionorstalling.
Fuels
containing
MMT
SomeNorthAmericanfuelscontainanoctane
enhancingadditivecalledmethylcyclopentadienyl
manganesetricarbonyl(MMT).
Ifsuchfuelsareused,youremissioncontrol
systemperformancemaybenegativelyaffected.
Thecheckenginewarninglightonyourinstru-
mentpanelmayturnon.
Ifthisoccurs,Porscherecommendsyoustop
usingfuelscontainingMMT.
PortableFuelContainers

A
Danger!
Portablefuelcontainers,fullorpartially
empty,mayleakcausinganexplosion,or
resultinfireincaseofanaccident.

t>Nevercarryadditionalfuelinportablecon-
tainersinyourvehicle.

EmissionControl
System
Intheinterestofclean
air
Pollutionofourenvironmenthasbecomeaprob-
lemthatisofincreasingconcerntoallofus.We
urgeyoutojoinusinoureffortsforcleanerair
incontrollingthepollutantsemittedfromthe
automobile.
Porschehasdevelopedanemissioncontrolsys-
temthatcontrolsorreducesthosepartsofthe
emissionthatcanbeharmfultoourenviron-
ment.YourPorscheisequippedwithsuchasys-
tem.
PorschewarrantstheEmissionControlSystem
inyournewcarunderthetermsandconditions
setforthintheWarrantyBooklet.
You,astheownerofthevehicle,havethe
responsibilitytoprovideregularmaintenance
serviceforthevehicleandtokeeparecordof
allmaintenanceworkperformed.Tofacilitate
recordkeeping,havetheserviceperformedby
authorizedPorschedealers.TheyhavePorsche
trainedtechniciansandspecialtoolstoprovide
fastandefficientservice.

Toassure
efficientoperationofthe
EmissionControlSystem:
I>Haveyourvehiclemaintainedproperlyandin
accordancewiththerecommendationsde-
scribedinyourMaintenanceBooklet.
Lackofpropermaintenance,aswellasim-
properuseofthevehicle,willimpairthefunc-
tionoftheemissioncontrolsystemandcould
leadtodamage.
I>Donotalterorremoveanycomponentofthe
emissioncontrolsystem.
I>Donotalterorremoveanydevice,suchas
heatshields,switches,ignitionwires,valves,
etc.,whicharedesignedtoprotectyourvehi-
cle'semissioncontrolsystem.
Inadditiontoseriousenginedamage,thiscan
resultinafireifexcessrawfuelreachesthe
exhaustsystem.
I>Donotcontinuetooperateyourvehicleifyou
detectenginemisfireorotherunusualopera-
tingconditions.
Parking

/!\Warning!
Dangeroffire.

I>Donotparkoroperatethevehicleinareas
wherethehotexhaustsystemmaycomein
contactwithdrygrass,brush,fuelspillor
otherflammablematerial.
I>Ifyourcarcatchesonfireforanyreason,call
thefiredepartment.
Donotendangeryourlifebyattemptingto
putoutthefire.
Undercoating

/!\Warning!
Dangeroffireandseriouspersonalin-
juries.

I>Donotapplyadditionalundercoatingorrust-
proofingonorneartheexhaustmanifold,ex-
haustpipes,catalyticconvertersorheat
shields.Duringdrivingthesubstanceusedfor
undercoatingcouldoverheatandignite.
I>I>I>
Maintenance,CarCare
179

CarCareInstructions
Followtheinstructionsinthe"Cautions.
chapter.
Regularandcorrectcarehelpstomaintain
thevalueofyourcarandisalsoaprecon-
ditionfortheNewVehicleWarrantyandthe
AntiCorrosionWarranty.
YourauthorizedPorschedealerhasspe-
ciallydevelopedcar-careproductsfromthe
Porscheprogramavailableeithersinglyor
ascompletecar-caresets.Theywillbe
pleasedtohelpyouselectsuitablepro-
ducts.
WhetheryouusePorscheproductsorother
commerciallyavailablecleaningagentsfirst
makesureoftheircorrectapplication.
APorschethatiswell-caredforcanlooklike
newforyears.Italldependsontheamountof
caretheowneriswillingtogivethecar.
A.Warning!
Riskofseriouspersonalinjuryordamage
tothevehicleorproperty.
Cleaningagentsmaybehazardoustoyour
health.
Mostchemicalcleanersareconcentrates
whichrequiredilution.Highconcentrations
mightcauseproblemsrangingfromirrita-
tiontoseriousinjuryaswellasdamageto
yourvehicle.
I>Keepcleaningagentsoutofreachfromchild-
ren.
I>Observeallcautionlabels.
I>Alwaysreaddirectionsonthecontainerbe-
foreusinganyproduct.Thesedirectionsmay
containinformationnecessarytoavoidper-
sonalinjury.
I>Donotusefuel,kerosene,naphtha,nailpolish
removerorothervolatilecleaningfluids.They
maybetoxic,flammableorhazardousin
otherways.Onlyusespotremovingfluidsina
wellventedarea.
I>Donotcleantheundersideofchassis,fen-
ders,wheelcovers,etc.,withoutprotecting
yourhandsandarmsasyoumaycutyour-
selfonsharp-edgedmetalparts.
Moistureandroadsaltonbrakesmayaffect
brakingefficiency.
I>Testthebrakesaftereachvehiclewashing.
I>I>I>
Maintenance,CarCare
185

Washing
Thebestmethodofprotectingyourcarfrom
thedamagingeffectsoftheenvironmentisfre-
quentwashingandtheapplicationofapreserv-
ative.Theundersideofyourvehicleshouldalso
bewashedthoroughly,atthelatestwhensaltis
nolongerspreadontheroads.
Thelongersalt,roaddustandindustrialdust,
deadinsects,birddroppingsorsubstancesfrom
trees(resin,pollen)areallowedtoremainonthe
bodywork,themoreseriousistheirharmfulef-
fect.
Newcarsshouldbewashedcarefullywithplenty
ofclearwatertoprotectthenewpaintwork.
Darkpaintfinishesshowupthesmallestofsur-
facedamage(e.g.,scratches)morereadilythan
lightercolors.
Darkcolorsarealsomoresusceptibleto
scratchingbecauseofthecompositionoftheir
pigmentsandrequireparticularlycarefulpaint
care.
[>
Donotwashyourcarinbrightsunlightor
whilethebodyworkisstillhot.
[>Whenwashingbyhand,useabundantwater,
asoftspongeorwashbrush,andPorsche
carshampoo.
[>Beginbysprayingthebodythoroughlywith
watertorinseawayloosedirt.
186Maintenance,CarCare
[>
Afterwashing,rinsethecarwithplentyof
waterandthendrywithachamoisleather.
Donotusethesamechamoisleatherfor
dryingasyouuseforcleaningthewindshield
andwindows.
/!\.Warning!
Moisturewhichgetsontothebrakesduring
acarwashcanreducebrakingefficiencyor
makethebrakespullunevenlywhichcould
increasethedangerofanaccident,causing
seriouspersonalinjuriesordeath.
[>Alwaysapplythebrakesafewtimesafter
washingthecartotestbrakingefficiencyand
drythebrakediscs.
Whendoingthis,takecarenottohamper
otherroadusersbehindyou(trafficconditions
permitting).

Automatic
carwashes
Optionaladd-onpartsorpartswhichproject
beyondthecontoursofthevehiclemaybe
damagedbydesignfeatures(e.g.brushes)of
automaticcarwashes.
Thefollowing
parts
areparticularlysuscep-
tibletodamage:
-Windshieldwipers(alwaysswitchthemoffto
preventthemwipingunintentionallyinintermit-
tentorsensoroperation)
-Externaltelephoneantennas(alwaysunscrew)
-RoofTransportSystem(alwaysremovecom-
pletely)
-Fixedrearspoilerorextendedrearspoiler
-Wheels(thewidertherimandthelowerthe
tireheight,thegreatertheriskofdamage)
-High-glosswheels(topreventthesefromget-
tingscratched,donotcleanwiththewheel-
cleaningbrushesofthecarwash).
[>
Pleaseconsulttheoperatorbeforeusingauto-
maticcarwashes.
[>Washanddrybyhandallpointsnotreached
byacarwash,suchasdoorandlidseamsor
doorsills.
Note
Automaticcarwashesspraywateratodd
anglesandhighpressures,whicharenotseen
innormaldriving.Therefore,watercansome-
timesfinditswayintothepassengerscompart-
mentduringorshortlyafterthecarwash.

Convertibletop
I>Neverremovesnowandiceusingasharp
edgedobject.
Incorrectcareandtreatmentcandamagethe
convertibletopandcauseleaks.Anyrepairwork
canbedonebyyourauthorizedPorschedealer.

Importantnote
Nofoldingtopis100%leakproof.

Duetotheconstantchangingofloadsand
strainstowhichacarissubjecttowhendriving
onroads,minorwindnoiseandseepageat
jointsbetweenthetop,bodyanddoorsoncon-
vertibletopscannotbecompletelysealedincer-
tainareas.Thereforesmallleaksareconsidered
normalforthesemodels.Inaddition,yourcon-
vertibletopshouldnotbewashedinacarwash.
Thetopmayexperiencedamagebythebrushes
ormayexperienceleaksduetothehighpress-
urewaterstreamsdirectedinareaswhichwould
notencounterwaterinnormaldrivingconditions.
Cleaning
Donotwashtheconvertibletopeachtimethe
cariswashed.
Itisusuallysufficienttosprayorwashitwith
cleanwater.
I>Brushdustofftheconvertibletopinthedirec-
tionoftheweaveusingasoftbrush.
I>Onlyifthereisheavydirt,wettheconvertible
topwithlukewarmwaterandthePorsche
Wash-Shampoo&convertible-topcleaner,
usingaspongeorsoftbrush,andrubgently.
RinseWash-Shampoo&convertible-top
cleanerthoroughlyofftheconvertibletopwith
cleanwater.
I>Afterwashingit,treattheconvertible-top
coveratleastonceayearwiththespecial
Porscheconvertible-topcareproduct.
Donotallowtheconvertible-topcareproduct
tocomeintocontactwithpaintorwindows.If
itdoes,removeimmediately.
I>Ifthereisleakageintheconvertible-topcover
oratitsseamsorfolds,thespecialPorsche
convertible-topcareproductcanbeused.
I>Pleasenotetheinformationonthecontainer.
I>Removebirddroppingsimmediatelysincethe
acidinthemwillmaketherubberswelland
theconvertibletopwillbecomeleaky.
I>Openconvertibletoponlywhenitiscom-
pletelydry,otherwisedampstainsandscrub
marksmayoccurwhichcannotberemoved.
I>Trytoremovespotsfromtheconvertible-top
coverbyrubbingcarefullywithasoftrubber
sponge.
Doorlocks
I>Topreventthedoorlocksfromfreezingdur-
ingthecoldseason,thelockcylindersshould
becoveredduringawash.
I>Shouldthelocksfreeze,useanordinaryde-
icer.Inmanycases,awellwarmedkeycan
help.
Neveruseexcessiveforce.
I>I>I>
Maintenance,CarCare
187

Enginecompartment
Theenginecompartmentandthesurfaceofthe
enginearetreatedwithacorrosion-inhibitorat
thefactory.
Ifdegreasingsolventsareusedtocleantheen-
ginecompartmentortheengineiswashed
down,theprocessalmostinvariablyremoves
thecorrosion-inhibitingcoating.Itisthenabso-
lutelynecessarytohaveadurablepreservative
appliedtoallsurfaces,bodyseams,jointsand
assembliesintheenginecompartment.Thisalso
applieswhencorrosion-inhibitorpartsarere-
placed.
Effectivecorrosion-proofingisparticularlyimport-
antduringthecoldweatherseason.Ifyourcar
isdrivenfrequentlyinareaswheresalthasbeen
spreadontheroads,thewholeenginecompart-
mentshouldbecleanedthoroughlyafterthe
wintertopreventsaltfromcausinganylasting
damage.Afullunder-bodywashshouldalsobe
performedatthesametime.
ACaution!
Riskofdamagetothegenerator.
I>Donotpointthecleaningjetdirectlyatthe
generator,orcoverthegenerator.
Windows
Theroaddustwhichsettlesonthewindshield
andwindowscontainsparticlesoftirerubber
andoilresidue.Theinteriortrimandupholstery
releaseparticles,particularlyinstrongsunlight,
whichcollectontheinsidesofthewindows.
Thesedepositsareaugmentedbyimpuritiesin
theairwhichentersthecarthroughthefreshair
vents.
I>Cleanallwindowsregularly,insideandout-
side,withPorschewindowcleaner.
I>Ifyouuseachamoisleatherforthewindows,
donotuseitforpaintworkasitwillotherwise
pickupacertainamountofpreservativeor
polishandcouldsmearthewindowsandthus
impairvision.
I>RemovedeadinsectswiththePorscheinsect
remover.
Wiperblades
Wiperbladesthatareinperfektconditionare
vitalforaclearview.
I>Replacethewiperbladestwiceperyear(be-
foreandafterthecoldseason)orwhenever
wiperperformancedeteriorates.
I>Periodicallycleanthewiperbladeswith
Porschewindowcleaner,especiallyafterthe
vehiclehasbeenwashedinacarwash.
Iftheyareverydirty(e.g.withinsectre-
mains),theycanbecleanedwithaspongeor
cloth.
Undercoating
Theundersideofyourcarisdurablyprotected
againstchemicalandmechanicalinfluences.
Asitisnotpossibletoexcludetheriskofdam-
agetothisprotectivecoatingindaytodaydriv-
ing,itisadvisabletohavetheundersideofthe
carinspectedatcertainintervals-preferablybe-
forethestartofwinterandagaininspring-and
theundercoatingrestoredasnecessary.
YourauthorizedPorschedealerisfamiliarwith
thebodysealtreatmentproceduresandhasthe
necessaryequipmentforapplyingfactoryap-
provedmaterials.Werecommendthatyouen-
trustthemwithsuchworkandinspections.
Unlikeconventionalsprayoils,undercoatingand
rust-proofingcompoundsbasedonbitumenor
waxdonotattackthesound-proofingmaterials
appliedatthefactory.
I>I>I>
Maintenance,CarCare
189

Fabric,upholstery,carpetsand
floor-mats
t>Useonlyavacuumcleaneroramediumstiff
brush.
t>RemovestainsandspotswithPorschestain
remover.
ThePorscherangeofaccessoriesincludes
floor-matstoprotectthecarpetsinsummerand
winter.
A
Warning!
Riskofanaccident.
t>Alwayscheckthemovementofthepedalsbe-
foredrivingandmakesurethattheyarenot
obstructedbyafloormatoranyotherobject.
t>Securethefloormattopreventitfromsliding
intopositionsthatcouldinterferewiththe
safeoperationofyourvehicle-donotlie
themlooselyinthevehicle.
YourPorschedealerwillbegladtoofferyou
floormatsofthecorrectsizeincludingase-
curingpossibility.
192Maintenance,CarCare
Alcantara
Donotusealeathercareproducttoclean
Alcantara.
Forregularcareitissufficienttocleanthe
coverwithasoftbrush.
Cleaningwhenlightlysoiled
t>Wetasoftclothwithwateroraneutralsoap
solutionandwipeoffthedirt.
Cleaningwhenheavilysoiled
t>Wetasoftclothwithlukewarmwateror
thinnedwhitespiritanddabthedirtfromthe
outsidein.

Safetybelts

Ifitbecomesnecessarytocleanthebelts,you
canuseanymildwashingagent.
Allowthebeltstodrypriortoretracting,but
avoiddirectsunlight.
t>Onlyusesuitablecleaners.
Ifunsuitablecleanersareusedoranyattempt
ismadetodyeorbleachthebelts,theweb-
bingmaybeweakenedandthusconstitutea
safetyrisk.

Storing
yourPorsche
IfyouintendtostoreyourPorscheforapro-
longedperiod,pleaseconsultyourauthorized
Porschedealer.Thestaffwillbegladtoadvise
youonthemostsuitableandnecessary
methods.
I>Cleanyourvehiclethoroughlyinsideandout-
side.
Cleantheenginecompartment.
Theundercarriageandchassiscomponents
shouldbefreeofdirtandsaltdeposits.
I>Fillupthefueltank.
I>Changetheoilandoilfilter,andruntheen-
gineforseveralminutes.
I>Increasethetirepressureto58psi(4bar).
Itisnotrecommendedtoliftthevehicle,due
tothepossibilityofcorrosiononshockabsor-
berpistonshafts.
Thevehicleshouldbemovedslightly,approxi-
matelyeveryfourweeks,topreventflatspot
onthetires.
Climatecontrol
Theairconditioningsystemshouldbeingood
workingconditionandfullycharged.
Windshield/Headlightwasher
I>Checkandcorrectantifreeze/cleaningsolu-
tionlevelasnecessary.
Electricalsystem
I>Removethebatteryfromthevehicleand
storeitinacooldryplace,notonacement
floor.
Whenthebatteryisdisconnected,the
alarmsystemisdeactivated.
I>Rechargethebatteryevery3months.Ifthe
batteryremainsinthevehiclewiththecables
connected,itisnecessarytocheck,remove
andrechargethebatteryevery2-3weeks.

Donotfastchargethebattery.
I>
Followtheinstructionsinthe"Battery"chap-
ter.
Vehicle
interior
The
interiormustbedry,especiallyinthearea
ofthefloorcarpets.Theuseofdryingagents
(Silica-Gel)isrecommendedinvehicleswith
leatherinteriorandinareaswithhighhumidity.
Therecommendedamountis3fabricbagsof
1.1Ibs.(500grams)eachplacedonthefloor
carpets.
Windows,doors,lidsandroofmustbeclosed.
Theairflapsshouldbeopened.
Maintenance,CarCare
193