2006 PORSCHE BOXSTER maintenance

2Dear Owner, we would like to thank you for your purchase of a
Porsche Sports car.
Judging by the car you have chosen, you are a mo-
torist of a special breed, and you are probably no
novice when it comes to automobiles.
Remember however, as with any vehicle, you
should take time to familiarize yourself with your
Porsche and its performance characteristics. Al-
ways drive within your own unique capabilities as
a driver and your level of experience with your
Porsche. Ensure that anyone else driving your
Porsche does the same. To prevent or minimize in-
jury, always use your safety belts. Never consume
alcohol or drugs before or during the operation of
your vehicle.
This Owner’s Manual contains a host of useful in-
formation. Please take the time to read this manu-
al before you drive your new Porsche. Become fa-
miliar with the operation of your Porsche car for
maximum safety and operating pleasure. The bet-
ter you know your Porsche, the more pleasure you
will experience driving your new car.
Always keep your Owner’s Manual in the car, and
give it to the new owner if you ever sell your
Porsche. A separate Maintenance Booklet explains how
you can keep your Porsche in top driving condition
by having it serviced regularly.
A separate Warranty and Customer Informa-
tion Booklet contains detailed information about
the warranties covering your Porsche.
For U.S. only:
If you believe that your vehicle has a fault which
could cause a crash, injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to
notifying Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
(Porsche Cars N.A.).
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open
an investigation, and if it finds that a safety pro-
blem exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a
recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA
cannot become involved in individual problems
between you and your dealer, or Porsche Cars
N.A..
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1(800)424-9393 (or
366-
0123 in Washington, D.C. area) or write to: NH-
TSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washing-
ton, D.C. 20590. You can also obtain other infor-
mation about motor vehicle safety from the Hot-
line. Your car has thousands of parts and components
which have been designed and manufactured in
accordance with Porsche’s high standards of engi-
neering quality and safety.
Any alteration of the vehicle may negate or
interfere with those safety features built into
the vehicle. Modifications may be carried out
on your vehicle only if approved by Porsche.
Your Porsche is intended to be used in a safe man-
ner obeying the local laws and in the light of dri-
ving conditions faced by you, and in accordance
with the instructions provided in this Owner’s Ma-
nual.
Do not misuse your Porsche by ignoring
those laws and driving conditions, or by
ignoring the instructions in this manual.
Any alteration or misuse of the vehicle can
lead to accidents and severe or fatal person
al injuries.
The fitting of racing tires (e.g. slicks) for sporting
events is not approved by Porsche. Very high cor-
nering speeds can be achieved with racing tires.
However, the resulting transverse acceleration va-
lues would jeopardize the adequate supply of oil to
the engine.
Porsche therefore will not accept any warranty or
accept any liability for damage occurring as a re-
sult of non-compliance with this provision.

9
Controls, Instruments 11 – 160
Shifting Gear 161 – 168
Mobile Roofs 169 – 182
Maintenance, Car Care 183 – 218
Practical Tips, Emergency Service 219 – 275
Vehicle Identification, Technical Data 277 – 291
Index 292 – 296

42
Controls, Instruments
Safety Belts
Warning!
Always make sure your and your passenger’s
safety belts are properly fastened while the
vehicle is in motion.
Failure to follow safety belt warnings may re-
sult in serious personal injury or death.
fFor your and your passenger’s protection, use
safety belts at all times while the vehicle is in
motion.
fUse appropriate child restraint systems for all
small children.
Proper wearing of safety belts
fS a f e t y b e l t s m u s t b e p o s i t i o n e d o n t h e b o d y a s
to restrain the upper body and lap from sliding
forward. Improperly positioned safety belts
can cause serious personal injury or death in
case of an accident.
fThe shoulder belt should always rest on your
upper body. The shoulder belt should never be
worn behind your back or under your arm.
fFor maximum effectiveness, the lap belt
should be worn low across the hips.
fPregnant women should position the belt as
low as possible across the pelvis. Make sure it
is not pressing against the abdomen. fBelts should not be worn twisted.
fDo not wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye glas-
ses, pens, keys, etc. as these may cause inju-
ry.
fSeveral layers of heavy clothing may interfere
with proper positioning of belts.
fBelts must not rub against sharp objects or da-
mage may occur to the belt.
fTwo occupants should never share the same
belt at the same time.
Care and maintenance
fKeep belt buckles free of any obstruction that
may prevent a secure locking.
fBelts that have been subjected to excesssive
stretch forces in an accident must be inspec-
ted or replaced to ensure their continued effec-
tiveness in restraining you.
The same applies to belt tensioner systems
which have been triggered.
In addition, the anchor points of the belts
should be checked.
fIf safety belts do not work properly, see your
authorized Porsche dealer immediately.
fI f t h e b e l t s s h o w d a m a g e t o w e b b i n g , b i n d i n g s ,
buckles or retractors, they should be replaced
to ensure safe operation.
fDo not modify or disassemble the safety belts
in your vehicle. fThe belts must be kept clean or the retractors
may not work properly.
Please observe the chapter “CAR CARE IN-
STRUCTIONS” on Page 209.
fNever bleach or dye safety belts.
fDo not allow safety belts to retract until they
are completely dry after cleaning or this may
cause damage to the belt.
Belt tensioner Depending on the force of an impact, fastened
safety belts are tightened in an accident.
The belt tensioners are triggered by:
– Front, side and rear impacts of sufficient
severity.
– Vehicle rollover.
Note
The belt tensioner system can be triggered only
once; the system must be replaced afterward.
If there is a fault in the belt-tensioner system, the
airbag warning light lights up.
Work may be performed on the belt-tensioner sys-
tem only by an authorized Porsche dealer.
Smoke is released when the belt tensioners are
triggered. This does not indicate a fire in the
vehicle.

Controls, Instruments
49
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp
does not light up
– The passenger's airbag is active and ready for
operation.
– If the passenger's seat is not occupied, the
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp will
also not light up, even though the passenger's
airbag is switched off.
Danger!
Risk of serious personal injury or death due
to the passenger airbag triggering uninten-
tionally.
When the ignition is on and the up to one-
year old child is seated in the child restraint
system on the passenger’s seat, the indicator
lamp „PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF“ must be on.
If the “PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF” indicator
lamp does not light up, it could indicate a
fault in the system.
In this case:
fOn vehicles with key-operated airbag deactiva-
tion device: Switch to position OFF.
fOn vehicles without key-operated airbag deac-
tivation device: Do not drive.
fHave the fault remedied at your nearest autho-rized Porsche dealer.Note
The key switch for switching off the passenger’s
airbag in combination with the LATCH attachment
bracket are not installed at the factory. They can
be retrofitted.
fPlease see your authorized Porsche dealer.
Faults are indicated by a warning light in the instru-
ment panel and a message on the on-board com-
puter.
fPlease observe the chapter “WARNINGS ON
THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE ON-
BOARD COMPUTER” on Page 116.
fIn the following cases you should immedi-
ately consult an authorized Porsche
dealer in order to assure the airbag sys-
tem is functioning properly:
– If the warning light does not light up when the
ignition key is inserted or
– If the warning light does not go out once the
engine is running or
– If the warning light appears while driving.
Airbag maintenanceIn order to ensure long-term functioning, the air-
bag system must be inspected by an authorized
Porsche dealer at the intervals recommended in
your Maintenance Booklet.
Important information
If you sell your Porsche, notify the purchaser that
the vehicle is equipped with airbags, and refer
them to the chapter, “Airbag Systems“, in the
Owner's Manual (safety and disposal rules).
Further information on the airbag system can be
found on stickers attached to the sun visors.
For special recommendations on the use of child
restraints:
fPlease observe the chapter “CHILD RES-
TRAINT SYSTEMS” on Page 51.
Warning light and warning
message

60
Controls, Instruments
Brake booster The brake booster assists braking only when
the engine is running.
When the car is moving while the engine is not run-
ning, or if the brake booster is defective, more
pressure on the brake pedal is required to bring
the car to a stop.
If this happens, ABS and PSM will also not oper-
ate.
Moisture or road salt on brakes affects braking.
When the vehicle is driven on salted roads for ex-
tended periods, the brakes should be washed
down thoroughly about every 2 weeks. An auto-
matic carwash facility cannot do this job properly.
Brakes will dry after a few cautious brake applica-
tions.
Warning!
Driving through water may reduce traction.
Moisture on brakes from road water, car
wash, or coating of road salt may affect bra-
king efficiency.
fCautiously apply brakes to test brakes after being exposed.
Brake wear Your car has excellent brakes, but they are still
subject to wear. The rate at which they wear de-
pends on how the brakes are used.
fHave the brake system inspected at the inter-
vals recommended in your Maintenance Book-
let.
If the lights in the instrument panel and on-board
computer stay on when the engine is running or
come on while driving, the brake pads are worn,
excessively.
fDo not continue to operate the vehicle.
Have your authorized Porsche dealer inspect
or replace the brake pads.
Brake pads Wear on the brake pads and brake discs depends
to a great extent on the driving style and the con-
ditions of use and therefore cannot be expressed
in actual miles on the road.
The high-performance brake system is designed
for optimal braking effect at all speeds and tempe-
ratures.
Certain speeds, braking forces and ambient
conditions (such as temperature and humidity)
therefore might cause the brakes to squeal.
New brake pads or linings
New brake pads have to be “broken in”, and there-
fore only attain optimal friction when the car has
covered several hundred miles or km.
The slightly reduced braking ability must be com-
pensated for by pressing the brake pedal harder.
This also applies whenever the brake pads and
brake discs are replaced.
Warning light USA
Warning light Canada

Controls, Instruments
121
System fault
Go to workshopSeveral systems may have failed. Adjust your
driving style. Reduce speed.
Have the fault remedied at an authorized
Porsche dealer.
Failure of fuel level indicator
WorkshopHave the fault remedied at an authorized
Porsche dealer.
Service in km/days Service indicator
Bring the vehicle in for service no later than af-
ter the distance/time shown has elapsed.
However, it is the intervals in the “Guarantee
and Maintenance” booklet that are decisive.
Service now Service indicator
Have your vehicle serviced at an authorized
Porsche dealer.
Flat Tire Tire pressure monitoring system has detected a
serious pressure loss.
Stop in a suitable place and check tires for dam-
age. Fill in tyre sealant if necessary.
Add air The tire pressure monitoring system has detect-
ed a gradual pressure loss. Correct tyre pres-
sure at the next opportunity.
TPC inactive
System learningThe tire pressure monitoring system is learning
the wheels on the vehicle. The tire pressure
monitoring system is searching for the tires and
their position. During this period the current
pressure specifications are not available on the
on-board computer.
TPC inactive The tire pressure monitoring system is faulty.
Consult a qualified specialist repairshop.*
Instrument
panelOn-board
computerText display on on-board
computerMeaning/measure

Controls, Instruments
127
Wipe interval controlOn vehicles without a rain sensor, the wiping
intervals can be adjusted in four steps.
Decreasing intervals
fAdjust switch A upwards.
The setting is confirmed by one wipe of the
windshield.
Increasing intervals
fAdjust switch A downwards.
Rain sensorIn vehicles with a rain sensor the amount of rain or
snow which has settled on the windshield is
measured. Wiper speed is automatically adjusted
accordingly.
Switching on
fMove wiper lever upwards to the first click.
Switching off
fMove wiper lever to position 0.
The rain sensor remains switched off if the wiper
lever is already in position 1 when the ignition is
switched on.
To switch the rain sensor on again:
fMove wiper lever to position 0 and then to
position 1 or
fOperate windshield washer system 5 or
fChange the sensitivity of the rain sensor with
four-stage switch A.
Switch-on is confirmed by one wipe of the wind-
shield.
On vehicles with the Sport Chrono package, fur-
ther rain sensor functions can be selected via the
PCM.
Please observe the chapter “Individual Memory” in
the separate PCM operating instructions.Changing the sensitivity of the rain sensor
Sensitivity can be set with switch A in 4 stages:
fAdjust switch A upwards –
high sensitivity.
The setting is confirmed by one wipe of the
windshield.
fAdjust switch A downwards –
low sensitivity.
Maintenance note
If the wiper blades rub or squeak, this may be as
a result of the following:
– If the vehicle is washed in an automatic car
wash, wax residues may be adhering to the
windshield. These wax residues can only be
removed by using a special cleaning solution.
Please contact your authorized Porsche dealer
for further information.
– The wiper blades may be damaged or worn
out.
fReplace wiper blades as soon as possible.
fPersistent dirt (e.g. insect remains) should be
regularly removed.
fPlease observe the chapter “CAR CARE IN-
STRUCTIONS” on Page 209.

Maintenance, Car Care
183 Maintenance, Car Care
Exercise Extreme Caution when
Working on your Vehicle ............................. 184
Wiper Blades ............................................ 185
Coolant Level ............................................ 186
Engine Oil ................................................. 188
Engine Oil Level ........................................ 189
Engine Oil Recommendation ....................... 190
Brake Fluid Level ....................................... 192
Fuel Economy ........................................... 194
Operating Your Porsche
in other Countries ...................................... 195
Fuel .......................................................... 196
Fuel Recommendations .............................. 198
Portable Fuel Containers ............................ 199
Emission Control System ........................... 200
How Emission Control Works...................... 201
Fuel Evaporation Control ............................ 202
Washer Fluid ............................................. 202
Opening Engine Compartment Lid .............. 203
Power Steering ......................................... 207
Air Filter ................................................... 208
Combination filter ...................................... 208
Automatic Transmission Fluid ..................... 208
Manual Transmission Oil ............................. 208
Car Care Instructions ................................. 209