
12
Controls, Safety, Instruments
Dear Porsche OwnerA lot has gone into the manufacture of your
Porsche, including advanced engineering, rigid
quality control and demanding inspections. These
engineering and safety features will be enhanced
by you...the safe driver...– who knows his car and all controls,
– who maintains the vehicle properly,
– who uses driving skills wisely and always
drives within her/his own capabilities and the
level of familiarity with the vehicle.
You will find helpful hints in this manual on how to
perform most of the checks listed on the following
pages. If in doubt, have these checks performed
by your authorized Porsche dealer.
Before driving off...Check the following items firstfTurn the engine off before you attempt any
checks or repairs on the vehicle.
fBe sure the tires are inflated correctly.
Check tires for damage and tire wear.
fSee that wheel bolts are properly tightened
and not loose or missing.
fCheck engine oil level, add if necessary. Make
it a habit to have engine oil checked with every
fuel filling.
fCheck all fluid levels such as windshield wash-
er and brake fluid levels.
fBe sure the vehicle battery is well charged and
cranks the engine properly.
fCheck all doors and lids for proper operation
and latch them properly.
fCheck and if necessary replace worn or
cracked wiper blades.
fSee that all windows are clear and unobstruct-
ed.
fCheck air intake slots and area between en-
gine compartment lid and windshield are free
of snow and ice, so the heater and the wind-
shield wipers work properly.fIf a child will be riding in the vehicle, check
child seat/child seat restraint system to ensure
that restraints are properly adjusted.
fCheck all exterior and interior lights for opera-
tion and that the lenses are clean.
fCheck the headlights for proper aim, and if
necessary, have them adjusted.
fCheck under the vehicle for leaks.
fBe sure all luggage is stowed securely.
Emergency equipmentIt is good practice to carry emergency equipment
in your vehicle.
Some of the items you should have are: window
scraper, snow brush, container or bag of sand or
salt, emergency light, small shovel, first-aid kit,
etc.

Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
295 Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
Exercise Extreme Caution
when Working on your Vehicle ..................... 296
Notes on Minor Repairs .............................. 296
Tires/Wheels ............................................. 297
Jack .......................................................... 311
Tool Kit ..................................................... 311
Lifting the Vehicle with a Lifting Platform
or Garage lift ............................................. 312
Compressor .............................................. 313
Wheel Bolts ............................................... 313
Spacers .................................................... 314
Changing Wheels........................................ 315
Flat Tire ..................................................... 316
Electrical System ....................................... 334
Battery ...................................................... 344
Emergency Starting with Jumper Cables ...... 355
Replacing the remote control battery ........... 358
Bulb Chart ................................................. 359
Replacing Bulbs ......................................... 360
Headlights ................................................. 361
Tail Light ................................................... 369
License Plate Lights................................... 371
Headlight Adjustment.................................. 372
Changing Headlights from Left
to Right-Hand Traffic ................................... 373
Towing ...................................................... 374

Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
297
Tires/WheelsThe original equipment tires and wheel rims on
your Porsche comply with all applicable Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
For your safety remember the following:
– Wheel rims and wheel bolts are matched to fit
your Porsche.
– If you intend to use other than original equip-
ment wheels, be sure that they conform to
Porsche specifications for your model. Only
tires with the same make and with the same
specification code (e.g. “N0“, “N1“...) can be
mounted.
– The use of wheel rims and wheel bolts that do
not meet specifications of the original factory
installed equipment will affect the safe opera-
tion of your vehicle and affect warranty cover-
age.
– Before you plan on exchanging wheels, or
snow tires already mounted on the wheel rims,
consult your authorized Porsche dealer.
Your dealer has the technical information nec-
essary to advise you which wheel rims and
wheel bolts are compatible with the original
factory installations.
Danger!
Risk of loss of control and serious personal
injury or death.
fIf while driving, your vehicle experiences a sud-
den vibration or ride disturbance, and/or you
suspect that possible damage to your tires or
vehicle has occurred, you should immediately
reduce your speed without excessive use of
the brakes.
fStop the vehicle as soon as possible, and
inspect the tires.
If you cannot determine the cause for the dis-
turbance, have your vehicle towed to the near-
est Porsche or tire dealer to have your vehicle
or tire(s) inspected.
fContinuing to operate the vehicle without cor-
rection could result in a loss of control and seri-ous personal injury.

306
Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
Removing and storing tiresfAfter changing, adjust tire pressure and torque
wheel bolts diagonally.
Please observe the chapter “CHANGING
WHEELS” on Page 315.
Tires must always remain on the same side of
the vehicle.
When wheels are removed, the direction of rota-
tion and position of each wheel should be marked.
Example
FR (front right), FL, RR and RL.
Wheels must always be fitted in accordance with
their marking.
The perception that tire durability and perform-
ance are not affected by storage and age is
unfounded.
Chemical additives, which make the rubber elas-
tic, lose their effectiveness over the course of
time and the rubber becomes brittle and cracks.
Therefore, the tires, especially the spare tire,
should be inspected from time to time.Note
Under no circumstances should tires older than
6 years be used on your Porsche.
The age of the tire can be obtained from the “DOT“
code number. If, for example, the last three num-
bers read 1204, then the tire was produced in the
12th week of 2004.
fStore tires in a cool and dry place.
fRotate periodically to avoid flat spots.
Snow tiresThe installation of Porsche approved winter tires is
recommended.
Use Porsche approved winter tires for grip on
snow and ice. For optimum performance, stud-
ding can be considered.
Check with your local Motor Vehicle Bureau for
possible restrictions.
Danger!
Risk of loss of control and damage to the
vehicle as well as serious personal injury or
death.
The standard tires profile and rubber mixture
are optimized for wet and dry driving condi-
tions, and may not prove favorable for snow
conditions.
fInstall winter tires before driving in such condi-tions.
Before mounting winter tires, consult with your
Porsche dealer. He has the technical information
necessary to advise you on wheel and tire compat-
ibility.
S n o w t i re s s h o u l d h a v e t h e s a m e l o a d c a p a c i t y a s
original equipment tires and should be mounted on
all four wheels.
Winter tires with studs should be run at moderate
speeds when new in order to give the studs time
to settle.

Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
313
CompressorOn vehicles without level-control systems, there is
an additional compressor with pressure tester
under the loadspace floor.
fPlease observe the chapter “INFLATING TIRES
ON VEHICLES WITHOUT AIR SUSPENSION” on
Page 327.
On vehicles with level control, you can use the
compressor of the level-control system to fill the
tires.
The filler hose required for this purpose can be
found under the left rear seat.
fPlease observe the chapter “FOLDING REAR
SEATS FORWARD” on Page 41.
Wheel BoltsfAlways clean the wheel bolts before installing.
Maintenance note
fWheel bolts must not be greased.
fReplace damaged wheel bolts.
Only use the original Porsche wheel bolts spe-
cially designed for this vehicle type.Tightening torque
Tightening torque of the wheel bolts 118 ftlb.
(160 Nm).
Security wheel boltsThe adapter (wrench socket) for the security
wheel bolts is located in the tool box.
To loosen or tighten the wheel bolt with anti-theft
protection, the adapter must be used between the
wheel bolt and the wheel bolt wrench.
fWhen positioning the wrench socket, ensure
that it engages fully in the teeth of the wheel
bolt.
Note on operation
fOn vehicles with 17 mm spacers on the rear
axle, the wheels are secured with steel nuts.
There is no anti-theft protection for the wheel
nuts.
fIf the wheels have to be removed at the work-
shop, please do not forget to hand over the
socket for the security wheel bolts along with
the car key.

Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
319
Lifting the vehicle with a jack
Warning!
Danger of injury. The car may slip off the
jack.
fMake sure that no one is in the vehicle when
jacking up and changing a wheel.
fNever jack up the vehicle when it is parked on
a surface that slopes up, down or to the side.
fUse the jack only to raise the car for wheel
changing.
fAlways place the car on stable supports if work
has to be carried out under the car.
The car jack is not suitable for this.
Danger of injury if the level-control system
operates during the wheel change.
fSet the car to jacking mode before raising the
car.
Please observe the chapter “AIR SUSPENSION
WITH LEVEL CONTROL AND HEIGHT ADJUST-
MENT” on Page 254.
Risk of injury and damage if the vehicle is not
secured.
fSecure the vehicle against rolling.
fPlease observe the chapter “SECURING THE VEHICLE AGAINST ROLLING” on Page 316.Maintenance note
The jacking point on the vehicle must be free of
dirt.
1. Slightly loosen the wheel bolts of the wheel to
be changed.
2. Only set up the jack at the rear jacking point
designed for the purpose. The jack foot must
be in contact over its whole area and must be
positioned directly below the head piece.
Use a suitable support if necessary.
3. Hold jack still and wind it up until its head
enters the jacking point on the vehicle.
Only jack vehicle up until the wheel to be
changed is completely off the ground.
4. After lowering the vehicle, remove the jack.
Front jacking pointJacking points
fSet up jack only at the points provided A or B.

322
Practical Tips, Minor Repairs
Wheel change1. Remove the top wheel bolt with the wheel bolt
wrench from the tool kit.
Screwing in assembly aid 2. Remove assembly aid from the tool kit and
screw in instead of the wheel bolt.
3. Remove the remaining wheel bolts.
Please observe the chapter “WHEEL BOLTS”
on Page 313.
4. Change wheel.5. Insert wheel bolts and tighten by hand.
Remove assembly aid and screw in remaining
wheel bolt.
Initially tighten bolts in diagonally opposite
sequence so that the wheel is centered.
6. Inflate the tire if necessary.
Please observe the chapter “TIRE PRES-
SURES, COLD” on Page 385.
In vehicles with tire pressure monitoring:
Please observe the chapter “TIRE PRESSURE
MENU” on Page 104.
7. Lower car and remove jack.
8. Tighten wheel bolts in diagonally opposite
sequence.
Maintenance note
fImmediately after changing a wheel, use
a torque wrench to check the prescribed
tightening torque of the wheel bolts
(118 ftlb./160 Nm).

324
Practical Tips, Minor Repairs 3. Unscrew the wheel bolts A with which the
spacer is fastened.
4. Remove the spacer.
5. Remove assembly aid from the tool kit and
screw in instead of the wheel bolt.
6. Fit wheel.
7. Use the wheel bolts A with which the spacer
was fastened to mount the wheel.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten by hand.
Remove assembly aid and screw in remaining
wheel bolt.
Initially tighten bolts in diagonally opposite
sequence so that the wheel is centred.8. Inflate the tire if necessary.
Please observe the chapter “TIRE PRES-
SURES, COLD” on Page 385.
On vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitoring:
Please observe the chapter “TIRE PRESSURE”
on Page 102.
9. Lower the car and remove the jack.
10.Tighten wheel bolts in diagonally opposite
sequence.
Maintenance note
fImmediately after changing a wheel, use
a torque wrench to check the prescribed
tightening torque of the wheel bolts
(160 Nm/118 ftlb.).
fSpacer, steel nuts, and plastic covers should
be stored together.
Fitting the 17 mm spacer1. Remove wheel.
2. Fit the spacer with the wheel bolts A used to
fasten the wheel.
Tightening torque: 160 Nm (118 ftlb.)
3. Fit wheel.
To d o t h i s use the original wheel nuts for
fastening the wheels.
Tightening torque: 160 Nm (118 ftlb.)
Place plastic covers onto the steel nuts.
Note
There is no anti-theft protection for the wheel nuts.