
118
Controls, Instruments
Airbag system fault Airbag is faulty.
Have the fault remedied at an authorized
Porsche dealer.
Check passenger’s seat setting Weight sensing is impaired on the passenger's
seat (Advanced Airbag).
When the backrest is in contact with the engine
compartment wall, the backrest can warp.
Correct the seating position, set the backrest
upright, do not support weight on the armrests,
or lift on the handles.
Failure spoiler control Driving stability is impaired.
Adjust your driving style. Reduce speed.
Have the fault remedied at an authorized
Porsche dealer.
Display of
selector lever posi-
tion flashesSelector lever is not engaged Tiptronic S:
Selector lever can be between two positions.
Engage the selector lever correctly.
Move selector lever to P Tiptronic S:
Move selector lever to position P before with-
drawing key from ignition lock.
Apply brake Tiptronic S:
Apply the brake when starting.
Depress clutch pedal Manual transmission:
Depress clutch pedal when starting.
Move selector lever
to position P or NTiptronic S:
The vehicle can be started only in the selector
lever position P or N.
Display of
selector lever posi-
tion flashesTiptronic emergency run Have the fault remedied at an authorized
Porsche dealer.
Instrument
panelOn-board
computerText display on on-board
computerMeaning/measure

Controls, Instruments
151
Rear Luggage CompartmentService flapfPress catch button on the service flap and
open flap.
A - Topping up engine oil.
B - Checking coolant level or topping up.
Luggage net, tie-down rings
Warning!
Danger of injury during braking, rapid direc-
tion changes or in an accident.
fDo not carry items of luggage or objects in the
passenger compartment unsecured.
Secure load against sliding.
fDo not transport heavy objects under the lug-gage net. fHang the luggage net on the 4 tie-down rings
around the engine cover or in the rear luggage
compartment.

Controls, Instruments
157
Compact disc player
Caution!
To avoid damage to compact disc player and
discs.
fUse only compact discs labeled as shown, ha-
ving no dirt, damage or warpage.
fNever attempt to disassemble or oil any part
of the player unit.
Do not insert any object other than a disc into
the slot.
Remember there are no user-serviceable parts
inside the compact disc player.
fDo not allow the disc to sustain any finger-
prints, scrapes or stickers on the surfaces.
This may cause poor sound quality
Hold the disc only on the edge or center hole.
fWhen not in use, take the disc out of the player,
put the disc back into its case and store it
away from dust, heat, damp and direct sun-
light.
Leaving the disc on the dashboard in the sun
can damage the disc. fIf the disc gets dirty, clean the disc by wiping
the surfaces from the center to the outside in
a radial direction with a soft cloth.
Do not use a conventional record cleaner or
anti-static record preservative.
Disc cleaners are available in audio stores.
Car Telephone and
Aftermarket Alarms Important legal and safety information
regarding the use of cellular telephones:
Some states may prohibit the use of cellular tele-
phones while driving a vehicle. Check the laws and
regulations on the use of cellular telephones in the
areas where you drive.
Danger!
Risk of an accident.
Severe personal injury or death can result in
the event of an accident.
Looking away from the road or turning your
attention away from your driving can cause
an accident and serious or fatal injury.
When using your cellular telephone, you should al-
ways:
fGive full attention to your driving - pull off the
road and park before making or answering a
call if traffic conditions so require; and
fKeep both hands on the steering wheel - use
hands-free operation (if available) - pull off the
road and park before using a hand-held tele-phone.

174
Maintenance, Car Care
Changing windshield wiper blades
Caution!
Risk of damage.
If a wiper blade is not changed properly, it
can come loose when the car is moving.
fCheck whether the wiper blade is seated
securely.
The wiper blade must engage the wiper arm properly.
1. Apply the handbrake.
2. Switch the wipers off (position 0) and remove
the ignition key.
3. Fold windshield wiper arm away from the
windshield.
A- Passenger’s side, curved wiper blade
B- Driver’s side, wiper blade with spoiler4. Press together the plastic spring of the wiper
blade (right arrow).
Pull wiper blade out of wiper arm.
5. Insert new wiper blade until you feel it engage.
Ensure that the new wiper blade is inserted
into the wiper arm in the same position:
– direction of the spoiler on the driver side,
– curvature on the passenger side.
6. Carefully fold wiper arm back onto the wind-
shield.

176
Maintenance, Car Care
Coolant Level fPlease observe the chapter “EXERCISE EXTRE-
ME CAUTION WHEN WORKING ON YOUR VE-
HICLE” on Page 172.
The cooling system is filled at the factory with a
permanent coolant.
It provides year-round protection from corrosion
and freezing down to –31°F/–35°C.
Only use antifreeze authorized by Porsche. Checking coolant level The expansion tank for the coolant is located in
the rear luggage compartment under the service
flap.
fCheck the coolant level regularly at the trans-
parent window of the expansion tank.
When the engine is cold and the car is level the flu-
id level must lie between the “Min.” and “Max.”
markings.
Topping off coolant
Warning!
Danger of serious personal injury from scald-
ing. Coolant is hazardous to your health, and
may be fatal if swallowed.
fDo not open the cap of the expansion tank
while the engine is hot.
fAllow the engine to cool down before opening
the cap and protect your hands, arms and face
from any possible escape of hot coolant.
fKeep coolant out of children’s reach.
fAlso, keep coolant away from your pets.
They can be attracted to it should there be a
spill, or to used coolant left in an open contain-
er. Coolant can be deadly to pets if consumed.
Risk of damage from overflowing coolant.
fTake care while topping off coolant not to soil the luggage compartment or items of luggage.
1. Switch engine off and let it cool.
Please observe the chapter “COOLING SYS-
TEM” on Page 86.2. Press catch button on the service flap and
open flap.

178
Maintenance, Car Care
Engine Oil Engine oil consumption
It is normal for your engine to consume oil.
The rate of oil consumption depends on the quality
and viscosity of oil, the speed at which the engine
is operated, the climate, road conditions as well
as the amount of dilution and oxidation of the lubri-
cant.
If the vehicle is used for repeated short trips, and
consumes a normal amount of oil, the engine oil
measurement may not show any drop in the oil lev-
el at all, even after 600 miles (1000 km) or more.
This is because the oil is gradually becoming dilut-
ed with fuel or moisture, making it appear that the
oil level has not changed.
The diluting ingredients evaporate out when the
vehicle is driven at high speeds, as on an express-
way, making it then appear that oil is excessively
consumed after driving at high speeds.
If the conditions you drive your vehicle in are
dusty, humid, or hot, the frequency of the oil
change intervals should be greater. If the vehicle is driven at a high rate of speed, cli-
matic conditions are warm, and the load is high,
the oil should be checked more frequently, as driv-
ing conditions will determine the rate of oil con-
sumption.
– The engine in your vehicle depends on oil to lu-
bricate and cool all of its moving parts.
Therefore, the engine oil should be checked
regularly and kept at the required level.
– Make it a habit to have the engine oil level
checked with every fuel filling.
– The oil pressure warning light is not an oil level
indicator.
The oil pressure warning light indicates serious
engine damage may be occurring when lit, if
engine rpm is above idle speed.
Engine Oil Level fPlease observe the chapter “EXERCISE EXTRE-
ME CAUTION WHEN WORKING ON YOUR VE-
HICLE” on Page 172.
fRegularly check the oil level using the on-board
computer after the vehicle is refuelled.
Please observe the chapter “OIL DISPLAY AND
MEASUREMENT OF THE ENGINE OIL LEVEL”
on Page 110.
The difference between the minimum and maxi-
mum marks on the segment display is approx.
1.2 liters.
Each segment of the display corresponds to
approx. 0.4 liter.

Maintenance, Car Care
179
Topping off engine oil
Warning!
Engine oil is hazardous to your health and
may be fatal if swallowed.
fKeep engine oil out of children’s reach.
Used engine oil contains chemicals that have
caused cancer in laboratory animals.
fAlways protect your skin by washing thorough-ly with soap and water. Caution!
Risk of damage from overflowing engine oil.
fTake care while checking and topping up en-
gine oil not to soil the luggage compartment or items of luggage.
The oil inlet opening is in the rear luggage com-
partment under the service flap. 1. The on-board computer indicates how much oil
must be added.
2. Press catch button on the service flap and
open flap.3. Unscrew cap of the oil filler opening.
4. Add at most half a liter of engine oil at a time.
5. Measure oil level again with the on-board
computer.
6. Add more engine oil if necessary.
Never add more engine oil than required
to reach the max. mark.
7. Close cap carefully.
8. Close service flap.

Maintenance, Car Care
181
Oil changeThe engine oil has to be changed at the intervals
listed in your Maintenance Schedule.
fPlease observe the chapter “CAPACITIES” on
Page 271.
We recommend that you have the engine oil
changed at your Porsche dealer, who has the re-
quired oils and the necessary filling equipment.
If you suspect an oil leak in the engine have your
dealer check it out immediately.
All current engine oils are compatible with each
other, i. e. when making an oil change it is not nec-
essary to flush the engine if you wish to use a dif-
ferent brand or grade of oil.
Since, however, each brand of oil has a special
composition, you should, if possible, use the
same oil brand if it becomes necessary to top up
between oil changes.
Porsche engines have long intervals between oil
changes. You can make best use of these long oil
change intervals by using multigrade oils since
these are largely independent of seasonal fluctua-
tions in temperature.If your vehicle is used frequently in stop-and-go
traffic in cold weather, the engine will not always
be completely warmed up.
Condensation from products of combustion may
accumulate in the oil. In this case, it is advisable
to change the oil more frequently so that your en-
gine once again has 100% efficient oil.
Engine oil performance classEngine oil is not only a lubricant, but also serves
to keep the engine clean, to neutralize the dirt
which penetrates into the engine through combus-
tion and to protect the engine against corrosion.
To perform these functions, the oil is provided with
additives which have been specially developed for
these functions.
The efficiency of an oil is expressed, for example,
by the API, ILSAC or ACEA classifications.
ViscosityLike all liquids, engine oil is viscous when cold,
and thin-bodied when warm. The viscosity of an oil
is expressed by its SAE class. For cold viscosity
(measured at temperatures below 32°F/0°C) the
SAE class is given as a number and the letter ”W“
(as in winter), for hot viscosity (measured at
212°F/100°C) the SAE class is given only as a
number.
The viscosity of an oil is, therefore, always the
same if it has the same number of an SAE class.
Oils with two viscosities are called multigrade oils;
oils with only one viscosity are termed single-
grade oils.
Single-grade oils can not be used in your engine.
The viscosity of the engine oil for your Porsche
has to be selected according to the ambient tem-
perature given in the engine oil recommendation
table.