
12
Controls, Instruments
Dear Porsche Owner A 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 first fTurn 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 front
lid and windshield are free of snow and ice, so
the heater and the windshield 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 equipment It 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.

Controls, Instruments
125
Windshield Wiper / Washer Lever
Warning!
Danger of injury when the windshield wipers
operate unintentionally.
Risk of damage to the windshield and wiper
system.
fAvoid running the wiper blades over a dry wind-
shield to prevent scratching the glass. Spray
washer fluid on the windshield first.
A scratched windshield will reduce visibility.
fAlways loosen wiper blades from frozen glass
before operating wipers to prevent damage to
the wiper motor or blades. fAlways switch off windshield wipers in car
wash to prevent them wiping unintentionally
(intermittent or sensor operation).
fAlways switch off windshield wipers before
cleaning the windshield to avoid unintentional
operation (intermittent or sensor operation).
fDo not operate the headlight washer in car
washes.
fDo not operate headlight washer when it is
frozen.
Front windshield wipers and headlight
washer system0 – Windshield wipers off
1 – Rain sensor operation for front
windshield wipers
fMove wiper lever upwards to the first click.
Please observe the chapter “RAIN SENSOR” on
Page 126.
2 – Windshield wipers slow
fMove wiper lever upwards to the second click.
3 – Windshield wipers fast
fMove wiper lever upwards to the third click.
4 – Front windshield wiper – one-touch oper-
ation:
fMove wiper lever downwards. The windshield
wipers wipe once.5 – Windshield wipers and washer system:
fPull wiper lever towards the steering wheel.
The washer system sprays and wipes while the
lever is pulled towards the steering wheel.
When the wiper lever is released, a few drying
wipes are executed.
A - Headlight washer (Vehicles with Bi-Xenon
headlights):
The washer sprays only while low beam or high
beam is switched on.
fBriefly push button A to operate headlight
washer system.
fIf heavily soiled, repeat wash.
The headlight washer system automatically sprays
once for every ten times the front windshield
washer system is operated.
Note
The windshield washer nozzles are heated
when the ignition is on, as a precaution against
freezing.

Controls, Instruments
127
Maintenance note
fPeriodically clean the wiper blades with a
window cleaner, especially after the vehicle
has been washed in a car wash.
We recommend Porsche window cleaner.
If they are very dirty (e.g. with insect remains),
they can be cleaned with a sponge or cloth.
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 be removed using a
window cleaner concentrate.
Please observe the chapter “WASHER FLUID”
on Page 192.
Please contact your authorized Porsche dealer
for further information.
– The wiper blades may be damaged.
fReplace damaged wiper blades as soon as
possible.
Rear Wiper6 – Rear window wiper - intermittent
operation
fMove wiper lever forward to the first click.
The rear window wiper wipes at preset inter-
vals.
The rear wiper is automatically switched off when
a speed of 130 mph (210 km/h) is exceeded.
It is switched on again when the speed falls below
118 mph (190 km/h).fOn vehicles with the Sport Chrono Plus pa-
ckage, further rear wiper functions can be se-
lected via the PCM.
Please observe the chapter ”Individual Memo-
ry“ in the separate PCM operating instructions.

Maintenance, Car Care
171 Maintenance, Car Care
Exercise Extreme Caution when Working on your
Vehicle ..................................................... 172
Wiper Blades ............................................ 173
Coolant Level ............................................ 176
Engine Oil ................................................. 178
Engine Oil Level ........................................ 178
Engine Oil Recommendation ....................... 180
Brake Fluid Level ....................................... 182
Fuel Economy ........................................... 184
Operating Your Porsche in other Countries .. 185
Fuel .......................................................... 186
Fuel Recommendations .............................. 188
Portable Fuel Containers ............................ 189
Emission Control System ........................... 190
How Emission Control Works ...................... 191
Fuel Evaporation Control ............................ 191
Washer Fluid ............................................. 192
Power Steering ......................................... 193
Air Filter ................................................... 194
Combination filter ...................................... 194
Automatic Transmission Fluid ..................... 194
Manual Transmission Oil ............................. 194
Car Care Instructions ................................. 195

Maintenance, Car Care
173
Wiper BladesfWhen wiper performance deteriorates, replace
the wipers.
fPlease observe the chapter “CAR CARE IN-
STRUCTIONS” on Page 195.
Caution!
Risk of damage if the wiper arm accidentally
falls back on to the window.
fAlways hold the wiper arm securely when re-
placing the wiper blade.
Risk of damage if wiper blades that are fro-
zen in place are loosened improperly.
fThaw the wiper blades before loosening them. Maintenance note
If the wiper blades rub or squeak, this can be as a
result of the following:
– If the vehicle is washed in an automatic car
wash, wax residues may adhere to the winds-
hield.
These wax residues can be removed by using
window cleaner concentrate.
Please observe the chapter “WASHER FLUID”
on Page 192.
Please contact your authorized Porsche dealer
for further information.
– The wiper blades may be damaged.
fReplace damaged wiper blades as soon as
possible.

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.

Maintenance, Car Care
197
Automatic car washes
Optional add-on parts or parts which project
beyond the contours of the vehicle may be
damaged by design features (e.g. brushes) of au-
tomatic car washes.
fWash and dry by hand all points not reached by
a car wash, such as door and lid seams or
door sills.
fPlease consult the operator before using auto-
matic car washes.
fPlease observe the chapter “WIPER BLADES”
on Page 173.
The following parts are particularly suscepti-
ble to damage:
– Windshield wipers (always switch them off to
prevent them wiping unintentionally in intermit-
tent or sensor operation).
– Fixed rear spoiler or extended rear spoiler.
– Wheels (the wider the rim and the lower the tire
height, the greater the risk of damage).
– High-gloss wheels (to prevent these from get-
ting scratched, do not clean with the wheel-
cleaning brushes of the car wash).
– External antenna (always unscrew).
– Roof Transport System (always remove com-
pletely).Note
Automatic car washes spray water at odd angles
and high pressures, which are not seen in normal
driving. Therefore, water can sometimes find its
way into the passengers compartment during or
shortly after the car wash.
Door locks fTo prevent the door locks from freezing during
the cold season, the lock cylinders should be
covered during a wash.
fShould the locks freeze, use an ordinary de-ic-
er. In many cases, a well warmed key can help.
Never use excessive force.

Maintenance, Car Care
199
Cleaning and preserving engine
compartment The engine compartment and the surface of the
engine are treated with a corrosion-inhibitor at the
factory.
If degreasing solvents are used to clean the en-
gine compartment or the engine is washed down,
the process almost invariably removes the corro-
sion-inhibiting coating. It is then absolutely neces-
sary to have a durable preservative applied to all
surfaces, body seams, joints and assemblies in
the engine compartment. This also applies when
corrosion-inhibitor parts are replaced.
Caution!
Risk of damage to the alternator.
fDo not point the cleaning jet directly at the al-ternator, or cover the alternator.
Effective corrosion-proofing is particularly impor-
tant during the cold weather season. If your car is
driven frequently in areas where salt has been
spread on the roads, the whole engine compart-
ment should be cleaned thoroughly after the win-
ter to prevent salt from causing any lasting dam-
age. A full under-body wash should also be per-
formed at the same time.
Windows The road dust which settles on the windshield and
windows contains particles of tire rubber and oil
residue. The interior trim and upholstery release
particles, particularly in strong sunlight, which col-
lect on the insides of the windows. These deposits
are augmented by impurities in the air which en-
ters the car through the fresh air vents.
fClean all windows regularly, inside and outside,
with Porsche window cleaner.
fIf you use a chamois leather for the windows,
do not use it for paintwork as it will otherwise
pick up a certain amount of preservative or
polish and could smear the windows and thus
impair vision.
fRemove dead insects with the Porsche insect
remover.
Note
Door windows feature a water-repellent (hydropho-
bic) coating which prevents soiling of the windows.
This coating is subject to natural wear and can be
renewed.
fConsult an authorized Porsche dealer.
Wiper blades Wiper blades that are in perfect condition are vital
for a clear view.
fReplace the wiper blades twice per year (be-
fore and after the cold season) or whenever
wiper performance deteriorates.
fPeriodically clean the wiper blades with
Porsche window cleaner, especially after the
vehicle has been washed in a car wash.
If they are very dirty (e.g. with insect remains),
they can be cleaned with a sponge or cloth. Undercoating The underside of your car is durably protected
against chemical and mechanical influences.
As it is not possible to exclude the risk of damage
to this protective coating in day to day driving, it
is advisable to have the underside of the car in-
spected at certain intervals - preferably before the
start of winter and again in spring - and the under-
coating restored as necessary.
Your authorized Porsche dealer is familiar with the
bodyseal treatment procedures and has the nec-
essary equipment for applying factory approved
materials. We recommend that you entrust them
with such work and inspections.
Unlike conventional spray oils, undercoating and
rust-proofing compounds based on bitumen or
wax do not attack the sound-proofing materials ap-
plied at the factory.