2009 PORSCHE BOXSTER tow

Table of Contents
7
Trip Odometer ........................................... 121
Speedometer ................ ............................ 122
Changing over between Miles / Kilometers .. 122
Tachometer ............... ................................ 123
Turn Signal Indicator Light .......................... 123
High Beam Indicator Li ght ........................... 123
Gear Shift Indicator
(in vehicles with manual transmission) .......... 123
Cooling System ......... ................................ 124
Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) ................... 125
Fuel .......................... ................................ 126
Clock ............................ ............................ 127
Outside Temperature ................................. 127
Check Engine (Emission Control) ................. 129
On-Board Computer (B C) ............................ 130
Warnings on the instrument panel and the on-
board computer ............. ............................ 162Shifting Gears.................................. 171Manual Transmission, Cl utch ....................... 172
Drive-Off Assistant ..... ................................ 173
Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) ................... 174Mobile Roofs ................................... 181Convertible Top ......... ................................ 182
Windstop ................... ................................ 189
Hardtop ........................ ............................ 190Maintenance, Car Care .................... 195Exercise Extreme Caution when Working
on your Vehicle .......................................... 196
Coolant Level ............ ................................ 197
Engine Oil ................. ................................ 199 Engine Oil Level ..
......................................199
Engine Oil Recommendat ion ........................200
Brake Fluid Level ...... ..................................202
Fuel Economy .......... ..................................204
Operating your Porsche in other Countries ...204
Fuel Recommendation s ..............................206
Portable Fuel Containers ............................207
Fuel Evaporation Control ............................207
Emission Control Syst em ............................208
How Emission Control Works ......................209
Washer Fluid ............ ..................................210
Power Steering ........ ..................................211
Air Filter .................. ..................................211
Combination Filter .... ..................................211
Fluids/Oils for Manual Transmission
and Porsche Doppelkuppl ung (PDK) .............211
Wiper Blades .......... ..................................212
Car Care Instructions ................................213
Practical Tips, Emergency Service .... 221Exercise Extreme Caution when Working
on your Vehicle ............................ .............222
Tires/Wheels ............... ............................. 223
Loading Information ...................... .............234
Wheel Bolts ................................. .............236
Changing a wheel .......................... .............237
Flat Tire........................ ............................. 239
Lifting the Vehicle with a Lifting Platform
or Garage Lift ...... ......................................242
Spacers ...................... ..............................243
Electrical System ......................................245
Battery ................... ..................................249
Replacing the remote-control battery ..........254
Emergency Starting with Jumper Cables ......255 Bulb chart ..............
................................... 257
Lights, Replacing Bulb s ............................. 257
Headlights ............. ................................... 258
Number Plate Light . ................................... 266
Changing Light-Emitting Diodes and Long-Life
Bulbs ......................... .............................. 266
Adjusting Headlights .................................. 267
Towing ....................... .............................. 269
Vehicle Identification,
Technical Data ......... ....................... 273Vehicle Identification .................................. 274
Technical Data ....... ................................... 276
Tire Pressure for Cold Tires ....................... 277
Tires, Rims, Tracks .................................. 278
Driving Performance* ................. .............. 280
Capacities ............. ................................... 281
Weights ..................... .............................. 282
Dimensions ........... ................................... 282
Diagrams ................... .............................. 283

8
Before driving off...
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/her 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 f Turn the engine off before you attempt any
checks or repairs on the vehicle.
f Be sure the tires are inflated correctly.
Check tires for damage and tire wear.
f See that wheel bolts are properly tightened
and not loose or missing.
f Check engine oil level, add if necessary.
Make it a habit to have engine oil checked with
every fuel filling.
f Check all fluid levels such as windshield
washer and brake fluid levels.
f Be sure the vehicle battery is well charged and
cranks the engine properly.
f Check all doors and lids for proper operation
and latch them properly.
f Check, and if necessary replace worn or
cracked wiper blades.
f See that all windows are clear and unob-
structed.
f Check air intake slots and area between lug-
gage compartment lid and windshield. Ensure
that these areas are free of snow and ice, so
the heater and the windshield wipers work
properly. f
If a child will be riding in the vehicle, check
child seat/child seat restraint system to ensure
that restraints are properly adjusted.
f Child restraint systems will not fit into the
Sports bucket seat.
Do not install a child restraint system in the
Sports bucket seat.
The Sports bucket seat cannot be equipped
with the LATCH system and thus the airbag
system cannot be manually deactivated.
f Check all exterior and interior lights for opera-
tion and that the lenses are clean.
f Check the headlights for proper aim, and if
necessary, have them adjusted.
f Check under the vehicle for leaks.
f Be 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.

Before driving off...
9
In the driver’s seat... fCheck operation of the horn.
f Position seat for easy reach of foot pedals and
controls.
To reduce the possibility of injury from the
airbag deployment, you should always sit back
as far from the steering wheel as is practical,
while still maintaining full vehicle control.
f Adjust the inside and outside rear view mirrors.
f Buckle your safety belts.
f Check operation of the foot and parking brake.
f Check all warning and indicator lights with
ignition on and engine not running.
f Start engine and check all warning displays for
warning symbols.
f Never leave an idling car unattended.
f Lock doors from inside, especially with chil-
dren in the car to prevent inadvertent opening
of doors from inside or outside.
Drive with doors locked.
On the road... fNever drive after you have consumed alcohol
or drugs.
f Always have your safety belt fastened.
f Always drive defensively.
Expect the unexpected.
f Use signals to indicate turns and lane changes.
f Turn on headlights at dusk or when the driving
conditions warrant it.
f Always keep a safe distance from the vehicle in
front of you, depending on traffic, road and
weather conditions.
f Reduce speed at night and during inclement
weather.
Driving in wet weather requires caution and re-
duced speeds, particularly on roads with
standing water, as the handling characteristics
of the vehicle may be impaired due to hydro-
planing of the tires.
f Always observe speed limits and obey road
signs and traffic laws.
f When tired, get well off the road, stop and take
a rest. Turn the engine off. Do not sit in the ve-
hicle with engine idling.
Please see the chapter “ENGINE EXHAUST” on
Page 5. f
When parked, always set the parking brake.
Move the PDK selector le ver to ”P“ or the gear-
shift lever to reverse or first gear.
On hills also turn the front wheels toward the
curb.
f When emergency repairs become necessary,
move the vehicle well off the road. Turn on the
emergency flasher and use other warning de-
vices to alert other motorists. Do not park or
operate the vehicle in areas where the hot ex-
haust system may come in contact with dry
grass, brush, fuel spill or other flammable ma-
terial.
f Make it a habit to have the engine oil checked
with every refueling.

30
Operation, Safety
Folding in door mirrors
Warning!
Danger of injury to fingers if the mirror
accidentally flips back when being folded in.
f Exercise extreme caution when folding in mir-
ror by hand. Do not let go of the mirror before
the locking lever is locked or the mirror is fully unfolded. 1. Push mirror towards the door window and
continue to hold it (high spring force).
2. Swivel the locking lever up to the stop and slowly let go of the mirror.
Unfolding door mirrors1. Push mirror towards the door window and continue to hold it (high spring force). The
locking lever disengages automatically.
2. Move mirror back to unfolded position by hand. Do not let go of the mirror beforehand.
A-Sensor
B - Switch for automatic anti-glare operation
C - Light-emitting diode Automatic Anti-Glare Interior
Mirror and Door Mirror Sensors on the front and re ar sides of the interior
mirror measure the incident light.
The mirrors automatically change to anti-glare po-
sition or revert to their normal state, depending on
the light intensity.
When reverse gear is selected, automatic anti-
glare operation is switched off.

Operation, Safety
43
An audio-visual warning system is interconnect-
ed with the driver ’s safety belt.
Every time the ignition is turned on, the gong will
sound for about 6 seconds to remind driver and
passenger to buckle up.
In addition, the gong will sound for approx. 90 sec-
onds if vehicle speed exceeds 15 mph/24 km/h.
The safety belt warning lights in the instrument
panel and on-board computer will go off as soon
as the driver has buckled up.
Inertia reel retractor The combination lap/shoulder belt with inertia reel
locking mechanism adjusts automatically to your
size and movements as long as the pull on the belt
is slow.
Rapid deceleration during hard braking or a colli-
sion locks the belt. The belt will also lock when you
drive up or down a steep hill or in a sharp curve,
otherwise, the shoulder belt will not inhibit your
upper body movement.Fastening the safety beltf Assume a comfortable sitting position.
f Please see the chapter “SEAT POSITION” on
Page 32.
f The shoulder belt should always rest on your
upper body. The shoulder belt should never be
worn behind your back or under your arm.
f Grasp belt and pull the belt in a continuous
slow motion across your chest and lap.
f Insert belt tongue into buckle on inboard side
of seat. Push down until it securely locks with
an audible click. Pull the belt to check.
f Pull shoulder section to make sure belt fits
snugly across the pelvis.
f Belts should fit snugly across the pelvis and
chest. Make sure there is no slack in the belt.
Releasing the safety beltf Push in release button (arrow ) on buckle. Belt
tongue will spring out of buckle.
f To release a latched belt, lean back to take the
body pressure off the belt.
f To store lap/shoulder belt, allow the belt to re-
tract as you guide the latch to its stowed posi-
tion.
f Please see the chapter “AUTOMATIC LOCKING
RETRACTOR” on Page 52.Cleaning the safety beltsIf it becomes necessary to clean the belts, you
can use any mild washing agent. Allow the belts to
dry prior to retracting, but avoid direct sunlight.
f Only use suitable cleaners. If unsuitable
cleaners are used or any attempt is made to
dye or bleach the belt s, the webbing may be
weakened and thus constitute a safety risk.
Safety Belt Warning System

56
Operation, Safety
The warning lights in the
instrument panel and on-
board computer will go out after the parking brake
is fully released.
The warning lights are not an indicator that the
parking brake is fully set; it is only intended to be
a warning to release the parking brake before
driving the car. Caution!
A partially engaged brake will overheat the
rear brakes, reduce their effectiveness and
cause excessive wear.
f Release the parking brake fully.
f When parking your car, always set the parking
brake by pulling all the way up on the lever.
f Move the selector lever to “P” (PDK) or move
the gearshift lever to reverse or first gear
(Manual transmission).
f On hills also turn the front wheels towards the
curb.
Brakes fMake it a habit to chec k the operation of your
brakes before driving.
Keep in mind that the braking distance increases
very rapidly as the speed increases. At 60 mph or
100 km/h, for example, it is not twice but four
times longer than 30 mph or 50 km/h. Tire trac-
tion is also less effective when the roads are wet
or slippery.
f Therefore, always maintain a safe distance
from the car in front of you.
Vehicles without Porsche Ceramic Compos-
ite Brake (PCCB)
Even though the brake discs consist of alloyed
grey cast iron, they will unavoidably start to cor-
rode if your car is parked for an extended period.
The brakes will tend to “rub” as a result.
The nature, extent and effects of corrosion de-
pend on the amount of time the vehicle was
parked, whether granular or liquid road salt was
spread and whether grease-dissolving agents
were used in car washes.
To prevent corrosion of the brake discs, ”brake
them dry“ before parking the car.
If the braking comfort is noticeably impaired, we
recommend having the brake system checked by
experts at an authorized Porsche dealer.
Brake system function Your Porsche is equipped with a power assisted
hydraulic dual circuit brake system with disc
brakes at the front and rear.
Both circuits function independently. One brake
circuit operates the front and the other operates
the rear.
If one brake circuit has failed, the other will still op-
erate. However, you will notice an increased pedal
travel when you apply the brakes.
Failure of one brake circuit will cause the stopping
distance to increase.
Warning!
Risk of an accident, resulting in serious per-
sonal injury or death.
In the unlikely event of hydraulic failure of
one brake circuit:
f Push the brake pedal down firmly and hold it in
that position.
A mechanical linkage activates the second cir-
cuit, and you will be able to bring the vehicle to
a stop.
f After bringing your vehicle to a complete stop,
avoid driving the vehicle and instead have it
towed to the nearest authorized Porsche deal-er for repair.
Parking brake warning light USA
Parking brake warning light
Canada

Operation, Safety
61
Sport ModeA sportier car set-up is obtained when Sport mode
is switched on. Interventions by the Porsche
control systems are intentionally shifted towards
greater agility and driving performance:
– PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Manage-ment) is automatically changed to Sport mode,
resulting in a stiffer suspension setup.
– When Sport mode is active, the PDK transmis- sion switches to a sporty gear-changing map
and shortens the gear shifting times. Gear
changes take place faster, but fuel consump-
tion is also increased.
PSM (Porsche Stability Management) control
gives a sportier road-feel to the vehicle. PSM
interventions take place later than in Normal
mode. The driver can maneuver the vehicle
with greater agility at its performance limits,
without having to dispense with the assistance
of PSM in emergency situations. This helps to
achieve optimal lap times, particularly on race
circuits with a dry road surface.
– The electronic accelerator pedal reacts sooner, and the engine is more responsive to
throttle inputs. When Sport mode is switched
on, this function is ac tivated only after the
driver has floored the accelerator pedal or
released it briefly.
– The rpm limiter characteristic is “harder”, i.e. the engine is immediately throttled when the
performance limits are reached (only in manual selection mode for vehicles with PDK transmis-
sion).
f Please observe the chap ters on PSM, PASM
and PDK.
Switching Sport mode on and offSwitching Sport mode on and off simultaneously
activates and deactivate s the Sport mode in
PA S M .
If PASM Sport mode was activated with the PASM
button, PASM remains active.
After the ignition is switched off, Sport mode is
automatically reset to Normal mode.
SPORT button
f Press SPORT button A in the center console.
When Sport mode is switched on, the light-
emitting diode in the SPORT button is lit.
A sporty gear-changing map is enabled and the
gear shifting times ar e shortened for the PDK
transmission.
A sporty driving style is recognized more quickly
and the gear-changing speeds are adapted to
driving performance.
Deceleration downshifts are commenced earlier.
Downshifts are made during slight decelerations,
even at higher engine speeds.
f Please see the chapter “SPORT MODE
(“SPORT” AND “SPORT PLUS” MODES)” on
Page 176. SPORT PLUS button
(only on vehicles with PDK transmission)
In “Sport Plus” mode, the PDK transmission
changes to a shift program designed for driving
on race circuits. 7th gear is not selected.
The gear-changing performance is enhanced
significantly again compared with “Sport” mode.
f
Please see the chapter “SPORT MODE
(“SPORT” AND “SPORT PLUS” MODES)” on
Page 176.
f Press SPORT PLUS button B in the center
console.
When Sport mode is switched on, the light-
emitting diode in the SP ORT PLUS button is lit.

Operation, Safety
65
Sport modeA sportier car set-up is obtained when Sport or
Sport Plus mode is switched on.
PSM interventions are later than in Normal mode;
the vehicle can be maneuverd with greater agility
at its performance limits, without dispensing with
the assistance of PSM in emergency situations.
This helps to achieve optimal lap times, particu-
larly on race circuits and a dry road surface.
– The multifunctional light on the instrument panel lights up for a lamp check when the
ignition is switched on.
– The light indicates a control operation by flashing, including when PSM is switched off
(brake control in the ev ent of one-sided wheel
spin).
– In conjunction with a message on the on-board computer, the light indicates that PSM is
switched off.
An acoustic signal also sounds.
– The light indicates a faul t in conjunction with a
message on the on-board computer.
PSM is out of order. f
Please have the fault remedied at an author-
ized Porsche dealer.
f Please see the chapter “PUTTING VEHICLE
INTO OPERATION” on Page 251.
Towingf Please see the chapter “TOWING” on
Page 269.Checks on test standsBrake tests
Brake tests must be performed only on plate-type
test stands or roller test stands.
The ignition must be switched off.
The following limit values must not be exceeded
on roller test stands:
– Testing speed 5 mph (8 km/h)
– Test duration 20 seconds
Handbrake tests
Handbrake tests on the roller test stand must be
performed only with the ignition switched off .
PSM multifunctional light