2009 PORSCHE PANAMERA Pressure

Maintenance and Car Care
257
Checking Coolant Level and
Adding CoolantThe coolant provides year-round protection
from corrosion and freezing down to –31 °F
(–35 °C) (–40 °F (–40 °C) in Nordic countries).
Observe the following points:
fUse only antifreeze authorised by Porsche.
f Check the coolant level regularly.Coolant levelWhen the engine is cold and the vehicle is level,
the red display must be under the arrow between
the minus and plus markings.
f Add coolant if necessary.
The maximum fill level is reached when the red
display is under the plus marking.
f Please see the chapter “OVERVIEW OF
WARNING MESSAGES” on page 152.
f Please see the chapter “EXERCISE EXTREME
CAUTION WHEN WORKING ON YOUR VEHICLE”
on page 252. Checking when engine is cold
1. Open cap on the reservoir carefully and
allow any overpressure to escape.
Then unscrew cap completely.
2. Read off the engine coolant level.
3. Top up with coolant if necessary. Do not top up over the plus marking.
Only add a mixture of antifreeze and water
in equal parts.
Antifreeze in coolant:
50 % provides antifreeze protection
down to –31 °F (–35 °C).
4. Screw the cap on the reservoir closed until it locks securely. Checking the coolant level when a warning
message appears on the multi-function
display in the instrument panel
Warning!
Danger of serious personal injury or death
from scalding. Coolant is hazardous to your
health, and may be fatal if swallowed.
f Do not open the cap of the expansion tank
while the engine is hot.
f Allow the engine to cool down before opening
the cap and protect your hands, arms and face
from any possible escape of hot coolant.
f Keep coolant out of children's reach.
f Also, 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 container. Coolant can be deadly to pets if consumed.

258
Maintenance and Car Care
1. If the engine is hot, cover the reservoir cap
with a cloth.
Open cap carefully and allow any overpressure
to escape.
Then unscrew cap completely.
2. Read off the engine coolant level. Top up with coolant if necessary.
Only add a mixture of antifreeze and water
in equal parts.
Antifreeze in coolant:
50 % provides antifreeze protection
down to –31 °F (–35 °C).
Do not top up over the plus marking.
3. Screw the cap on the reservoir closed until it locks securely.
4. Have the cooling system checked. Please contact a qualif ied specialist workshop.
We recommend that you have an authorized
Porsche dealer to do this work as they have
trained workshop personnel and the necessary
parts and tools. Maintenance notes
If pure water is added in an emergency, the mixing
ratio will have to be corrected.
A significant loss of coolan
t indicates a leak in the
cooling system.
f The cause must be eliminated without delay.
Please contact a qualified specialist workshop.
We recommend that you have an authorized
Porsche dealer to do this work as they have
trained workshop personnel and the necessary
parts and tools.
Radiator fansThe radiators and radiator fans are in the front
of the vehicle.
Warning!
Risk of injury.
The fans can start running when a certain
temperature is reached, even with the
engine switched off.
f Exercise extreme care when working close to
the radiator fans and make sure the engine is switched off.
Brake FluidRegular checking of the brake fluid is part of
servicing.
The fluid level should always be between the
MIN and MAX markings.
A slight decrease in the fluid level due to wear
and automatic readjustment of the disc brakes
is normal.
However, if the fluid level falls significantly or
goes below the MIN marking, the brake system
may have developed a leak.
fHave the brake system checked immediately.
Please contact a qualified specialist workshop.
We recommend that you have an authorized

264
Maintenance and Car Care
Fuel EconomyFuel economy will vary depending on where,
when and how you drive, optional equipment
installed, and the general condition of your
car.
A car tuned to specifications and correctly
maintained, will help you to achieve optimal
fuel economy.
fHave your vehicle tuned to specifications. Air
cleaner should be dirt free to allow proper
engine “breathing”.
Battery should be fully charged.
Wheels should be properly aligned.
Tires should be inflated to the correct
pressure.
f Always monitor your fuel consumption.
f Drive smoothly, avoid abrupt changes in speed
as much as possible.
f Avoid jack rabbit starts and sudden stops.
f Do not drive longer than necessary in the lower
gears. Shifting into a higher gear early without
lugging the engine will help save fuel.
f Prolonged “warm up” idling wastes gas. Start
the vehicle just before you are ready to drive.
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
f Switch off the engine if stationary for longer
periods.
f Any additional weight carried in the vehicle
reduces fuel economy. Always keep cargo to
a minimum and remove all unnecessary items. f
Organize your trips to take in several errands
in one trip.
f All electrical accessories contribute to
increased fuel consumption.
f Only switch on the air conditioning when
necessary.
f Do not drive with the Ro of Transport System
mounted unless you need it.
The EPA estimated miles per gallon (mpg) is
to be used for comparison purposes, actual
mileage may be different from the estimated
mpg, depending on your driving speed,
weather conditions and trip length. Your
actual highway mileage may be less than the
estimated mpg.
f Please observe all local and national speed
limits.
Operating Your Porsche in other
CountriesGovernment regulations in the United States and
Canada require that automobiles meet specific
emission regulations and safety standards.
Therefore, cars built for the U.S. and Canada differ
from vehicles sold in other countries.
If you plan to take your Porsche outside the
continental limits of the United States or Canada,
there is the possibility that
– unleaded fuel may not be available;
– unleaded fuel may have a considerably lower
octane rating. Excessi ve engine knock and
serious damage to both engine and catalytic
converters could result;
– service may be inadequate due to lack of proper service facilities, tools or diagnostic
equipment;
– replacement parts may not be available or very difficult to get.
Porsche cannot be responsible for the
mechanical damage that could result
because of inadequate fuel, service or parts
availability.
If you purchased your Porsche abroad and want to
bring it back home, be sure to find out about
shipping and forwarding requirements, as well as
current import and customs regulations.

270
Maintenance and Car Care
High-pressure cleaning equipment
Warning!
High-pressure cleaning equipment can
damage the following components:
–Tires
– Logos, emblems, decorative foils
– Painted surfaces
– Alternator, valve covers
– ParkAssist sensors
– Radar sensor for adaptive cruise control
– Rearview camera
f Always read the operating instructions
provided by the equipment manufacturer.
f Always cover the lid of the brake fluid reservoir
prior to cleaning. Never point the cleaning jet
directly at the lid.
f When cleaning with a flat-jet nozzle or
a so-called “dirt blaster”. maintain a minimum
distance of 20 in. (50 cm).
f Never use high-pressure cleaning equipment
with a round-jet nozzle.
A high-pressure cleaning device fitted with
a round nozzle will damage your vehicle. The
tires are particularly susceptible to damage.
f Do not point the cleaning jet directly at any of the aforementioned components.
Decorative film
Caution!
Risk of damage due to separation of the
decorative film when using high-pressure
cleaning equipment.
f When cleaning components, the water must
not be hotter than 140 °F (60 °C) and the
pressure no greater than 580 psi (40 bar).
Always observe a minimum distance of 20 in. (50 cm).
Care of door lockfTo prevent the door lock from freezing
during the cold season, cover the lock barrel
with suitable adhesive tape while washing
the vehicle.
If the lock still freezes, use an ordinary de-icer.
In many cases, a well warmed key can help.
Never use excessive force.
Car washingThe best protection for the vehicle from the
damaging effects of the environment is frequent
washing and preservation.
The longer road salt, road dust, industrial dust,
insect remains, bird excrement, and tree sap,
resin, pollen, etc. are allowed to remain on the
bodywork, the more harmful their effect.
Observe the following poi nts in order to ensure
that the vehicle is washed thoroughly without
damaging the paintwork:
f The underside of the vehicle should also be
thoroughly washed at the end of the winter
season at the latest.
f Wash your vehicle only at sites provided for
this purpose to prevent soot, grease, oil and
heavy metals from entering the environment.
f Dark colors are slightly more susceptible
to scratching and require particularly careful
paint care.
Dark paints make even the smallest surface
blemishes (scratches) more conspicuous than
lighter colors.
f Do not wash your Porsche in direct sunlight
or when its body is hot.
f When washing by hand, use a car shampoo,
plenty of water, and a soft sponge or washing
brush.
We recommend Porsche car shampoo.

272
Maintenance and Car Care
Polishing
Only when the original
shine can no longer be
obtained using preservatives should paint polish
be used to clean the paint.
We recommend Porsche paint polish.
Removing spots and stains
f Remove tar spatters, traces of oil, insects etc.
as soon as possible using an insect remover,
as they discolor the paint if left to work on it
over time.
f Wash the treated areas carefully afterwards.
Repairing minor paint damage
f Have minor paint damage (cracks, scratches
or stone damage) repaired immediately
before corrosion begins.
Please contact a qualif ied specialist workshop.
We recommend that you have an authorized
Porsche dealer to do this work as they have
trained workshop personnel and the necessary
parts and tools.
If traces of corrosion have already formed, these
must be thoroughly removed. An anti-corrosion
primer must then be applied to these spots,
followed by top-coat paint. Paint data can be found on the vehicle data
carrier.
f
Please see the chapter “VEHICLE DATA BANK”
on page 323.
Cleaning the engine compartment
Caution!
Risk of damage, e.g. to the alternator,
painted surfaces, and the valve covers.
f Never use high-pressure cleaners with
a round-jet nozzle.
f Always observe a minimum distance of 20 in.
(50 cm).
f Always cover the lid of the brake fluid reservoir
prior to cleaning with a high-pressure cleaner.
Never point the cleaning jet directly at the lid.
f Do not point the cleaning jet directly at any of the aforementioned components.
Note on operation
If the vehicle is driven frequently on salted
or gritted roads:
f Have the engine compartment cleaned
regularly.
Cleaning windowsfClean all windows regularly, inside and out,
with window cleaner.
We recommend Porsche window cleaner.
f Do not use the same chamois for painted
surfaces and for drying the windows.
Preservative residues could reduce
transparency.
f Remove insect residues with insect remover.
Note
The front side windows have a water-repellent
(hydrophobic) coating, which prevents soiling
of the windows.
This coating is subject to natural wear and can
be renewed.
f Please contact a qualified specialist workshop.
We recommend that you have an authorized
Porsche dealer to do this work as they have
trained workshop personnel and the necessary
parts and tools.

274
Maintenance and Car Care
Cleaning headlights, lights, interior and
exterior plastic components, adhesive
foils, radar sensor for adaptive cruise
control and rearview cameraObserve the following points:
fUse only clean water and a little dishwashing
liquid or interior window cleaner to clean
headlights, lights, plastic components
and surfaces.
Use a soft sponge or a soft, lint-free cloth.
Note
An interior window cleane r can also be used to
clean plastic surfaces (always read the cleaning
instructions on the container!).
We recommend Porsche interior window cleaner.
f Gently wipe the surface without applying
too much pressure.
f Do not clean when dry.
f Never use other chemical cleaners
or solvents.
f Rinse cleaned surfaces with clear water.
Alloy wheelsMetal particles (e.g. brass or copper in brake
dust) must not remain too long on alloy wheels.
Contact corrosion can cause pitting.
Note
Cleaners with an oxide-removing effect or
wrong pH value, as are commonly used for
other metals, as well as mechanical tools and
products, will damage the oxide layer and are
therefore unsuitable.
fUse only cleaners for alloy wheels
(pH value 9.5). Products with the wrong
pH value can destroy the protective layer
on the wheels.
We recommend Porsche cleaner for light
alloy rims.
f If possible, wash the wheels every two weeks
with a sponge or washing brush. If the wheels
are exposed to road salt, grit or industrial dust,
weekly cleaning is necessary.
f Every three months, after cleaning, treat the
wheels with car wax or an acid-free grease
(e.g. Vaseline).
Rub the grease in well with a soft cloth.
f Please see the chapter “CLEANING IN CAR
WASHES” on page 271.
Danger!
Danger of accident resulting in serious
personal injury or death if cleaning agents
(e.g. wheel cleaning agents) come into
contact with the brake discs. The resulting
film on the brake discs can impair braking
performance.
f Make sure that no clea ning agent comes into
contact with the brake discs.
f If cleaning agent has come into contact with
the brake discs, clean the brake discs
thoroughly with a strong jet of water.
f Paying attention to any road users behind you, dry the brake discs by applying the brakes.
Stainless steel tailpipesStainless steel tailpipes can discolor due to
soiling, strong heat and combustion residues.
The original shine can be achieved again using
commercially available metal lustre paste or metal
polish.

Minor Repairs
281
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specific
government test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and a half (1-1/2)
times as well on the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road characteristics
and climate.
Traction AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C and they represent the tire's ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance.
Warning!
The traction grade assigned to this is based
on braking (straight-ahead) traction tests
and does not include cornering (turned)
traction, acceleration, hydroplaning or peak
traction characteristics. Temperature A, B, C
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B and
C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and it
s ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a
specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperatures can cause the
material of the tire to de generate and reduce tire
life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the labora tory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Warning!
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly inflated
and not overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading, either
separately or in combin ation, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure, resulting
loss of control, leading to serious personal
injury or death.
Tire pressures
Danger!
Risk of accident.
Risk of serious personal injury or death.
Driving the vehicle with low tire pressure
increases risk of a tire failure and resulting
loss of control. Furthermore, low tire
pressure increases rate of wear of the
affected tires and cause damage.
f Always use an accurate tire pressure gage
when checking inflation pressures.
f Do not exceed the maximum tire pressure
listed on the tire sidewall. (Also refer to
”Technical data“).
f Please see the chapter “TIRE PRESSURE
PLATE” on page 283.
f Cold tire inflation pressure means: all tires
must be cold, ambient temperature maximum
68 °F (20 °C), when adjusting the inflation
pressure. Avoid sunlight striking the tires
before measuring cold pressures, since the
pressures would rise from temperature
influence.

282
Minor Repairs
f
Valve caps protect the valve from dust and dirt,
and thus from leakage. Always screw caps
tightly down. Replace missing caps
immediately.
f Use only plastic valve caps.
f For safety reasons, don't use tire inflating
bottles.
f Please see the chapter “TIRE PRESSURE FOR
COLD TIRES (68 °F/20 °C)” on page 326.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should
be checked monthly when cold and inflated to the
inflation pressure recommended by the vehicle
manufacturer on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label. (If your vehicle has tires of a
different size than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pr essure label, you should
determine the proper tire inflation pressure for
those tires).
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring (TPM)
that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale when
one or more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire pressure
telltale illuminates, you should stop and check
your tires as soon as po ssible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure. Driving on a significantly
under-inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failur e. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency an d tire tread life, and may
affect the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability. Please note that the TPM is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level to
trigger illumination of the TPM low tire pressure
tell-tale.
For further information on the tire pressure
monitoring:
f
Please see the chapter “TIRE PRESSURE
MONITORING (TPM)” on page 127.
When tires are warm, the tire pressure is
increased.
f Never let air out of hot tires. This could cause
the tire pressure to fall below the prescribed
value.
Insufficient tire pressure can cause tires to over-
heat and thus be damaged – even invisibly. Hidden
tire damage is not eliminated by subsequently
correcting the tire pressure. Overloading
Danger!
Risk of damage to vehicle parts, loss of
control and serious pers onal injury or death.
f Do not overload your vehicle. Be careful about
the roof load.
f If you plan to load the vehicle, first correct the
tire pressure. Tire pressure for loaded vehicle
can be found on the tire pressure plate and in
the chapter technical data.
f Never exceed the specified axle load.
Overloading can shorten the service life of the
tires and car, as well as lead to dangerous
vehicle reactions and long braking distances.
Damage due to overloading is not covered by
the vehicle warranty.
Tire damage may also be caused by
overloading, and this damage is not covered by your tire warranty.
f Please see the chapter “LOADING INFORMA-
TION” on page 236.