Meet Ron Burgundy

[MR_Y]

Added another 2,500km this past week. So, 5,000km clocked so far this December.

Car performed excellently.

Average consumption sitting at 7.0 litres per 100 km.

However, I do notice a rougher vibration at idle after a drive. No jump in revs, just a rougher than usual diesel motor clatter/shake after the car has been driven for a while. Coolant temp and oil pressure are all fine. The vibration goes away when you give it some revs and pull away. No vibration when the car is cold. I booked the car with the dealership - their next available slot is 15 Jan. Will monitor this and revert.

 

[MR_Y]

New achievement unlocked....

So, with my E85 still at the workshop for its oil issues, I decided to use the Macan for an early Sunday morning drive.

Previously, I would just switch the car into Sport mode (gearbox and chassis) and only use the paddle shifters if I wanted a quick downshift before a bend/curve. Being a diesel, I thought it was pointless leaving the car in manual because the low down torque makes manual gear changes pointless, also noting that PDK automatic shifts are super fast.

Today, I left the car in total M (manual) mode for the gearbox and switched the other settings to Sport. Naturally, the box will change down if the engine revs drop too low and will change up if you hit the redline.

As most diesel owners will know, revving a diesel to the redline is pointless. The sweet spot is in the mid rev range.

Using the paddles to keep the motor in the right rev range was a fantastic experience. It added another layer of interaction that I did not experience before on this car. The PDK is super quick to respond to the manual pulls on the paddles - there is no gearbox delay. Because you are controlling the gearbox, the slight diesel motor delay that is present in automatic mode is gone (or, rather it is still may be present, but you are working the gears yourself so you can work around any engine lag).
Adding to the interactive experience is the feel of the paddles themselves. Perfectly damped and weighted, aluminium-finished paddles that are perfectly placed at 3 and 9 o clock.
Brake hard, drop down a gear or two, prepare to execute a turn of the steering wheel before a sweeping bend, unwind the steering, feel the car compose itself for the exit, floor the accelerator as you straighten up, shift up a gear, etc.
Adding the manual paddle shifting to the spirited driving experience adds a new dimension to the overall enjoyment.
I will likely replace my 5 year old Hankooks this year with something a bit sportier. The Hankooks performed well for most road conditions. Michelin or Goodyears may be on the cards.
I can imagine how a petrol powered GTS Macan must feel in similar situations, where the exhaust and higher revability of the engine adds more theatrics. However, I highly doubt it can match the diesel's fuel economy and this motor's relatively better long term reliability over the V6 Audi petrols.
Anyway, the Macan diesel may not be the fastest diesel SUV on the market, but it is one of the most engaging diesel SUVs out there. I haven't driven an X3 M40d under spirited driving conditions, but I feel the Macan (being slightly smaller and shorter) has the potential edge on driver enjoyment.
Sport mode on and Sport Chassis selected




Aluminium paddles feel fantastic


Oil temp, coolant temp, oil pressure, battery voltage - all good


Useful when pressing on. Lets you know how much rear vs front torque there is for the perfect slingshot


Travelled more than 22,000km in 13 months. Car was purchased with 34,000km on the clock. Porsches are for driving after all...

 

[MR_Y]

Update

The vibration issue (when idling) was raised with the workshop. They couldn't replicate the issue and checked everything that could have caused it. Anyway, the vibration disappeared for a week now, so will monitor and see.

Another issue: The radiator grilles/louvres are automatic and open and close to aid aerodynamic efficiency. As expected on an 8 year old German vehicle, they are now acting up and risk staying closed when the engine is hot. Anyway, luckily, they gave a warning before going kaput (they made a screeching noise). The workshop is replacing this.

While they're at it, Porsche offered me tyres (Michelin Latitudes) at a decent price. These will be fitted shortly.

Other issues being attended to are low battery warning (my tracking device is sending me alerts when the car is parked that the main battery is low), screeching rear windscreen wiper and the rear hatch not closing fully at first click of the button.

Besides the radiator grille issue (which I suspect will also affect new generation BMWs, with active radiator grilles, as they age), the other issues are not major.

After my horrendous courtesy car experience back in 2021 (visit my old Cayman S thread for details - I was given a V6 Cayenne that was resprayed badly and had a warning light come on, then was given an old V8 Cayenne with totally bald tyres!), it seems that Porsche have upped their game. I was now given a 2014 Cayenne V6 diesel as a courtesy car - this car looks almost new and drives well for the age (it is part of their approved used car stock, I assume). The person who handed me the car keys is their regional fleet manager. Seems that my complaints from 2021 were made known

I am driving the Cayenne while they work on my Macan. After the crap with the poor customer service on my Cayman S in 2021, I am happy to report that Porsche SA have redeemed themselves.

 

[CK4LIFE]

Glad issues being addressed but I can only imagine what it would cost to maintain out of plan

 

[jld010]

This thread is box office..keep it coming with the updates..also the grey wheels updated from the original colour made a huge difference to the overall appeal of the vehicle..really a status magnet.

 

[MR_Y]

Glad issues being addressed but I can only imagine what it would cost to maintain out of plan

The motor for the automatic grille shutters and labour was R8k.

While there, they also replaced rear brake pads and rear discs. And also wiper blades.

All in all, came to R25k. Noting that this was slightly discounted because it was done under maintenance plan rates by the dealership.

 

[MR_Y]

So.....

The dealership gave me a good price on Michelin Latitude Sport 3 tyres, including alignment, etc..

But, they scratched the wheel paint (that they originally painted last year - actually, they outsourced the work to TWT Wheel Collision).

See pictures below👇.

I raised this with the service advisor when I collected the car. It is clear that this was caused by their wheel spanner.

Anyway, waiting for their feedback on next steps.

 

[MR_Y]

Update on the rims issue....

Porsche say that there were scuffs on the rims when the car came in to them. In my view, these were really minor (paint was not stripped) and did not match the deep scratches shown in the pictures above and were on totally different areas. Given that there was already existing wear on the rims, they will not repaint the rims.

However, they did offer a brush touch on all 4 rims at no charge, covering their deep scratches, as well as the minor (read microscopic) existing scuffs.

I think this is a decent enough compromise.

Will book the car in and revert.

 

[modocrat]

Did they not take pictures of your vehicle and wheels upon booking it in?

 

[Benji]

lol dude, when I point out to the tyre shops that they did this kind of damage, I generally get blank stares and frustration saying "tis but a scratch"

 

[MR_Y]

Did they not take pictures of your vehicle and wheels upon booking it in?

This is where it gets messy...

They have pics. But it is of my wheels which were dirty. I travel on gravel daily, so the wheels were coated in dust when I arrived at the dealership. The pictures do not clearly show the existing scuff marks, nor do they show the new scratches. I wash my car weekly and inspect the wheels and, to my knowledge, the scratches that I claim that they made were not there before they fitted the new tyres.

Anyway, the brush touch up was done, but does not hide the damage that they did.

I decided to not fight them on this. In future, I will wash my rims and avoid gravel when booking my car with them.

In other news....

I am seriously considering letting my maintenance plan expire and not renew it. This decision might bite me in the back side if something major has to go wrong, but the want of getting some performance mods is pretty tempting.

 

[GravityLee]

Interesting. I thought a big draw of owning a Porsche for you was the possibility to extend the plan longer and with more mileage than other brands.

What are the performance mods you’re considering?

 

[MR_Y]

Interesting. I thought a big draw of owning a Porsche for you was the possibility to extend the plan longer and with more mileage than other brands.

What are the performance mods you’re considering?

I think owning an old E85 Z4 has changed my perspective on owning cars out of Plan. Sure, a Porsche can cost a lot to fix, but the pros and cons need to be weighed up.

Software and cat back exhaust with active control (to avoid droning at speed). Further details to be considered after doing further analysis.

 

[GravityLee]

FWIW, I completely agree on that perspective.

 

[MR_Y]

FWIW, I completely agree on that perspective.

Life is for living (and taking chances that you might regret later, but at least have a fun time taking those chances anyway 😀)

 

[General.Massacre]

I think owning an old E85 Z4 has changed my perspective on owning cars out of Plan. Sure, a Porsche can cost a lot to fix, but the pros and cons need to be weighed up.

Software and cat back exhaust with active control (to avoid droning at speed). Further details to be considered after doing further analysis.

Hi man, yes this i can agree with, i have never owned a car with a maintenance plan. my 335i, the 640d, and now the M6 have all had expired plans, and ive been offered aftermarket warranty, however the hoops needed to jump through for them to generally pay out, in my experience, is not worth the hassle.
Granted the M6 is the biggest risk with this mindset i am well aware, I asked BMW for the cost on a maintenance plan, and its was the princely sum of R68k for a 3year plan, this covers only regular maintenance, not brakes, or anything else that might go wrong, purely the services.
So that means a full service once a year at a value of R22 600, lol. Obviously im not their target customer. I have a brain. and a Calculator.

Maintenance over Performance first. As long as you keep up with maintenance, you generally fine, apart from some unhelped circumstances if they occur, but for the most part, should be fine.

 

[///M Individual]

I think owning an old E85 Z4 has changed my perspective on owning cars out of Plan. Sure, a Porsche can cost a lot to fix, but the pros and cons need to be weighed up.

Software and cat back exhaust with active control (to avoid droning at speed). Further details to be considered after doing further analysis.

I think the software and downpipe will transform the car! YOLO!

 

[MR_Y]

Modifications and Porsche Maintenance Plan:

Some interesting insights...

- Porsche allow Akrapovic exhausts with no impact on the Plan. The catch being that the exhaust must be fitted by the dealership. Unfortunately, Akrapovic do not make any system for the Macan S Diesel.

- If a catback exhaust (any other brand) is fitted, the Plan will obviously exclude any claims on that part, as well as any potential damage inflicted on the existing parts as a result of that non approved part. However, the Plan is not totally voided.

I got a quote for a custom made cat back system (will provide full details later if I go ahead with them). I was thinking of down pipe and software, but I am also wary of impacting resale value down the line. A cat back seems like a nice compromise.

I also got a quote for an approved PSE (Porsche Sports Exhaust). This is a system that has revised, active silencers (switchable with a button on the centre console) and a "noise pulse maker" (they call it a Shaker) in the front of the cabin that adds some vibration/bass.

Anyway, the difference in price between the custom catback and the PSE is around R50k (the PSE being more expensive). From what I researched, the PSE is not that loud and relies more on the Shaker to get the impact/feel of the exhaust - though that is fake, to a degree.

On the other hand, come resale, a PSE will be a better selling point than an aftermarket system.

Anyway, still have some time to decide.

 

[TBP88]

Modifications and Porsche Maintenance Plan:

Some interesting insights...

- Porsche allow Akrapovic exhausts with no impact on the Plan. The catch being that the exhaust must be fitted by the dealership. Unfortunately, Akrapovic do not make any system for the Macan S Diesel.

- If a catback exhaust (any other brand) is fitted, the Plan will obviously exclude any claims on that part, as well as any potential damage inflicted on the existing parts as a result of that non approved part. However, the Plan is not totally voided.

I got a quote for a custom made cat back system (will provide full details later if I go ahead with them). I was thinking of down pipe and software, but I am also wary of impacting resale value down the line. A cat back seems like a nice compromise.

I also got a quote for an approved PSE (Porsche Sports Exhaust). This is a system that has revised, active silencers (switchable with a button on the centre console) and a "noise pulse maker" (they call it a Shaker) in the front of the cabin that adds some vibration/bass.

Anyway, the difference in price between the custom catback and the PSE is around R50k (the PSE being more expensive). From what I researched, the PSE is not that loud and relies more on the Shaker to get the impact/feel of the exhaust - though that is fake, to a degree.

On the other hand, come resale, a PSE will be a better selling point than an aftermarket system.

Anyway, still have some time to decide.

Seldom comment on these SUVs but I'd have to strongly advise against spending this sort of money on an exhaust for a diesel family tourer!

I'd be much more tempted just to extend and keep the car as is, you seem extremely happy with it (and with Porsche treatment, in general), so why void parts of it, and invariably they'll give you uphill if (say) a turbo goes and you're running a custom exhaust.

If you want to tinker, rather spend some cash on the Z4

 

[MR_Y]

Seldom comment on these SUVs but I'd have to strongly advise against spending this sort of money on an exhaust for a diesel family tourer!

I'd be much more tempted just to extend and keep the car as is, you seem extremely happy with it (and with Porsche treatment, in general), so why void parts of it, and invariably they'll give you uphill if (say) a turbo goes and you're running a custom exhaust.

If you want to tinker, rather spend some cash on the Z4

Wise words.

I guess even if I go aftermarket, the mod will have to be tastefully done and elevate the driving experience.

Also depends on how long I want to keep the car.

Anyway, this is the Shaker (faker) system...