Mike in CA

Horst! I didn't mean to let you down by showing a lack of enthusiasm!

By all means communicate; it sounds like frayed is trying to do just that. Having done ED twice with Porsche, however, I was simply warning that if, as one poster seemed to be suggesting, you just show up with the tow hook gizmo it will be too late; the drilling deed will already have been done.

My wife has already brought up the idea of doing ED as she gets a vacation out of it. I'm not sure it will work out this time but if we do it, I hate the idea of having holes drilled again. So, I'm ready to go on this one, mate. Point me in the right direction and let me at 'em......

CAlexio

That seems awfully ****ty to put holes in a car, especially when in USA we don't have to. When customer takes responsibility for the ticket, why can't Porsche leave it up to us?

Has anyone had actual firsthand experience with this?

Mike in CA

Sorry, can you be more specific?

Horstair

Mike, I think "CAlexio" means the "bumper-hole-drilling-businesss"... Maybe we need a poll (don't know how to do this) on people who DID European Delivery and their experience. Like "tried but got holes drilled", never tried, don't care (love bumper plugs?), tried and almost made it, got stick-on plates etc...
I can't believe that folks who pay between $100-$200k for their cars don't care about holes in their bumpers? Ever since the BMW poster said that BMW gives them the "3M stick-on" option, I'm determined to get to the bottom of this. Where is Eduardo (Z356) when we need him :-) Is it with Porsche (sounds like it) or is the Stuttgart TUV (DMV)? Leipzig the same? Often, government agencies do different things.. And CBWeaver is probably right that just about when I hit 200mph, the Rennline Mount would fail... So I think, exploring the "stick-on" version is our best chance (not just the 3M solution but a REAL "plastic" license plate...

Mike in CA

The first time I picked up a tourist delivery in '99 (actually I did one in '84 too but didn't get the car at the factory due to a strike) they had drilled holes in the bumper. The second time, in '09, I asked but was told that regulations required a front plate and that they had to drill holes to do that. I didn't pursue it further.

I definitely care; I don't like the holes and whenever I buy a car stateside I request that the dealer not install the front plate. Some dealers require that you sign a waiver; my Audi dealer did.

I assume by "real" plastic license you mean a mylar stick-on, not a plastic plate held on by tape. The BMW has a nice flat location for a plate held on by tape; the Porsche doesn't unless you blocked the air intake. I'm not saying it's not worth a try but I can imagine the hassles involved in trying to get Porsche to make mylar front plates available instead of the regular tourist plates they are provided with by whatever government agency handles that kind of thing in Germany or Baden-Württemberg province.

You ask good questions; wish I knew the answer to all of them.

Horstair

Mike, I did a little digging on Google.de in German (my native tongue) and what I have found so far -will do more research on this later- is that the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg with Stuttgart as the capital apparently "outlawed" (done by the Greens in parliament) the use of stick-on "plastic" plates (Folienkennzeichen) AS WELLS AS the use of tape (3M or otherwise) for stenciled steel plates (gepraegte Blechkennzeichen). The practice seems to vary from state to state and even from county to county. The former "East" where Leipzig is located might be more amenable to the practice of "sticking" it on but I haven't been able to confirm that. Funny things is like many times, the "Texas" of Germany, which is the "Freistaat Bayern" (free state of Bavaria) allows the practice, hence, the BMW stick-on deal. Unfortunately, we can't pick up our GT3 there. So Zuffenhausen is out but Leipzig might be a possibility for "no holes".
PS: A lot of Germans with high-end cars (Lamborghinis, Ferraris, old Jaguars etc.) have the "Folienkennzeichen" made and put them in the front instead of the steel plates. It's not really legal (like here in Cali where it says we need a front plate but we drive without it :-) but noone seems to care, not even their DMV (TUV). Unfortunately, we don't have this luxury as "foreigners" since the car will have the plates on WHEN we arrive...
Horst.

Mike in CA

Too bad Horst. I wonder what the Green Party objection is to the Folienkennzeichen and the use of tape?

kfmcmahon

I have not heard from my dealer as to allocation dates, but I opted for the European delivery..will this delay my allocation or production dates? It is not a deal breaker if I have to skip the Zuffenhausen delivery to get it sooner.

CAlexio

what is the difference between getting delivery in Leipzig or Zuffenhausen? Where are the GT3 cars actually produced? Salesperson had recommended Leipzig as they have a racetrack there??

thanks for some of the clarification on front license plate holes... With a year to research this, I'm determined to receive a "virgin" front bumper.

Mike in CA

You should go to the Porsche web site and under "Events and Racing" choose European Delivery for a full description of the differences between the two locations. Basically, the Panamera and Cayenne are built in Leipzig and the sports cars including the GT3 are built in Zuffenhausen. The Porsche museum is also in Zuffenhausen. There is a test track in Leipzig where you can try out your car. Porsche describes it as choosing between historic (Zuffenhausen) or sporty (Leipzig).

CAlexio

What it be a good idea though to drive your car on the track when it hasn't been broken in yet?

Same goes for driving on the autobahn, aren't we supposed to be varying RPMs and not using higher revs on engine in the beginning ?

Will driving on their track void your warranty? LOL!

Mike in CA

One of the few topics that's almost as contentious as PDK/MT is break in procedure! Not gonna touch this one except to say when I did tourist delivery in '99 I didn't do the Ring until the end of the trip. In '09 I tried really hard to keep it under 5K for the first thousand miles. The Porsche delivery guy said the biggest thing was not to use cruise and keep it at the same rpm for any length of time.

frayed

There's a possibility that if you do the Leipzig delivery that you get track time in a company GT3 with one of their factory drivers. No official word yet if that will be part of the delivery program. Hopefully we find out soon. . . . I'd switch to Leipzig from Zuffenhausen if that's the case.

Nick

Regarding the holes, since there are only two and not very large could not a good bump shop fill them in and render them unnoticeable? Has anyone done that?

Mike in CA

I've used the bumper plugs and have been satisfied, but I don't see any reason why what you suggest couldn't work. A fill and proper repaint would do the trick, for a price. The dealer had to do this with my 996 due to a shop incident, but it came out perfect.