aft86

Hi all,
My 2014 TTS is coming up on the 60k service within the next few months and I am doing some research on what things I can tackle myself vs having the dealer do it. Although I am pretty handy when it comes to working on my cars and have always done most of the work on them, I am being extra careful and doing thorough research before I get to work on this one since this is my first Porsche.

Running through the scheduled maintenance sheet and several searches on here, I’ve gathered that the main tasks to do are:
Tasks that I feel confident tackling on my own since they don't require crazy specialty tools:​

• Oil change
• Filters ([2]Cabin and air)
• Spark plugs
• Coils (Replacing the coils since I am already there)

Tasks that I don't feel confident tackling and have not found DIYs either:

• PDCC reservoir replacement
• Drive belt replacement
• AWD controller oil
• Bleeding the brakes

Now my questions are:

• Is there anything I am missing?
• Can anyone shed some light/clarity on the tasks I don't feel comfortable doing? Has anyone done them in their garage?

Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

Harry Da Hamster

I'm here to get peoples recommendations, but looking at pictures, the 991 Turbo seems even more difficult to change the spark plugs than the old 997 Turbo's. I was hoping Porsche woulda engineered the plugs to be more accessible this time around.

aft86

Just coming around to see your response!
Yes, the spark plugs were pretty darn difficult to change. Passenger's side weren't all that bad, I had to wiggle everything out and the heat shield wasn't too difficult, but the driver's side was another story. Without dropping the engine the turbos and chassis don't allow much to reach in there. Everything, beginning with the heat shield, was a pain to take off, let alone pulling the coils. I don't know how hard they are on the 997 but these were tough but doable with the right amount of patience.

ch33rio

Its hard to find a newer turbo with 40k miles let alone one that is about to hit the 60k mark. How has it been reliability and maintenance wise? creaks/rattles/upholstry wear/engine/transmission etc. If you don't mind sharing your thoughts and experience on how these cars hold up under normal wear and tear. Thanks!

aft86

As far as reliability, I am the second owner and have had it for about 6 months, the car has been solid (hope I don't jinx myself.) The only things that come to mind are a small rattle on the drivers side door when I play loud music and the leather on the dashboard pulling back. Apparently the previous owner used an oil/conditioner on the leather, which in combination with the sun, made the leather shrink. I am planning to take the dash apart and getting it wrapped with a Porsche hyde next season.
My biggest complain/opinion on that car is the overall feel of it. While the car feels solid and strong mechanically, I don't think the car feels like a $198k car on the inside. I expected a bit better build quality on the inside at this price range.

pfbz

If you are comfortable changing the plugs and the coil packs, which is kind of a big job on the Turbos, you absolutely should be able to change the drive belt and flush the brakes yourself... Easy in comparison! (and yes, you should probably do a complete brake fluid flush at 60K rather than just bleeding them)

As for the PDCC reservoir, it's a bit of a stupid design. Expensive part and lots of labor, and all your really doing is preventatively changing the filter which is built in to the reservoir. On a higher mileage but lower age car (like any 991 Turbo with 60K miles), I wouldn't stress too much about pushing that particular job out for a while.

aft86

I mean I wasn't completely comfortable doing it but I am mechanically inclined and it's better to DIY than forking up $2k for parts and labor haha!

It was difficult but with enough time and patience, and a buddy helping you out with moral support, it is doable. Also, I did not remove the turbos or drop the engine as the workshop manual suggested, I just worked around them. The drive belt was a piece of cake, the hardest thing was removing all of the elements to uncover the pulleys/belt. As for the brake flush and AWD controller oil change, I am tackling this in the spring, it is starting to get cold here in NYC and I won't be driving much until then. I also have about 2k mi. until the 60k mark.

Thanks on the PDCC advice. Yeah, after some research on here and a chat with an indy mechanic, I resorted to leaving the PDCC reservoir alone. I will only change it if it begins to leak or have any problems.

pfbz

If changing plugs on a Turbo is a 7/10 difficulty (without dropping the engine or pulling turbos), flushing brake fluid is at most a 2/10. Really the hardest part is jacking up the car and taking the tire off!

Start from the farthest corner from driver and work towards the closest (US: RR, LR, RF, LF) and bleed into a bleeder bottle until you see a color change. Two bleed nipples per caliper...

I like to use the powerprobe BA05 cap which allows me to pressurize the brake master cylinder as it makes flushing/bleeding brakes by yourself a super easy, plus it's cheap and easy to store (but you have to keep an eye on master cylinder fluid level). Lots of other folks like using a Motiv bleeder which also works well, but is more expensive, more of a pain to store, and more of a pain to clean than just using a pressure cap and offers no real advantage.

For fluid, I always just use Castrol SRF which is kind of absurdly expensive for brake fluid ($60/L), but still absurdly cheap overall compared to having a dealer do your brake flush and is the most moisture-tolerant and long lasting of all the high temp fluids available.

Technically you need a PIWIS or Durametric to cycle the ABS valve to get every last bit out of the brake circuit, but unless the system was completely dry and full of air, most feel it is unnecessary including me. I have a durametric and still never use it for a brake flush or bleed...

worf928

The advantage of a power bleeder (or pneumatic in the Motiv's case) is that it's at least twice as fast as the run-back-to-the-reservoir process.

Even Porsche AG considers it (the PIWIS) unnecessary for changing fluid every two years. The WSM requires the use of the PIWIS if any of the 'big' pieces of the system have been replaced. For a fluid change the WSM just says to bleed 250ml (IIRC) from each bleeder.

aft86

Thanks for the info gentlemen.


How many psi do you run on the Power Probe BA05?

$60/L is expensive! I was planning to order Motul or Redline. For street use, would you still recommend Castrol SRF? I'm not planning on tracking anytime soon so I dont know if racing brake fluid would be needed or just a waste.

Also, is the fluid different for PCCBs?

worf928

pfbz

What I like about SRF is that it has a very high WET boiling point... All high performance brake fluids have a decent dry boiling point, some higher than others, but thats for fresh fluid that hasn't absorbed any moisture. SRF is pretty unique in its high wet boiling point, which means that even fluid that is not fresh and/or recently bled is unlikely to boil and create air bubbles under extreme conditions. IMHO that's perfect for a fluid used in a street car that is occasionally used for a high performance DE, track day, autocross, etc..

Dedicated and frequently tracked cars get their fluid bled all the time, sometimes even between sessions. It's street cars that tend to get infrequent flushes and bleeds and likely have some moisture in the fluid.

If you DIY the brake flush, the money you save on labor makes the $60 for a liter (probably enough for two cars) pretty trivial, and if you ever do end up in a situation where you need the extra heat handling capacity a year down the road when your fluid has absorbed some moisture, you'll know you have lots of headroom. If you have ever boiled your brakes and felt the pedal mush when going into a fast corner, the SRF cost would seem trivial. ;- )

On cars that I absolutely know I'll never need that level of braking performance that SRF will deliver, I run Ate Typ 200.

Right now I'm too lazy to verify these numbers, but they were likely correct at least at one point!

pfbz

About 10-15 psi is plenty. You don't want to over-pressurize.

If you don't want to spend the $30 or so on the powerprobe aluminum cap or don't want to wait for one to be delivered, it's pretty trivial to make one out of a spare plastic brake reservoir cap, drill a hole in it, screw and jb-weld on a air line fitting.

Randyc151

If you are never going to track, then Motul 600 is excellent. If you even occasionally track, then there is no substitute for Castrol SRF.

aft86

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm a little excited and might tackle this before next spring