Capt_and

My wife and I just took a nice long distance in the 911 ('15 C4S) for the first time this last weekend. Since my work schedule is pretty tight (and long vacations give me anxiety), we only had Thursday night to Sunday to work with which meant that a significant part of the trip would be spent in the car... Perfect! Thursday night we drove 6 hours to Memphis and spent the night there.

While we were about 50 miles from our hotel, I noticed something a weird sound from the symposer but chalked it up to being tired and delusional. As we pulled into the hotel parking lot at 11pm, a warning light came on, "Coolant System Fault, Consult Workshop, Service Required". I'm on RL enough to know that it was just a simply COV issue but that didn't really help much in easing my mind. Of course I couldn't fall asleep so I went outside to the parking lot at around 1am and removed the bumper to inspect all of the exhaust vacuum lines. Whenever I drive any further than an hour from the house, I carry a tire patch kit, small pump, the two torx bits and the one socket required to take apart the bumpers just in case anything happens. It only takes me about 15 - 20 minutes to get the rear bumper off at this point so it wasn't too much of an inconvenience. Well, since it was in the 30's that night my hands were freezing so the 15 minute bumper removal turned into about 30 minutes. After inspecting all of the lines, I confirmed that it was most likely a COV. It was 3 am at this point so I headed inside and went to bed.

I woke up at 6 am and called Hennessy Porsche immediately when they opened to see if they could fit me in. Unfortunately they run a skeleton crew on Saturdays so they couldn't help. I called Perimeter Porsche and spoke with Chuck, the service director, and he told me that if I could get the car to him early afternoon, he should be able to get it back to me the next day (Saturday) with no problem. So instead of going out for breakfast and visiting Brussel's Bonsai, we headed out toward Atlanta. My wife didn't feel too happy or confident about the 911 on trips at this point but I assured her that the COV issue is common and not usually problematic. We arrived at Perimeter Porsche around 3 pm and Chuck was incredibly helpful in getting the car checked in and provided us with a shuttle to our hotel. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the amenities at the hotel and a nice dinner downtown.

We took an Uber to PEC first thing in the morning for our 9am driving experiences. I did the Master the Manual Cayman S and she did the Cayman S. The original plan was for me to do the GT3 but after further reflection, I knew that it could potentially get me in trouble if I wound up falling in love with the car. Plus, I wanted to work on my skills on the track with a mid-engine manual since my track car is a '99 Boxster. To my disappointment, the curriculum wasn't really manual driving oriented but rather a car control program. While that wasn't what I had in mind, it was still incredibly informative and I wound up learning a lot more about the vehicle dynamics. There were no regrets at all! I will probably go back at some point to master everything that was taught since there wasn't a ton of time allotted toward each module. My instructor was a previously a professor at Georgia Tech so we got along very well. After the driving session, we did the simulator and wow, I was terrible. After 30 minutes, I still couldn't get any better at it. I think it was because I couldn't get a feel for the speed so I wound up spending a lot of time spinning out and hitting barriers. If I could go back, I would skip the simulator.

Once we were done with the simulator, it was around noon. I get a call from the GA number and I got nervous. It was too early in the day for them to be done with my car, it had to be bad news. I answered and it was Isaac the SA from Perimeter. "We worked some magic and it's all done. You're good to go!" How much better can this day get! We walked explored around the museum and promptly hailed an Uber straight to Perimeter. Once I got into the car and drove off, I noticed that the heater didn't work anymore. It was 2pm at this point and since they closed at 4pm, I didn't see a point in pointing it out. They fixed the issue that caused the car to give me a warning so I felt better about driving it, the heater can be dealt with later. We have heated seats and heated steering wheel so it wasn't so bad. My wife was a little bothered that they fixed one issue but caused another. I certainly didn't see it that way, they were able to fit my car in during a busy weekend and fixed the issue that gave me the most concern in time for me to be able to drive it home. Deep praise goes out to Chuck, Isaac, and the Perimeter Porsche service team. We spent the rest of the day eating and doing touristy things.

On Sunday morning we went to Georgia Tech to check out the campus. I enjoy looking at the architecture at college campuses. Afterwards we drove the PEC so that I could get a picture of my car at its motherland. We ate at the restaurant in their brand new hotel across from the main building. There are rooms there that haven't been stayed in at this point! If anyone is considering a PEC trip, the Porsche hotel looks fantastic. After the awesome crab cake benedict (one of the best I've had) we headed out for the 10 hr journey back home. Although it was a bit chilly in the car, we made it home without incident. I am going to drop off the car next week for the heater issues and while they are at it, they can address all of the new rattles that developed during the trip.

The trip was a success in my book. Sure, we had a little car problem, but it was all sorted out and I think the little issues add to the experience. If everything went exactly to plan, the trip probably wouldn't have been as memorable. Although my wife is hesitant to take the 911 on another long trip, the incentive of me driving the whole time instead of having to switch off may convince her that it's worth it.

Capt_and

Some pictures I took on the phone. The bulk of the pictures are on the camera.






It’s 9:11 in the 911 lol

Hurricane

Great photos! Sorry your car had issues but glad they were able to take care of it!

NoGaBiker

Titanic Passenger Lines, Ltd. should have hired you for PR and damage control!

wareaglescott

Glad you had a good trip. That darn simulator has a bit of a learning curve! haha I felt pretty dejected after driving it so I came home and have recreated it in my basement. I am pretty good at it now. My wife just wonders if I will ever grow up.

KM1959

I did the simulator last year and, like you, I just got worse with every lap as I began taking the scenic route thru the infield and even into the grandstands. The attendant there joked asking if I was drinking WHILE driving. He said that I was within a few seconds of the track record on my second and third lap but just got worse and worse. I don't have this problem on an actual track though as I (apparently) rely more on just eyesight.

See U n RearView

Hey Capt_and I wanted to suggest that instead of taking the Porsche next time take a rented 4cyl, like a Nissan 4 door, and you wont have any problems...




Sorry, I couldn't resist... lol! Any day in a Porsche, even with the minimal problems you experienced,are way better than an uneventful trip in a regular sedan... I admire you getting out at 1am, and to do more than just a cursury search of an issue, but to Remove the bumper and check lines...! That's Bad A$$. Props to you my friend, that is amazing. If I was there I would have darned my hotel robe and gave you a hand.

I guess because it was Saturday, and the crew was trying to get out, they may have forget to connect something on the heater. What is the COV issues and what did they do to fix the initial problem?

Needsdecaf

White Star Line.

Capt_and

Something about the 911 makes me feel optimistic. If we were in my wife's X3 I would have complained the whole time. If I were in my GTI, I would already be driving another car.

What did you use to make the set up? I may have to follow your foot steps and rig something up myself.

At first the attendant made some comment to my wife that insinuated that she would be overwhelmed and I pointed out that she was probably the better driver. Once we wrapped up, the attendant agreed lol. I struggled with driving by sight and sound without being able to feel the car. In all fairness, even the driving instructor she was paired with went out of his way compliment how well she did. She apparently didn't spin out at all even on the kick plate

You would've frozen your butt off just like I did. I can't recall excatly but it was probably around 35 - 45*F which made for some stiff clumsy fingers. Change over valves (COV) are a pretty well documented failure in our cars. It usually rears its ugly head by cause the heater to not work, exhaust flaps to stay open, or throw a coolant system fault message. It is basically a system of vacuum lines and valves that control different parts of the car and since they are are connected, a simple leak in an exhaust line could signal a coolant system fault. This is a really widespread issue and there was even a recall for early models. I would read up on it if I were you just to be prepared for when it happens. I read up on common issues people experience in the event it ever happens. This time it paid off.

JimHJr

Looks like a fun trip.

Porsche change over valves strike again! I’m starting to get 1 bad COV per year. Under warranty but won’t be next year so at least they’re a relatively cheap/easy fix.

STG

Did they just swap out COV’s and trade it for the heater one???

Mark-991.2

Glad you guys were able to have a great time despite the issue with your 911. Your 911 is beautiful and I love the color with those wheels. Back in the spring of this year I got the same warning light, "Coolant System Fault, Service Required on my 2017 991.2, however because of Rennlist I knew that it was not that big of a deal and we were only a couple of miles from home. But like you I was still concerned, as it was a Saturday evening and Porsche service was closed until Monday. So we took the car back home and got our Macan. Monday I called and got an appointment and in a few days all was well again. I have had no issues since. My wife and I were at the Atlanta PEC in July of 2016 and at that time the hotel was just a vacant lot. We ended up staying at a B & B in Hapeville, GA which is literally around the corner from the PEC. We had a great time and really want to go back.

Capt_and

One a year?! Are the swapping them all out at the same time or just one at a time?

I'm not exactly sure what they did. The SA mentioned that they swapped out 5 COVs, presumably because that's all the had in stock. I won't be able to get the car back into the dealer until next Thursday so I will post an update when I find out.

Thanks for the compliment. The one thing I learned the most from this experience is how much I actually love my car. Although I knew everything was going to be alright, I was fearing the worst and started to look at other cars online. I browsed through the .1 GTS and GT3s but still couldn't find anything I like more than my car. My wife and I stayed at the W downtown. We should try and get a RL group together at some point and go to either PEC Atlanta or the driving school in Birmingham.

bkrantz

I love the image of removing the bumper in a hotel parking lot at 1am. I can also imagine explaining to a passing cop what's up.

bittrl1000

I did the Cayman S about 3 years ago. I've been planning to do the Master The Manual, but now I'm not so sure, based on your feedback. I would want a course focused on getting proficient using a manual in sporty/racetrack driving, not just another session like what I had 3 years ago but with a manual instead of PDK.