I need to add just a touch of coolant to my 992 C4S.
First Porsche for me so I didn't have any.

Went in to my local Porsche dealer (I won't give names but it is the only one in Northern Colorado).
Not really shocked that they wanted $64 dollars for a gallon.....but.

When I asked the parts person (admittedly a young kid) if it was supposed to be mixed with water
he said no that it was prediluted and ready to put in the car. I didn't question him and
I couldn't look at the bottle because I didn't have my reading glasses with me. He even looked
at the bottle and reiterated that it didn't need water.

But it didn't match my memory so I came home and looked it up and everything indicated it needed
to be mixed. Then I looked at the jug .... and it has the mix ratios right on the back.

In my case it really wouldn't have mattered....I ended up adding about 6 oz total (mixed)
but how freaking hard is it for a parts guy to know about the coolant they sell and
if it needs to be mixed. Sure I don't expect them to know the part numbers for the brake pads
for a 1976 912....but seriously this is coolant.

 

I think you’re looking for www.yelp.com

 

Thanks for sharing. The sad fact is there are idiots that either directly or indirectly impact our lives out in this world, and sometimes it's scary to realize that we can only do so much to protect ourselves.

 

When my 992 indicated low coolant, I just read the manual and went and bought some coolant from autozone according to Porsche’s specs (Zerex G40 prediluted) I think it was about $20.

 

any auto parts shop should have pink coolant...or amazon...BTW OEM Porsche coolant (comes as a liter) is concentrated and needs to be diluted...but don't go to the Porsche stealership for it.

 

You can get a gallon of premixed Zerex G40 coolant at Napa or advanced Auto for under 20$. Plus a small funnel for 2$.

My C4S used almost 2 quarts in 23k miles.

 

Is it typical for the 992 3.0 to need coolant added ? Where is it going ?

 

Training isn’t what it used to be. It’s certainly not unique to Porsche but maybe (lower expectations) is more consistent with the times. I actually get a kick out of visiting dealers (mainly Porsche) to look at cars, talk about cars, and purchase cars. I prefer to be the unnoticed type and am totally fine when they don’t remember or recognize me. I like to listen and maybe learn something from the interactions. In the back of my mind, already having knowledge of most, if not all, of everything that sits in the showroom and outside. So when a car rolls out front with the turbo S badge half gone in back and clearly with modded suspension and exhaust…I love to hear this is how they come stock and the turbo S is the “pinnacle” car, which is why it sounds this way. I don’t disagree the turbo S isn’t amazing, rather I know in 15 seconds whether this salesperson actually knows what he is talking about. And I’m fine with that too. Makes it that more special when you actually run into an enthusiast who sales cars vs. those who process transactions., Where I draw the line however is with service, not talking parts counter, the folks who work on the vehicle, and the people associated with booking appointments, etc. This is where my business is earned, I don’t ever pretend to know more about how the car needs to be worked on, etc., I do have a good understanding, but am more than happy to pay for great service. And expect it to be performed by competent employees.

 

Not really sure but mine gave a low coolant warning when the temps dropped significantly and that probably reduced the volume of coolant. I was still surprised as the car had its 2 yr service maybe 3 months before the low coolant warning though it was a good 40 degrees warmer at that time.

 

Thanks for the info on this one.

 

I don't know if it is typical to lose coolant but this instance was totally my fault.

This car is new to me (a few weeks ago) so I thought I would check/test the coolant.

When I went to put the cap back on there was some crystalized coolant in the threads of the filler neck (not unusual for any car).
I turned it in until the force got to what my brain said was closed and not to the click like I should have.

Then I went for a drive and when I came back the car heat soaked in my garage and a little coolant came out
of the unlatched cap.

Like I said totally my fault.

 

Not so sure I'd out them on yelp I however would send a note to the parts manager and/or your SA.

 

I am sure you can get G-40 coolant cheaper elsewhere and I should have done that.
The weird thing is the Porsche dealer is the closest place I can get parts from.....NAPA, carquest, advanced auto,
autozone etc. are all farther away (min 2x the distance) and with traffic and parking 4x the time).

In fact I drive by the Porsche dealer on my way to and from work every day (and don't pass any other parts stores).
They use the main feeder street through my neighborhood (Which is 4 houses away from mine) as part of
their test drive loop. I have literally been driving past the place that sells my dream car for 25 years just about every day.

Fortunately for my pocket book I used to own a '99 VW that I took into this dealer for warranty service......it needed a
lot of warranty service (including new tranny, all of the window regulators 2x, new motor mounts, cooling system issues)
throughout the 7 years I owned it and this dealers service writers and
techs (on the VW side) were such idiots and screwed things up so often that it
soured me on any VW group product (and this dealer) that it took until now to convince myself
that they might have changed....so it seems I was wrong about that but the next closest Porsche dealer is 80 miles away
so I am probably screwed.

 

This ^^^^ is already in the plan for today (phone call to parts manager). I picked up the coolant at 5:15 and by the time I was sure of it they were closed for the day.

One of the benefits of being in the tech industry as long as I have at a large company is that I have lost the "Well maybe they will do better
next time" thinking and I have lost the ability to be embarrassed for calling out someone else's screw up.

 

ive had two 992s and put about 10K miles on the 3.0L motor. they will use a little coolant here and there but not enough to go below the low marking on the reader. if you loose more then that there might be another issue or leak somewhere.