atr911

I have a terribly/non existant sense of smell but I have been told by several people that my car smells like burning outside.

I don't know if it's brakes, clutch or engine oil or if it's just the way that the 911 smells. I know it burns a little oil (1L/5000km) but i'm just concerned that I'm burning something I shouldn't be.

I don't hold the clutch at stop lights, I don't slip the clutch (as far as I know) and I don't dump the clutch or drive the **** outta it. My friend with an air cooled 911 says it just smells like a 911.

Anyone else experience this or should I be making an appointment with the dealer?

LlBr

The car stinks. I leave mine outdoors with engine compartment open to let it cool off. Then I push it straight into the garage without starting it (a 15 foot trip under engine power is not good cumulatively speaking).

Especially in summer, if immediately garaged when hot, the whole house can stink up because of the massive tangle of hot exhaust, rubber hoses, oil, plastic and road tar that's in that congested rear end.

Gonna install an exhaust fan with automatic timer this year sometime.

atr911

Stink is so harsh, I prefer to believe it's more fine german eau de engineering...

utkinpol

that is odd. only time I feel smell is then ps2 tires get slightly melted.

exhaust makes some noise when car turned off but there is no burning smell.

if you smell smoke - that means something made from rubber is next to something very hot. look it up.

points

I never had that problem...smelled cosmoline for awhile or hot tires periodically....but no outright stink. Sounds like a seinfeld episode.

LlBr

Hehe. Yes. It smells like machinery, good machinery, fresh oil, kind of a "new engine" smell. Yes, I like that smell when I'm at a Ferrari dealership; Oops that's Italian "eau." I'm confused. You are correct "stink" is wrong word.

Nevertheless, when P-car is parked in a closed garage after driving you have a hot piece of oil-grease-rubber-based machinery off gassing all at once. Probably because HOT exhaust is literally wrapped around the engine, unlike other cars.

CtrUSA

atr911; sounds a lot like cosmoline smell. Not sure how old/new your 997 is, but the smell lasts quite a while.
I personally don't mind it a bit. Do a search for cosmoline; you'll get plenty to read and see if it mathces what you (or rather your friend!) is smelling.

Hella-Buggin'

That's what I love about it. I grew up with old VW beetles and they also have that "scent".

yemenmocha

I like the smell, it lets you know that something hot has been going on... sorta like the smell of sex afterwards.

Edgy01

As a long-time Porsche driver I can tell you that there is always some degree of smell associated with these cars. For newer owners the early adjustments to those smells are masked somewhat by the cosmoline that is put on them at the factory prior to shipment. Despite taking all of that off I still get the smells, mostly the rubber burning smell. The vast majority of that is due to the rear tires near the engine. Secondary smells come from the engine. For example, my serpentine belt failed prematurely and I smelled significant burning rubber leading up to that event.

atr911

I love it when I catch a whiff of it, I'm just concerned that i'm wearing the clutch or brakes prematurely. I have never owned a high performance automobile for more than 4 days and want to make sure i'm not driving wrong.

PCA track day with an instructor should clear it all up...

abe

Tell them its the scent of Porsche Aroma...
abe

boolala

No clutch to burn in my tip. I always assumed it was the tires heating up after a spirited run.

At Law

The smell is normal. Enjoy it.

A couple of my passengers have commented on it when the
windows are down. It was a question in my mind at first,
however, I realized that is a standard option.

It's just like when my Range Rover Sport gets stuck in
four inches of snow. It's part of the allure of ownership.

stevepow

Strange - I don't smell anything much with my car - and I park in the garage directly and close the door - doesn't smell like anything normally - maybe a little cosmoline or "hot engine smell", like any other car if I have been pushing it a bit. Sometimes I smell the tire rubber - I really have to be trying to smell something though. I notice just as much aroma from my wife's Lexus GX. Neither stink up the garage and certainly not the house.