I ordered my first-ever Porsche yesterday. I drove a Carrera 2S about 15 years ago and I've been chasing that driving experience ever since. Unfortunately, the 911 isn't an option for me (for now) because I need 4 doors and a trunk. I went with the 2023 Macan GTS in Gentian Blue with a whole bunch of options. I didn't opt for the GTS Package so I had to add back things like Sport Chrono, Torque Vectoring, 18-way seats, etc... My favorite options are the Design Wheels with Gentian Blue accents and the extended leather with Gentian Blue stitching. I'm moving on from a 2020 BMW M340 x-drive and when I test drove a 2022 Macan GTS I was blown away by how an SUV did everything better than the BMW. When I say everything, I mean everything: from interior quality to driving performance. My Macan is expected to be built in March with an April/May delivery date but everything is just an estimate.


I plan to drive the car for at least 100k miles which would put me at the 4/5 year mark. I take good care of my cars and I really want to treat this one well.

As a first-time Porsche owner is there anything I should prepare for or plan to do? Do a lot of owners install paint protection film on the front? Are there any other areas prone to stone chips that should be protected? Has anyone had a ceramic coating put on and, if so, is the level of protection adequate or is it mostly for looks? I look at oil changes and regular maintenance as cheap insurance: is anyone doing these more often than recommended and, if so, at what interval/cost? Do a lot of Porsche owners avoid taking their vehicles to dealerships for maintenance and repairs? If so, is there a shop anyone can recommend in Central/Northern, NJ? If I want to be extra safe, how long should I let the engine warm up before taking it above a certain RPM?

[Update 12/25]: final spec, more details in my latest post:

 

You will enjoy your Gentian Blue GTS once it's delivered. Don't over think your ownership experience this early. The car is great right out of the box with few or no mods required.

 

That’s a beautiful Macan. Thanks for the advice. Mine should have a very similar exterior look. The only thing I ordered that didn’t show on the configuration were gloss black calipers but I’m sure they’ll be fine.

 

1. Just wait for it to arrive. Might be good to get some floor mats.
2. Paint protection film is probably a good idea if you are subject to rocks where you live. Keep in mind that PPF can bake on if left in hot sun for years and be impossible to remove, at least here in sunny Florida.
3. Ceramic coating does nothing for impacts, but makes washing and bug removal easier. It will help protect the paint from sap, etc.
4. I do 5K miles on my GT3, but Porsche honors warranty if performed at suggested intervals. You should get 1 year of complementary oil changes from the dealer. After that all service intervals are on your dime. Where you have those done is your discretion, but keep all your records.
5. Just get in and drive when you start the car. Take it easy until the oil warms up. The manual will suggest max RPM, but don't accelerate hard, even to the suggested warm-up RPM. Just drive sanely.

Congratulations and welcome to Rennlist!

 

Congratulations!!!! Like you moved from BMW (M3) to Porsche recently it was all about the driving feel. Great questions. You saved me from creating a new post asking the same questions.

 

Awesome, thanks for the great answers! I really appreciate it.

 

The GTS is truly special; it's a sports sedan with a higher ride height. You're going to love it. I'm on my 3rd Macan, but 1st GTS. It's definitely the one to get.

I think the only adjustment from BMW ownership would be that the service is going to be a bit more expensive. Obviously far more expensive if you enjoyed the "complementary" service that BMW was doing when I had my M4 (but I thought they may have stopped doing that...). Some services are truly painful if done through the dealer; I think the "spark plug service" which I think happens at 30k was something like $2k on my first Macan. I got the maintenance package for my 2nd Macan but skipped it with this one; but only because I'm concerned I may not keep it through the entire warranty period like the last one. If you plan on going through the dealer anyway it's probably best to just get the maintenance package... but if you have a good independent shop in your area then that's the way to go. I'm sure there is one in my area but I don't have a trusted referral so not willing to take the chance, so I just go to the dealership. It has the side added bonus of putting me in a good position for other allocations; case in point, the 718 GTS 4.0 I just picked up as well as my newest Macan GTS were both delivered in October, and these allocations are hard to come by! Perhaps one day it may earn me a GT3 or something awesome like that...

Anyway, as for PPF/ceramic, you're going to get some different opinions/philosophies on that. Personally, I wouldn't recommend PPF at all on a Macan; the entire front is plastic and the hood is high enough to where I never experienced any issues at all with rock chips on either of my two previous Macans. That said though, I just wrapped my whole car in Xpel Stealth (thread here at this link), but almost exclusively for the look. I would have skipped it if the wife wasn't thrilled about the satin finish.

I'd probably recommend ceramic, but I have a hard time reconciling paying $1000+ for it, which is what most places would charge. There are far, far cheaper DIY options, but the consensus is they don't last as long and don't have quite the same hydrophobic properties as detailer-installed ceramic... but to be honest, I'm not quite so sure about that. I had ceramic applied over the PPF on my GTS, but I just picked it up Friday so haven't gotten to see it in action just yet. I got a severe discount on the application (via a hookup), otherwise I probably would have done it myself.

If you're interested in DIY stuff, my personal recommendation is AMMO NYC Reflex Pro: https://ammonyc.com/products/ammo-reflex-pro. As easy to apply as old-school carnauba wax, but will give an unbelievable shine and provide at least similar levels of protection than the "9H hardness" stuff that you need a detailer to apply. Larry Kosilla (owner/founder of AMMO NYC) recommends reapplying every 6 months but also says the hydrophobic will last 1-2 years.

Anecdotal testimonial; my wife parked under a tree during a trip a year or so ago, and got a significant amount of hard sap on the paint. She actually went to a detailer to get it off, was quoted $300 but they couldn't get it in that day so she drove it home; it rained on the way home and by the time she pulled into the garage the sap was gone! This wasn't even Reflex Pro at the time; it was Chemical Guys Hydro Charge, which is actually less than half the price of even Reflex (Reflex is $150, Hydro Charge is $60). Reflex shines better though.

My .02.

 

Thank you! I appreciate the advice.

I love the look of your wrap. The Macan looks great with a satin finish.

 

Congrats on your first Porsche. You will love it.

I have a 2021 GTS and had PPF (full front) and ceramic coating professionally done by a local specialist I have used for years for PPF on all my cars. I am a strong proponent of the PPF.

This is the first time I have had ceramic coating applied and I have mixed feelings about it. I have always detailed my cars myself and enjoyed the process and result. There are awesome products out there for DIYs, and while I have never used a ceramic there are many quality sealants out there. Some are ridiculously easy to apply and last for months.

But I’m getting too old for that so I decided to get the ceramic coating done at the same time I did the PPF. In general is looks fine. It doesn’t have the shine I used to get with other products, and note that you still will need to use a booster product now and then to get that slickness back.

One bit of strong advice - DO NOT let them apply ceramic to the windshield. Doing so results in a surface the wipers don’t like. They will skip across the the windshield and drive you crazy. And if you complain to your service department and ask for new blades they will tell you to pound sand. They can tell when a coating has been applied.

Good luck and have fun!

 

Congrats. You made the right move. This is an unpopular opinion but to me, the high displacement Macans are as close as you can get to a 4dr 911, more so than the Panamera, Taycan, or Cayenne. It's fast and agile. It reminds me of my old E39 M5. If you can't have a 911, you chose the best next thing.

Definitely get PPF. I have full front, including pillars, roof, and mirrors. The side skirts, blade area, and bottom rear of the rear wheel arch tend to get road rash so I've covered everything from the pleat above the blades to the bottom of the side skirts. and the bottom raar bumper, though I have a different model than yours.

Once your warranty is up, have an indie on cue to take over. Dealers charge outrageously high prices compared to indies, especially when something major requires attention, which will be unlikely.

Most of all, have fun with it. I doubt many people do so, but I sometimes take mine for canyon drives and have a blast.

 

Change your PDK transmission fluid, and both filters, every 20,000 miles.
Change your Transfer Case oil every 20,000 miles.
Change your engine oil and filter every 5000 miles or 1 year max.

 

Thank you, I'm expecting a lot of fun. I have a local place that can do both the protection film and ceramic so I'll do some combination of those. I'll definitely remember the ceramic windshield tip because most of their packages include the windshield.

 

Thank you. Those sound like good, safe intervals. It's cheap insurance.

 

This is all great advice, thanks. If I do anything special to the exterior it'll at a minimum be the PPF in the front because I could see the bottom lip and hood getting dumped on. My buddy told me about an indie to check out so I'll try to line them up.

Like you said, these are all about having fun so I'm planning to put it through some turns.

 

It's official, I received my confirmation email from Porsche today for my 2023 GTS. It's a nice touch for Porsche to send that little gift on Christmas.

My biggest debate was black or red calipers but I went with the gloss black. I figured with the painted wheels there's a lot going on in that area already. The only thing that doesn't show up on the configurator is the panoramic sunroof but I'm sure it'll look great.

Here's the final spec: