My Turbo S will be getting to me whenever Porsche releases them to the public, so I need to decide whether to get the wheel tire insurance, clearbra, and should I have a radar/laser shifter installed by the dealer?

Clearbra type paint protection: $1395 installed A-pillar forward through the dealer. They have really good installation guys there. Some type of 3M product. I had the same company do an install on a C63 AMG I owned. Probably will do this.

Wheel/Tire insurance: pretty much a no-brainer for me. $1100 for unlimited 5 year wheel/tire replacement.

Radar/laser installation. This is pretty much the only question mark I have. My dealer installs the Passport 9500ci series discrete Radar/laser detector and laser shifter system for $3400 installed. These installations are done by trained Porsche Technicians, not by an outside company the Dealership has come in. This price may be more than having an outside installer do it, but my thinking is if it is done at a Porsche Dealership by the Dealership's employees, then it may be worth the extra cost, as the Dealership assumes all service obligations after the fact if there are any issues.

Thoughts? Thanks for any and all input.

 

Honestly those prices for the clear bra and the Passport 9500 ci are very high. I would get on the other forums here (997 since it probably has the most posts) and search. I had my Passport 9500 ci installed in north NJ for $500 at Samm Sound in West Caldwell NJ. They only sell high end TVs, stereos etc. so I'm sure there is something like it near you. I found a new 9500 unit on eBay in the box for $1,000, so total cost for me was $1500. I don't remember my prices for the clear bra, but at the time VentureShield (3 years ago, but they go back and forth with 3M) was the best and I found a racing shop when I lived in CA (BR Racing) that did it for maybe $1,000. Yes, I moved from CA to NJ and had my car shipped. I had the ENTIRE front covered including headlights and side mirrorrs. Full fender and full hood. My point is read up on other forums here on 6speed and ask questions. There is a reason people on these forums call them stealerships and not dealerships. They pay 3rd parties and take a huge cut on all that work.

 

There is a new 9500 ci unit sealed in the box right now on eBay for $1,059. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Escort-Passp...item2a3156ea2b

 

In my area this clearbra installer is considered the best. They do all the new porsche, lambo, ferrari, jaguar etc dealer installations in my area. I would use them basically either through the dealership or go by their office and get a cash deal for a bit less. A convenience issue primarily going through the dealer for a bit more money. The installation includes all you described (mirrors, door edges, door handle recesses, illegal to do headlights in my state) in addition to the front bumper, trunk and fenders.

Regarding the 9500 install, I am just a bit leery of the "what ifs" concerning a separate installer taking a new $199,000 Turbo S apart to do the installation, whereas if the Porsche Dealership does it with their own certified employees, they take full responsibility if anything goes wrong.

It would be kinda nice to just be able to pick the car up with everything done, and no driving around needed. And if there ever were any issues, my Porsche Dealer is the only place I'd have to go. At least that is what I am thinking.

I will research this on some other forums as well. Thank you very much for your insight.

 

Clearbra is a MUST especially if you are keeping the vehicle long-term and/or DD use. Use Xpel Ultimate- IMO the best film hands down that self-heals and carries a 10-year warranty. Ask me how great it is on my 996tt.... The right installer will make it look like my car - cannot even tell it's there. No joke. (custom wrapped over edges)

Radar/laser: if you feel more comfortable with dealer installation and they will back it up than it's worth the extra coin IMO.

 

Use the Porsche dealer. I had one installed in my Pano and loved it. I paid about the same price they quoted you.

 

What do the dealers know about installing hidden detectors? I would have someone who does that for a living do it and let the dealer techs do what they do best: R&R of things that may or may not need replacement.

 

991TurboS, what is important here is to actually see the results in person for the paint protection and 9500ci. For the radar detector / laser diffuser systems, it is important they get the jammers installed properly for maximum performance. There needs to be balance with performance yet not having the boxes obtrusively placed. Below are some examples of the 9500ci system:

997 Turbo:


Rear jammer integrated to license plate frame to produce an OEM look. All of the ones we have seen on the market have the rear jammer just bolted on top of the license plate frame, which is quite noticeable. We create a customized box for it so it is not noticeable









991