I took my new (well, new to me - 2001 TT with 19300 miles on it) to the local Porsche dealer to get a key programmed and had a point to point inspection while it was there... kind of a little nerve wracking. Anyway, the good news is that she has a clean bill of health, appears to be an A1 car. Whoot!

The only question was about the A/C levels... fluid appears to be a little low and they're wondering if there's a leak. They say they can top it off if I have it serviced with them and they'll put dye in it or something, but I'm wondering if this is something I can do myself? Anyone know?

They also recommended a complete brake fluid flush because we don't know when it was done last (apparently should be done every two years) - same thing with the spark plugs. Seems reasonable to me, then I know the car's history from this point on... is that a sound philosophy?

TIA!

 

plugs dont need to be done at such low mileage for sure

brake fluid is required every 2 years. if you know where the car was located, maybe the service history can be obtained if you call the local porsche dealer. this is often overlooked service so doing it would be a good idea.

as for the AC, you can have an AC shop use a sniffer to detect where the leak is. this takes about 20 mins. if the ac is still cold, the leak if any may be really insignificant. i'd go to an ac shop and they'll probably do it for free.

 

Thanks! I appreciate the reply.

Out of interest, how often should the spark plugs be replaced?

 

It varies somewhat model to model and year to year. For the 01 TT the major maintenance schedule is every 30K miles.

 

check your manual, the service interval is in there. it's definitely not 20k miles and changing it earlier doesn't get you any more power or fuel economy.

 

Nothing wrong with changing your plugs , DIY ..

As far as the AC I would have the system recgarged , but don't just fill it with freon , have them hook it up it will vacuum out the whole system and check for leaks , and fill it back up ...should be good to go then