Kind of a strange question, but I own a Durametric (cayenne S owner) and as you can see from my last few posts I am in the market for a 997 S (or 4S).

Color and options are important to me and as such have found some options with 3rd party or private party sellers. When I go look at the car do you think it would be strange if I came with my laptop and durametric and asked the seller if I can run a DME.

I am trying to put myself in their shoes (assume they know nothing of what a DME is which is most 3rd party salesmen) and having me show up with wires and a computer....

Maybe I am overthinking it...just wanted to know if others had such an experience as a buyer or seller and their thoughts

Thanks

 

I would just ask the seller to have the car PPI'd. I imagine a DME check is part of the PPI but I dont know...

Jason

 

IMHO, anyone who is serious about selling a Porsche should be willing to let an owner run the DME. It's nothing than an OBD interface, and shouldn't be too intimidating.

 

Agreed. I myself asked for this when I recently purchased my car. I explained it was a deal breaker if they would not allow me to do so. They had NO problems what so ever with agreeing. If anyone wants to really sell their car and has nothing to hide, I see no reason why they should say no. Unless of course they do most likely hiding something. IMO

 

Don't "ask" .
Insist.

If he doesn't comply ... Say --Next......

A 22K C4S is not a hard to find commodity . You call the shots .. not the seller.

 

Ok, I'm not a mechanic or a computer software engineer, but I'm not sure I'd let some individual come see a car I'm selling, ask me to pop the hood, and let them plug whatever it is into my car's "brain" and let them go at it.

I'm all for allowing a DME to be run on a car I'm trying to sell. I actually insisted on it when I was looking for my car and had it done at a local Porsche dealer. HOWEVER, again, this was at an authorize dealer (or even an Indy dealer would probably be ok for me to have it done to my car). Not sure I'd let just anybody plug into my Porsche.

Just my two cents.

 

I don't disagree with you. I think my viewpoint is that if you were selling your car and I showed up, explained specifically what I was checking for, showed you step by step what I was doing and seeked your permission and you said no, it would be like telling me no to using a paint depth indicator and telling me no. I believe that if you are an honest seller and your buyer is telling you the why and how, it should not be a big deal. Ultimately, if they felt better about having the dealership do it, so be it, but if you already own the Durametric tool, i can see why I would want to use that, then pay Porsche $189 to do something that you already could do yourself.

 

Agree . Besides , he needs more than just a DME and paint inspection. He needs to check the car even for hidden things which don't show up on carfax and may not surface on a test drive .. like water damage .

Look at these cars from this weekend. Two years from now when they look pretty on a used car lot the new buyer may not have any idea unless he checks .http://wn.wsvn.com/global/video/popu.../&rnd=71148807

 

skizot,

Maybe it's just that I haven't had my car to long and I'm still feeling a little over protective, but I think I'd still be a little hesitant to let a relative stranger plug into my car. I'd also think if the seller was pretty serious about buying my car, he/she would want a total PPI done (as I was insistant on) which would include the DME and in my case, ran $255. Again, just probably me being an over protective parent.

 

I agree . . . . I wouln't let a stranger 'plug' into my OBD. A 3rd party Porsche tech would be acceptable. Although a long shot what if the plug or Durametric S/W creates a DME problem on your car. You'd be stuck w/ it.

 

It's not that big a deal. Send the seller a link to Durametric so they can see what you want to do. Takes less than 10 minutes to run. I know as much about my Durametric software and cable as any 3rd Party Porsche tech and as a potential buyer I wouldn't do anything to harm the car. A knowledgeable seller should understand.

 

Exactly. Durametric isn't that unusual of a device...in fact, most enthusiasts know what it is...many have them. Any dealer private or otherwise, should know what this is...it is no different than a standard OBD scan tool. And as Larry stated earlier...there are so many cars out there you can still walk away and feel good about it.

 

I have and use a Durametric tool on my 2005 997S. Granted it's a fairly passive interface but you still can inadvertently clear fault codes and/or set parameters. The Durametric is more than a simple scan/read tool; you can reset (service interval, fault codes, etc) w/ it.

Call me paranoid but I personally wouldn't let some unknown perspective buyer plug his Durametric tool into my baby's OBD.

 

Thanks everyone, I think this thread answers the quesiton if I am over thinking it....looks like I am not

 

Since the Durametric software can clear codes as well as display them, I'm not interested in having anyone in my DME except an authorized repair shop.