Wow, I'm suprised your car's oil temp is running so hot; I actually tested an 09 PDK S cab last night and after a very long and spirited test drive the oil temp never went above 200F and then it actually dropped to about 185F with a combination of continued spirited and normal driving. The outside temp last evening was about 84F.

I know that tip cars have a front mounted trans/oil cooler and I guess the PDK cars do as well (anyone here know for sure?) but the 09 pdk ran a full 45 degrees cooler than my 07 six speed under similar conditions...actually my car's oil temp hits 230F driving normally without any sort of spirited driving at all.

Curious what kind of oil temp those with 997.1 tips are running in 85+ degree city driving?

 

Why do you say the coolant temp sensor is inaccurate? Is it off? is it slow in responding to variations?

 

My tech said that even though the coolant temp is pegged at 175 when they hook up a manual gauge the temp actually goes up another +10 degrees or so in aggressive driving.

 

Drive it hard and see what happens. By the time you "break it in" lease will be up. It's under warranty and you are not going to keep it. Whats the point of obsessing over it? ......

 

A few reasons actually. I've thought about possibly buying the car at lease termination or extending the lease (especially now that the car has a new engine with two years of warranty). I've also considered an 09 PDK S it was quite nice, but my 07 S is pristine and now that the clutch chatter has also been resolved I'm starting to finally enjoy the car. I was also quite surprised by the much lower oil temps of the 09. Perhaps adding the X51/type oil cooler might be in order....don't like high oil temps but I gather you already knew that .

 

Look at it this way: with a little luck (good, bad?) you could be the first guy to get a second replacement engine and thereby earn a special place in Porsche history. Seriously tho, don't baby it, just drive it like Ferry intended it to be driven.

 

You may or not remember my earlier post back on this thread where I mentioned how I broke the original engine in by the book, and look what resulted...I also mentioned this time around I'd make the break-in just wee bit more aggressive

 

500 -
This car has really given you quite a bit of drama . You want more ? I would be counting the days to the lease end and move forward . It would not even matter to me if the car was pristine at this point . It's done enough and would have worn out out its welcome in my garage.

 

Interesting. While I might feel that way towards a significant other, I'm not sure that is the best approach to this particular relationship

 

Indeed it has, but a new 977.2 does not ensure there wont be any more drama...could end up with the 09 soot issue and/or super high oil consumption etc etc.

In the end, the variables might make the decision for me:

What will Porsche offer concerning the buy out figure?

What will the rate be to extend the lease for another year?

How well does the car behave over the next 5 mos? I hoping most, if not all of the car’s demons have finally been exorcised.

What happens to the pricing of the 2010's in early Jan 2010 when my lease is up and they have been sitting at the dealers for a few months? I would love having factory PSE this time around which I'm told will be available for the 2010 997.2.

 

No car has a guarantee of a flawless reliability future but what you get is a clean slate . You won't have to look at the meteor car and associate the past history of service distress . Never carry the negatives of a former car into a present one.

In your case .. the car is a lease . Closure is actually established into the contract and to extend beyond that point becames another transaction .

Havinga car with problems is a form of unhappiness . Keeping the car and even extending the commitment (regardlless of cost) in my opinion is almost like automotive masochism .

I stand by by thought on counting those days till the lease end even if the car runs great.

 

As I mentioned that's one of the variables I'm waitng to explore before making any final decisions. Aside from the higher oil temps the car is driving quite well now and I'm enjoying it. If the car has any other issues over the next few months it will be gone however. Thanks for your objectivity, it's always welcome.

 

I would agree if the car were in risk of having been "a lemon" That is not the case here. A 997 w a replacement motor is deserving of close consideration at buyout time if it meets the owners needs. Cars can be repaired and renewed; it is with people that I might apply your stringent standards At any rate there is little chance that 500 will buy this car imo. Just be aware there are some of us who do not turn over their cars with the regularity that you do. This is not a bad thing.

 

Curious why you might have thought this?

At the moment I am leaning toward extending my lease for another year but am curious to see what kind of deals there will be in early Jan on '10's when my lease is up. I used to be like Larry (or even worse ) and changed cars like socks but I have since become quite a bit more tolerant. If I do keep the car I will add the x51 third radiator as it's about $600 installed; curious if you or anyone here knows what kind of oil temp drop this unit helps to acheive?

 

The downside of increased cooling on a street car is that it can take longer for oil to reach proper running temps in daily use (not a good thing) I suspect the x51 cooler is on a thermostat to prevent this and I doubt it runs cooler than an S. A parts guy would probably know. Btw yesterday at 86 f ambient I was at 230+ and stayed there. Normal, no fan. No problem. If it ain't broke.....