Panamera 1-Year Inspection

Our Panamera arrived at our home on October 12, 2017. Time flies, and it’s already been almost two years. Since two years have passed, it was time for the 1-year inspection, so recently we took our Panamera to the Porsche Center for its annual checkup.

By the way, they lent us a Cayenne as a loaner car during the inspection.

ポルシェ カイエンターボ（958 後期）試乗レビュー

This time, we dropped off the Panamera at the Porsche Center on Friday morning and picked it up with the whole family on Saturday evening. When we arrived at the Porsche Center, I noticed the “New 911” flags fluttering and thought, “Come to think of it, I still haven’t test-driven the 992 yet…”

I wondered, “Is it too late to test drive it and post a blog now?” but I’m hoping to go for a test drive again once it cools down… well, actually, I should just go regardless of the heat, but with this lingering summer heat, it’s hard to get motivated to go out. (By the way, today’s high was 36°C)

Now, back to the Panamera inspection. The inspection details and results were:

・12-month statutory inspection
・PCM map data update
・Engine oil change
・Oil filter replacement
・Brake fluid replacement
・Wiper blade replacement
・Air conditioning filter replacement
・Brake pad remaining thickness F: 7.0mm R: 10.0mm
・Tire tread remaining F: 2.5mm R: 3.9mm
・Mileage: 24,851 km
・Complete car wash
and more

Looking at the details, I asked my husband, “What’s brake fluid? (-_-)”, and he replied, “Wait, you don’t know what brake fluid is?” So I looked it up online and found:

“Brake fluid is the liquid filled in the hydraulic brake system of automobiles. It is also called brake oil.”
*Source: Wikipedia “Brake Fluid”

I thought, “Oh, so it’s brake oil! It would be easier to understand if they just called it brake oil.” As a complete novice, I muttered to myself… There are still so many car-related terms I don’t know.

During this inspection, they told us, “The front tires’ tread is quite worn, so it’s best to replace them soon.” Generally, on an FR Panamera, the rear tires wear out faster. I asked my husband, “Does that mean our Panamera isn’t FR since the front tires are worn?”, and he said:

Hmm, probably because we mainly use it for city driving, making lots of right and left turns at intersections, which wears down the front tires more. Also, since the Panamera Turbo is all-wheel drive, torque is applied to the front tires as well. Plus, the heavy V8 engine is mounted in the front, which might contribute to the wear.

I see…

I wasn’t quite sure about the logic that on FR cars the rear tires wear faster, so I looked it up when I got home:

FF cars are front-wheel drive, so the front wheels bear heavy loads during starting, accelerating, turning, decelerating, and stopping. On the other hand, rear-wheel drive FR cars put more load on the rear tires during starting and acceleration, but during turning, deceleration, and stopping, the front tires bear heavy loads just like FF cars. Comparing FF and FR, FF cars tend to have a slightly front-heavy weight balance, so the front tires wear out faster.
*Source: Differences in Tire Wear Between FF and FR (Front and Rear Tires)

That makes sense.

That said, it feels a bit wasteful to replace the tires right now, so we’re still considering when to replace the tires, or whether to keep them and just trade in the car.

Cost of the 1-Year Inspection

As for the inspection cost, our contact person H said,

This time, it’s free, so no worries.

I thought, “Free!? Is this a service?” but H continued,

Well, it’s not really free because you’ve already paid in advance.

and grinned (laughs). That reminded me that last year, when we had the Panamera’s 1-year inspection, we signed up for the Porsche Scheduled Maintenance Plan (PSMP).

ポルシェ パナメーラ1年点検−点検・部品交換オールインワンパッケージの費用は？

PSMP is a service that owners who purchase a new car at an authorized Porsche dealer can apply for within one year of purchase. It covers fixed fees for statutory inspections, manufacturer inspections, and replacement/refill of major parts.

For the Panamera Turbo, the 3-year plan costs 319,680 yen, including the first vehicle inspection fee (tax included, as of August 2018). Previously, when we had the 970 Panamera Edition, the 1-year inspection cost over 100,000 yen, so this plan is a good deal.

However, for households that don’t drive much, paying for inspections as needed is cheaper than joining PSMP. For families like ours who drive a fair amount annually and require regular parts and oil changes, it’s a good value.

The Panamera Is a Sports Car

After riding the Panamera, we left the Porsche Center saying, “The Panamera really is a great car.” Honestly, every time we get back in the Panamera after a while, we’re as thrilled as if it were our first time.

The Cayenne is of course a great car, but the Panamera is truly a sports car. The low seating position, the grounded feel, the engine sound, the powerful acceleration… savoring all this, we quickly arrived home.

Next year is the vehicle inspection, so my husband is already thinking about what to do with the Panamera by then. For now, though, we just want to fully enjoy our Panamera.