Megatron Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 (edited) So I picked up my 981 Spyder yesterday, and I'm delighted with it so far. GT Silver, PCCB, PCM, LWB seats with yellow belts, extended leather with yellow contrast stitching, auto-dimming mirrors (why are everyone's light so bright?), full interior carbon pack, reversing camera & BOSE. Unfortunately I didn't manage to have the roof down on the journey back up the motorway - and it's all tucked up on the CTEK waiting for an essential journey or when it's ok to head out for a spin just for fun. The buckets were really comfortable for the 2 hours up the motorway, and I really like the upright driving position. It's not as fast as my old F-type R - but that's a good thing as it's more "useable". Although F-types have a reputation for their noise it's all exhaust in reality and I'd forgotten how much I missed having mechanical engine noise just behind my shoulder. The handling is light years better. And the things I'd read about rear visibility are all true - it's non-existent! I'll leave a review for the dealer I bought it from separately; I feel lucky as I was in the right place at the right time to secure this car and I'm not sure another one with what is my virtually perfect spec would have come along any time soon. Car was prepared really nicely, bodywork is tidy and detailed pre-collection with minimal issues - at the end of the day it's a 5yr old car and I've never been massively fussy about that kind of thing. I'll post some pics when I can work it out! Edited March 2, 2021 by Megatron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megatron Posted March 2, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDonald Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 Fantastic car, lovely details eg Carbon and stitching etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaman Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 Bellisimo ,.....I am in love...and those seats 👍🏽. Look forward to more pics. and comment...well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart21UK Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 well done, GT SIlver is the best colour ever 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 Oh Yeah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mneil Posted March 2, 2021 Report Share Posted March 2, 2021 Lovely looking car😃. If I could be so bold🥴; get rid of that horrible front number plate holder and replace with a genuine self adhesive one😃. It's the one thing IMHO that really spoils the lines of Porsches. One of the BIG improvements I did to mine, never had a problem with an MOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megatron Posted March 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2021 Thanks everyone; regarding the number plate I'm afraid I sit on the other side of the fence in that I don't like the stick on plate look - but that's just me 😆 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDD Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) Congrats. A couple of quick tips, apologies if you already know them! Hood: You can start the hood lowering process by pressing and holding the unlock key on the fob. It unlatches the header rail, pops the rear deck and lowers the windows. Saves you having to drop down into those LWB to get straight back out again. Same is true for the closing. Press and hold the lock button on the fob once the hood is in place. It latches the header rail and closes the windows. Found this makes the hood process quicker, especially at the beginning/end of journeys. Keep and eye on the 'fins' at the back of the hood. Once you've locked them in place, give a little tug and / or look under them (looking from the centre of the car back towards the fin) to check if the red button is visible. There have been reports of these popping loose at speed and damaging the rear deck, if not properly seated in place. The rear boot can't be opened with the hood up (or at least when the header rail is latched and the 'fins' are locked in place). The buttons to open rear boot (key fob and down by drivers side sill) don't work when the hood is attached at the header rail and fins. On the rare occasions I need both boots and the hood is up, I just start the roof opening process - unlatch the header rail, remove fins then open the boot. CTEK: If you are charging it by connecting direct to the battery, rather than the cigarette lighter, make sure you use the earthing point (under drivers windscreen wiper, visible when you remove the plastic cover to access the battery) and not the negative terminal on the battery. My dealer said the battery will still charge when connected to the battery negative terminal, but the 'car' wont register it as being charged/maintained, so it is less beneficial over time. Hope this helps. Roll on better weather and better times so you can get out and enjoy it. Edited March 8, 2021 by SDD typo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 SSD welcome aboard! That hood/boot opening thing is bizarre. Pull up somewhere in the rain and want to get something out of the back...?? I guess this was expected to be a fourth car for people, or for those who don't live where it rains... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDD Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 Thanks, nice to be aboard. Yes the rear boot access is a bit of a faff. The complicated way the rear deck hinges means the fins, which are under tension when the boot is closed and roof is latched, would be pulled further from the hood during the boot opening process. If it were my only car and I needed regular access to the rear boot, or it had no front boot, it could be more of an issue. I use mine for high days and holidays, so it's fine. It all depends on how you need to use it. For example, I almost bought a 987 Spyder at launch, but that hood was too much of a compromise for my circumstances at the time - it was going to be my only car, here in the UK, and the wind noise above 60 with the hood up meant my other half would have killed me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmand Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 You might want to check underneath the flaps where they join to the outer edge of the flat part of the roof - it’s prone to tearing. The stiching is not that robust and is therefore vulnerable if a previous owner (or even dare I say an OPC!) has either been careless or not realised the correct way to open the rear lid when the roof is up. Mine was starting to go on one side and was repaired under manufacturers warranty - there is a kit that provides reinforcement patches. Some have had the entire roof replaced which seems extreme and rather risky in my view unless the repairer has done one before. I think the extended warranty specifically excludes the roof from memory - I that’s just the fabric element. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIkeyv60 Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 On 3/2/2021 at 10:59 PM, mneil said: Lovely looking car😃. If I could be so bold🥴; get rid of that horrible front number plate holder and replace with a genuine self adhesive one😃. It's the one thing IMHO that really spoils the lines of Porsches. One of the BIG improvements I did to mine, never had a problem with an MOT. Did you do this from new? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninesomething Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 Oh those seats..... Rest of it's not rubbish either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megatron Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 (edited) 10 hours ago, SDD said: Congrats. A couple of quick tips, apologies if you already know them! Hood: You can start the hood lowering process by pressing and holding the unlock key on the fob. It unlatches the header rail, pops the rear deck and lowers the windows. Saves you having to drop down into those LWB to get straight back out again. Same is true for the closing. Press and hold the lock button on the fob once the hood is in place. It latches the header rail and closes the windows. Found this makes the hood process quicker, especially at the beginning/end of journeys. Keep and eye on the 'fins' at the back of the hood. Once you've locked them in place, give a little tug and / or look under them (looking from the centre of the car back towards the fin) to check if the red button is visible. There have been reports of these popping loose at speed and damaging the rear deck, if not properly seated in place. The rear boot can't be opened with the hood up (or at least when the header rail is latched and the 'fins' are locked in place). The buttons to open rear boot (key fob and down by drivers side sill) don't work when the hood is attached at the header rail and fins. On the rare occasions I need both boots and the hood is up, I just start the roof opening process - unlatch the header rail, remove fins then open the boot. CTEK: If you are charging it by connecting direct to the battery, rather than the cigarette lighter, make sure you use the earthing point (under drivers windscreen wiper, visible when you remove the plastic cover to access the battery) and not the negative terminal on the battery. My dealer said the battery will still charge when connected to the battery negative terminal, but the 'car' wont register it as being charged/maintained, so it is less beneficial over time. Hope this helps. Roll on better weather and better times so you can get out and enjoy it. Thanks - I've not actually had the roof down apart from when the dealer was demonstrating it to me; so all info is useful as it seems like there are ways to get it wrong and cause inadvertent damage. One of the great things about forums (fora?) are the answers to questions about things like how to rig up the CTEK - I'd managed to find out how to wire it up and my negative is earthed away from the battery and it's performing flawlessly so far (I've got a CTEK 5.0). You're right to point this out though as it would be easy to get this wrong... This is very much a second car for me so the Fiesta will be doing the day to day and the Spyder will only be coming out when it's set fair. I wanted inconvenience and theatre and to feel like driving the car was an event, and from my extremely limited outings it ticks all those boxes. Interestingly it feels a little twitchy on cold P Zeros, the tyres have reasonable life left but I'll be changing to PS4Ss in the near future. Appreciate the info and you taking the time to post it. Edited March 8, 2021 by Megatron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmand Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 I’ll be interested in your view of the Michelin tyres - replaced my Pirelli’s for new last January. Lots of tread left on them but the old tyres were very hard, almost glazed and with micro cracks on them too. New ones feel a lot softer and grippier even a year on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mneil Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 3 hours ago, MIkeyv60 said: Did you do this from new? Once it was out of warranty😃. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIkeyv60 Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 2 hours ago, mneil said: Once it was out of warranty😃. Did you just cover the screw holes with the number plate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mneil Posted March 8, 2021 Report Share Posted March 8, 2021 20 minutes ago, MIkeyv60 said: Did you just cover the screw holes with the number plate? Bumper off, fill, respray then ppf full front up to A Pilar's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamsky Posted March 11, 2021 Report Share Posted March 11, 2021 Hi megatron (or anyone else that could offer any advice) been without a boxster for a year now and looking around for either the spyder or a gt4. do you have any issues with the spyder? Is the roof a pain for instance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menoporsche Posted March 11, 2021 Report Share Posted March 11, 2021 @Adamsky I suggest you post that question in a new thread, rather than this one which is about Megatron's car. You are likely to get more eyes on it and thus more answers it would be great to collect them in one place too, because the roof is surely the most controversial part of the Spyder. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmand Posted March 11, 2021 Report Share Posted March 11, 2021 6 hours ago, Adamsky said: Hi megatron (or anyone else that could offer any advice) been without a boxster for a year now and looking around for either the spyder or a gt4. do you have any issues with the spyder? Is the roof a pain for instance? I think it depends on your use of the car; if you drive it a lot and are used to putting the roof up and down a lot then it’s obviously more of a faff than pressing a button. On the other hand if it’s a bit of a high days and holidays vehicle then a minute or two is a minor inconvenience when compared to the rest of the ownership proposition in my experience. Mind you I had an s1 Elise for 10 years prior! Find one with rear camera if you can - visibility is poor if you have to reverse much. Otherwise probably the best car I’ve owned - makes me smile every time I drive it, and won’t be sold for a long, long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megatron Posted March 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2021 I've not driven it much since I picked it up so haven't really had a chance to see if there are any issues. As @Carmandsays the rear visibility is awful so very thankful mine had a reversing camera fitted by the previous owner. Roof wise - the fact that it is a bit more effort just adds to the sense of occasion for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyderman 718 Posted May 26, 2021 Report Share Posted May 26, 2021 As others have said, the roof is a bit of a faff...or delicious theatre! Depends on whether it's a daily or fair weather car. Mine sits in the garage with the roof down if I know it's going out again soon. I only raise the roof if it's going out in poor weather - then it stays up. If the sun comes out I just pull over for 5 minutes and drop the roof. But I rarely go out in the pouring rain so the roof is down 99% of the time, as it is a weekend and fair weather car for me, I use an AMG Merc as my daily. So to summarise, you do lose some convenience and the car is noisier with the roof up as it lacks the double layer soundproofing of the other Boxster roofs - but on the flip side the car looks way better than other Boxsters with the roof up or down! Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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