Took receipt of my 08 CS just three-weeks ago. (It was a PNA Regional Sales Mgr's car for first 3800mi of its life...).
During a recent service call for some
PIWIS
programming, I was given a similarly equipped 08 CS (w/only 1400 miles) as a loaner. The loaner had a
distinctly
DIFFERENT clutch feel/engagement point...grabbed much sooner, easier to manage in uphill stop-go traffic, no high-revs or throttle jockeying to get off the line, etc...
So when I got MY CS back, I began to suspect clutch related wear/issues...slave cylinder, pressure plate bolts, etc.
As I began trouble-shooting my own car, I discovered that the brake reservoir had been overfilled. Not slightly above the MAX-FILL line, but overfilled to the point of rising 1/4" ABOVE the bottom of the strainer cup as it sat fully seated in the neck of the reservoir...the car was COLD.
I used a bulb-type dropper to remove enough DOT4 to the point where the COLD level is now roughly 90% of the way to MAX (above the MIN line).
I ended up removing a 1/4 cup from the reservoir!!!
I suspect this has been the case since the car was first driven off by our intrepid RSM. Car now has 4000 miles on it, and I haven't been able to road test it since my discovery and subsequent fix. (Hurricane Ike is making its way up the Ohio Valley as we speak...50-mph gusts, downed branches, butt-ugly weather.)
In any event, car will be back to dealer for them to FULLY inspect/replace any worn, or out-of-tolerance components.
Areas I should pay particular attention to???
Service Actions I should INSIST on having the dealer perform???
Please feel free to tell me if I'm making a mountain out of a molehill too!
I can't believe the overfilled reservoir will affect clutch feel one bit. If there really is an issue with your clutch (and, of course, we can't diagnose anything like this remotely) the only way to determine what's wrong is disassembly. Dealers seem to vary widely in the actions they're willing to take regarding "feel" issues, and working on a clutch is expensive, obviously.
I would recommend dealing with the service manager, demonstrating the highest level of calm detachment you can muster. A car with about 4000 miles should have NO clutch issues, and they know that. I would emphasize with them the trust you placed in the dealership by buying a Porsche fleet car, and if you get no satisfaction from the service department I'd request a meeting with the dealer's general manager. Bring up concerns with trade-in value and resale value if you have a car with clutch issues. The more you make this a business concern and the less like a perfectionist enthusiast nit-picking the car the farther you're likely to get. If they decide to drop that transaxle there are many hours of a senior tech's labor on the line.
Good luck getting the clutch diagnosed, and remember, stay calm.
Blueone was spot-on...despite sharing the same hydraulic system, the overfilled brake reservoir had no bearing on how the clutch felt, or its rate of engagement over the full throw of the clutch pedal.
Will do a side-by-side driving comparison with the dealer's Service Manager on Monday, and post his recommendations/intended course of action...
Thank you for the guidance Blueone.
