718 Spyder - Page 3 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

I have narrowed my search for my next car down to a 718 Spyder and a 992.1 Carrera T. 99% of my driving is on roads 80-20 split between uk and Europe, both cars would be manual the T has the added benefit of the rear seats so I could drop a car from my garage to keep costs down (not a priority) but the Spyder is in my opinion the best looking convertible. I am going to look at spyder tomorrow, has any bought a spyder and found living with it a pain due to the roof? I will be using it to go to work twice per week a 30 mile round trip. https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch...

In my experience the roof is zero problem. It takes around 15 seconds to put up or down. It keeps the rain out, and the heat in. And the car is sublime.

ab8 said: In my experience the roof is zero problem. It takes around 15 seconds to put up or down. It keeps the rain out, and the heat in. And the car is sublime. Is the ground clearance any better than the GT4? I know the splitter is smaller.

Agree with ab8 - roof is not a problem - though rarely drive with it up !!

J77wck said: Is the ground clearance any better than the GT4? I know the splitter is smaller. I live in central London and survived without any splitter damage at all. The shorter splitter makes all the difference. Just don't straddle cushion humps - do two wheels over.

The roof's fine. Thinner than a Boxster's but fits well and looks great when up I can take mine down or up in about 45 seconds I think. Anything more and it'd irritate me The splitter's OK. I also live in London and take things slow - and try to do ramps at an angle. It occasionally scrapes the bottom surface if I'm hasty, but all looks fine from above Enjoy your search. I love mine

You can do a lot of the roof mechanism off the key. To open hold down the unlock button an it detaches from the windscreen and pops the rear deck. (detach roof 'ears', lift deck, throw roof back, pop the side cover bits down and press the deck down) To close, pop trunk on key, lift the side cover bits, lift the deck, lift the roof up and over, press deck back down) press and hold lock and the roof locates and locks in to the windscreen - and closes windows All the above fuss, means you don't have to unlock, get in put the key in the dash, and start pressing stuff from inside. As with all tings, time and repetition makes it smoother and easier. I consider the front splitter an annual or bi-annual consumable, £150 and you can replace and refresh it - I have the GT4 version. It's longer and actually rarely scrapes on anything aside form my own ruddy drive way...

Quickmoose said: You can do a lot of the roof mechanism off the key. To open hold down the unlock button an it detaches from the windscreen and pops the rear deck. (detach roof 'ears', lift deck, throw roof back, pop the side cover bits down and press the deck down) To close, pop trunk on key, lift the side cover bits, lift the deck, lift the roof up and over, press deck back down) press and hold lock and the roof locates and locks in to the windscreen - and closes windows All the above fuss, means you don't have to unlock, get in put the key in the dash, and start pressing stuff from inside. As with all tings, time and repetition makes it smoother and easier. I consider the front splitter an annual or bi-annual consumable, £150 and you can replace and refresh it - I have the GT4 version. It's longer and actually rarely scrapes on anything aside form my own ruddy drive way... When closing you don't need to lift the side cover bits - you just lift the roof (deck open) and the roof lifts the side cover bits. Know I'm being pedantic but that's just saved you one trip around the car each time

First Sea Lord said: When closing you don't need to lift the side cover bits - you just lift the roof (deck open) and the roof lifts the side cover bits. Know I'm being pedantic but that's just saved you one trip around the car each time Yeah you can do this, but I've had one break on me from some sort of material fatigue, relying on on that method. I now do that bit by hand.

Quickmoose said: You can do a lot of the roof mechanism off the key. To open hold down the unlock button an it detaches from the windscreen and pops the rear deck. (detach roof 'ears', lift deck, throw roof back, pop the side cover bits down and press the deck down) To close, pop trunk on key, lift the side cover bits, lift the deck, lift the roof up and over, press deck back down) press and hold lock and the roof locates and locks in to the windscreen - and closes windows All the above fuss, means you don't have to unlock, get in put the key in the dash, and start pressing stuff from inside. As with all tings, time and repetition makes it smoother and easier. I consider the front splitter an annual or bi-annual consumable, £150 and you can replace and refresh it - I have the GT4 version. It's longer and actually rarely scrapes on anything aside form my own ruddy drive way... Good to know about off key, have you done any european road trips? if so how does it perform on a 8 hour motorway trip, my F-type was a great cruiser.

J77wck said: Quickmoose said: You can do a lot of the roof mechanism off the key. To open hold down the unlock button an it detaches from the windscreen and pops the rear deck. (detach roof 'ears', lift deck, throw roof back, pop the side cover bits down and press the deck down) To close, pop trunk on key, lift the side cover bits, lift the deck, lift the roof up and over, press deck back down) press and hold lock and the roof locates and locks in to the windscreen - and closes windows All the above fuss, means you don't have to unlock, get in put the key in the dash, and start pressing stuff from inside. As with all tings, time and repetition makes it smoother and easier. I consider the front splitter an annual or bi-annual consumable, £150 and you can replace and refresh it - I have the GT4 version. It's longer and actually rarely scrapes on anything aside form my own ruddy drive way... Good to know about off key, have you done any european road trips? if so how does it perform on a 8 hour motorway trip, my F-type was a great cruiser. The most I've done is 4 hrs to Folkstone...tunnel...4 hrs to Lemans (981 Spyder) Zero issues. Mind you that's coming from someone who did 13hrs in an S2000 to Monaco and felt ok... the LWB is a great seat. My only real comment is why 8hrs on a motorway? you need to be getting off that thing waay sooner

Quickmoose said: First Sea Lord said: When closing you don't need to lift the side cover bits - you just lift the roof (deck open) and the roof lifts the side cover bits. Know I'm being pedantic but that's just saved you one trip around the car each time Yeah you can do this, but I've had one break on me from some sort of material fatigue, relying on on that method. I now do that bit by hand. Useful to know. Thanks

J77wck said: Quickmoose said: You can do a lot of the roof mechanism off the key. To open hold down the unlock button an it detaches from the windscreen and pops the rear deck. (detach roof 'ears', lift deck, throw roof back, pop the side cover bits down and press the deck down) To close, pop trunk on key, lift the side cover bits, lift the deck, lift the roof up and over, press deck back down) press and hold lock and the roof locates and locks in to the windscreen - and closes windows All the above fuss, means you don't have to unlock, get in put the key in the dash, and start pressing stuff from inside. As with all tings, time and repetition makes it smoother and easier. I consider the front splitter an annual or bi-annual consumable, £150 and you can replace and refresh it - I have the GT4 version. It's longer and actually rarely scrapes on anything aside form my own ruddy drive way... Good to know about off key, have you done any european road trips? if so how does it perform on a 8 hour motorway trip, my F-type was a great cruiser. Did 2000 miles to South of France in June. Seemed fine, and was epic on Route Napoleon. They really are very good to fling down a road Wife didn't find it uncomfortable at all. We did a mixture of roof up / down on motorways, mainly to get some shade when it was very hot

...and if you do buy one it's worth joining this: https://cscexchange.co.uk/dl/3b1bc8 More Spyder knowledge than you'll ever need

Generally I would agree with most of the roof is not that bad posts. However the thing that used to irritate me was that to use the rear boot properly for weekend bags etc you had to pop the roof open a bit to open the boot. That is a PITA when it’s dark and raining and you just want your bags out of the bloody boot. However in my opinion it’s a small price to pay for one of the best Porsche cars ever made. Both of mine used to have a hissy fit occasionally if I used the key method to close the roof and I gave up in the end. Probably me but not the most reliable method. For long trips they are sublime roof down, slightly less so roof up although that is very speed dependent. Up to 75/80mph it’s fine much over that and the wind noise from the hood ears gets quite intrusive. I drove one of mine to the Sweden and back in early February, 3000 miles in 5 days and it was a great trip, I loved every mile of it. Hood down to the ring and back in July was brilliant. Happy days.

Quickmoose said: J77wck said: Quickmoose said: You can do a lot of the roof mechanism off the key. To open hold down the unlock button an it detaches from the windscreen and pops the rear deck. (detach roof 'ears', lift deck, throw roof back, pop the side cover bits down and press the deck down) To close, pop trunk on key, lift the side cover bits, lift the deck, lift the roof up and over, press deck back down) press and hold lock and the roof locates and locks in to the windscreen - and closes windows All the above fuss, means you don't have to unlock, get in put the key in the dash, and start pressing stuff from inside. As with all tings, time and repetition makes it smoother and easier. I consider the front splitter an annual or bi-annual consumable, £150 and you can replace and refresh it - I have the GT4 version. It's longer and actually rarely scrapes on anything aside form my own ruddy drive way... Good to know about off key, have you done any european road trips? if so how does it perform on a 8 hour motorway trip, my F-type was a great cruiser. The most I've done is 4 hrs to Folkstone...tunnel...4 hrs to Lemans (981 Spyder) Zero issues. Mind you that's coming from someone who did 13hrs in an S2000 to Monaco and felt ok... the LWB is a great seat. My only real comment is why 8hrs on a motorway? you need to be getting off that thing waay sooner I am 6 hours motorway from the folkstone

Zero probs with roof. An utter non issue. Mine is a 981 Apyder but love it. Had it 5 years. Also considered a T but adore having roof off but also roof up it’s fine. Edited by Billy_Whizzzz on Saturday 16th November 09:49

I found long, long hours in the seat no problem. If you're tall (I'm 6ft 2in) there is a bit of buffeting roof off at high speed, but the trade is worth it for the experience! I know people say it a lot, but these really are uniquely wonderful cars. Everyone should try one.

J77wck said: I have narrowed my search for my next car down to a 718 Spyder and a 992.1 Carrera T. 99% of my driving is on roads 80-20 split between uk and Europe, both cars would be manual the T has the added benefit of the rear seats so I could drop a car from my garage to keep costs down (not a priority) but the Spyder is in my opinion the best looking convertible. I am going to look at spyder tomorrow, has any bought a spyder and found living with it a pain due to the roof? I will be using it to go to work twice per week a 30 mile round trip. https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch... So, did you buy it? Looks like a well specced example, and I think the red looks great

First Sea Lord said: J77wck said: I have narrowed my search for my next car down to a 718 Spyder and a 992.1 Carrera T. 99% of my driving is on roads 80-20 split between uk and Europe, both cars would be manual the T has the added benefit of the rear seats so I could drop a car from my garage to keep costs down (not a priority) but the Spyder is in my opinion the best looking convertible. I am going to look at spyder tomorrow, has any bought a spyder and found living with it a pain due to the roof? I will be using it to go to work twice per week a 30 mile round trip. https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch... So, did you buy it? Looks like a well specced example, and I think the red looks great Yes, the roof is no problem. It looks fantastic, there is a green one for sale with the same spec I am considering. Manual, extended leather, 18 way seat and leather wheel (I hate Alcantara wheels and shifters) are a must for me. My only concern is I will put it in the garage until april, in which case I would wait till next year.

J77wck said: First Sea Lord said: J77wck said: I have narrowed my search for my next car down to a 718 Spyder and a 992.1 Carrera T. 99% of my driving is on roads 80-20 split between uk and Europe, both cars would be manual the T has the added benefit of the rear seats so I could drop a car from my garage to keep costs down (not a priority) but the Spyder is in my opinion the best looking convertible. I am going to look at spyder tomorrow, has any bought a spyder and found living with it a pain due to the roof? I will be using it to go to work twice per week a 30 mile round trip. https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch... So, did you buy it? Looks like a well specced example, and I think the red looks great Yes, the roof is no problem. It looks fantastic, there is a green one for sale with the same spec I am considering. Manual, extended leather, 18 way seat and leather wheel (I hate Alcantara wheels and shifters) are a must for me. My only concern is I will put it in the garage until april, in which case I would wait till next year. I wouldn't rule out those with Alcantara wheels, as it's easily changed - which is what I did

First Sea Lord said: I wouldn't rule out those with Alcantara wheels, as it's easily changed - which is what I did Did you change the gear shifter as well?

First Sea Lord said: J77wck said: First Sea Lord said: J77wck said: I have narrowed my search for my next car down to a 718 Spyder and a 992.1 Carrera T. 99% of my driving is on roads 80-20 split between uk and Europe, both cars would be manual the T has the added benefit of the rear seats so I could drop a car from my garage to keep costs down (not a priority) but the Spyder is in my opinion the best looking convertible. I am going to look at spyder tomorrow, has any bought a spyder and found living with it a pain due to the roof? I will be using it to go to work twice per week a 30 mile round trip. https://finder.porsche.com/gb/en-GB/details/porsch... So, did you buy it? Looks like a well specced example, and I think the red looks great Yes, the roof is no problem. It looks fantastic, there is a green one for sale with the same spec I am considering. Manual, extended leather, 18 way seat and leather wheel (I hate Alcantara wheels and shifters) are a must for me. My only concern is I will put it in the garage until april, in which case I would wait till next year. I wouldn't rule out those with Alcantara wheels, as it's easily changed - which is what I did I love the alcantara wheel on mine.

J77wck said: First Sea Lord said: I wouldn't rule out those with Alcantara wheels, as it's easily changed - which is what I did Did you change the gear shifter as well? Nope, as I don't have nearly so much contact with it, and it still matches the rest of the car as the centre of the seats and the door cards are still Alcantara (Racetex) I am thinking of changing the shifter to this though if I can get my head around the cost: https://jcr-developments.com/products/alcantara-sh...

are those bucketseats (driver seat this is a LHD car example) normal when ordering with bucketseats? came across it in a very nice blue example, only the drivers seat and it said something like lightweight drivers bucketseat. it looks Special for the driver, a bit like the red part in such bucketseats for their special models? but never seen them with those 'holes'

GTRene said: are those bucketseats (driver seat this is a LHD car example) normal when ordering with bucketseats? came across it in a very nice blue example, only the drivers seat and it said something like lightweight drivers bucketseat. it looks Special for the driver, a bit like the red part in such bucketseats for their special models? but never seen them with those 'holes' They are the standard buckets but have a custom insert.

Love a seat insert, a super easy mod that doesn't have to break the bank....

What a lovely looking interior

Hi could anyone with a 718 Spyder please confirm that you can open the roof with the key fob. Ie Car is locked with the roof up, and you open the car with the button, then keep it pressed until the roof latch opens, windows drop a little and the rear boot opens. Also should work in reverse when closing the roof. Is the the sill switch for the rear boot only active when the buttresses have been clipped into the upper holes in preparation for roof down. TIA

Doddler said: Hi could anyone with a 718 Spyder please confirm that you can open the roof with the key fob. Ie Car is locked with the roof up, and you open the car with the button, then keep it pressed until the roof latch opens, windows drop a little and the rear boot opens. Also should work in reverse when closing the roof. Is the the sill switch for the rear boot only active when the buttresses have been clipped into the upper holes in preparation for roof down. TIA Yes. Not sure my one works in reverse ie when closing

Doddler said: Hi could anyone with a 718 Spyder please confirm that you can open the roof with the key fob. Ie Car is locked with the roof up, and you open the car with the button, then keep it pressed until the roof latch opens, windows drop a little and the rear boot opens. Also should work in reverse when closing the roof. Is the the sill switch for the rear boot only active when the buttresses have been clipped into the upper holes in preparation for roof down. TIA All of this is right (but the buttresses don't have to be clippped into the upper holes...just unclipped...)

Quickmoose said: All of this is right (but the buttresses don't have to be clippped into the upper holes...just unclipped...) That’s great thank you for confirming

Having seen many of these cars at shows etc i really do like them compared to the Boxster/cayman/911 They seem to be a true enthusiast car sadly which means they are holding the money!!

J77wck said: GTRene said: are those bucketseats (driver seat this is a LHD car example) normal when ordering with bucketseats? came across it in a very nice blue example, only the drivers seat and it said something like lightweight drivers bucketseat. it looks Special for the driver, a bit like the red part in such bucketseats for their special models? but never seen them with those 'holes' They are the standard buckets but have a custom insert. this is (was) an official Porsche configurator option: "The 3D printed bodyform full-bucket seat" you should get the standard inserts included as well, they are interchangeable i believe?

garypotter said: Having seen many of these cars at shows etc i really do like them compared to the Boxster/cayman/911 They seem to be a true enthusiast car sadly which means they are holding the money!! I can't think of anything I'd change mine for. They drive really well, having been through the GT division, but they aren't too uncompromising to live with. They're a useful size, easy to have fun in and exquisite to look at Think buying one now wouldn't be an investment but I really can't see values softening all that much vs other cars in the coming 3-5 years - so you might as well get in there!

MrML said: this is (was) an official Porsche configurator option: "The 3D printed bodyform full-bucket seat" you should get the standard inserts included as well, they are interchangeable i believe? yep, they simply velcro in and out...

So took my 718 Spyder to OPC and have cruise retro fitted and I asked them if they could look at the key coding for opening the roof/windows/boot with the fob. They said that this model did not support that despite it being a feature on my previous 981 Spyder. Can I double check that 718 owners cannot open the roof using the fob, as this would be a backwards step in my eyes.

11/2022 I can open roof with long key press.

Dec 22 Spyder and I can open and latch the roof from the fob

August 2020 and mine certainly unlatches with a long button press.

Thanks all I've fed this back to OPC, see what they say.

OPC have had another look and magically found the solution! Took a bit of persistence but got there in the end. Cheers

Doddler said: OPC have had another look and magically found the solution! Took a bit of persistence but got there in the end. Cheers Glad you got it sorted. Does it latch with a long press? My one unlatches that way but doesn’t latch, unless I’m doing something wrong

crystalmethod said: Doddler said: OPC have had another look and magically found the solution! Took a bit of persistence but got there in the end. Cheers Glad you got it sorted. Does it latch with a long press? My one unlatches that way but doesn t latch, unless I m doing something wrong Thanks, Yes it works both ways now with both keys so glad to get it sorted. Is yours under warranty, maybe worth taking it back to OPC to look at.

Doddler said: crystalmethod said: Doddler said: OPC have had another look and magically found the solution! Took a bit of persistence but got there in the end. Cheers Glad you got it sorted. Does it latch with a long press? My one unlatches that way but doesn t latch, unless I m doing something wrong Thanks, Yes it works both ways now with both keys so glad to get it sorted. Is yours under warranty, maybe worth taking it back to OPC to look at. Yep, am under warranty. You didn’t take it to an OPC near London did you? Might be easier to go to yours to avoid the BS that was originally tried with you

crystalmethod said: Doddler said: crystalmethod said: Doddler said: OPC have had another look and magically found the solution! Took a bit of persistence but got there in the end. Cheers Glad you got it sorted. Does it latch with a long press? My one unlatches that way but doesn t latch, unless I m doing something wrong Thanks, Yes it works both ways now with both keys so glad to get it sorted. Is yours under warranty, maybe worth taking it back to OPC to look at. Yep, am under warranty. You didn t take it to an OPC near London did you? Might be easier to go to yours to avoid the BS that was originally tried with you No sorry not in London, did your closing latch ever work? make sure the boot is shut, buttresses firmly locked in position and long press on the lock button. Could also try changing fob batteries, and watch this video https://youtu.be/qc6EOdjuB_s?si=w69Ifcam0JVqpET1. If still not working then OPC, cheers.

Doddler said: crystalmethod said: Doddler said: crystalmethod said: Doddler said: OPC have had another look and magically found the solution! Took a bit of persistence but got there in the end. Cheers Glad you got it sorted. Does it latch with a long press? My one unlatches that way but doesn t latch, unless I m doing something wrong Thanks, Yes it works both ways now with both keys so glad to get it sorted. Is yours under warranty, maybe worth taking it back to OPC to look at. Yep, am under warranty. You didn t take it to an OPC near London did you? Might be easier to go to yours to avoid the BS that was originally tried with you No sorry not in London, did your closing latch ever work? make sure the boot is shut, buttresses firmly locked in position and long press on the lock button. Could also try changing fob batteries, and watch this video https://youtu.be/qc6EOdjuB_s?si=w69Ifcam0JVqpET1. If still not working then OPC, cheers. Thanks. Am abroad at moment but will try when back to be sure