New to me 987.2 - what to do first??

If there is a guide somewhere please point me to it. I have searched a fair bit and can’t find one. Hi all. I managed to score a 2011 manual base Caman with 130,000kms (72,000 miles ish) at an auction in Japan. Should be here in about 8 weeks. Cars in Japan are generally quite well maintained as they have to pass regular inspections, but usually have no records. And much cheaper than here in Canada - I got a great deal… I hope. This is my my 4th car from Japan, the others have been great. My first Porsche . Yes it’s Left Hand Drive. I’m too old to mess about with an RHD lol. Been there done that. No more I did have an inspection done there and the only flaws found were a small tare in the drivers seats and a few pain scratches. Mechanically it looks good. I’m a decent mechanic and I always do a start from zero unless I have proof of maintenance. Meaning… Oil and filter change Coolant flush and fill Differential fluid Transmission fluid Brake fluid flush Spark plugs and coil packs. Air filter Serpentine Belt Probably a battery. And anything else that the particular car tends to need. So a couple questions… For the 987 the transmission and diff fluid are the same thing right? Is the water pump and thermostat change procedure the same, or similar to, a 987.1 ? I found a couple videos of .1’s but can’t find one of a .2. Is there any - while you are in there you should probably do this - things I am missing? Not looking for more performance. It will never be tracked. Just a fun driver. Once I have it and have driven it a bit I will make the call if it needs coffin arms, shocks, struts etc. Thanks in advance! James

Yes, the diff is inside the transmission, same fluid for both. Water pump/thermostat change is probably not exactly the same as a 987.1 , but it can't be too different. Plan on replacing the coolant while you're in there. Make sure to get the correct stuff, it's not the standard green fluid. If you have access to a compressor, replacing the fluid is MUCH easier with an airlift device. Check the brake rotors and pads. The rest of your list looks ok. Good luck!

Looks like a good list to start with, for sure. For the coolant, be sure to get an "airlift" or vacuum fill kit... otherwise you'll spend far too much time trying to burp out all the bubbles. While you're doing that, you may want to replace the water pump - they typically have an 80-100k miles life, so if it was never done, you'd need that anyway (which then requires a flush/fill as well). Stick to OEM (plastic impeller) - aftermarket metal ones have other issues. Battery - check the date that should be stamped somewhere on it. You may not need to replace it, but it certainly could need it. Note you can also get a slightly larger battery if you wanted, as the bracket allows adjustment of the clamp. Any battery is fine, nothing special here. Plugs, coils are a good idea - again, if you skip coils you may need it soon after, so might as well do it now. Serpentine - some people have had issues (tripping the knock sensor somehow) with aftermarket ones, so be sure to get the OEM. Even then, make sure it's the right length, as I've seen a few people get one that appears shorter... Brake pads should be checked... if you don't want to deal with the crazy dusting of the stock Textar brand ones, I fitted the Akebono ceramics which work beautifully and keep the wheels super clean (I have a thread on this here).

Great tips! Thanks all!

No I have to buy an airlift. Haven’t heard of that unit before. I may have a slight tool addiction. 😁

It would be a good idea to replace the coolant pump as well as the tensioner, belt and pulley. I found in my experience that once I replaced the belt about three weeks later the pump failed. Coincidence or maybe the new belt put more strain on the pump. I discovered the tensioner was pretty well cooked too.

And the AOS as long as you're trying to address all the issues. Take a careful look at the coolant hoses in the front of the car - the O-rings where they fasten together start to go around now. If you catch them early, you can just put new O-rings on and call it a day (use silicone grease on them to preserve them and make them go together easily), and you should look at the pressure hose side of the power steering. Chances are good the swaged junctions of rubber hose to metal fittings have gotten tired and have started weeping. Some people try to tighten up the swage - I'd suggest just replace the hoses. If you want to address all the hoses, there are 5 of them on the .2 variant, Porsche added a power-steering cooler (oil/coolant) for the .2 cars. Doing all 5 - about 8 hours for an excellent mechanic.