996 Turbo tucked away in the garage for winter!

Just got through afew jobs, as car now sorned for the winter, bump stops, Brembo brake discs/EBC Yellow stuff pads All round, Hel braided hoses, brake fluid and caliper paint refresh. 4 x New Bridgestone Potenza S-02A N3 tyres Only managed afew thousand miles this year, but enjoying the car, the paddle shift conversion is the best thing I've done and really transforms the driving experience. A good wash,clay bar polish and wax, she looks like new 👌 (not bad for 21 years of age) https://youtu.be/r_8WEV2UsX0 Video shows the paint off well 😁

Lovely car that will last longer if you continue to drive it regularly at least once/month - leaving it standing drains off oil, unless it is in an air-conditioned temperature controlled garage or Cacoon - leads to condensation rotting away behind clamps, in bearings, dry cylinder bores, some empty tappets and more wear on re-start. Baz

Thanks Baz, Yes there temperature controlled 👍 I don't tend to leave it in garage for more than a month, then let it warm up and take it for a steady drive around the yard. Rightly or wrongly I just prefer driving through the summer months, much appreciated your advice 👌(it's fair to say you guys know your way around these more than anyone 👍)

Sensible points well taken (although I am a fan of sorning and leaving til spring). But is one restart in April or four restarts over winter going to cause more wear? Presumably it can be mitigated by turning over with the fuel pump disconnected to circulate oil?

You have already avoided the main problem of cold causing condensation in places in the running gear (pipe clamps etc) from causing corrosion that you cannot see - so that is good. Turning over without the fuel pump running is also a good idea. However - whenever you last stooped the car with the engine oil hot - there are always some tappets that are left pushing their valves against the sporing into the head and they can gradually squeeze out the hot/warm oil as the springs pressurise the tappet. Cold oil then rarely gets into the tappet through the small entry hole fast enough to fill it until the oil is hot and thinner so you can get tappet noise on start up if you leave it too long. If you intend to leave it without getting really hot over the winter - the best thing is when you put it away for the winter - turn the engine over without the fuel pump running a few times every hour three or four times and with luck it will settle in a position when the oil is cooler and thicker that will not allow a tappet to shut. If you have never had any noise from tappets even after leaving for a long time - they are probably good enough for it not to be a problem. Good luck and enjoy the Spring! Baz

Thanks, again Baz! When my oil in warm I try let the car run for a while before I switch the engine off. Some good points and advise I'll take on board 👍

Hi Baz, Any advice for those of us that don't have a temperature controlled garage? I'm concerned about the cold condensation is running gears / clamps (no idea where they are lol) Thz

When we receive a whole car for an engine rebuild and remove it we often find that the clamps that hold various plain aluminium pipes in place (that have rubber on them and no anti corrosion treatment) have often corroded the pipes out of sight under the clamps. Those and exhaust studs (common corrosion problem) and all over the car there are often signs of damp corrosion. It makes sense to fix these when the engine is out (some need engine removal just to repair anyway) and this often increases the rebuild cost but is both sensible and cost effective overall. The best way to minimise it I can think of if you don't have a temperature and humidity controlled garage is to go out and drive it so air flows round the underside of the car. Condensation through very cold weather - also affects internal engine parts. Thinking back over the years - the 944's that were parked up over winter often had very short lived coolant pump bearings (for example) and we usually find that cars that are higher mileage but used regularly seem in better overall condition (corrosion wise) than those lovingly left unused but gradually deteriorating as a result. Just suggesting using the cars might be a better option than taking them off the road for some situations (and what a great excuse as well!) Baz

I use my own Porsche every other day right through the winter as well (except in snow!). Baz

Baz, great insight here - thank you. What is the lesser of the two evil's in your opinion between using the car for the reasons you've mentioned above vs. using it during the months we have salt on the roads and the potential damage it can cause to the underside of the car? Cheers

This is the reason a lot of people take the car off the road during the winter. Salt corrosion is horrendous for underbody and the reason this winter for the first time I've sorned my car. I've built a garage for it and put a heater in, it's an electronic thermostat type one I was lucky enough to blag from work. It's a balance between battling condensation and covering the underside with salt every winter. I'm going to try and battle the condensation this year. I just can't bear another winter of driving through a salt bath. It's no use having a great set of clamps and pipes but a rotten car. This is in NO WAY a pop at Baz for recommending you use it rather than garage it. Baz is 100% right, letting a car sit in a damp cold garage is also death to many components. I'm hoping my heater and small dehumidifier will do the trick. salting the roads is the problem!!

Same reason I'm reluctant to use the 996 as a daily in the winter. However, after a rainy day, I will try to go on an hour's drive before the roads are salted again.

Just as a reference I also put 2/3 throw away dehumidifiers around the garage, never get any moisture in.. might be worth a try to check for moisture 👍

Dehumidifiers are a great idea - and I would not expect anyone who is trying to avoid corrosion to decide to go out for their once a month drive within a few days of it being so cold that they know the slat lorries have been out and that there is still salt on the roads (you would have to be pretty crazy to do that?) Baz

What do people think of starting the engine once a month and give it a few revs when engine temp is hot enough??