Ownership Diary - Porsche Macan S

Discussion in 'Porsche' started by Spuffington, Oct 16, 2018.

  1. zarnd
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    zarnd

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    Looks great in the pictures.

    Also glad to hear you’re doing well and things in general seem to be going well for you

    Enjoy


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  2. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    An unbelievable 19months in since buying the Macan and I’ve got to say, zero regrets. And judging by the state of the world, that is a good thing since I can’t see me in the position of changing it anytime soon anyway. I did have a tiny little wobble after enjoying a brand new 3er Touring (320i of all things) in Germany and Austria during the half term snowboarding trip, but that was more down to the brilliant fuel economy (40mpg average) versus the slightly irksome 22mpg that I’m getting in the Macan. That said, it irks more in terms of the lack of range than the actual cost and after one short drive in the Macan, the BMW was a short-lived memory - it was less the power plant than the chassis and the lack of sporting dynamics against the Porky, which is amazing 1) when you consider the 3er is a small exec car with sporting pretensions and 2) the Macan is an SUV (of sorts).

    Whilst firmly touching wood, so far so good on the reliability front. I’ve covered nigh on 12k miles over the last 19months and aside from the transfer box replacement early on, I’ve done nothing other than add (a lot of) fuel and top up a litre of oil. I tend to drive it almost exclusively in comfort mode - that is, in default setup. I have the option for Sport Mode, which is standard on all Macans, or Sport Plus which comes with the PASM and Sports Chrono. Sport does tend to wake it up a bit, but I find it a bit wearing with the gearbox being in a gear lower than it needs to be - I tend to wake her up with a tug on the paddles to drop a few gears when needed for an overtake but otherwise there is more than sufficient torque and ability to get her to hold onto the gears if need be by adjusting the throttle application. Sport Plus is rabid and although hilarious for a brief blat (no more than a mile), it very, very rarely ever gets used and I think is more of a track tool. In this mode, the gearbox holds two gears lower than normal and keeps in a sweet spot of around 4k rpm and will happily spin up to the redline in each gear as well as sense the need for engine braking and drop gears aggressively. It’s laugh out loud bonkers in terms of acceleration and handling (suspension firms up markedly) but is a very quick way of draining the fuel tank (15mpg easily achievable) but more than that, completely inappropriate for the road and very wearing.

    In terms of other running costs, I’ve enjoyed a “holiday” from Major costs, which will come to an end in Aug/Sept. So far I’m pleased to report that tyres are holding up well. Even the shoulders on the front wheels are showing limited signs of wear. I can’t find my tyre depth gauge but I assume I’m down to 5mm across both front & rear so I reckon on another year or so before swapping out around 3mm. Although I note the Pirelli Scorpian All Seasons aren’t as focussed as the Michelin Latitude Sports (summers) I had on when I first bought it, they suit my more relaxed style of driving and gives me comfort that I’m ok in the winter providing it doesn’t get too lairy, which it hasn’t for the last two winters. I’ll probably swap like for like when the time comes.

    In August the car will require a Minor Service, on top of which I’m sure there will be drive belts and brake fluid required. I’m reckoning c. £1k for that from Cambridge Porsche and I will be renewing the OPC Warranty in September for just shy of £2k to cover me for breakdown cover and warranty for the next two years. So it’ll be an expensive month or so (plus VED @ £350) I think she’s worth it. I’ve got 2.5yrs remaining until the PCP expires - we’ll take a look at where values are coming out at then as to whether I decide to stick or twist.

    In the meantime, she’s been getting lots of TLC since we moved house. She lives in the garage every night and gets regular washing and I’ve taken to using Auto Finesse Aqua Coat hydrophobic coating for ease of keeping on top of the shine and beading. At some point I’ll get around to giving her another detail and few coats of wax, but I’m pleased with how she came up yesterday during a mini detail session. Certainly doesn’t look 6yrs old and 43k miles under her belt IMO.

    AECD3D10-D785-4399-970E-BCFC07803FC8.jpeg CF6C1D27-ACCF-497B-9E51-49C0B854A177.jpeg 801C3A79-B19A-475D-9CCE-A5BDAE89C4A4.jpeg
     
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  3. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Dunc, do you have air suspension? The reason I ask is that it looks quite high?

    I use Sport plus quite a bit at the traffic light GP, it makes quite a difference to the diesel Macan. It feels faster than my 535d in that mode.

    The warranty shouldn't be £2k this time around as you shouldn't need the 111 point check, so that know £250 off the cost.

    These car do keep really well, mine is now 3.5 years old and looks as good as new. I couldn't say that about my 535d at the same age.

    My mate has had his GTS for 10 days now and is absolutely head over heels with it, he had a M140i before and he says its night and day better, although thats not really a fair comparison.

    I do like the new 3 series touring though, especially the B3 Alpina version.
     
  4. isleaiw
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    isleaiw

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    Good write up as always, and car looking good. As does the house behind it, a bit of a step up from the motorhomes! Still got either of them?
     
  5. zarnd
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    zarnd

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    When the notification popped up to say you had posted I was expecting it to say that you had bought something else instead

    Cheers


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  6. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    Thanks! :) Yes, still have both of them. We’ll see how long that lasts, although perhaps selling a £50k VW in the current market probably won’t result in a £50k sale, so we may end up hanging on to it a bit longer. We were in the Lake District the week before the lockdown in the VW and in Scotland for a Highlands tour in Nov in the Concorde. The Concorde is a bit poorly at the moment and needs recovering for some work to the nsr brakes, but that will have to wait until lockdown is over. The Concorde is not being sold anytime soon though.

    CFD4508D-F7C8-4A17-8B91-5F9F8C4866FD.jpeg 69D9194E-36D1-422B-873B-04D2070F1503.jpeg
     
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  7. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    I agree, the Sports Plus makes a huge difference to the power delivery but it’s just too brutal for me to use it frequently.

    I really hope there is a bit off the £2k since although it’s good value when compared with bmw extended warranty, it’s still a big lump out of the door.

    I’m on steel springs @ PASM dampers with 20” wheels. I was told by Porsche it was the optimum setup for comfort and handling, whether that’s true or not, I have no idea since I’ve not driven an air sprung car in anger. I was keen to steer clear of the air suspension cars in my budget as a lot of them were ex press cars which were used for track work, all the coil sprung cars which were press cars were used on the road.

    The GTS is supposed to be a weapon. I nearly bought one since at the time I didn’t have a mortgage and was thinking of going wild on the monthlies. But I’m glad I didn’t now I have a big mortgage in its place! :D

    Now an Alpina would be nice......
     
  8. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    I have air suspension, I have driven a few with steel springs and there isn't much difference. However, what I do like is the ability to lower the car at the touch of a button, I normally leave it in the lowest setting and you can see how low it sits from the quick picture I just took.
    I too am on 20" wheels, but the 21's will go on soon as the weather warms, I will lose a little comfort in doing so. You probably do have the optimum set up TBH.

    IMG_3241.jpg

    Also, through reading the forums I have found that the Rhodium silver is a much sought after colour, I assume thats what yours is? Strangely not many in that colour and they get snapped up quickly when for sale.
     
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  9. slim_boy_fat
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    slim_boy_fat WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Like those rims :thumleft:
     
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  10. slim_boy_fat
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    slim_boy_fat WARLORD Site Supporter

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    That's Suilven in the far distance - did you go up it?
     
  11. snrbrtsn
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    snrbrtsn WARLORD

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    Hi Duncan
    Glad your keeping well, more so glad you and the Macan is getting along, that’s got to be an all time personal best!
    Lovely car that takes a bit TLC very well!
     
  12. Mieke
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    Mieke WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Glad to hear that you're still enjoying the Macan, Dunc. This must now be getting near a record for the longest ownership . . . :ROFLMAO:
    Incidentally the Macan looks great in that silver colour - it really suits it. (y)
    Have I spoken too soon? :whistle:
     
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  13. isleaiw
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    isleaiw

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    Looking at Alpina's is fatal, its how I ended up in my car (as it wasn't much more than a pre reg D5 Alpina....). I would still love a B5 Touring but even pre reg they are nearly £100k!!
     
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  14. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    A quick update, since I just realised it's now two years since I bought the Macan! Time flies when you're having fun and in spite of my recent dally with other vehicles (see Stick or Twist? thread), I decided to keep the Macan. There were many reasons for that in the end - some financial ones but mostly emotional. This car has got under my skin like few others and I just didn't feel mentally ready to move her on and have decided to hang on in there and to hell with the practicality issues. I'll go down Sean's suggested route of the roofbox if it gets too much hassle.

    So where are with costs? I notice I posted the table from PH 6months ago or so. The cost per mile has snuck up in that time; partly as there is a decrease in the amount of miles being piled on. Since lockdown, as with most people, she's covered relatively few miles. And on top of that, she's had the service & warranty renewal I was dreading. In fact, that came out ok in the end. An interim service, 111 point check (for the warranty), brake fluid, MOT and 12months OPC warranty & Porsche Rescue - £1.7k. Considering if I'd still have had the F11 by now, I'd have been paying >£1.2k for that warranty alone, the OPC one doesn't look bad value.

    In terms of consumables, she's had rear pads in the time I've had her and although Porsche signed off the rear discs for the warranty, they did note that they would need replacing if they were to stock as an approved used car. The all season N rated Pirelli's I put in just after I bought her have lasted well. Losing just 3m in 14k miles. Otherwise I haven't spent a bean on her and just fill with fuel (regularly!) and enjoy. On that front, the longterm average is 21.5mpg. In reality, in normal driving I'm getting upwards of 25mpg but never much more.

    Since I've partially returned to the office in London for work, I've been driving in to avoid public transport. On that journey (c. 50miles each way), I get around 25-27mpg on the way there at 0500 in the morning and then on the way home between 22-24mpg due to the additional traffic leaving the City of London. It's never advisable to look at the trip computer in the middle of a crawl through Hackney. I have peaked several times and seen 11 or 12mpg. But thankfully a light foot on the M11 brings the average up. Although it's unsustainable over the longer term, it has been an absolute pleasure to drive the car into work - a Covid19 safe environment, which is comfortable, cosseting and still special 2years down the line.

    Niggles - well it's waiting for its second transfer box in my stewardship. I noticed a few weeks back that it had started "hopping" a little with lots of steering lock on and a bit of what felt like play in the prop shaft. It turns out that whilst they upgraded the transfer box a couple of years ago, the one which went into my car was one of the last of the originals. I'm promised that the new one will go in as soon as it's off back order. That's a £4k bill so in my mind the warranty has already paid for itself again. Otherwise nothing else to report. The entertainment system is still hopelessly dated and woefully crap to use. Returning to BMW with the F48 X1 has reminded me of that. Even my 2005 Concorde motorhome has a better ICE system after I upgraded the headunit to a Pioneer Apple CarPlay interface. But it works fine and providing you just set the music from the ipod before you set out and don't have to fiddle, the sound quality of the Bose is good enough and I've got no qualms.

    At the end of the day, what's keeping me in it is the driving experience. It's just so multitalented. It's a seriously quick hot hatch one minute, refined GT the next, small family car but above all, it's a Porsche which I always wanted and for which I'm never not grateful. I still spy the key on the kitchen worktop and my heart skips a bit of a beat; having to pinch myself that it's mine sitting in the garage. So for all the desires for more space and practicality, they don't outweigh the petrolhead in me. With more frequent lockdowns in future potentially curtailing the need for a long distance car for the family, I could even see me renewing the warranty next September too. We'll see.

    In the meantime, I'm going to throw a bit of money at refurbishing the alloys and pulling one or two small dents from the rear door. Otherwise she's perfect and I'm looking forward to the many miles we've still to enjoy together! :)
     
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  15. Wynne71
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    Wynne71 WARLORD Site Supporter

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    Sounds like a very sensible decision. We’ve all chipped in with our stories of managing with much smaller cars and children, I had a 1988 Mini Mayfair and two boys under 2 years old, but you have to be happy with the car you have.
    To be fair I’d dream of owning a Macan S with or without kids, but I can see why you were considering other options.
     
  16. a.s.uk
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    a.s.uk WARLORD

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    Sounds like A very expensive car to own ...to me..
    Each to their own as we always say on here...
    Hope the expense is returned in the residuals..


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  17. kleynie
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    kleynie WARLORD Site Supporter

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    They are cheap to own compared to my old 535d which cost £90 per month for warranty that didnt even cover everything

    I still love mine too, I was out in it on my own today, sport plus and manual paddles, it’s just unbelievable for a VAG diesel and feels much quicker than the 6.1 secs to 60mph suggests. It is definitely quicker than my 535d.

    Dunc, have you done anything with the leather, I assume you have full leather? I had mine professionally cleaned last week and it looks new again. That’s what I love about these cars, mine is coming up four years old and it looks as good as the day it left the factory.

    is it possible to upgrade the PCM to the newer version? I find mine pretty good to be honest, but I have the 2017 version. Having said that it refuses to upgrade the maps.
     
  18. Spuffington
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    Spuffington Staff Member Admin Site Supporter

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    I agree with Kleynie on this one. I don't think it's a horrendous cost for the quality and performance on offer. It's only the mpg which has real bawk factor, but given I'm only doing 7k miles pa, that's a cost that is easily borne. It's coming in under £500 per month for depreciation, which a lot of other less exotic machinery can't match.

    On the leather front, Ian, I have the full leather on the adaptive seats but not elsewhere down the doors. I've used various leather products on it and the seats always come up with a beautiful, matt, brand new looking lustre. Cleaning and wiping over the interior dash also brings it back to new and several of my non-car-buff-mates who haven't spotted the difference with the new facelifted Macan, believe it's still just a year or so old. It's six years this year.

    I could upgrade mine to the newer PCM but in all honesty I so rarely go anywhere where I need the satnav these days that I'll leave it. I do notice the difference in infotainment when I get in the X1 but I still revel in the noise coming from the engine bay so the sound system will always be playing second fiddle.

    @K777 was kind enough to help me out a few weeks back when I nearly bought into a Cayenne S e-hybrid which I think would've suited my usage well. However, as I noted above - I think the Macan is a good value car to own and run. Even with allowing for the mpg benefit and zero VED from the Cayenne hybrid, the cost to change for just a two year newer car was extreme and couldn't cover even the best of my man maths.

    I've resolved instead to getting the wheels fully refurbed once the baby is born and then getting a paintless dent remover chap out to pull the two dings I have in the rear ns door. Those two bits should have it looking spotless again.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2020
  19. isleaiw
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    isleaiw

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    I have just realised that I have bought a car, sold it and bought another one, all whilst Spuff has had the same car.... what will become of me? Haven't collected the new one yet so maybe he can get his skates on and swap before Monday and I will be saved...

    Audi RS4 by the way.... I wont mention it again!
     
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  20. a.s.uk
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    a.s.uk WARLORD

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    Nice motor
    Please do mention it.... yes...
    Would prefer the rs6 myself.... but my wife loves our X5 too much at the moment.... hopefully next time
    Maybe..


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