Autobahn Automotive Tech Session

A cloudy day…perfect for indoor sports as 21 Redwood Region members gather at our newest sponsor, Autobahn Automotive located on Ferdinand Court (perfect place for a Porsche Shop) in Santa Rosa for the updates on oil changes, brake replacement and the all-important playing with center lock wheels with PCCB brakes!

We are greeted by Zach Oberlander- owner, Paul Carver-Service Manager and Chris Watson- Technician, also there was Michaela Oberlander and Dawne Carver , who have filled the office with bagels, meats, cheeses, coffees, teas..all we need for the healthy caloric fix in the morning!

Up first on the rack was Dave Eng’s 2012 Carrera S 991 for an oil change.  The engine cover is very small and in true fashion..Porsche hood shocks are kaput, so out comes the prop rod.  Zach needs to remove the cooling fans to get to the oil filter which is buried deep in the hole!  Car is up in the air and drain plug removed for the slow drip of the used oil…it takes forever!  Remember, 991’s do not have a dipstick…only an electronic sensor, which is difficult to get the oil level right.  The car needs an 8-10 mile run after oil is replaced to get the level just right!  Overfilling the oil is NOT a good idea!  Dave’s car is back and checks out fine!

On the next rack is Dawne Carver’s 2006 Cayenne Turbo for a set of new front rotors and pads!  This monster has huge rotors that fill the 20-inch rims with 6 piston calipers.  At 5300 hundred pounds and 450 HP…this Porsche needs to stop!  Chris Watson makes it look all so easy and makes short work of this job!  The new rotors are slotted for additional air cooling and marked for Right or Left side so that no mistakes are made in this replacement!

Last on the menu was looking at Chip Witt’s 2011 GTS with center lock wheels and the famous and pricey…PCCB brakes!  The center lock wheels require 447 ft lbs. of torque to remove them…think about that…no way a regular human could assert that much torque!  Out comes a tool I’ve never seen…a torque wrench 3 times multiplier!  Zach does a quick calculation on his phone….he sets the regular torque wrench to 149 ft lbs. and attached it to the multiplier that is attached via special Porsche socket which come s with the car and off comes the center lock!  Zach is ever so careful with showing us the PCCB (Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes)…which costs over $8,000.00 per wheel..if one was to nick the rotor!  Chip ordered these brakes after careful consideration as they should last the lifetime of the car!  Center lock is replaced, and tools put away!

Next…Autobahn has a raffle drawing for a free oil change and new member Bryan Tautsch is the winner!  Many thanks to Zach, Paul, Chris , Michaela and Dawne for the very informative tech session and their hospitality!  This old one learned a lot of new stuff and hopefully our members will take advantage of Autobahn’s Porsche and BMW expertise!

Autobahn Automotive is located at 1801 Ferdinand Court in Santa Rosa and their phone number is 707-545-1958!  Call them and book some work with our newest sponsor!

Photo credits to Chip Witt