Opinions solicited on Porsche build...

[P0RKY]

Hi guys.

 

So, I thought I locked in the orders for my 992 and the Cayenne with Porsche Centre Sydney South when I was back home last month... so I thought. For reference, here are my build specs: PNG4WAJ1 (992) & PNL6AYC1 (Cayenne).

 

Sadly, YouTube can be a dangerous place for a weak-willed mind like mine, and now I'm harbouring sinful thoughts on adding LED Matrix headlights with PDLS+ to my builds. I've trawled the US forums for opinions on the LED Matrix system, and called the Sales Agent over at Alexandria, but I haven't gotten the info I was looking for: namely, how much different would that be, compared to the standard (already pretty good by all accounts) LED lights with PDLS/PDLS+. 

 

I won't be doing much night-time driving on Sydney roads, but I do fancy a trip or two (specifically in the Cayenne) to the ski fields at Jindabyne, and of course, drives to the Hunter or Blue Mountains are high on the menu. My work will take me 50kms out and 50kms back on a daily basis when I'm finally permanently home in Sydney (I'm stuck back in Singapore at the moment), so there's a fair bit of distance to cover - however, most of that would be in early morning & evening light. Obviously, winter will play with the light, but I'll be on the M5 most of the way, so I guess there'll be decent illumination.

 

Given the above scenario, could I elicit some local knowledge and get you guys to "shine some light" (pardon the lame pun) on my conundrum please?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Cheers,

P0RKY

[sleazius]

I can’t speak to the matrix lights, but I do have the LED PLDS (have to check the invoice to see if it was ‘+’) on my 991.2. Easily the best headlights I’ve ever used in terms of distance illuminated. I’d estImate 500-600m on the flat with high beam. Handy in my deer and kangaroo (and wombat) infested area.

You won’t get much info from US forums because there is a regulation in the US that means they don’t get the same headlights as Europe and ROW. Theirs are a lot less bright.

[P0RKY]

1 hour ago, sleazius said:

I can’t speak to the matrix lights, but I do have the LED PLDS (have to check the invoice to see if it was ‘+’) on my 991.2. Easily the best headlights I’ve ever used in terms of distance illuminated. I’d estimate 500-600m on the flat with high beam. Handy in my deer and kangaroo (and wombat) infested area.

You won’t get much info from US forums because there is a regulation in the US that means they don’t get the same headlights as Europe and ROW. Theirs are a lot less bright.

Thanks mate! Much obliged on the helpful answer.

 

I'm not sure if PCSS sales agents monitor these boards, but lo and behold, I received a call from my sales person not long after my question went up - apparently, he wasn't ignoring me, he just needed to check on my specifics before getting back with the correct answers. Here's what he told me:

 

a. Matrix LEDs are "switchable" via the PCM - if I were driving in France, I'd select "LHD" and the lights would light up the correct part of the road. When I'm driving in Sydney, tick "RHD" via the PCM and Bob's your uncle - you're good to go

 

b. You can essentially leave the car's headlamps on permanent high beam and let the Matrix LEDs do their job - apparently, they do work, especially on country roads with just the stars for illumination.

 

I've asked him to do a deal to fit both the 9YA and the 992 on order with the Matrix LEDs - I'm hoping the lights will deliver as much as the marketing promised!

 

Cheers!

[sleazius]

 

38 minutes ago, P0RKY said:

b. You can essentially leave the car's headlamps on permanent high beam and let the Matrix LEDs do their job - apparently, they do work, especially on country roads with just the stars for illumination.

I have matrix headlights on a couple of Mercs. Its pretty cool the first time you see a rectangle of dark enveloping the car travelling in front of you and moving with that car, and they are very very handy on country roads. Like your guy said, you just leave high beam on constantly.

My only complaint is that the high beam into oncoming traffic on hills can be say 1/3 of a second slower to dip than I'd like. But again, these are Mercs, not P-cars.

[mc968cs]

4 hours ago, sleazius said:

 

I have matrix headlights on a couple of Mercs. Its pretty cool the first time you see a rectangle of dark enveloping the car travelling in front of you and moving with that car, and they are very very handy on country roads. Like your guy said, you just leave high beam on constantly.

My only complaint is that the high beam into oncoming traffic on hills can be say 1/3 of a second slower to dip than I'd like. But again, these are Mercs, not P-cars.

Same. Had it on bmw. I could not believe I could drive up behind cars on the motorway to overtake them and the area just around the rear if their car was dark…yet all around the sides and front of both our cars was lit up brilliantly.  Very clever tech.  
 

(I then had to swap an led high beam system in to my 993 as the difference was ridiculous! )

[P0RKY]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this! It’s interesting - I had this change of heart after I got a call from my niece in Liverpool (the one with Anfield, the Beatles and the accent that makes me go “huh” at times) and she told me that she was getting a new Mercedes C300e and that it had these fancy Multibeam LED lights that would make her drives to Blackpool and back safer. 
 

Which is bang on what you guys said about your previous experiences with Mercedes and BMW. 

 

I’m so glad that my build date hasn’t been locked yet - now I’m waiting on the Sales Agent to give me a good bundle for both the upgrades and I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this won’t delay the delivery dates.  

[P0RKY]

OK. Another day, another dose of poison from the internet... which has gotten me all hot under the collar again. After I made the decision to add LED Matrix lights to my 992 build (the new build code is PNAKZGT9), I chanced upon this while doing my usual webpage trawling...

I know my build is just a humble C2S, not the fire breathing Turbo or frankly bonkers Turbo S, or even the rip snorting GT3, but boy, those colours look so, so pretty...

Now I'm torn at keeping my build as is, or taking the plunge above and go all in...

The wife thinks I'm about to rice a German car beyond all taste and common social acceptance - rice. Can you believe that. She said rice. She also said she wouldn't be caught dead getting in or out of the 992 if I ever went ahead with my harebrained scheme. Damn it. She's also the same person that shot down my original selection, an JPS homage:

Don't get me wrong. I love the GT Silver, which, IMHO, is a classic Porsche colour. I can easily live with that and die a happy man. But, what if I could die happier with the Martini liveried 992 as above?

As usual, any and all thoughts, opinions or brickbats are gratefully and cheerfully accepted.

[sleazius]

Mate it’s your car, do what you like! For me personally I wouldn’t do a martini livery, nor would I choose GT Silver…. the beauty of it is I’m not buying the car so my opinion isn’t worth a damn.

Do what you think is going to make you happy.

For what its worth I’ve convinced myself that my next build will be purple, so take anything I say with a big grain of salt. 

[P0RKY]

Thanks for your comments mate. I had the exact same initial thought - damn it, it's my car, it's my money, it's my decision....

 

 

... but the couch in the living room has this sag in one of the cushions, and it's really bad for my back after a night spent on it, so She Who Must Be Obeyed usually gets the last word in any argument 😂

I bought into her infallible (or so she likes to think) logic re the JPS homage - black is a b1t¢h to maintain, and the swirl marks will eventually drive me mad. I'm just trying to get one back on her, by convincing her (and myself) that the wrap somehow magically protects the paintwork and helps with resale values.

 

[Carrera28]

A friend of mine has a black car and is also very particular about his cars looking nice.  He has accepted that the price of of a black car is paying someone once a week to wash his car.  He just factors it into the cost of the car and accepts its the price of keeping a black car looking schmick.

[P0RKY]

52 minutes ago, Carrera28 said:

A friend of mine has a black car and is also very particular about his cars looking nice.  He has accepted that the price of of a black car is paying someone once a week to wash his car.  He just factors it into the cost of the car and accepts its the price of keeping a black car looking schmick.

Mate, that's all good and fine, during La Nina and times when the heavens are laden with rain clouds (like now), but I remember my lawn dying when I couldn't water it without copping a fine from the council during El Nino years ... washing a car would be a big non-event then!

[sleazius]

1 hour ago, Carrera28 said:

A friend of mine has a black car and is also very particular about his cars looking nice.  He has accepted that the price of of a black car is paying someone once a week to wash his car.  He just factors it into the cost of the car and accepts its the price of keeping a black car looking schmick.

Or you can full body self healing xpel it, and just wipe it down with a microfibre when you want to take it for a burn. Mine hasn't had more than a hose on it since new, and that was only once or twice.

[P0RKY]

6 minutes ago, sleazius said:

Or you can full body self healing xpel it, and just wipe it down with a microfibre when you want to take it for a burn. Mine hasn't had more than a hose on it since new, and that was only once or twice.

Oh my... so there are many layers of complexities to continually tease and titillate the joys of ownership! Xpel, ceramic coating etc etc... what, oh just what, have I gotten myself into? Hahaha.

[Carrera28]

1 hour ago, P0RKY said:

Mate, that's all good and fine, during La Nina and times when the heavens are laden with rain clouds (like now), but I remember my lawn dying when I couldn't water it without copping a fine from the council during El Nino years ... washing a car would be a big non-event then!

Mate, apologies for trying to help.  Good luck.

[P0RKY]

31 minutes ago, Carrera28 said:

Mate, apologies for trying to help.  Good luck.

Oh please - No apologies necessary whatsoever… your comments were much valued! I didn’t mean for my earlier post to read otherwise!