Porsche 911 Carrera (993)

The classic Carrera gets into shape for a road trip

AROAD TRIP WAS MY PERFECT HOLIDAY plan for this year, and the Isle of Skye was the chosen destination. I estimated it could be a 1000-mile round journey, so I wanted to make sure the 993 was in good heath and had no hidden issues before we set off.

I already knew the car had one small problem, however, and that was with the lights that illuminate the dials. They had started to fail, which meant the bulbs needed replacing. As I would be driving at night I wanted to get them fixed before the trip, and having heard it’s not an easy job to get the dials out safely I decided to book the 993 in at Porsche Centre Hatfield, which is an official Porsche Classic Partner Centre.

On the day of the appointment I left the car in the hands of classic Porsche advisor Louis Richards and technician Simon Coath, who was the first Porsche Classic qualified technician in the UK. The first job was to get the 993 up on the ramps to give it an Express Check. Luckily for me everything looked good and the car passed all of the tests. Then it was time to remove the steering wheel to gain access to the gauges.

With the correct tools and knowledge the dials were successfully removed without any damage to the trim or bezels. New bulbs in the original orange tone were then fitted – a delicate task as you have to work around the dial pack’s 27 warning lights when replacing each bulb. The entire job was completed in less than a day and cost £400 for the bulb change – the Express Check is free with any workshop visit.

The 993 was now ready to cover some real miles. I’ll let you know how to fared next month.

Date acquired April 2016 Total mileage 87,716 Mileage this month 181 Costs this month £400 mpg this month 28.0