35k on mine and my garage never smelled better.

 

Let me mention a couple pieces of gentlemanly advice for any sports car owner.

1) You shouldn't be driving your car 1 mile at a time. The engine won't get hot enough to evaporate moisture in the oil from combustion and water in the oil is bad for engines. Take the scenic route to work, enjoy yourself and let things warm up properly.

2) You should learn the various delicious smells our cars can make. Cosmoline, tires, clutch, brakes, all have distinct flavors. Cosmoline has a petroleum like smell to it. The clutch and brakes smell similar. If you've ever tried to parallel park a manual in a tight space on a hill you can get a good wiff. It's quite noxious. Tires smell kinda like dirty burnt rubber.

3) An anecdote... We're doing a bathroom remodel and have a hole in the subfloor that lead to the garage. I came home the other night after a good drive and started working in the bathroom. My wife came in and asked "what's that smell?" I pointed to the hole in the floor. The lightbulb clicked in her head and she said "Ahhh yes, the Porsche." Even my wife knows the smell of a good drive

 

If you have driven manuals before you know when you are damaging or burning your clutch. It smells bad. It's a different smell than the regular cosmo smell.

Have fun and enjoy the car and as Matty mentioned, drive around the block and then keep driving some more. Car takes a solid ten minutes to even warm up properly.

 

Got allergies like myself huh?

 

This may seem like a strange question, but what tires do you have?

I used to get that smell and a lot of nasty black tire dust on the back of my 997 every time I drove it. I tought the smell was cosmoline, but it was my Pirelli P-Zeros! Fortunately the tread wore down and I replaced them with Michelin's. Not only did the break dust and smell go away, the ride also became quieter and firmer.

Just curious.

 

Thanks Matty for the advice. Although my commute is around 1 mile, I do start the car and let it run for a good 5-10 minutes before take off. AND In the evenings I drive around the neighborhood a good 4-5 miles to get the oil warmed up because of what I've learned about these engines. I will say that the more I read the comments, the less I think this is an actual issue.


Thanks....I had GU10TG ride along with me yesterday to make sure I wasn't missing anything and he agreed that my driving is as smooth as wouldbe in an automatic vehicle. The aroma is just slight and is only noticeable when first opening the car door. There is no smell from inside the vehicle but as what pointed out to me yesterday, you can smell the "heated smell" that I'm noticing when opening the bonnet as well.

Good question. I have brand new Pirelli P-Zeros.

 

I think we'll take it for a longer drive today before waisting a trip to the dealer. It could be the frequent use in city driving.

 

Do you get a lot of black tire dust on the back bumper? When I say the Michelin's are quieter, I haven't metered them and its only relatively quieter. I truly like the Michelin's better.

Did you buy the tires or were they on the car? If you bought the tires your tire store might be willing to exchange them. I believe I have Pilot Sports.

If you bought the car with the tires, try Discount Tire, they may give you a credit for the P-Zeros in an exchange. The reason I say this is my LX-570 came with Good Year Tires. I have had an alignment and balanced the tires, but still dislike the ride. My previous Land Cruiser had Michelin's and it felt like I was driving on rails, straight and firm. I elected to just ride out the Goodyear tires, but still don't enjoy the ride.

I'm not sure you how long you've had your 997, but they go through tires pretty quickly. If you elect to keep the P-Zeros, you will have the opportunity to decide if you want to change out of them in about two years.

I hope that helps.

Don

 

Wow...Just one mile! This is not good for the car and for your health. You should walk instead and improve your health and stamina and leave the car inside for some more spirited spins on the weekends. Honestly, cranking up an engine for just one mile is actually very bad for the car: there is no time to get the oil in temperature or any of the fluids for that matter. Your car will be aging ten times faster and will require oil changes on a frequent basis (less than 3,000 miles).

Yves

 

Thanks for the comment, Yves. In my welcome thread, I mentioned that I typically ride my Trek to work and/or walk however that all depends on the weather and the way my days are planned out with work and what not. I am the village-healthnut though at my job, lol.

 

Thank you so much!

Speaking of awesome asses...your avatar rocks! I'd like the larger version for my desktop.

 

Was thinking the same thing...

 

Thank you, NYC

 

Neos281,

Sorry but I had not read your welcome thread. Well, welcome to this forum! I am sure you will love it and will find a lot of technical experts and many enthusiasts. I know, it is my favorite Porsche forum....

Keep that 997 warm and run for one hour at a time at least. The more the better it gets...

Yves

 

Love that smell