I was thinking to do Alignment for my Panamera, quick question, should the air suspension should be off mode when perform? Thanks

 

Also can someone advise what's the difference between suspension off mode and normal mode? Thanks

 

I don't know about the alignment part, but the manual says you need to turn the air suspension off when you raise the car, otherwise the suspension will try to compensate for the changed/changing height and (ostensibly) bad things will happen. When suspension is off, I think the suspension monitoring/adjustment functions are disabled.

all of the above is speculation on my part

 

I'd take the car to the dealer. It will cost more than some alignment shop, but they should know how to do it right.

 

my Denver dealer said it takes 2 hours to do alignment.

 

I had new tires installed and a 4 wheel alignment in just over an hour at a good tire shop.

 

i took it to indy. Any good shop can do it.
I set my suspension in PASM Sport Plus, as thats what i usually drive in.

 

So the suspension no need to be turn off?

 

hmmm, that was very fast, only taking off and putting back bottom covers takes time, plus to install 4 tires...
mine took around 45min, but I had all covers removed from the bottom and all bolts were free/greased ..

can't find in the service repair manual where was written that suspension has to be turned off, but while writing this I'm thinking can it be turned of at normal height

not correct, because when alignment is done at normal mode and when afterwards you choose Sport Plus all suspension changes to more stiff because car goes down and stresses bushings more, etc.

 

and one more, anybody has calibrated steering-angle sensor after alignment ? (I'm not event talking about ACC sensor )

 

I would take your panamera to porsche dealer for alignment, they know what to do and do it right. the cost is small $279. They did it on my car when i had new tires in Feb.

I would not let the indy guy messed up my alignment.

 

)) .... just wondering what includes alignment at Porsche dealer
I've never asked them, but now wondering do they do steering angle and ACC sensors calibration as well for those $279 ?

P.S> personally in my case I don't see the reason to loose all day (long way to dealer) just for alignment as my indy guy knows very well what he is doing (does race, track, etc cars) and has the right equipment for that.

 

If you just leave the car running while performing the alignment and vent the exhaust outside, your suspension will be just fine

 

The argument of using dealer or indy will never end. I think the answer is "it depends." As for alignment, modern indy shops who specialize in alignment have the very latest and best equipment. Then there is the experience factor.

Alignment is done with the car on the ground or on a drive-on rack.

Porsche alignment specs are readily available. Air suspension design is basically the same among many brands: Mercedes, VW, Porsche, Audi and even Hyundai.
There is a range of alignment settings, which are shown on the equipment as a "green zone".

"Porsche Panameras seem to suffer from short tire life - extreme wear on inside of rear tires. If your daily commute does not include mountain roads and race tracks, your Porsche tires may last longer if the wheel alignment is carefully set to the more conservative end of factory specifications. Many discount alignment and tire shops simply set the alignment so that it is "in the green," or in the ballpark of the manufacturer spec. However, these specs often have a wide range, so the settings should be carefully set to be as close from side to side as possible to guarantee even tire wear and that the vehicle tracks straight and true down the road." From issue 264 of Excellence magazine.

 

This is exactly what I was experiencing and at 60k service last week got the alignment done. According to my Indy it was pretty far off and in the RED zone on many measurements - his experience led him to set it w/in factory specs but on the more conservative end to prolong tire wear which was my biggest concern. The car handles great and tracks true w/ the new settings - straight down the road.