MOM3NTM

“Transmission failure” on night of delivery for 991S PDK

So after 5 months of waiting and a slight delay because my build was a Sunroof delete I finally took delivery of my Agate 991 S PDK Saturday night. 2 miles from the dealership on the drive home from delivery the car dies. Screen showed a Transmission Failure of some sort. Car shut down into safe mode and would not move. Did not hear any mechanical noises during this. Car would restart but not move. Stuck on side of road until the dealer could collect me in a loaner and the 991 on a flatbed. Needless to say I am beside myself. Find out today what the deal is.

I’ve done some searches on PDK failures and it seems the potential issues range from a simple software glitch to a mechanical failure requiring a transmission replacement. I want my car back soon and if I have to wait 3 weeks for a part from Germany I’m going to lose it. This is my first Porsche and a 5 month wait followed but this is less than ideal (most polite way I could phrase it).

So far my salesman and Dealer have been great. However, when dealing with an issue you get to see how good the customer service truly is. It is inexcusable for a car (especially one this expensive) to die after being driven home from delivery. Porsche might have been at the top of the JD power list but not this time. That being said I really like my salesman and he did everything he could do for me on Saturday night. It was obvious he was as upset as I that this happened. I have every faith the dealer will come through for me and resolve this issue ASAP.

If anybody has been through this before I would appreciate any insight on your issue and how it was resolved. As well as, how fast that resolution took. At what point do I involve Porsche North America? As long as the dealer is taking care of the issue I have no desire to have corporate breathing down their neck. However, I’m not sure if it’s in my best interest to document this with corporate incase the car has issues down the road? For anybody has been through this was the issue completely resolved or did the car continue to have persistent problems? I obviously don’t want to be stuck with a lemon of some sort.

I will post more info as I find out later today. That being said any guidance is appreciated.

911SLOW

That sucks!

It might be something simple though. I see nothing in the PIWIS TSI for the transmission, so this is probably an isolated issue, one that will be fixed under warranty.



The only (irrelevant to you) problem / technical information available for the 991 is for the electric steering wheel problems.





dated 14.12.2011 number 104/11 EN 4800

Warning in instrument cluster: "Electric power steering fault"


Vehicle Type: 911 Carrera (991)/911 Carrera S (991)
Concerns: Electric power steering (EPS).
Situation: Procedure to be followed if the warning message “Electric power steering fault” is displayed.

a) — Yellow warning message — and fault code “DTC010050 – Software limit stops not taught” entered in the fault memory of the power-steering control unit:⇒ Steering must be re-taugh / programmed

b) — Red warning message — and fault code “DTC010010 - Control unit faulty” entered in the fault memory of the power-steering control unit:⇒ Replace power-steering gear

neanicu

Hey!

I feel sorry for what happened.
Beautiful car! I love the personalized license plate too!
I've never heard of any issues with the PDK. Actually everyone has been raving about it. I belive it's the same Double clutch they've been using in the 997. Great automatic transmission!
The 991 is very very new and I don't believe any issues with the transmission have been recorded.
My guess is that it's software related,but you never know...
Good luck! All the best!
Please let us know the outcome.

jumper5836

I am sure it not a big problem, these new cars are like a new version of windows. Don't install it until at least there has been at least one service pack released.

PasPar2

First, congrats - the car is beautiful

seconds, **** happens. I would be mad and upset but I am sure it will be resolved. You knew going in that your are getting the 1st batch and there is always a level of risk with that.

My LR3, bought new in 2005, dumped an entire tank of gas on the street 500 feet from the gas station after its first fill up (<200 miles on the clock). I called their road side and waited a short while for it to get picked up. It was back to me 2 days later. Got various apologies etc from the local dealership and from LR... its been perfect (for an LR thats a biggie) for the 2.5 or 3 years we had it after.

jmsc

I hope its isolated and just a software bug for your sake. Back in 1998 I ordered one of the first 996's sight unseen. Never had the RMS problem on my car even after 5 years of ownership (just lucky). But the very early pre-order was typical Porsche. This color is unavailable, this option will cause a delay, the price just went up...on and on. I gave up and said never again will I be the first. Like PasPar says, too risky.

How many miles did the 991 have on it when you drove it home?

Did a dealership mechanic test drive the car before turning the keys over to you?

LastMezger

I simply don't understand how this can happen. They test these cars for hundreds of thousand of miles over years and years. Were the engineers spending half their time waiting for a tow? Doubt it so why have a failure like this at this stage?

MOM3NTM

Car had 21 miles at delivery and 23 or 24 when it failed. My salesman put around 4-6 miles on it going to and from their off site facility so I could have clear bra put on before delivery.

Gamo

Sorry to hear this.

Perhaps the saleman didn't want you to wait any longer so he pushed the car too hard during the trip for the clear bar?

4forme

Great looking car. I'm betting it will end up being a software glitch. They will reprogram the car and you'll be on your way enjoying your new ride and you'll forget all about it in a few days

NC 997

I had an a/c issue with my car the day after I picked it up in June 2010. It was 95+ degrees, and no air. Needless to day, I wasn't happy, but my selling dealer came and got the car, fixed it and returned it w/o incident. I think you'll find that customer service is a bit different when you buy a new Porsche than it is when you buy a new Chevy.

I read a thread over on 6speed where someone from Champion was running a new 991 w/ PDK through the quarter mile ("many times" according to the OP). I hope that wasn't your car.

MOM3NTM

happily, no that wasn't my car at the drag strip. I didn't even have a chance to try sport or sport plus mode let alone launch it.

Psycho Sid

Yeezzz that sucks... I feel your pain!
Hope everything works out for you, let us know if it indeed was a computer issue.

GL!

MOM3NTM

Just spoke with my salesman. They determined that the transmission failed. It was not a software but an actual mechanical issue. I don't know anything beyond that. They are not going to repair the PDK, instead they are going to replace the entire unit. They are overnighting one from Atlanta and it should go in tomorrow. I don't feel great about having such a large mechanical repair on an new car. Such is life, I suppose.

That being said, my salesman came in on his day off help make sure this got taken care of. If anybody wants to do business on a Porsche in south Florida his name is Larry Reynolds and he is at Champion Porsche. I found him very helpful with the build options and guiding me through the process. He is the best car salesperson I have ever delt with. I'm sure there are many other great Porsche reps to work with but figured I would share my experience. Sometimes it can be difficult to find somebody good to deal with.

GPTurbo

Sorry to here about the problem but you have a beautiful car and should be back on the road soon. Larry is indeed the best in the business. I have dealt with him for years - brings real knowledge and enthusiasm to the job.