When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 won't allow me to switch into sport or sport+, because there's an alert for damage to the brake fluid sensor (a rat chewed the cable). Fixing the cable is not easy, according to the stealership. It will take six months and cost $10k. The brake fluid level is totally fine. Does anybody know how I can switch into sport/ sport +, when there is a red warning light? Thanks in advance for solving my problem like a wizard/boss.
The guy in Queens who did my car inspection said he could replace the cable part for $200. I love my car. I don't mind paying dealership service price, when it's reasonable. I was prepared to pay $800-$900, but the service rep said the part has to be specially made. I called another dealership in the area, but they told me they couldn't give me an estimate without looking at it. The part itself seems to be comprised of a cable and two plastic plugs that fit into the brake fluid reservoir (at different places on the reservoir). I'd happily unplug/remove it entirely, and eyeball my fluid, every couple of weeks. There's no sign that it's leaking. It's been the same level well over a year.
Last edited by Blainerunner; 05-01-2024 at 11:58 PM.
Hmm. Could work, but I'm not sure I trust myself to intentionally short anything. It might be devastating for the space-time continuum. I have to think hard about doing this.
Last edited by Blainerunner; 05-02-2024 at 01:37 AM.
I've not investigated this, but I do this for a living (automotive electronics). If it only has two wires it is probably a switch... but you could look for further info elsewhere. If it is a switch, and the wires are open at the moment and that causes an issue, then shorting them should make it think it is normal.
Are you able to post a photo of where the wire damage is? That will tell us a lot.
Older Porsches, like my 986, use a simple wire that clips into a hole in the brake pad itself as the wear indicator. When the brake rotor wears past that point in the brake pad, it cuts that wire, triggering the brake pad alert. Depending on where the wire damage is on your car--and whether it's in one spot or multiple places, this may be an extremely simple fix. ...Or not.
Thanks. I'll have to give it a lot of consideration. I do Elizabethan literature and not electronics. I did think about just removing the entire cable (including the plugs that slot into the fluid reservoir). I would have to plug the holes left by the plugs. The car is fantastic, but it has too many sensors. One tire is 4 psi lower than the rest, and the car keeps squawking about it. I don't need to have a car that talks to me.
Provided the place of the cable damage is capable of getting to, not sure why an indy shop could not repair the cable by cutting and splicing in some new wire/cable. Many years ago on my 01 Twin Turbo I had a short in the ABS sensor that would cause the ABS to go offline (only on the track, right when I was on the brakes hard before turning into a corner) that caused me to flat spot two sets of Hoosiers before the problem was found. The Porsche master tech at the dealership spliced in some new wiring (because there was no replacement part for it) and everything was good from there on out until I sold the car 2 years later (and many HPDE's later).
You're probably correct that an indy shop could do that. Indeed, that's what my car inspection guy offered to do for around $200. My dealership, however, refuses to do that. They claim to want to do every repair according to Porsche standards. The inspection guy is a bit remote from, in terms of location. I live much closer to the dealership. Many of the more local auto repair places in Manhattan say they don't work on cars like mine.
Frankly, I'd like to eliminate half the cables in the car. The cables are what the rats eat. It's almost always a sensor cable. I've heard that those cables are wrapped in a vegetable protein or something.
I'd happily turn off the car's entire self-monitoring system.
You're probably correct that an indy shop could do that. Indeed, that's what my car inspection guy offered to do for around $200. My dealership, however, refuses to do that. They claim to want to do every repair according to Porsche standards. The inspection guy is a bit remote from, in terms of location. I live much closer to the dealership. Many of the more local auto repair places in Manhattan say they don't work on cars like mine.
Frankly, I'd like to eliminate half the cables in the car. The cables are what the rats eat. It's almost always a sensor cable. I've heard that those cables are wrapped in a vegetable protein or something.
I'd happily turn off the car's entire self-monitoring system.
Well, you could buy a 914--mid-engine, no cables
And you need to solve your rat problem. That I have no suggestions for, other than move.
Move? I just bought a condo in Manhattan. I love this place. I'm here, for the long haul. I might consider swapping it for a 1,200 sq ft condo in downtown Aspen, which is the only place is the USA more expensive than NYC.
The rat damage is acceptable. It amounts to roughly 500 bucks a year. You'll find rats, even in outdoor garages. Most indoor garages, in NYC, are below street level. In places like Boston (my hometown), garages go up four or five stories. In NYC, they go down. That said, I'm not sure whether rats enter indoor garages.
Since my car is an exotic (anything German), the annual cost of a garage space in Manhattan is very high. I'd probably have to pay $11k per year (it's a lot cheaper for an American or Japanese car). Overall, it's much cheaper to park on the street. I spend about 500 bucks an year on rat damage on average and about $1,500 pr year on parking tickets.
The driving right above NYC is amazing (Saw Mill, Merritt, Bronx River, rte 22, Taconic, rte 7 in CT).
Last edited by Blainerunner; 05-02-2024 at 05:33 PM.
05-01-2024, 10:43 PM
bypassing the nanny
