FOBioPatel

I was reversing my car and the power to the wheels suddenly disappeared. Turned the car off and on a few times and I was finally able to drive it (with a now illuminated check engine light)

The dealership diagnosis was a bunch of fault codes related to my transmission, they say the wiring harness in the transmission has a 5v sensor that is not working. Repairing this is hard because it's inside the transmission, and their solution is to replace the whole transmission. They're quoting $17k for this, parts and labor. If I don't fix this, sometimes my car doesn't know what gear it's in (reverse typically fails). It also revs a little high, as a result of this issue, so while there won't be short term damage - there is always the risk the car comes to a slow rolling stop, or I introduce wear associated with high revs.

One local independent mechanic said the the Porsche PDK transmission has a poor reliability record, and has multiple failure modes. There are not any good after market parts suppliers, so the dealership replacement is likely my only option.

There is another independent mechanic (60 miles away) that wants me to bring the car in for an assessment. They've done 2 981 transmissions and do a lot of racing modifications for Porsches. They seem promising, but I am anxious about what can and can't be done based on part availability, and the initial feedback I got thus far.

I have a friend advising me to find a refurbished transmission, but I'm not quite sure where to start that hunt... or what to do next, with this unexpected adventure. Help?


my vin number

the fault codes

tomekz

Porsche would like to replace your transmission for any little thing.

Cliff3

The site for that search is www.car-part.com. There are a couple of used transmissions out there for 3.4l cars listed at $8k each. Faced with a $17k dealer estimate, I would definitely look for second or third opinions. If you don't know who the solid Porsche independent shops are in your general area then I would probably ask for recommendations. A regional forum on this site would be one source for referrals, as would your local PCA chapter.

saabin

Check out this thread over on the 997 forum.. Lots of good info.. The 997 PDKs are very similar to the newer ones in the 991s and 981s.

Guys are starting to dig into these boxes and not accepting the "just junk it" mantra from Porsche..

I'd be inclined to find an indy shop that would be willing to do a little troubleshooting.. some of these electrical sensors may be easier to R&R vs. the distance sensor which requires you to split the case.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...nsmission.html

Good luck.. I dont think I'd just spend 17K without a 2nd opinion.

6mmamer

I just went through this with my 981 BS. Distance sensor faulted out. Dealer wanted $18,600 to replace the transmission. I started by reading everything on Rennlist then networking and making phone calls. I found an Indy 2 1/2 miles away from the dealer who could work on it. This was his first time inside a PDK and it took longer than I anticipated but it ended well. What I learned is find shops that work on race cars. Racers break stuff and those shops have more problem solving skills. Not much scares them. With a new TCU installed by the dealership I have a total of $6,500 in the job. I would refer the shop that has worked on the two PDK's to review the 997 thread and the one here. It's not a complicated job. My guy didn't remove the transmission. If they would like more information call LMN Motor Sports in VA Beach and talk to Latso. He's been fixing broken Porsche's for 30 year.
My advice is park the car and work the problem. It can be fixed.

ICNU

Porsche has also taken notice that guys are repairing these issues on their own using 3rd parties, and seems to now have suddenly changed their tune regarding not being able to repair the tranny. We all knew it was crap to begin with, but I guess they now want a part of the action themselves and just in recent months started their own repair plan with the cost changing depending on the failed part.

I chose the middle option in this OPs case which comes out to about $4,600, so do NOT let a dealer talk you into a $17,000+ repair! Even the most expensive option from Porsche is now only $5,000. See the attached document from Porsche first, but know you will on the hook for crating it up and shipping cost, so factor that in when comparing to a local quote.

Also the primary offending electrical part that causes the majority of these issues is being manufactured by third party and can be replaced locally: http://t-design9.com/porsche_PDK_dis...on_sensor.html

saabin

^ Interesting, although that doc just talks about the Clubsport models, not sure they would "repair" regular old 981 PDKs. However, it may be a sign of things to come..

ICNU

Is there any difference in the GT4 PDK? I always thought it was the same unit?? Either way if they can repair one, they can repair the regular 981 as well since its rarely if ever a mechanical failure, and almost always some little electrical component of some sort. Its just a further demonstration of the big lie they have been using for so many years, knowing good and well they are serviceable at a far more reasonable price than replacement

Paul Quilter

This is great advice. These transmissions can be fixed. It is all about finding the right guy who knows them & does not accept the Porsche “replace it” logic.

saabin

Well, the doc talks about the Clubsport version of the GT4, not the street car GT4. The GT4 ClubSport is certainly not the same PDK box as it only has 6 forward gears (vs 7 on a Cayman S street car version) and I gotta think it's beefed up internally to handle the close to 450hp of the CS engine. But to your point, it probably is very similar box and could be repaired if Porsche wanted to..

IMO, I doubt Porsche would repair your 981 Cayman S PDK box if you shipped it to them.. They are offering that service to their Motosports customers.. small change to someone who is spending probably 170K (for a GT4CS) or over 400K (for a GT2RS CS) for a dedicated factory track toy.

ICNU

Good point, and you must contact the person on the document first to receive authorization before sending anything in. One could always try as all they can say is no, but it really sucks if so as we know they could provide the same service to everyone but choose to burden them with a huge unnecessary financial hit instead. That's a great way to treat your customers

FOBioPatel

had to drive the car for quite a while to get to the promising shop. when i had 60 minutes left on my journey, my car locked in 6th gear. starting from red lights going uphill in 6th gear was slow work, but i only encountered that twice, the rest of the time it was stuck in 6th I was on the highway.

so the owner of the shop i took it to said all the right things: they will diagnose and find aftermarket parts to solve the issue, it may take time due to supply chain issues and shortages. i think i've found the shop i've always been looking for...

i told them to take the time they need to get it done right, and i'm optimistic things will end well :-)
stay tuned!

txbdan

Where is this shop?

FOBioPatel

Conley's Motorsports in Hickory, NC. They found an outfit in California that would be able to work on it, but the cost after shipping and labor both ways was $12k, and the repair comes with a 1 year warranty. If I get a new transmission installed through the independent shop, I get a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty, and it sets me back $14k.

Given these options, replacing it is my only choice.

6mmamer

You might talk to these people. These are the other two shops I spoke with that I had some confidence in.

http://www.autometricsmotorsports.com/ Summerville, SC
http://www.millersportauto.com/ Hillsborourgh, NC