B Russ

I forgot how much fun it was running in manual mode on the .2. Living at 3k and above is really where these cars shine. I never really cared about the PDK shift points in auto mode and sport plus seems to be a little over the top but Fun times are in manual mode for sure.
Thats all.

the_buch

Couldn't agree more and never use anything other than manual unless I'm in traffic and sipping a coffee

Jon D

Exactly

Dgags

Manual mode, always.

Laszlo_Laz

Same here, I find it impossible now not to be in manual mode. I enjoy it a lot and absolutely love the PDK. Couldn’t ask for a better experience IMO.

skl2

this x1000

GONEIN10

The real manual mode!

tx-911

PDKs shine in turbocharged engines, hence why I specifically wanted a PDK when I set out to find my 911.2; way I see it, if you don’t like a PDK on a twin turbo flat 6, it’s cause you’re not serious about going fast 😜. My daily is a Stage 2+ 2.0T Audi with a stick. Sure, the third pedal is engaging, yet I feel more engaged holding boost, hitting the paddles on my PDK watching that tach move at lightning speed. Nothing like it.

Fullyield

I have owned 9 Porsches: 4 PDK’s, 4 MT’s, 1 Trip. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The PDK is a great transmission ………until it is not…….frequency of out of warranty ZF distance sensor failures and resulting exorbitant cost of repair is a legitimate concern. Read PV997’s excellent treatise on the issue.

d--

This is a good point. I had some leaks in my car and it took around $8k to fix it and a month in the shop. I made sure I had a warranty on the car so I ended up only spending a couple hundred on the repairs. But ya... When the PDK goes wrong it's expensive. Don't get caught holding the bag is my advice.

B Russ

Are these issues coming up in more recent PDK cars??

d--

Mine is a 2012.5 991.1 C2S.... I have had repeated transmission pan gasket leaks, and failing double seal. Total repairs are well over $10k total, with the last repair approximately $8000 and a month in the shop.

When I bought my car I spent a lot of time making sure I had proper warranty coverage and a full PPI so that I was protected. Thus, my repairs ended up costing me only hundreds out of pocket instead of a potential 5 figure repair bill. Until such a time as you can get a replacement PDK transmission (either rebuilt or oem) for a reasonable price I am not comfortable with that amount of risk.

I suppose that most folks who buy a PDK have only good experiences with it. Like Fullyieldsaid, it's a great transmission until it's not. I love mine and plan to drive the wheels off of it until the 5 year, 125,000 mile warranty has nearly lapsed. Then, I'll probably move into a new P car.

RSBro

I've had zero issues with my PDK, 2013 with about 62k miles on it. Then again I never had the "widespread" IMS/RMS issues on my 996, despite it being a Tip and had over 100k miles on it, and was not babied.

But, yes- PDK in manual is my favorite for sure and sure cuts into that MPG as well lol. :P Mine just has the buttons so I shift w/ the lever, which now that those are gone, I take even more pleasure in doing so.

I asked my tech if I need to 'service' my PDK at all, and he didn't understand why I'd need/want to. However, my Lexus RX350 had all 4 locking actuators AND window actuators fail, and that's supposed to be the 'reliable' car, so go figure! Was not a cheap fix.

B Russ

While I have paddles I did enjoy bumping the shifter to shift last week. I guess its the versatility of the PDK I enjoy the most. Not trying to insight the ire of the manual purest, just feel I get more value from PDK.

Fullyield

I agree with you, but there is an added cost associated with that added value. I loved my four Porsches with PDK transmissions especially in a DD because of the versatility and value you mention. Not ******* the PDK over the MT at all....just trying to explain. Both have there advantages and disadvantages. But, the PDK does have a significant cost/repair disadvantage over the MT even though I admit that PDK problems are not frequent. In fact, all four of my PDK's were quite reliable. I have never had a transmission issue with any Porsche transmission- PDK or MT. But when PDK problems do occur, Wow....they are BIG problems/headaches and very expensive to resolve. Anyone who believes the PDK is "bulletproof" should read the "Repairing the PDK Transmission" RL thread. It is a sticky on RL for a reason. I personally think the many PDK sensor problems experienced there are attributable to age and not mileage, maintenance or track usage. I would never own a PDK without a factory, CPO or Fidelity Platinum extended warranty in place as others have also mentioned above. But, adding the additional cost of an extended warranty onto the substantial cost difference already between a MT and a PDK makes the overall cost for that versatility or value quite substantial IMHO. Does the added cost outweigh my desire for a PDK over a MT? Do I enjoy rowing gears? Is it a DD, track monster or weekend warrior? It is a personal decision we each must make and will all answer differently. There is nothing wrong with that. Here is a representative, common and typical post from that same PDK thread from just this morning concerning how the replacement of one bad PDK pressure sensor (a $100 - $200 part) resulted in a $20k replacement of the entire PDK transmission:

"I had a similar problem with my PDK Transmission in my 2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo. I certainly don't subscribe to the notion that tbe PDK Transmission is bulletproof. Mine only lasted 89K miles before mine failed. I wasn't unreasonably hard on it as far as driving style. I used launch control less than 5 times a year and some years I didn't even use it at all. However, I admit I was 20k miles late changing out the PDK fluid. That can be an issue with the PDK. I've had other cars that were heavily neglected and never had a fluid change and still lasted over 200k miles. So, obviously the PDK cant handle any abuse unless it's very well taken care of. Thats the problem when you buy a used Porsche. You never really know if they really changed the PDK fluid before the 60k mile mark or not without verifiable documents. If they didn't change it or if they changed it too late like i did, either one can be a death sentence for the PDK. 7K miles after I changed the PDK fluid in mine, I got that dreaded AWD Fault Code that generally means it's time for a new transmission. But the PIWIS Tester only said my pressure sensor #3 was bad. Which I replaced and it had no effect. All PDK's have 2 pressure sensors unless the PDK has AWD which has 3. The #3 pressure sensor is dedicated to the AWD system and is the only one that can be replaced without having to remove the valve body. The only problem is the plastic connector sleeve on the sensor is about 1/8 inch too long for no reason other than to make it impossible to remove. So you have to break the plastic sleeve off the old sensor just to unscrew it. Then you have to carefully shave off an 1/8 inch of excess plastic off the new sensor connector with a Dremel just so it it will clear the valve body. Otherwise, you will have to remove the entire valve body just to replace the sensor. The problem is, removing the valve body requires you to also have to recalibrate the PDK and change the fluid which requires a PIWIS Tester and the knowledge of how to use it. This proceedure can easily cost over $1500 if you choose to remove the value body instead of shaving off a tiny piece of unnecessary plastic.

When changing the sensor didn't clear the code, I was left with 4 options.1) Replace all 3 pressure sensors and the pressure sensor harness but you may as well go ahead and replace the Valve Body too for $7K. Because if you just replace the pressure sensors and you put the old valve body back in and it still doesn't work, you will have to remove the valve body again and replace it with a new one which requires the PDK fluid to be changed again and then recalibrate the PDK again $$$. 2) If that don't work, the next option is replace the entire PDK with a used one for another 3 to 10k which now you run the risk of installing the PDK only to find out its junk too and possibly have to pay someone another 2k to remove the transmission again then go to option 3. By this time you are already in the rabbit hole for about 16k so far. 3) The 3rd option is to have a new PDK installed for 19K. If you tried option 1 and 2 first and they both failed, you are still faced with option 3 which means you will be out of pocket for a combined total of $34K instead of going directly to option 3 from the start for 19k. 4) The 4th and final option is to sale the car for 20 or 30k less than what it's worth to someone who's willing to repair or replace the PDK. But beware, some greedy shyster owners will still try to sell you a car with a bad transmission without deducting the cost of a new transmission from the cost of the car. This is equal to paying double for the transmission. The first being included in the cost of the car and the second being the cost of a replacement after purchaseof the car.

I have no independent Porsche mechanics within 150 miles from me. So I generally do my own service and repairs whenever possible to avoid being raped by the dealer at all cost. But in this situation after weighing my options, I skipped option 1 and 2 to avoid the unknown outcomes and to avoid risking 7 to 14k on a bunch of costly maybes. I didn't want to sell the car at a 20k discount either so opted for option 3 which was guaranteed to work and came with a 2 year free replacement warranty."