Turns-out that PADM is engaged in SPORT as well as SPORT PLUS (according to the manual). Additional stiffening / responsiveness between the two....

 

My mechanic downloaded the message stored in the computer on my PADM failure. It translated to pressure switch short circuit/grounding out. He cleaned all of the electrical connections and re-seated the connections. It hasn't returned. While the error message was on telling me PADM was not working, I drove in sport/sport plus and couldn't really tell any difference. That included autobahn runs to 140 mph and aggressive mountain road driving.

 

Sorry for your frustrations. Mine has been rock solid since delivery (16K miles, 3 years)

 

interesting... does that suggest cars without SC only have enhanced throttle mapping and trans responsiveness. As one poster stated.. if the SC isn't a deal breaker for some it might be a reason to hold of for guys like me that want to keep the car out of warranty

 

Right -- cars without SC don't come with the PADM option. They have the same 2 engine mounts but they aren't dynamically adjusted -- Part # for cars without Option Code I140 (PADM) are 991 375 049 01 for Coupe and 02 for Cab cars. Cars with would be in the part # series 06, 07, or 08.

Here's a shop drawing of the mounts (#'s 7 on right and left):


And here is a pic from my own car when I had the rear off recently -- I didn't take a pic specific to the mounts but you can see in this shot the dynamic mount on the left with the red arrow pointing to it, kinda....


In my humble opinion, these parts may be expensive but shouldn't be a reason to avoid 991.1's for fear of failures! I'd be more worried about PDK replacements after 15 years, or something like that....

I am still evaluating what I am going to do -- may just take it to dealer, but then again I may just pull the rear off again and take a look at the electrical connections. These mounts work with electromagnetic fields and fluids, so I suspect in my case an electrical issue over a mechanical one.... Stay tuned!

 

I certainly agree, but the SC wasn't a huge appeal for 3k for me. I didn't care for the interior look either... I know I could get waxed much harder with a PDK failure or perhaps drive train issues with an AWD model. I don't want to play it "too cautious" when we all understand there's a degree of risk in a depreciating purchase.... especially considering your 15 yr scenario may be me as I'd loved to get 10-20 out of this car and pass it down like family before me.

 

Do you track your car? If not, SC and Sport Plus are not going to be important to you. If you do track it, you are missing a level of PDK snappiness and throttle response and engine rev range (sweet spot) that makes the car really come alive. The padm system either works or not, and I doubt any one can really "feel" a difference. My $.02

 

I agree. Very very rare for this next car....always geared up for it in my past but got tired of buying rubber and occasional repairs once the little one was born. I may very well get the itch again but my next 911 will be the backroad warrior and part-time kid hauler now. Something I can still get a bit of the old flavor from and hit the throttle coming out of corners

 

And for another opinion...

I am a "retired" track warrior, now go only once a year just for the hell of it. But I very much appreciate SC and use it and value the difference for aggressive mountain driving. All the things that make me enjoy it on the track make me enjoy it on the street. Heck, truth is, I use it 100% of the time and when I forget to engage, something nags at me to do so because the shifts seem sloppy and lazy.

 

Hi All- Quick update.... I did a bit of investigation the other day, pulling-off the rear bumper cover and doing a visual inspection of the PAD Mounts and electrical connections. Couldn't identify anything that physically might be causing the PADM Disabled warning -- have started / stopped the car a number of times but the warning message persists. Can't "feel" any difference with Sport, Sport + on or not. So, not too worried about it and will try to get over to the dealer SA early next week if time permits.

I'll update this thread when I learn more....

Here's the video I just uploaded to YT:

 

Stopped by the new dealership in Stuttgart for an oil change prior to a 3500 mile trip to the Arctic Circle in Sweden next month. I told him about my PADM warning and how it has been off and on since January. Told him I was getting it fixed in the USA under warranty in August when I return.

He called me to let me know Porsche extended the warranty for my US Spec 911-50 from the European standard 2 year/Unlimited KMs to the full USA 4 year/50K miles. Sweet! I have an appointment in early June and will report back what they found. He said the computer shows one of them is bad, but until they open the back end up, they won't know which one.

Pretty excited to get it fixed and not to have to worry about it when I return and the nearest dealer is more than an hour away for warranty work. I've been spoiled with three dealerships within 20 minutes here in Stuttgart. Going to miss this place!

 

Early June appointment was a bust. They called and said it was fixed after replacing one of the two mounts. Got in the car, turned the key, and on it came again. Had to depart for a short trip(3600 mile round trip to the Arctic Circle in Sweden) so I delayed the next appointment to late June just before shipping the car back to the USA. Only had a half day in the shop upon returning and they said they needed more time. Shipped the car back to the USA and dropped it off at the dealer in Montgomery. They found a pressure switch fault and replaced the second mount. Working good now with no faults. Fingers crossed.

 

Curious if when one has the PADM Fault if the Default position for the PADM is SOFT or STIFF?

And have we found out what actually happens when the unit goes bad?

Fluid gets congealed and cant pass thru tiny port?

Electrical metal is magnetized?

Electrical charge not strong enough?

Fluid becomes dirty or contaminated?

 

T1000 lost an arm and steals your PADM’s liquid metal to rebuild itself.

 

Finally got around to getting my PADM "disabled" warning addressed at the dealer... Posted-up a video about the result and cost.