Botsy67

Last week, I posted the weird coolant spewing in front of my garage and many of you told me that it was the coolant expansion tank...You guys were right The dealer told me that my tank had a crack and when the engine got hot, the increased pressure will open up the crack and leaked coolant. Anyway, my extended warranty covered this problem --> done.

While the car was at the dealer I told them to check the passenger mirror which does not tilt-down on reverse even though I have power seat option. They told me that my seat-control-module was bad and need replacement. Again my extended warranty cover the cost ($850 for the part) whew . While they were at it, I told them to reprogram the door-auto-lock feature at 10-15mph. Sure they said... Today I got the car back and drove home but when I tried to turn the ignition off, I noticed that now my ignition switch is extremely sticky, almost impossible to get to the "off" position and remove the key out. Before it was perfectly fine, don't know what they did to it. What can I do? Furthermore, I cannot use my key to lock the door anymore. When I pressed the button, the dash red-led quickly double-flashed and nothing happen, WTF? Has anyone esperience this? Is this due to a reprograming of the ODBII or new seat control module? Can I re-initialize the keys and make them work again with the car or should I wait and let the dealer deal with it? For sure I need to bring the car back to the dealer on Monday morning to check on the ignition switch. In the worst case, the warranty should cover that part as well. Today they delivered the car to me 5 minutes before they closed up, so no chance to return to the dealership after noticing the problems...I am so pissed right now Sorry guys but I need to vent-out...but if anyone has any suggestions for my issues, I would greatly appreciate it as I have the whole weekend to ponder. In the meantime, I will search the archive for any help. Thanks,

gota911

Have the dealer fix/replace the ingition switch and have them correct the door lock issue. Since they just worked on it and it was covered under warranty, there is no need for you to have to do any of this yourself.

Vancouver83LTD

sounds like they may have been rushing too fast to get the car back to you - they want to make you happy, of course, and they got it to you by the end of that day, but it may have been unintentionally rushed.
Take it back, say 'here's this, get it right if I have any more related problems I'm taking it elsewhere" - and don't be afraid to take it elsewhere if need be.

discoganya

Which dealer was this?

cdodkin

Firstly - glad the tank diagnostic was correct - these cars are amazingly predictable sometimes!

As a possible quick fix over the weekend - try some WD40 in the ignition switch

Put the key part way in, then squirt the WD40 down it, into the mech.

Insert, wiggle, take out and repeat.

See if that helps with the sticky ignition problem.

The remote locking issue is strange... are you sure all doors, hood, trunk, armrest storage etc etc are closed - I know the alarm system hates open doors.

Also - is there an interlock on the soft-top that tells the car the top is up or down? for arming the alarm - I've seen these stick on the 986 before and cause issues - might be worth taking the top up and down a few times..

Hope that helps!

Chris.

Botsy67

Thanks Tim and Brett for your feedback and support... This is my first dealer experience and of course I am very disappointed by their performance. I did not expect such a big dealership (Stevens Creek Porsche in Santa Clara CA) to badly perform. You are right this is probably a rush job from a particular Tech, so I should not blame on the whole dealership. YES, I have plan to bring it back to them and ask them to check this ignition thing for me and replace it under warranty. After this, I may have to go to a different dealership maybe in Fremont, more far from where I live. When I went there to pick-up my car, I first saw a live Carrera GT ready to be delivered to a customer after some service, WOW! So if they can service a Carrera GT, they can work on my 996 I think I was just unlucky on this one...

Just to let you guys know, the invoice shows that the coolant tank job required $690 for labor (excessive) and $317.18 for part, not yet including tax. That is more than a thousand dollars to replace a little coolant tank. I saw others here paid around $700 for this same job right? I think they knew it was covered under my extended warranty and so they charged the max they can. I don't think this is right... If I can read the future and knew this is coming, I would go somewhere else for sure (hint for you guys). Though I must give them the credit for good customer service with the courtesy van (Cayenne) back and from work or home. BTW this switch problem is causing my door lock to fail as the alarm system is thinking that maybe my key is still inside the ignition and forbid the locking mechanism to perform. I tried the actual key on the door and the car beeped at me, saying that something is not closed yet, or not ready for lock-down, in my case it's the ignition key...darn-it! I will keep you guys posted on the ignition switch next week.

Thanks,

djantlive

Stevens creek do rush their repairs. Maybe that's how they make their money. I went there a year go to fix some rattle and the SA told me it's normal for sports cars to have some rattle. They kept the car for the day but didn't do squat. They didn't even wash my car as requested. Try Carlsen next time but it's further from you.

Spray a little WD40 in the ignition to see if that helps. The locking issue needs dealer to reprogram.

Keeping the key in the ignition will drain the battery in just a few days. If you have a charger, charge the battery. Otherwise drive it around this wkend before battery goes dead. Many times, when the battery is dead, you need a new one as charging it from dead shortens its life significantly.

Botsy67

-->Thanks Chris, I just tried this work-around but it did not help... Looks like the switch is in the wrong position, so each time I try to take the key out, it resists and try so spring back to position 1. Maybe the Tech forced on the ignition switch and put it out of place???...hope they can put it back, if not they have to replace it.

--> YES, your dignostic is correct again, I think... I also believe that my ignition switch issue directly impacts the alarm system. It thinks that my key is still inside the switch so forbid me to lock the car. I say that bc when I open the door, I hear "ding-ding-ding-ding...", warning you that something is still ON and it asks you to check before locking... Currently I still have my hardtop on and all doors, latches are close, so that may be it.

Thanks, I greatly appreciate your help... I will update on this issue later for future reference.

Botsy67

--> Thanks djantlive, the battery discharge is a good one... I just plug-in the Tequipment charger in the cigarette lighter Oh BTW I also mentioned a rattle on the passenger side as well and the dealer found a loose speaker in the door. After tightening it down, the rattle is gone, yeah, they did a good job there. Since I am very picky, I noticed that they put a small indent on my door handle leather. Check your passenger side speaker if that could be the same rattle.

Vancouver83LTD

Go in and say to them EXACTLY that - and ONLY that. See what their response is.
of course had they called you and had said "we need the car until tuesday" you likely would've been absolutely LIVID...

burwell

Not to take sides but I have experienced the same exact problem. None of the work performed by the dealer is related to what your problem is now. The steering lock pin sticks inside the lock assy. WD-40 or any other lube will not correct the issue. The lock mechanism in the ignition switch needs replacing. We have had several replaced in our service shop. I just never had them fail in my possession or after service repairs. It is just bad timing that this occurred when it did. When the key starts to stick, the cars computer says that the alarm can not be turned on because the car recognizes the key is still in the ignition. What actual occurs is the lock tumbler will release the key but the actual switch in the ignition is not in the fully off position.Thats why the alarm will not activate. Two horn beeps means something is not closed properly, or ignition is on. I don't think this is the dealers fault. The ignition part usually starts with the same issues you have, then tends to deteriorate to the point you can not turn the key to start the car. Porsche's problem from design. I can get the replacement part # if needed.