autobahnburner

In the couple of months I've owned my 997, one area stands out as the only significant weakness of the car and that's the PCM. What a convoluted mess of an interface! At this point, I've figured out most of its quirks, but I still can't get my phone to connect through bluetooth. In fact, I can't even get to the screen to configure the connection. The directions in the manual say to press the Phone button, where you will then be able to pair your phone. But when I press that button, I get "Telephone function not available" (see first pic below). I've also checked the version of the PCM software and it just says "V" (see second pic).

The previous owner said the only warranty work he ever had done on the car was having the PCM head unit replaced. I'm wondering if the dealership that did the work needed to unlock the phone/bluetooth functionality after installing the new unit and failed to do so. Also note that I have the original window sticker - the car definitely came with that functionality. Anyone know what's going on?

Petza914

I think you've figured it out that you have a coding issue with the replacement unit that was installed. Likely a trip to dealer will resolve it and while there, have them load all the software version updates for the PCM. When Sirius/XM radio does updates to their systems, it creates an issue with the bluetooth in these Porsche PCM units, whether you're a subscriber or not - happened on my 09 Cayenne. If BT functionality of the PCM was activated, whether a phone was connected or not, it would keep power cycling the PCM. Turning off the bluetooth would have it stay on for hours and not do this. Some online research revealed this to be the case. Took it to the dealer, had all the software updates done, that have to be done in sequence, and after an hour or so, all were successfully loaded. The problem hasn't recurred since that upgrade a year ago.

autobahnburner

Good to know! Hopefully the dealer doesn't charge an arm and a leg for it.