pcarguy911

I am considering a 2010 997.2 base C2. The car has been serviced entirely by the Porsche dealer and has complete service history. PDK was replaced in 2018.

Will this replaced PDK drive identical to 2010-make or will the car benefit from the improvements made in 2018-generation PDK? The service manager tells me not to expect any improvements as it has been programmed/adapted to work with 2010 N.A engine so I will not see smooth shifts, etc. I have never driven a p-car before and I will have to wait for few days due to Corona virus to get a test drive.

I am just curious:
1. How does a 2018 PDK drive in a 2010 car?
2. Will this new gen PDK be more reliable than the original?

Thanks!

wjk_glynn

They would not have installed a 991.2 PDK in your 997.2

Your replacement PDK would be the 997.2 version. If you live in the US, the replacement PDK was likely a remanufactured unit from PCNA. Since your replacement is the same type of unit as the original, it should drive like the original.

Karl.

pcarguy911

I live in India, very few 911s here. As per service history, the car was in the workshop for nearly 8 weeks waiting for the PDK to arrive from Germany (big money too $20K+ incl taxes and duty). Service advisor says Porsche doesn't keep inventory of old PDKs and instead uses the latest PDKs but programs/adapts them to work with the older engines.

Wayne Smith

I can't speak to your situation in India but in the USA our dealers are very limited on the work they can do on a PDK. Most get sent back for a core fee. That means Porsche is sitting on a lot of used PDKs. With evolution the motor changed and the new transmissions won't fit on the old motors (why you don't see PDKs retrofitted to 997.1 cars). So while you may have gotten a brand new Version 1 PDK I highly doubt you got one that would fit a 2018.

There were different software versions for the 997.2 PDK. 2010 would have had version 1 ... some people complained about hard shifting with this version. Porsche tended to update the software when they did the PDK service. This causes smoother shifting that may prolong transmission life. But others don't like the change and request to not update. Once you update you can't go back.

I suspect your new (to you) PDK has the later software installed. You may find it shifts smoother. But remember this is a manual transmission without a clutch pedal and rough shifts can be induced by fooling the computer (coasting to a stop, applying light braking, and suddenly accelerating for instance).

wjk_glynn

That would be my expectation as well.

Having said that, I looked at various used PDKs on eBay for both 997.2 and 991.x and there wasn't any gross differences in the bell-housing, etc. in the limited amount of photos. There isn't any PET catalog available for the 991 on Porsche's US site, so I can't check the part numbers: https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessor...artscatalogue/

But the possibility that it could be done is intriguing...

Do you have the part number of the replacement PDK from the invoice/bill?

It'd likely start with "9G1..."

That'd help a lot.

Thanks.

Karl.

ThomasCarreraGTS

The PDK has in fact proven to be very robust and durable. Mechanically I am not aware of any actual failures of a PDK unit (start the hate mail from the manual fan boys) and this is supported by reputable Porsche technicians and specialists, magazines such as PCA Panorama and Excellence and many more. Now, there have been software and electric actuator failures and since Porsche does not allow people to work on them, then yes, the units must be sent back and a refurbished unit sent back. My 2010 GTS received the software updates but ultimately was replaced by Porsche under warranty due not to a mechanical failure but computer / software failure. PDK is in fact a very strong transmission that can handle much greater horsepower and torque than what it’s being asked to from the factory! If you saw how these cars are abused day after day, week after week on racetracks across the world, you would gain a whole new appreciation for these units.

Strmshadow84

I don't think there is any differences between bellhousings and while internally the pdk has changed I don't think that there has been any major external changes. 991.1 9G1.300.031.07 vs 997.2 G1.300.011.02 While I think that it would take a lot of work/money I do believe it would be possible. I think the bigger reason is no one wants to spend the money to do it, and would rather just upgrade the entire vehicle instead.

pcarguy911

Here is the part number from the repair invoice (in year 2018):
9G130001102 Looks like it is not a new generation PDK of 2018, but the same PDK of 2009-2012 era mostly refurbished. The repair happened at 14K km, now the car has clocked 21K km - not very confidence inspiring. In India, PDK part cost was 32K USD due to import duty and local taxes, Porsche gave 50% goodwill discount.