Mfleahy

SD card goes into a small slot on the left side of the front panel near the left-hand ****. It's a micro-SD so you just push it in. (Not included with the PCCM+ - You have to buy it.)

No programming.

Paul S.

ideal location is in the eye of the beholder. It might be the better location for reception in cities with tall buildings (just guessing that) but then again, (as I'm sure you've read by now) it works sitting on the shelf of the PCCM+ too. When coiling the excess GPS antenna wire, loop it back and forth (as opposed to winding it up in a loop). There's links to sites showing what that means up in this thread. Where I live it's an 80 mile trip one way to the nearest Porsche dealer--that and the cost made it an easy decision to self-install.

It was honestly nowhere near the hardest thing I've ever done to my Porsche. It's about a 3 on the scale of 10 if that--I installed the microphone in the steering column in the factory mic location secured by double-sided tape and put the GPS antenna on the shelf. It was far more frustrating as well as messy replacing the heater control fan and temp switch faces which were the soft touch plastic that degraded/got mushy with time (which I did while I had the side panels off the center stack).

And I spent a long time trying to get the upper left corner lock on the PCCM released. Couldn't manage to get an allen key on it and then read once the other 3 are released, you could just push in on the tab with your finger and pull out simultaneously with that same finger and the unit slides out. Had I known that going in, I would have been finished in one afternoon, instead of doing the job over two afternoons.

For me, even though I will use Apple CarPlay for trips/maps, I like the GPS active for the clock synchronization so it keeps accurate time (the PCM clock in my non-Nav 997 lost time and bugged me for years), changes automatically when traveling through time zones and also twice a year when we go on and off daylight savings time. Just do it yourself and personally decide how much time and effort you want to spend putting in the GPS antenna--shelf is zero extra effort, under the cowl takes more time and some wire fishing under the dash, and A-pillar can be done but I was personally concerned about breaking clips, etc...popping off the trim pieces and again the cable fishing that means laying under the dash some more (which is not my favorite thing to do). I think the shelf is the ideal location for folks like me where I will be using Apple CarPlay (or for non-iphone folk the android phone map app) primarily for maps and Nav but want the clock advantages of the PCCM+ onboard Nav.

Even if you're going to skip the Nav install and cost for the map SD card, paying thousands for the install is foolish money. Just my two cents.

SteveS83

Agreed, I told the dealer not to install - I'll go pick it up.

I did find a well regarded shop to do it for under $600. I'll go that route.

I've installed my europipe, plugs/packs, brakes, oil, etc myself. But there's something about messing with interior panels that I don't like!!

Steven C.

I am offering to fly up, take an Uber to Starbucks and pick up snacks and drinks for you and then install it at you house for the stealers price. In additions I will detail the car before leaving.

Let me know as times are booking up fast!

bxstrCA

I have a vehicle that went from PCCM 2.1 ASK system to an aftermarket HU and Hertz 4 channel amp. I added a salvaged BOSE rear deck speaker, wired it all up myself and it sounded great. It failed at 2 things: no CANBUS connection (nav in the cluster) and no buttons/*****. The PCCM+ solved this, so I'm installing it. Since everything worked correctly and perfectly before, I'm just introducing into the existing signal chain. The challenge has been finding line level RCA outs to feed the amp. I purchased a C1 connector block with RCA outs and that now appears to work. Here's the issue: The left and right channels are reversed. The amp is wired correctly, the loom is still original and untouched and the speakers are also original and untouched. The aftermarket wiring block has been tested and also appears correct. The ONLY thing it can be is that the PCCM+ pin outs are switched (pins 1,2,4 and 5). Does that sound likely?



Thanks!

Houndstooth

My PPCM+ arrived the other day. I'm probably going to (attempt to) perform the installation myself. I'll probably tackle it a couple weekends from now and will definitely update everyone on how it goes. But first I have a couple of questions:

1. If my car wasn't optioned with navigation, can I still add navigation by purchasing the SD card? I'll probably just use Apple/Google maps on my phone via CarPlay, but depending upon reviews, I might spring for the nav as well. Could I add the navigation system down the line if I don't have it when I install the PCCM+? It looks like all you have to do is plug in the SD card, so I don't see why I would need it ahead of time.

2. If I can't or choose not to install nav, is there a point to installating the GPS antenna? It sounds like it would still control the clock? If so, maybe I'll just install it on the shelf rather than snaking it into the A pillar or elsewhere.

3. Since I probably won't be using the bluetooth very often for phone calls, would it be necessary to install the new microphone? I don't particularly like the way it looks taped onto the steering column. Some people have said that the existing microphone would work acceptably, but how would I connect to that mic? Does it exist on all 997s, or only on those with certain options?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Bxstr

1) all you need for nav to function is the map SD card, whether or not you had factory nav.
2) for the time to sync, you need the map SD card and the GPS. Install the GPS antenna on the shelf on top of the unit.
3) you can use the factory internal microphone for the few instances where you're taking a call. But from my understanding it may not be as clear, at speed, as the external microphone. Some people have mounted the external microphone in the factory location which is under the steering column trim.

Houndstooth

Thank you for the responses. I decided to order the nav card so I have access to all the functionality the PCCM+ offers. I'll look into the options for mounting the external mic.

diceman725

I'm in the 957 (Cayenne) and my mic is just to the right of the steering wheel on the dash. That's where it worked best for me.

Paul S.

#1--the Nav in the PCCM+ is built in the unit. My 997 did not have factory NAV, and the PCCM + Nav works just fine now that newly reissued Nav SD cards work (up until last month when the cards were fixed, they had no maps for states alphabetically after NY).

#2--nope, if you don't want the Nav don't install the antenna. You'll see a post by me commenting on a post about making the install as easy as possible and that person noted one could skip the GPS antenna install. I agree putting the antenna in the A pillar or in the frunk where the factory Nav antenna went, is more work that I didn't care to go through. Since you can just put it on the shelf of the PCCM+, no reason to not plug the antenna in and leave it there. If you don't want to pay for the NAV SD card, that's a different issue. If you don't install the GPS antenna and buy a NAV card, the PCCM+ onboard Nav won't do clock synchronization. You need both. Toss the GPS antenna on the shelf (be sure to bundle the excess antenna wire in a back and forth pattern, not a circular loop for better reception) and if you decide to buy the SD card later you'll be glad you did because you won't have to pull the PCCM+ again. I've had a recent instance where CarPlay Nav would not work in my daily driver in downtown Dallas, but the car's onboard Nav did. That experience is one advantage of having both. Personally I bought the Nav SD card mostly so the clock would synch, nonetheless. One thing in my 997 which drove me nuts is the clock always lost time from day one.

#3--I don't talk on the phone much at all, but like having the bluetooth phone capability. The cleanest look is to install the mic inside the steering column cover which is held in place by two torx screws, securing the mic with double sided tape where the stock mic would have gone if you had the phone module. You have to remove the top cover of the mic, that's held on with a tiny screw. All this is covered in this thread and I think in the how-to. With the center stack open before you push the PCCM+ in place, fishing the mic wire takes less than a minute--use what you have for the fish (like a coat hanger, long zip tie or like me for $8 you can buy a set of fiberglass wire fishing rods at Harbor Freight). While there is an internal mic in the PCCM+ from what I've read here, it doesn't do well on internal mic when driving. To me, it's no biggie to install the external mic in the steering column where it is out of sight. To each his own.

Houndstooth

Thanks for the tips. I’ll look into mounting the external mic in the steering column.

Frankly I’m not handy at all so this should be an interesting exercise for me.

thejawn

So I have a weird issue with my PCCM+. I use Android Auto and my google assistant voice sounds like she has a speech impediment (skipping letters in words, almost). Any ideas?
I wonder if it's playing through a blown center speaker? I've got a 987 with Bose if that matters.

Edit: It works fine in my other car with Android Auto and music sounds fine.

Mfleahy

After much confusion at my dealership, a "new" SD card was ordered for me and exchanged free for my old card. The new card has lots more stuff on it, about 5.34 GB instead of about 3 GB on the old card. The full complement of maps are there (but the old card had them too - it just couldn't access them.) Also, as others have mentioned, the "new" card has the same Part Number as the old card, PCG64250400.

I put the card in and put in the key. Everything lights up and pressing MAP brings up the map with my location indicated. So far, so good. Let's try a route to Pennsylvania, a formerly missing state. Still not there!! Look at the content display and it stops at New York - again.

Based on other comments, I do a Factory Reset, or at least I think I do. Held down Factory Reset until the detailed screen comes up. It has buttons like Navi Stop, Navi Load, Navi Unload, but selected those and pressing "SET" doesn't seem to do much.

Still no good. Do a long-press Factory Reset with no SD card, followed by another long press Factory Reset after putting the new card in. Still no good. Auto-Configure PCCM+ works but doesn't solve the map problem.

After putting the new card in the car and removing it after the failure, it now has 4 folders, "Android," "iGO," "LOST.DIR," and "Manuals." When I got it, it had 2 folders, iGO and Manuals, both dated 8/11/2022. That "LOST.DIR" folder looks kind of suspicious, don't you think? This is what happened with the original card. It appears that the "new" card might actually be another copy of the old card.

My normal dealer where I got the SD card is not Porsche Classic, but there is a Classic dealer where I got the PCCM+ about 30 miles away who might be able to help. Anyone have a suggestion before I stomp on Porsche Classic and the dealer(s)?

Houndstooth

Dang. I just purchased the SD card from Suncoast yesterday. Hopefully I don’t run into the same problem.

Paul S.

No clue--maybe another bad SD card. Did your dealer say when they got this card in stock, as you cannot tell any other way because the part numbers and dates don't change? If they've had it prior to the middle of March, I suspect it's the old bad versions.

Something you may try. Did you drive the car after the factory reset or did it just work without the car being started and driven? When I did the factory reset on mine to get the new card working I had no maps or NAV connection sitting still in the driveway outside the garage even with the car running, then it worked when I drove out the driveway and down the street, not far either. About 100 feet.