I've had my 997S since June 2nd. The car was completed on April 28th and I thought by then they had solved the infamous hood latch problem. However, once, after I washed my car, and today after I went out in the rain, I came out to find the hood latch had popped open. In neither instance did I get any message from the OBC to "return to workshop". Was wondering if any other owners of more recently manufactured cars have had similar experiences. My main concern is the battery running down since I only use the car on the weekends and during the week it's in a garage a half-mile from my apartment and it's not something I want to have to keep checking.

Also, someone recently mentioned that there was a TSB on this, does anyone (such as Viken) have the TSB No.? TIA.

 

Get a Porsche battery maintainer. Don't get some "Autozone" brand, get the Porsche one "approved" by Porsche. Why? I'm guessing the electronics are so complicated they might not appreciate "dirty" or irregular voltage from a generic unit.

Sorry to hear of your problem. My guess is it's some sort of EMagnetic interference on the microchips. I had a dehumidifier cause my gas fireplace to turn itself on! Moved it farther away and didn;t happen again.

 

Speed,

My car was a Feb build car and I have had the infamous hood latch problem, both with the System Fault - Return to Workshop and with it just popping open several times after washing the car. (After the initial SFRTW problem I took the car in and they replaced the solenoid, but then I had the trunk pop open several times the last time I washed the car.) I am not aware yet of any definitive acknowledgement by Porsche as to the exact nature of this problem. I've heard everything from faulty switches letting water into a solenoid to static electricity.

If someone does have a TSP, I would also be very interested as I'm sure alot of others who have mentioned this problem from the release of the beginning of the release of the 997. It is a shame that for a car so recently built and delivered that you are having this problem. Is anyone at Porsche listening????

 

The reason I assumed they fixed the problem is that someone reported that in April there was a port holdback of all cars so that they could fix the problem before delivery to the dealers, so I assumed that since my car was produced in April, it go the fix on the production line. In any event, something has changed as I haven't gotten the SFRTW message.

 

That would be great. Nice to have possible evidence that actions are being taken. I started to think with the huge number of new models coming out at the same time Porsche would be shorthanded and let some problems continue to slip thru the cracks.

 

I vaguely recall my hood popping open once or twice early on (have had the car 10 months) but no messages and the problem went away. I just checked on renntech and there are no TSB's for the problem posted there.

 

I had my hood latch replaced. It seems to fix the problem, although the Porsche tech told me that it was believed to be a software error for which there was not yet a fix. I'm a bit confused by all of this.

 

Back in April or so I was torn between ordering a Benz SL600 or the 997 S Cab (I will get the 997 in Sept). As I did my due diligence, two problems with the P cars kept coming up: the subject "hood latch problem" and the "RMS" problem. I asked my sales dude (at an authorized Porsche dealership which will go nameless) about each. Regarding the former, his response was that the latch problem was fixed -- end of story. Regarding the RMS problem, he told me that he would have to check with his head mechanic bacause he had not heard of a "RMS". He left me, came back in about 5 minutes and said the mechanic had never heard of RMS either. I explained that the alleged RMS problem was Rear Main Seal leakage. Again he checked with the mechanic, came beck and stated the the 997s never have had such a problem. I wrote a check for $5K. Now as I read this thread, I'm a little nervous about my dealership -- but, not about the wonderful car I expect in September.

 

I am amazed that your dealer has not heard of the RMS problem since it has been an epidemic with the 996 with Porsche issuing TSB's and special tools for fixing the problem. So far, I don't think it's been a problem with the 997's but they haven't been out long enough for a lot of people to put miles on the car. With my '02 996, the RMS didn't come up until I took it in for its 15k service. The dealer fixed it under warranty and it never arose again and I put 55k mi. on the car when I traded it it for my 997S.

 

That Dealership might be fine, but their service department might be a joke. Okay to get the car there but do some research before bringing it there for service. In my neighborhood there's only one decent Porsche service among three Porsche dealerships.

 

My darn alarm has been going off lately on its own...