Skwerl

Yeah, I read the different forums a lot and can't say I see a ton of PDK-related calamities popping up...

In fact, sometimes I wonder if I should have gone PDK instead of 6MT just because it's a major component that never seems to really break.

mickfluff

Ummmm do you think time has anything to do with it? ..give PDK another 3-5-10 years of blowing up and more with Porsche offering NO good will in a few more years on 09-10 cars and your one page will be 5 pages soon enough.... 07-08 cars have less IMS risk then early 09-10 have PDK risk that's for sure.

If I ever end up in a 997.2 it will be a 6sp.... avoiding a 997.1 due to possible IMS but picking up a 997.2 pdk is foolishness.... buy it cause it has a better designed PCM, has some more hp, or get the 6sp if your a worry wart etc. But to avoid one risk to get yourself
into another is bass ackwards way of logic.

or just buy what you like and can afford people and enjoy it....
your heart could explode tomorrow before your IMS or ur PDK....

Robocop305

PDK has been around forever without major issues, even before debuting in 2009 vehicles. Do your research.

gotgolf52

I want my next car with PDK but I must admit reading all the bad stories on Forum make me nervous. Hopefully Porsche will figure out how to make PDK as reliable as Tiptronic transmission

Falcondrivr

You know they didn't offer PDK in any cars with IMS issues right?

A quick count on the google result shows 10 threads on pistonheads, 9 on 6-speedonline, 10 on rennlist, 9 more on various threads on page one of the google results. That's 38 on page one, a ltlle more than 3 dozen threads.

Falcondrivr

Im certainly not going to post people's names without permission. However I'll give you some more info. Here's a thread on the first page of this forum. Scroll down and read cloudspin's failure story. That's one I was referencing.
https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ferrerid=52926
The others: there is a well known couple who is very active in Suncoast PCA DE. She is the current registrar. They have two Cayman Rs, his and hers, red and white. Red car is on its second gearbox and white car is on its third. Another Suncoast member has a 2010 black 911S, he is known as "The man with two first names" because his last name is a common first name. His is the one that failed last weekend on track at Sebring. Number 6 failure is the president(?) of the Gold Coast Region, initials DD. His failed last year on his way to work, he had it replaced and traded the car.
Those are the 6 I'm referencing.

jdgamble

Automatice transmissions fail all the time. Toyota and Honda both sell models that are notorious for transmission failures. Given the age of early PDKs, and the handful of recent threads about failures, it seems like a pretty reliable transmission. The real drawback of a PDK failure is the cost.

SnP

Check your battery and check your ignition coils.

A cracked coil can shut down your PDK due to software issues in the CAN-BUS

frankyluis23

If you compare the PDK to Ferrari and Maserati's dual clutch transmission, The PDK is the king of all dual clutch transmissions. Even though Porsche has been using a dual clutch manual automatic since the 80's, the PDK is still fairly new technology for consumer use. I think the reliability of the PDK has definitely improved since it became available in 2009 but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable buying an early PDK Porsche.

stronbl

For the Carreras the PDK is now on gen 3 (last time I asked - so may even be up to gen4???), but on balance it is very reliable for both street and track. Although there are a few known problems - some leaks, temperature sensor, pan bolts, Porsche has come around to now letting the Porsche service center make some repairs although the guidelines on doing so remain narrow, nevertheless it is slowly moving toward a repairable item rather than a replace always item (I'd venture this is the #1 complaint for owners out of warranty due to replacement cost price) - we're not there yet and who knows if we'll ever be at a fully repairable state, but it is an improvement from 2009 days. And it has even evolved to the PDK-S for the GT3 models.

I'd also offer that some of the early full replacements were done so PAG /ZF could study and remedy the design. Some of those same replacement PDK's today may actually be repaired. So no, I don't think it is the new IMS.

Crester

Looks like you need a new circle of friends... lol

Petza914

To me, the real issue with PDK is that it's not serviceable. Failures result in complete replacement.

Comparing it to the IMS issue, there are similarities and differences. It's similar in that they do seem to be failing at a higher than normal rate and there also look to be more failures as they age. Also similar in that it doesn't seem to make much difference how the car is driven or maintained - some fail and some don't.

It's different in that with the IMS bearing, you could spend a few thousand prior to it failing and essentially eliminate all reasonable chance of experiencing the expensive failure that required a new engine. Since the points of failure inside the PDK don't seem to be well known as of yet, since its extremely complicated inside, and since Porsche just replaces the entire unit, this type of lower cost, though kind of expensive, preventative measure isn't an option for the PDK (i.e. spend $1,200 to replace a pressure valve that fails and takes out the trans Instead of waiting for the failure that costs $8,000 to replace).

In the newest 958 version of the Cayenne, Porsche looked to offer the PDK, but deemed it to not be robust enough for the weight of the vehicle, so there is not a single version of the Cayenne available with the PDK. It is offered in the smaller and lighter Macan SUV and the Panthers though. Maybe Porsche knows there are limitations to its durability or just doesn't think that lightning quick shifts fit the character of their large SUV well.

Of all the similar gearboxes, I do think PDK is the best one, but for me personally, I wouldn't own one as I don't live where I have to deal with commuter traffic very often, prefer the more involved driving experience a manual transmission gives, and keep my cars for many years and miles, so for me to stomach a potential $8,000 PDK replacement due to failure, there would have to have significant advantages to offset the potential repair cost risk, and for me, there aren't any.

Iceter

Petza and Robocop have hit on an issue that has occurred to me as well. Transmission failure and emergency mode warnings can be symptoms of a bad battery. Robocop's experience is similar to mine in that I experienced transmission emergency mode warnings on the dash and on several occasions, when they occurred, the car would not move. While re-starting (re-booting) the car always cleared the code and issue, it was disconcerting to say the least. The issue has not occurred once after installing a new battery.

But, I can easily see where an owner would get the failure message and not be able to get the car moving, call for a tow and just trust a lazy or unscrupulous dealer to fix the issue with a new transmission.

Also factor in the reports we've seen on this forum about minor components on the PDK failing, but they are not serviceable and the entire transmission requires replacement. I have expected this to lessen over the years as technicians become more conversant with the transmission, but I don't have any evidence of that.

I too, would be very interested in how these reported failures occurred and what were the causes.

For my part, my '09 is a fairly early car and I haven't had any trouble with the transmission--other than the false warnings I mentioned earlier. I have over 65k on my car.

Falcondrivr

No kidding! It also occurred to me that I've driven 3 of those cars on the track. Part of the problem might be ME!

Crester

So we found the solution to PDK failures... don't let Falcondrivr drive your car...