Originally Posted by chlbaxter

Hi @jslo If you are still doing the PCM update disks I'd like to purchase one.

Originally Posted by ElSpoon958

Depending on what setup you have, they won't work. It's hopeless for us with PCM 3.1 and v 2.76 or whatever

Originally Posted by chlbaxter

Sounds like my exact issue - my HDD was good, I cloned it, and after the clone the map does not work for 5 minutes after starting the car, then PCM reboots and everything works fine. I'd love to know if it happened to anyone else and if there were any fixes. I wanted to try updating the PCM (I am at 4.63) and I also plan to try a system reset.

Originally Posted by chlbaxter

Sounds like my exact issue - my HDD was good, I cloned it, and after the clone the map does not work for 5 minutes after starting the car, then PCM reboots and everything works fine. I'd love to know if it happened to anyone else and if there were any fixes. I wanted to try updating the PCM (I am at 4.63) and I also plan to try a system reset.

Originally Posted by jslo

QUICK NOTE!!!!!

Apparently there is an issue that recently came up as of 5/20/20. Something about XM service causing a reboot. Try this first, before assuming the hard drive is dead:

Start car or just turn to "accessory"
Push "CAR" on the PCM
Push "Option" > Set PCM System > Reset PCM System > Vehicle Handover > Yes > Yes

All preset and bluetooth settings will be erased as well as saved addresses, and any music on your jukeBox, but it will stop the rebooting issue.
-------------------------------------
If you are still having problems after this, then you should look into whether or not your hard drive is dead.
vvv

I've cross-posted this in a couple of places so sorry if it's redundant, but last week my PCM (3.1, 2014 Cayman S) was on the fritz. The Nav stopped working, and the unit kept rebooting every 5-10 minutes. I tried "resetting" it by pulling the fuse for 30 minutes or so, but that didn't resolve the issue. I then tried re-applying the 4.76 update via the DVD, but the update would fail about 90% of the way through with an error that it couldn't write files, and then the system just kept rebooting in to emergency update mode.

As a hail marry, I pulled out the drive (it's a 100GB sata 2.5 inch drive located at the top of the unit.) to see if I could get my pc to at least see it. Sure enough I was able to see the partitions, so I ran some diagnostics on it. These came up with bad blocks.

I ran down to Best Buy and grabbed a 120 gb PNY solid state drive off the shelf for $20. Using Clonezilla, I cloned the failing drive to the new SSD. There were a few bad blocks on the old drive, but it was mostly successful. I was primarily trying to get the boot sector anyway. Inserted the cloned SSD into the unit and bench booted it. It did boot into emergency update mode again (I suspected it would), but I popped the update disc in figuring "what's the worst that could happen?"

The update ran completely and successfully! I popped the entire unit back in the car and everything works flawlessly. It didn't copy over my jukebox files, but the nav, saved destinations, phone settings, presets, and even my lap recordings all copied over. Overall the unit seems a little quicker and more responsive - likely as a result of the SSD - and I suspect the SSD will be more reliable as it's less sensitive to vibration and heat than the traditional drive that was in there. If your PCM hasn't failed yet, perhaps this would be a preventative measure? The SSD was $20, and the Software Update disc is another $23 shipped. It may not be needed for straight clones, but as my drive was stuck in emergency update loop anyway, it was a necessity for me. Still, for under $45 seems like it would be an opportunity to save some cash in the long run vs. a Porsche replacement. I also imagine with proper access to the OS (QNX), storage partitions could be expanded (fdisk), or you could even create a new partition of a different type on any available space.

I did order a full replacement unit as a last resort, so I'll experiment with that unit a little to see exactly what might be required.

Originally Posted by Garhy

So “Bruce in Philly” suggested I reach out to you for help with my PCM3.0 on my 2009 C2S 997.2. To try to summarize my issue: the unit restarts every 15 seconds like it’s on a loop; with like a switch sound coming from the center console(or that’s what I think). It also is now in German and whenever it restarts it goes back to it when I change the language. I’ve done the vehicle handover and nothing happens, installed another PCM from another vehicle and worked, and even checked the wiring with no issues, and can’t think of anything else to do.
Bruce’s solution I guess works for non bricked units, but I think mine is bricked.
I have trouble imagining myself installing an after market unit to replace this one. Help please !

Originally Posted by danfw58

I got it back today - works like a charm! CD works, NAV works, radio works (and doesn't keep rebooting every few minutes)... and he coded the NAV to the VIN on the car so it all works just fine! I'm happy! It takes a LONG time to send it out and get it back but that is travel time, he turned it around in just a few days.

just in case you are in need of repairs of a "brick" Indrit Qesja elektroservisautomotive@gmail.com

Originally Posted by jslo

I've now done a few of these upgrades and recoveries with success. If the hard drive is still functional, I've found I can clone the good data to a new drive, install it back in the unit, and run the PCM update to restore any missing or corrupted files. If the drive can't be read at all, it can be replaced with another cloned drive, and the update disc should help initialize the new drive to the car, but not all functions may work without taking it to Porsche to re-enable features like navigation even if the originating drive has the same options.

I have SSDs available if anyone needs a clone, pre-cloned SSDs, and update discs available.

Originally Posted by GJSI

Thanks to help and advice from jslo and Kari, I am pleased to report that the PCM3.1 system in my 2015 Cayenne S-E Hybrid has regained full functionality. However, it was not without a lot of effort and stress and certainly the outcome would not have been as inexpensive and effective without the support I received from this Forum. As can be seen from scanning this and other forums, Porsche has been less than effective over the past few years in helping its customers fix this recurring and very frustrating issue, even to the point of ceasing to sell the 3.1 Update Disk. I believe many out-of-warranty customers experiencing this problem ended up with a lot of expense and frustration, when a simple update might have resolved the situation, if the update disk had been readily available.

In the hope that this might help readers experiencing this issue; I will describe my chain of events.
My Cayenne was 5 years old in April and I was considering replacing it with another Porsche. In my 5 years' of ownership it had been completely trouble-free. Then, on its 5 year anniversary, I received an e-mail from Porsche/Vodaphone notifying me that I would be losing some of my Porsche Connect Services unless I paid them an additional subscription fee.
Since I was considering changing the car, I did not pay up. 1 week later, I found that the App on my iPhone had been de-activated.and it no longer communicated with the car. Moreover, the 3.1 Nav, Jukebox and phonebook no longer worked and the system was rebooting every 5 minutes or so. After 2 days, the car's battery was exhausted as the rebooting occurs even when the car is just sitting in the garage. I did not order the Sirus/XM module with the car so this problem was not related to the recent over-the-air Sirius/XM Update Issue, although the symptoms are similar. My advice to anyone experiencing the rebooting is to first pull the PCM fuse or put the battery on a trickle charger, otherwise you will sooh have a flat battery.
My first thought was that this rebooting problem could be purely coincidental with the Porsche Connect over-th-air cancellation, but then I did some web research. First I found that this was by no means an isolated occurence and many PCM 3.1 units have been replaced to fix the issue, perhaps unnecessarily.so, since often the problem recurred. Secondly, the rebooting invariably started when there waa a change in the wireless interface or protocol between the PCM and a Third Party provider (like XM or Vodaphone) or a third party device such as a new smartphone. The symptoms were invariably similar and the RAM/Hard Disk residing in the PCM unit may have become corrupted or damaged.

With some trepidation, I removed the PCM from the dash and then tried to clone the HDD.to a SSD, as recommended by jslo. I then downloaded the ISO PCM Update file from the link recommended by Kari and proceeded to update the PCM from v4.75 to v4.76, using a burnt CD. This seemed to be working but after 13 minutes it went into the Emergency Update Mode. With help from jslo, I eventually managed to obtain another update file on a USB Memory Stick. I thrn resumed the Emergency Update through the USB input and, lo and behold, the Update worked! Not only did it work, but I also regained rhe NAV Maps and all other functions. In the expectation that, even if Ithe rebooting was fixed, I might not be able to recover the Porsche NAV Maps, I had also ordered the JoyAuto Carplay KIt for the Cayenne. Emboldened by the success of the rebooting fix, I went ahead and installed the Carplay unit. To cut a long story short, I now have full PCM 3.1 functionality with the added benefit that I can switch to Apple Carplay and use Waze, Google Maps, etc. It really works well and transforms the PCM 3.1 Infotainment System.

I've decided to keep the car since I now have a more reliable SSD system with the added benefit of Carplay, which is a major improvement on the outdated original Porsche PCM. However, I won't be buying another Porsche since, as a 73 year-old, I can't take the stress of ownership! This was pushing my aging capabilities to the limit!
Once the PCM HDDs start failing in the field, I hope Porsche can do a better job of supporting its customers.