The DLC issue with the GT3 is an engineering mistake as is the 3rd gear issue in the GT4. However, this is just plain stupid and it has happened more than once.

The replacement PDK box for my 11 GTS came in a very well made and sturdy wooden crate.

 

Bloody h*ll !! Porsche, please make it stop.

 

Someone turned that thing upside down. They are shipped full of oil and the only way it comes out is through the top vent. I blame the shipper on this more than Porsche. They've used those crates for many years. It didn't used to be an issue. They must be using a crappy shipper with poor handling.

Why is the Pdk crate better? Because ZF made it instead of Getrag.

 

How long will Porsche take to solve the shipping issue?

 

And the 3rd gear problem this is really getting to be pure bull sh-t.

 

^ Absolutely agreed. Porsche has lost me as a new car customer.

 

It's probably more of a Getrag issue than Porsche, as 2015 cars are very reliable. Guys around with many more Track miles and zero issues, my gearbox was blown with less than 1,000 track miles...

 

a supplier problem is a prosche problem

 

Porsche knows it has a problem, and it knows the root cause either directly or via the supplier's analysis. The frustration for me as a customer is the total lack of communications regarding what we can expect as a result of this problem. Simple data points like letting us know which cars might be impacted, and how the problem will be handled long term, would be of huge value and preserve faith in the brand and its products.

When running a manufacturing company, line executives somewhere know they have a problem when 30 - 50 high dollar replacement parts are shipped globally (aka transmissions) within a relatively short timeframe. Especially if the part has a typically low failure rate. Proactive corporate cultures result in issues like this being dealt with using outreach programs so that high value customers retain faith and confidence in the product and brand.

As a current/former board member and line executive at manufacturing companies, and having been directly involved with and responsible for dealing with issues like this, I can confidently say that the way Porsche deals with this and other issues is unfortunately the opposite of the culture I try to instill in the companies I am involved with. In my opinion it is always better to reach out and give customers a heads up when a problem like this arises.

The world's most profitable car company has zero excuses for the lack of proactive response to this and other similar issues. And if you are faithful to the brand, you know that this is part of the culture (aka having owned 3 M96/M97 cars it was comical to watch the response to and resulting lawsuit over that series of engine design).

The above is a long rant. I did call PCNA about the issue and spoke to a very nice lady who said "...oh, I can see in our system you have owned a lot of our cars and we appreciate your business...however, without a recall or campaign for your car there is nothing I can do..." I love the Porsche drug, but have hit a point with the side effects that I am deliberately heading into withdrawal. The 993 will remain in the garage as its sins are mostly old age at this point, but I am done with the new P-car issues.

 

Historically Getrag has been very resistant to admitting fault. You know why the 997 Carrera has an Aisin gearbox? It's because Getrag would not admit that the 996 2nd gear popout issue was a manufacturing tolerance issue so Porsche told them to get bent. I was quite surprised when the Cayman came out and they were giving them another chance. Hopefully learning has been shown but at the same time one must consider volume. Getrag probably makes 100k gearboxes a year for all their oem contracts. 50 GT4 units still isn't very many on the scale of things.

 

mgerber that ^ sums it up beautifully.

 

I may have missed it in the 57 pages of this thread, but has there been an indication of what the internal issue is with the gearbox and why it wont let you select 3rd? Mine has just gone pop BTW.

 

There's only 22 pages if you have your settings correct.
It's because of a running change from splined to weaker EB welded 3rd.
When it fails the gear rotates freely around the shaft, no longer providing mechanical advantage in moving the car down the road.

Porsche should be able to tell us;
1. The production date range for 981 Boxster, Cayman, Spyder and GT4, and 982 718 Cayman and Boxster production that a transmission with an EB welded 3rd could have been installed.
2. The defective transmission's serial number range.
3. If production of the transmission has been changed back to use a splined 3rd or not.
4. If 3 is true, the date range of 981/2 production that could have the reliable transmission installed.
5. If 3 is true, the serial number that the change starts at.

 

Thanks for the information d00d. So it's not a sensor issue then. I had heard something about neutral sensor failures? I'm currently waiting on confirmation of a gearbox swap from Porsche UK

 

They won't ever tell you any of that. There will be no recall nor service bulletin on this issue. Not gonna happen.