Olddragger

The problem is really not with the transmission. It is not a bad transmission. The real problem is Porsche doesn't try to repair it. That rather throw an expensive mechatronic unit in it and call it a day rather than doing a proper diagnosis. Sometimes it is only one $50.00 solenoid needing replacement. And if that doesn't work for some reason then they just want to replace the entire transmission and that is very expensive. To make matters worse Porsche will not sell repair parts for it to anyone other than the dealership. Dual clutch transmissions are fairly complex making the likeyhood of it malfunctioning down the line higher and the number of people willing to do the work to repair them is small. All in all...never own a Macan that doesn't have warrenty coverage.

mvmojo

I've heard/read that heat is the real killer of the PDK. Seen pictures of melted circuit boards and heard of heat related sensor failures. I read somewhere where someone advised running in Sport mode because it kept front dampers open and allowed more air flow. On a recent 8 hr highway drive I noticed that my oil temp was running 219 degrees F. Just as a test, I put the car in Sport mode. Within minutes the temp dropped to 198 degrees F. Wow. I realize that's not the transmission temp, but it certainly indicates more air flow in and around the engine and the transmission. I drove a hundred miles or so and turned Sport mode off. Oil temps again climbed into the 214 to 219 range. Sport mode back on and they dropped again to 198 or so. Based on this, I've taken to driving almost 100% of the time in Sport mode. Cooler just seems intuitively better to me.

Gus B.

FWIW, I looked at a 2015 Macan Turbo a couple of days ago and while looking at its maintenance history (all at the local dealer and always under extended warranty from factory) I noticed that the PDK transmission was replaced at 31K miles back on July 21, 2020 (car currently has 51.3K miles). When I spoke to the service agent to confirm this procedure, as well as others, he told me that there was an "issue with a solenoid that we could not fix, so we replaced the entire transmission under warranty".

I currently own a 2010 Audi Q5 with 44K miles and back in June 21, 2017 I had to replace the mechatronic unit at 25K miles. Since it was out of warranty, the delaer told me that as long as I paid for labor ($3K) they'd pay for the parts. Not sure if it was a recall or not, but at the end of the day I did pay the $3K for the mechatronic unit and lately I've been feeling that the transmission slips a bit before engaging just as it did when it first started to give problems.

I live in a country that is very warm (ever rarely does it get cooler than ±74º F) and tons of stop and go traffic.

Olddragger

Heat is a big enemy of this transmission. Our transmission is cooled by the engine coolant (and warmed) which in itself is not a bad setup. Then we have a dummy engine coolant gauge that unless you change the setting parameters for it using the PIWIS system, will never read the actual temperature of the coolant. There is some suspicion that the trans is running hot during certain situations, such as stop and go during hot ambient temps. Transmission fluid breaks down when it starts reaching approx 250 degrees F( ball park temp ther) and during stop and go the temp of the fluid coming off the clutch is probably getting that hot. The best way to get the longest life out of it...is to keep the fluid cooler, fluid change before 40K miles ( one can do this themselves and it is not that expensive), change BOTH filters each time, upgrade the fluid itself and if any code pops up or if you notice any thing different do not hesitate in getting it addressed. Some Audi guys swear by using the paddles more too.
The transmission does seem to be a weak link in a great car only because the cost of a repair could be catastrophic for someone out of warrenty.

peterp

Just got the "Gearbox fault - No R-gear, Drive on Possible" error message on a 2018 Macan Base backing out of the driveway . Reverse did not fully engage (it grabbed, then didn't, then grabbed again -- but was able to get out of driveway helped by downhill). It was fine after that drove forward through all through all the gears and reverse later with no problem. Still, this looks like a bad sign. It's a 2018 Base -- still under warranty, just had 30k service done (at 28k miles) at a dealer a few months ago.

I guess I have to call the dealer and have them look at it. Has anybody else experienced this -- and if so, was it a one-time issue or did bad things happen after that?

Olddragger

If you get a warning in the display that concerns the transmission, address it then. Don't wait. It could be a simple fix...like just changing the fluid/ filters or it could be a warning for a bigger problem that you really do not want. Since you are covered by warranty you should be good to go!

peterp

Thanks, I scheduled service the day it happened. First available appointment was Sep 15th, so it will be going in then. One thing I notice on my Base Macan is that it sometimes feels a little rough accelerating around 30 up to highway speeds. The transmission mapping shifts very early on light throttle, often with the revs below 1500 rpm, so I've always assumed this slight vibration to be the transmission overlugging the 2.0 engine for fuel savings, but just want to make sure it isn't a PDK or transfer case issue.

verstraete

(Based on Porsche ownership starting in 1987)

Carlos4S

The only issue I've experienced was likely heat-induced. At the end of a hard run covering slightly more than 1,300 miles in 18 hours, shifts were a little "jerky" for a few minutes after getting off the highway at my destination. Shifts smoothed out after 10 minutes or so. Never happened again, although I have not driven 1,300 miles in one day since.

As a precaution, I had a full PDK service performed shortly after that trip. 2018 GTS with 63,000 miles.

YMMV

Cactus

I am a long time 993 owner and currently daily drive a 2001 4Runner with 200K+ miles. I don’t feel nervous driving either one on long trips, idling in traffic, driving on a super hot day, etc. I have loved the Macan since it debuted but man these threads are scary. It was obvious with the 996 engine issues that Porsche doesn’t stand behind their customers. Guess I will pass on the Macan and buy another 4Runner…..

TRINITONY

😆😆996?, go visit the 997 forum. I too have loved them from first debut, and it would be the perfect replacement for my daughters 210k no issues 6 cyl RAV4.

Cactus

Warranty or not I just prefer having a vehicle that is not always in the shop or I have to drive a certain way because it is fragile.

VAGfan

Who ever thought that any european car, at any price, has better-than-average reliability????

peterp

Update: The dealer is replacing parts in the physical shifter itself. I like the dealer, so I'm not complaining, but I would have expected them to replace something with a solenoid in it since it wouldn't shift into reverse fully (reverse was grabbing on and off backing out of driveway when it happened).

These are the parts:
https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...ller-95b713132
https://www.sunsetporscheparts.com/o...ism-95b713059b

banksc01

One of those is the controller... It, ah, controls the shifting.