The Most Common Porsche Problems
Lovely bit of alliteration. Porsche and problems. As sports cars go, Porsche doesn’t have the strongest track record for reliability. Weirdly enough the statisticians cannot seem to come to a consensus on whether the brand is or isn’t reliable. The problem is that some models are little firecrackers that never seem to go wrong. Others barely get their tires wet and must be hurried back to the garage. This really has the little grey men scratching their heads. Fortunately, we aren’t in the numbers game, so let’s take a look at three ‘Porsche problems’ we find quirky.
1. Blinding Dashboard Syndrome
Two California residents have taken Porsche to court over the glare from their vehicle’s interior. Lighter interiors do tend to reflect more light than darker ones (simple physics really). More specifically these folks have issues with the ‘Luxor and Sand Beige’ interiors. They say that they reflect significantly more light than other interiors and can prove hazardous to road safety. Porsche is moving to dismiss the case – but if you happen to be experiencing similar issues, here are some tips from us.
Get Some Polarizing Shades
These sunglasses filter out all except on orientation of light wave radically reducing glare off surfaces.
Detail With Care
Haven’t read our detailing guide? You’re in for a treat. However, with these beasts, we suggest that you use dealer specific products on the dashboard area.
Alternatively, you can just avoid lighter interiors altogether – they are more difficult to clean and can be less good looking after some use.
2. PCM Reboot
There’s always that nerd in Silicon Valley who we are sure is out to get us. In this case they may be in the Black Forrest. Porsche released an update for their ‘Porsche Communications Management’ system, more specifically those with Sirius satellite radios that are versions 3.0/3.1. This update causes the system to enter a boot loop, even with the car switched off. This creates annoying static, drains the vehicle’s battery and could possibly damage the hard drive in the long term. Replacing a failed $2000 system because of something that is not your fault seems idiotic to us and some owners seem to agree. Lawsuits have been filed in Georgia, but here’s what you can do in the meantime: (Please note resetting will cause loss of data and presets.)
- Soft reset the system by holding the INFO button for 10 seconds.
- If the problem persists, do a full reset by pressing the CAR → OPTION → SET PCM SYSTEM → RESET PCM SYSTEM.
3. Dieselgate
Some more sneaky software. Just in case you aren’t aware of it, this was a clever little trick to fool the EPA. If you have a 2013-2016 Cayenne Diesel 3.0L V6, it can detect whether it is being tested for emissions or not. It does this by monitoring the road wheels and steering input. When it detects a test, it reduces the number of pollutants in the exhaust and cuts engine power. However, back out on the road things get dirty again. Porsche (and their parent VW) have paid dearly for this one, reaching a settlement with over 83 000 owners and lessees. If you own (or have owned) this specific model Porsche, you may be eligible for a recall repair or a cash compensation, or both.
Porsche Problems? Visit A Porsche Specialist
If only Porsche was more like Toyota, dependable, trustworthy, and quite frankly boring. Sure, they’ve had their fair share of problems but in our over 30 years’ experience maintaining such foreign exotics, few come close to as thrilling.
If you’re having problems with your luxury marque, visit Foreign Affairs Motorwerks. We’re the Porsche people.