2014 Porsche Cayman S PDK Sports Chrono

[JoziNick]

I'd be so pi**ed. Spending ~4 bar and then left in the lurch.

Porsche has seemingly always had a reputation for great quality and unrivaled reliability; especially in the supercar space.

I'm now wondering whether the quality has gone down? Or, if the perception has been wrong/overblown all this time?

My assumption is that it’s a South African issue (being that it’s not actually Porsche in SA...same as mustangs are not actually brought in by Ford in SA, or that Apple is actually Apple merely a foreign Agent)

I very much doubt this kind of thing would happen in Europe/Germany...although the youtuber mentioned above is in the states so seems to be a global thing.

But to be honest the general rule for dealerships (& seems to be worldwide and less so the exception to the rule but more like the actual rule) is that they care less and less about the customer, his/her experience & the value they deliver (reading the M4 thread)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MR_Y]

I'd be so pi**ed. Spending ~4 bar and then left in the lurch.

Porsche has seemingly always had a reputation for great quality and unrivaled reliability; especially in the supercar space.

I'm now wondering whether the quality has gone down? Or, if the perception has been wrong/overblown all this time?

I think it is the luck of the draw.
My 2013 Boxster had zero issues.
I also met a few guys from the Porsche Club who had no major issues.
However, if you have a major issue that requires parts to be imported, then that's where the delays start coming in.

 

[TurboLlew]

Porsche is still head and shoulders above other supercar brands when it comes to reliability and costs... even if it sounds like a bit of a spaza shop from Mr_Y's experience. One thing you don't struggle with is parts... but they come at astronomical cost. Porsches come across as extremely polished and almost over-engineered vs. their Italian and British friends.

I might start a post at some point about some choice things if you're seriously shopping for an old supercar around the same price as a BMW/Porsche

 

[MR_Y]

Update or revision of older posts:

Looking at my older posts again, I need to revise or update my views on a few points that I made before the gearbox replacement:

- My statement of "the 3.4 motor is eager to shake up the cabin when provoked" was, in hindsight, actually the initial hint of the vibration issue from the faulty PDK gearbox. With this issue now resolved, there is no vibration in the cabin at any speed. So, if you test drive a 981 and feel a vibration at speed, then this is not normal.

- Also, I saw that I needed to provide an update on the Xenon lights at night. These are better than the halogens that I had on my base Boxster, but illumination is not as great (maybe not as crisp nor clear) as the LEDs that I had on my F30 LCI 320d. Still, the beam is decent enough at night. The newer 718 does have LEDs as standard.

- My statement on a TTS or Golf 7 R being quicker needs to be revised as well. With my new gearbox, launch control does feel a bit quicker than the old gearbox. I have not performed any official timed runs, but take-off in launch control mode does feel as quick as a TTS. I have to properly test this at some point.

 

[MR_Y]

Two updates below after a recent breakfast run:

Feedback from other Porsche owners of older cars (>10 years old) from Gauteng:
I had a Sunday morning outing with other Porsche owners (not affiliated with the official Club) recently, as part of a breakfast run.
Everyone I chatted to (5 guys who have Porsches older than 10 years) were surprised with the the issues that I experienced at the Pretoria dealership (courtesy cars not being up to standard, parts delays, etc.).
From what I gather, my experience was the exception, not the rule.
From what I heard:
- Courtesy cars are usually of high standard. They were surprised by the issues that I faced.
- Parts delays of more than 3 weeks are not common. Parts are usually here in < 3 weeks.
- The PDK gearbox is usually very reliable and it was the first time that they heard of one being replaced at so low mileage.
- Pretoria is the best rated dealership in the country (or, at least in Gauteng). I heard of a guy from JHB South driving all the way to PTA to get his car serviced (out of plan), given the faith that he has in that PTA dealership over the JHB one.
- The technicians are pedantic and will take time to ensure something is perfect.
- The refurbishing/reconditioning work that is done is of high standard and is warranted as well.

Anyway, I think it is important to share the above, to provide a balance against my earlier posts that were based on my personal experience.

Sprint against a 2007 911 (997.1) Carrera S:
On Sunday, I had a run against a 2007 997.1 Carrera S. This is the 3.8 NA 265kw/400Nm motor mated to a 6 speed manual box.
That 911 could not catch me off off the line and was still some distance away by the time we reached the final red traffic light.
The straight in question is that strip of the R512 from the N14 offramp to the Lanseria airport turn off - about 5-6km.
The PDK is definitely superior to a manual, when sprinting, and this makes up for the small deficit in power/torque of the Cayman S (239kw/370Nm) vs this 911 (265kw/400Nm).
The mass of the cars is pretty close too.
It is noted that I did not use launch control, only Sports Plus in Drive.
Chatting to the 911 driver afterwards, he said that he was impressed with the sound from my sports exhaust system. He also has a factory fitted sports exhaust, but noted that it did not have the same crackles/pops as mine did. It could be due to the PDK programming in Sports Plus mode.
The 911 driver bought his 997.1 a few years ago from a non-franchised dealer and said that he had zero serious issues. He services his car at PTA Porsche and his services are very reasonable.

Anyway, the breakfast run was good and the car performed excellently.
I made some new friends and will be keen to attend similar runs soon.

My Fuelly has not been updated in a while - my current computer consumption is 15.0/100km.
This is not too bad, since I was averaging 14.7 before the gearbox repairs.

 

[MR_Y]

Three updates - gravel road driving, daily driver duties and a run to Cullinan.

Gravel road driving
Given that my V60 was being used elsewhere, I needed to use the Cayman to go to my trail run in Knopjeslaagte, in the agricultural part of Midrand. These gravel roads are fairly well-maintained, with some rough sections (though, not as bad as the gravel 'short cut' that I use on my V60, to avoid traffic). Happy to report that the Cayman handled the mild gravel quite well. I posted earlier that I may be moving to a slightly rural area and may need to replace the Cayman. However, given its performance on decent gravel roads, I am quite happy that I will not need to replace the car (yet).

Daily driver
Given that my Volvo was was being used elsewhere during the week, I was forced to use the Cayman on two very busy days from Midrand to JHB CBD. Given that the Cayman is not equipped with the Power Steering Plus option, that my Boxster had, I could feel that it was a bit heavy to maneuver in tight traffic conditions on narrow streets, dodging taxis and other cars.

Driving through town and Auckland Park, was an uncomfortable experience - the 20 inch rims, even with PASM (adaptive dampers) on soft setting, make the ride quite uncomfortable on those bad tarred surfaces. Maybe I am getting old, but after getting stuck in traffic for an hour on the M1, I had a back ache when stepping out of the car.

Adding to my anxiety, was the fact that I felt that trucks and other large vehicles could not see my car easily on the highways, so I needed to ensure that I drive such that they can see my reflection in their side mirrors. I feel that small cars (let alone low slung sports cars) easily fall into the blindspots of large vehicles. Important to note that I hardly drove my Boxster in traffic, given that we were in heavy lockdown during my time with that car.

Another interesting (first world) issue that I have, is that the Sports Exhaust System can become quite boomy at low speeds and then drony when cruising in 7th gear. Normal people would just switch off the exhaust button, but I feel that this button has to be always on (I paid for it, so I should have it switched on all the time, right?). Also, normal people would switch on the coasting/gliding function on the PDK, so one can automatically glide in neutral when cruising in 7th gear to save fuel. Again, my irrational self speaks up and says you paid for a 6 cylinder sports car, so why do you want to glide/cruise? So, with my sports exhaust switched and no fuel saving function switched on, I am losing my hearing and getting high fuel consumption. But, since this is not really my daily driver (my V60 serves that purpose), I am not complaining too much.

Sunday drive to Cullinan from Pretoria
After abusing myself while using the car as a daily driver (story above), I really needed to unleash it on the quiet open roads. Early Sunday morning, I drove with some like-minded Zuffenhausen mates to Cullinan. It was my first time going there. In short, it was an EPIC driving experience.

From Lynwood, Pretoria, we took the M6 all the way to the R25, then onto the R568, then the R513 into Cullinan.
It seems that the potholes were repaired, so it was quite safe to push the car at some speed.
No traffic, no trucks, no pedestrians and no "men who hide in bushes" - meant that this was driving heaven. Much better than the usual Sunday runs to Haarties.

Given the slight undulations in the road, I was reluctant to put the car into Sports Plus mode. While I could have switched the PASM (Adaptive Damping) to standard and kept the rest of the car in Sports Plus, the brutality of the gearshifts (each shift kicks hard in Sports Plus and you can't tweak that setting alone for the 'box) would have made rapid progress on some sections a bit dangerous. So, I kept the car just in Sport mode with standard PASM on and also the Sports Exhaust on.

The issues that I had with dailying this car to JHB town faded away, as the car came into its own now.
The faster you go, the better it feels - the car feels super stable and planted (except for when you hit a bumpier than normal section of road).
The burbles and barks from the exhaust is the stuff of dreams - you get rewarded for pushing this car higher into the rev range.

Strangely, the car is very forgiving at high speed - it makes you feel like a driving master, even if you are of average ability.
However, at low speeds if you get too aggressive/cocky, you can get the tail out too easily and that can be a bit frightening. I experienced that first hand, while turning left at an intersection, even with stability control on!

The real beauty of these unbridled breakfast run drives on quiet, open roads, is that you get to safely test your car in the real world and know your limits.
While driving on track is definitely a safer and more pure experience, you are never going to simulate the real-world feeling of (say) low speed oversteer when booting the throttle while turning at an intersection.

I feel that this drive has given me more appreciation for this car and, like the onion analogy in Shrek, I have peeled away one layer, but there are still more layers to peel away under different conditions.

Next up is a track experience in July with an instructor, as well as a skidpan event, to reveal more layers to this car's ability.

 

[Anees]

Always enjoy reading your updates. The Sunday drives sound so fun!
Makes me want to definitely own a Porsche one day

 

[///M Individual]

Glad to see you enjoying the car thoroughly and using it as it should be. Too many Porsche owners only drive their cars once in a while and waste it I feel.

 

[MR_Y]

Update (minor issue)

So, after I checked my coolant today and closed the cap, the cap turned beyond its final resistance point. The rubber seal at the bottom of the cap seems to have broke. I then screwed the cap tightly beyond that final resistance point (it is pretty tightly closed). Seems to be a common and minor issue on the 981, as long as the cap is closed super tightly. Car is booked in with Porsche JHB on 18 July to fix/replace the cap. Coolant temperature and level seems fine, even after rough driving.

 

[modocrat]

Update (minor issue)

So, after I checked my coolant today and closed the cap, the cap turned beyond its final resistance point. The rubber seal at the bottom of the cap seems to have broke. I then screwed the cap tightly beyond that final resistance point (it is pretty tightly closed). Seems to be a common and minor issue on the 981, as long as the cap is closed super tightly. Car is booked in with Porsche JHB on 18 July to fix/replace the cap. Coolant temperature and level seems fine, even after rough driving.

Hopefully they wont have to order the part from Germany, via Abu Dhabi.

 

[MR_Y]

Hopefully they wont have to order the part from Germany, via Abu Dhabi.

I made sure to ask if they have stock and they confirmed yes

 

[MR_Y]

Update

Coolant cap and tyre sealant (which has expired) were both replaced.

In other news, I decided to add protective mesh on the front bumper vents, so as to protect the 2 radiators from damage from high speed debris. Interestingly, only the GTx spec cars have proper protective mesh on their front bumper vents. The base and S spec Porsches don't have such protection - I guess they assume that these cars don't travel at such high speeds as the GTx cars. Anyway, I have booked the car in with Porsche bodyshop to fit these mesh covers. This requires removal of the front bumper and fiddling with the PDC sensors too. Will post pics this weekend after it gets fitted on Friday.

 

[MR_Y]

Damage on lower right front bumper.
I was trying to go down a steep incline - head first.
I should have just reversed down rather (the departure angle (rear) is better than the approach angle (front)).
As posted elsewhere, I contacted Restore My Car to quote on this. The quote they provided was very reasonable.
However, given that my car is going in soon for the mesh on the air vents, I will ask Porsche what they can do (I expect their quote to be eye watering, but the technician said that he will make a plan).
).

 

[MR_Y]

Update on a few items:

Bumper has been repaired and sprayed.
Gloss black mesh also fitted to both front air vents.
According to the bodyshop manager, this was the first 981 that they fitted this mesh to. Their requests for mesh have mainly come from 911 owners (non GT3, non GT2 owners, since the mesh is standard on those race-bred cars). I think the end result looks decent and will offer some protection for the radiators against road debris.


While taking the above pictures, I decided to take a few more and provide some additional info:

My inflatable/collapsible spare wheel from a 2011 Cayenne Turbo. I originally bought this as a used part (though it was never used by the Cayenne owner) for my Boxster. It is a Vredenstein tyre on a 19 inch rim. It fits pretty snuggly in the frunk, so no need to tie it down with straps. Tools are located in a little bag under the tyre. In addition to the spare wheel, there is a compressor kit and tyre sealant (replacement is R1,000 a bottle and it expires after 3 years or so, but covered under M/Plan) in the frunk as well.


Child seat fits snugly and safely in the passenger seat. It is around R3,500 to get ISOFIX and the airbag off switch retrofitment for any Porsche sports car. I was lucky to get it included in my Boxster deal and it was removed and fitted to my Cayman at no cost to me. I had a rear facing seat but now switched to front facing, with seatbelt threading through it, in addition to ISOFIX.


After complaining about the sound quality (this is the upgraded 235w system, not the BOSE nor Burmeister system), I changed the fader setting a bit to the rear and the sound has improved a bit. I realised that I sit quite far back and low, so that the rear speakers are quite close to me. I am not an audiophile, but this setup sounds better to me for my types of music.


Some pictures of my gauges below.

The G-Force meter is quite gimmicky in a car that is not a GT4. Interestingly, the current Suzuki Vitara 1.4T comes standard with such a feature too.


TPMS is a direct system (meaning that there are sensors in the tyres - denoted my metal valves and caps). This was after a hard run, so pressures were a bit different per wheel. On cold startup, readings are quite consistent and accurate.


All the info you really need. Coolant temp, oil temp, oil pressure, battery voltage. When the coolant and oil are above blue, it is time to party (though, this can take a while in winter).



This is what a decently specced 981 centre tunnel console looks like. PASM, sports exhaust, Sports Plus (only as part of Sports Chrono package) are all extras. Very difficult to find a 981 with all these extras at a reasonable price nowadays. Sports Plus is too brutal for normal roads and driving conditions. PASM in normal mode with Sport and sports exhaust on, is perfectly fine for most of the time.


Other updates:

Cat:
My cat has ended up sleeping on the car at night. I don't mind, given that he kills rats and we have a few in the field behind my house. However, his claws are scratching the rear of the car, when he jumps on and off the car. The scratches are pretty feint, so they can be buffed out, but I will need to consider some sort of cover for the car. I am happy to have this problem rather than wire damage from mice or rats.

Tail happy:
Pushing this car quite hard, I see that it is tail happy when the road surface is not perfectly grippy. At a few TLGPs, I noticed that the rear breaks traction easily and wiggles slightly. It is not the tyres (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S all round and tread is still great), but just how this car behaves on less than perfect roads, I guess. However, it is all easily controllable. Even when pushing it hard in the bends, all you need to do is back off the throttle to bring everything back into line. Think of it as a Jack Russell - you can play with it and is still fun but won't kill you. However, play with a front engined, high-powered RWD car and it is like playing with a Rottweiler - if you slip up, it will bite your head off.

 

[jayaynikkal]

Mesh looks lekka Mr Y! Good call on that one.

 

[MR_Y]

So, I am part of the BMW family again (kind off...)

Seeing that I am using the car more often over some rough roads, when the Volvo is doing other family duties, I decided to invest in tyre insurance.
Also, noting that Porsche explicitly forbid any long-term use tyre repairs (e.g. mushroom plugs), so if you get a puncture you need to buy an N-specced tyre.
Porsche has official tyre insurance that costs R461pm for 24 months and provides cover for 50,000km or 2 years. There is no excess for claims and cover is limited to R7000 per tyre - though, there is no limit to the number of claims you make in a year (within reason).
It has Innovation and Guardrisk on the pamphlet.
Anyway, after I sign up for the offer, I see that Alphera (BMW Financial Services!) is the broker.
When I enquired with Porsche SA, they confirmed that BMW is the broker.
So, I am technically a BMW Financial Services customer now.
I even got an SMS saying "Dear BMW client, welcome...."

 

[Spanky]

Ah yes...it wouldn't be real insurance unless there are at least 3 middlemen involved.

 

[MR_Y]

Update

Working from home currently, with the aim to get into office work in JHB next year. This means my car is hardly being driven now (a few drives in the week and longer drives on weekends) and it will likely become a fully fledged garage queen next year, when I need to rather use a less flashy daily driver to take the knocks of JHB town driving.

I am also building a new place (or rather still in the slow planning stages) far away from the city and I am itching to buy another small, rental investment property too (interest rates are too low to not take advantage).

My head tells me that the Cayman is becoming a white elephant and should rather be sold (2nd hand values are quite strong now) and chuck that money into a small rental property and some towards a cheaper daily driver.

My heart is saying I will regret that and rather keep the car, even it is going to be garage queen. When I move house to the outskirts of Gauteng, I will really enjoy that flat 6 on open roads on the weekend.

Anyway, those are just my random thoughts for now.

The car is due for a major service (or, rather 3 services according to the computer) in Dec 2021. No issues with the car. However, it did stall (felt like a manual car stalling and it had to be restarted) on me when I stopped at a boom gate a few weeks ago. In all fairness, it was not driven for a week before then and it was zero degrees outside. Still, something that I will monitor closely.

 

[PsyCLown]

You know your finances better than anyone else on the forum, although what about the possibility of selling the Porsche now, getting that property and once you have moved reassess finances and get another vehicle then - be it a Porsche, Supra or whatever else you fancy?

 

[MR_Y]

Update

I took the car out to the far east Rand (Springs) this weekend. Nice, quiet, well maintained and broad roads. Not many curves, but good opportunity to push the car hard in a straight line.

Some things I noted:

1. At high speeds on a straight, when you stamp on the throttle, there is a slight lightness/vagueness/floatiness to the steering a few degrees around centre point. This does not make the car undriveable, but is a bit of a strange feeling. This was only noticeable after driving at high speed in a straight line, for a decent amount of time (I did not get a chance to do that before). The car is tracking true, but the steering feels a bit too light as you accelerate from that high speed to higher speeds. Some Googling revealed this to be more common with 911s, where weight transfer (momentum?) occurs towards the rear of the car and there is not much weight on the front axle (no engine block there) to bed down the front end at high speeds. Some also say that the PASM (adaptive dampers) sometimes create that floatiness feeling at high speed, if the electronics get caught out by small changes in the road surface. Anyway, I will be booking the car in to check this.

2. The right xenon light beam seems to be pointing down slightly compared to the left. The right lamp was replaced shortly after I took delivery of the car earlier this year. However, I previously did not get an opportunity to drive the car on poorly lit roads, over a long and straight distance, at night. My night time drive on the N17, revealed a slight dip in the right light beam. More of a small annoyance than a major issue. The car will booked in to check this too.

3. My front bonnet gas struts seem to have lost their strength recently (not sure if this is cold weather related or just age related). The bonnet now requires extra effort to prop it right up, so the struts can reach their holding point. Again, this will be checked when the car is booked in.

I will revert on how the above checks go at the dealer next week.