Cayman R PDK failure - now what?

The transmission failed on my 2012 Cayman R with 50k miles. I took it to a mechanic who found metal shavings in the transmission fluid and said the transmission needed to be replaced. A friend tried fixing it and had it up and running for a month but the engine became progressively noisier, especially when cold, and I just now got an "Emergency Transmission Run" error and I assume the transmission is dead and I just need to get it towed to the dealer and suck it up. Interestingly, I did not get that transmission message when it died the first time. It simply stopped shifting properly. Any thoughts or suggestions? A brief phone call to the dealer told me it would be roughly $35k to replace the PDK . I did not have an extended warranty and I called Porsche central office who had nothing helpful to offer. I've been told this is a very uncommon occurrence. Thanks in advance.

I find it interesting that it failed. They are very robust. I would call an independent Porsche specialist and see if they can diagnose the failure and a suitable replacement if I was you. Sent from my SM-S911W using Tapatalk

There's a couple of used ones on ebay, I PM'd links.

Look for an independent shop that has PDK experience. I’m near Atlanta and Atl Speedwerks has an excellent reputation servicing PDK transmissions.

$35k sounds high. It shouldn't take more than a day and a half. Let me go look and see what Porsche thinks it will take... Porsche (AllDataDIY) sez: Transaxle. PN 9G230001100, $27,860.78 That's without the locking diff. If you want a locking diff - it's a bit cheaper (which makes no sense.) Searching by the PN on Google turns up online dealer parts places selling it for $19,500 or so. The same search turns up a number of used ones, ranging from $2,500-$11,000. There is likely a different PN for the R one (I believe the 3.4L 987.2 too) with a very slightly different gear ratio, but I could be wrong on that.. the PN above is for one on a 2.9L. Check the PN for yours. Labor charge is 11 hours. See: Automatic Transmission Gearbox PDK 9G230001100 Porsche Boxster Cayman 09-12 for sale online | eBay for a used on @ $2,500 + 450 shipping (if you're in CA it might be worth going to pick it up..) There are a few others - mostly in Europe, but it sounds as if they'd ship to the US. Priced around $3,500.

How do I find the PN? My VIN is WP0AB2A88CS793099. The R has 3.4 L displacement (the eBay one you showed is for 2.9 L models).

https://www.stuttcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Cayman-987-2009-2012-.pdf - look on page 120. Or use Google and find: 2009-2012 Porsche Trans-Axle 9G2-300-021-02 | Gaudin Porsche Parts - 2012 Cayenne S with locking differential (limited slip). $18,670.25 (pretty decent discount), then labor to install 11 hours x $200/hour = $2.200 = about $21,000 total. A bit of a discount off the dealer's estimate.

Where are you located?

Oakland, CA

I just searched for Porsche service in your area and found these two. Looks like it might be worth a call to see if they can help. Porsche Service & Repair - East Bay: Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, San Leandro CA (zentrummotors.com) Home (bauer-werks.com)

Thank you so much, I'll give them a try! That's been the next piece in my puzzle, finding a good shop.

This might be worth watching, especially the servicing part: - YouTube Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. www.youtube.com This sucks but I hope you find a decent solution. Please keep us updated, it would be good to hear your progress.

here's a shop in Los Gatos and Campbell that repairs PDKs, they describe what they can fix Porsche PDK Transmission - Now REPAIRABLE - brrperformance.com Porsche PDK Transmission – Now REPAIRABLE This post / blog article talks about the ability to repair a Porsche PDK transmission for certain models / generations. We have had many [...] www.brrperformance.com

it's the same transaxle from a Cayman S , isn't it? A transplant from a wrecked car is the way to go. you don't even need to pay a shop big bucks to do that. it's probably 2 hours of labor.

I don't know if the transaxles are the same. I see a few transmissions from wrecked cars on eBay but no transaxles. I also don't know if having a PDK would complicate the transplant. I'd be interested if anyone else could chime on this. It seems like a good idea for sure.

See: PORSCHE CAYMAN 7 SPEED TRANSMISSION PDK W OS GIKEN LIMITED SLIP DIFF-NEW | eBay - buy it, install it. Fill with the correct fluids. Sounds as if this place may also be looking to rebuild them (they want the core back..)

Thanks for that, maybe that's the way to go. BGB Motorsports in Florida is offering a remanufactured PDK for $13,800 plus shipping with a 1-year warranty and return of the old core. Not much more than the eBay listing, and I'd have the 1-year warranty. I've told by 2 separate sources that the transaxle replacement would take 11 hours. There's also BRRacing in Campbell, CA, fairly close to me, that rebuilds PDKs, but I'd still have to get the car towed either there or to Bauerwerks (a Porsche shop in Oakland, very close to me) to get the PIWIS codes to see what's actually wrong with it and see if it's worth repairing. Atlanta Speedwerks does rebuilds too, but that's a cross-country tow and again I still don't have the PIWIS codes. Suggestions?

Hi there Azakaria, sorry to hear about your transmission issues. Although not enough to keep anyone up at night they do happen - I suspect these issues are more common than most are willing to admit. What were your symptoms other than the transmission emergency run message? did you lose all gears? can you still move the car? There are actually several causes for the transmission failure, although since you did mention metal shavings and mechanic diagnosis previously, it may point to several issues. However if you can narrow it down, there are some possible fixes - do have a look at this thread. From talking to techs, the distance/position sensor is the most common issue. Outstanding Tech Contribution! - Affordable PDK distance... I haven't put this in the DIY section with the other videos as it's just a request for help. Background: The sensor that fails most in the PDK is the distance sensor, which is the one that senses the position of each of the shift rods. I'm trying to gather the required information so it's... www.planet-9.com The article posted by eal is also good and the shop shows quite a bit of experience in repairing it. Speedy recovery for your ride!

The transmission actually broke down a couple of times. The first time I had taken taken it up to 135 mph on a country road after a whole day of fun driving. I parked and went for a hike and the car wasn't right as soon as I was leaving the park - shifting gears unexpectedly. I was able to drive it home, but it was very concerning to me. I took it to one shop and they said I needed a new transmission and quoted a very high price I'm not sure if they got the PIWIS codes (they no longer have a record) but the mechanic recalls something about improper gear ratios. A friend (who is not an experienced Porsche mechanic, but works on other cars) offered to work on it and he flushed out the differential fluid (which was very low, only 1 L) and topped it off and it actually ran fine after that for a while. He said he found some metal shavings at first, but after flushing out the fluid he no longer found any. I gradually noted the car grinding more and more, mostly in low gear and before the engine had warmed up. It would hiccup when shifting lower gears (2-4). Finally one morning it was making a great deal of noise and after warming up the engine for a couple of minutes, I pulled out and it gave me the Emergency Transmission Run error almost immediately. I was able to turn the car back around to return the 25 yards back to my driveway. I do have an appointment to get it towed next week to a Porsche shop to check the PIWIS codes. I haven't attempted to drive it since receiving that error.

there are 2 types of emergency run - the white one and the red one (both same graphic). both have different causes but result in funny PDK behaviour. for the fluids, the PDK clutch fluid is the more critical one to replace regularly and that is about 4-5 litres. I cant remember the diff fluid amt but IIRC its about a litre. yes, please do get it checked out and hopefully the professional diagnosis can point you in a better direction.

This:

one of those codes shows up in the BR Racing article about their PDK fix, a couple others have names that are similar to some of the others. Give them a call with the error codes and see what they think

Thanks for that in-depth feedback. I've been told by 2 separate people who have looked at the differential fluid that they have found metal shavings. Wouldn't that indicate physical damage?

It's possible that mis-shifting by the failure of the hydraulics circuit has caused physical damage - but before spending $20k on a new transmission, I think I'd spend a few hundred getting the fluid changed and the valve body checked out.. it's possible the physical damage is insignificant. but that's just me. If the transmission has physical damage that keeps it from shifting correctly it's basically trash - there are no internal parts available. But I'd want to be certain of that. Other people may not want to do that. Their money - their choice.

BRRacing also thought it could be the valve body, or possibly the pressure sensors.

The first and last error messages to me hint strongly of hydraulic pressure issues.. and not so much the pressure sensors. More likely the valve body or the oil pump for the control circuitry.

BGB Motorsports in Ormond Beach Florida has been maintaining my 2010 CS PDK up to now since 2019. Around 8 weeks ago they gave me my 2010 CS PDK back , which I now call my “2010 CS X51” . John Tecce has a great group of guys there and everyone is Top Notch.

So update: I took it to BRRacing for diagnosis and they replaced some transmission sensors and got it running again. Didn't look at the differential. After autocross last weekend I notice an oil leak. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed an oil leak from the transmission ventilation, requiring transmission replacement. So it's back to looking for a replacement transaxle and a shop to do the work. I saw this in Australia which looks like it might do the trick: Porsche Cayman R 987 PDK 7 Speed Transmission Gearbox 9G230002120 CG220+ PR 220 | eBay Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Porsche Cayman R 987 PDK 7 Speed Transmission Gearbox 9G230002120 CG220+ PR 220 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products! www.ebay.com

So now I'm back at square one again. Red Emergency Transmission Run light, although car has been running fine. Porsche says sensor error plus transmixing of fluid. I believe there is some defect that is allowing the transmission and differential fluids to intermix. In any event, they say it needs a new PDK , which I'm now wishing I had done in the first place. I don't know if the dealer would install a used PDK . Nor do I know if it's worth continuing to poor cash into this vehicle. uggh.