Boxster 981 - Airco and heating stopped working - Page 5 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

It's Friday evening and the weather has just turned cold so of course, my heater has packed up. All the little screens and numbers still appear, but nothing happens. No change in temperature, no fan at all, even on maximum setting, so it's window open to demist! Anyone had similar, and any idea if it's a simple/ expensive fix? Earliest I can get to the dealer is Wednesday...

just a thought but might be worth checking to see if any fuses have blown?

rObArtes said: just a thought but might be worth checking to see if any fuses have blown? I was hoping it might just be that, but they look fine... unfortunately. Guess I'd better get ready for a big bill... (out of warranty!)

Strangely two people I have met recently who have 981 Boxters have had similar problems, within warranty. One called Porsche Assist out on reaching his destination.. and it then all worked fine when the tech tired it. The other checked fuses, found nothing and started the car again for everything to work as normal. OPC Cambridge told one of the above that if the car is left unused for a period (not specified) it can need a re-set after starting if the fan doesn't run. Turn car off and on again. Your problem may not be the same, but the above all seemed a bit odd to me.

robj4 said: Strangely two people I have met recently who have 981 Boxters have had similar problems, within warranty. One called Porsche Assist out on reaching his destination.. and it then all worked fine when the tech tired it. The other checked fuses, found nothing and started the car again for everything to work as normal. OPC Cambridge told one of the above that if the car is left unused for a period (not specified) it can need a re-set after starting if the fan doesn't run. Turn car off and on again. Your problem may not be the same, but the above all seemed a bit odd to me. Thanks for that. Car has sat outside for a good week or so, but so far restarting has made no difference. I suspect it's something electric, as nothing works at all. If it was mechanical, I'd expect one part to fail (eg heating) but others (eg fan) still to work. Fingers crossed that it will be a simple fix..

Its unlikely to be a fuse as the panel still works , it may be that the control unit has basically gone to sleep and is not wakeing up .. it needs a reset kinda like turning a computer off and on. The dealership can do whats called a vehicle handover which wakes all control units up from new or after replacement , this may kick the A/C back into life. worse way it may need the A/C control unit replaceing . Unfortunatly software causes a fair few problems on modern cars

It happened to me during first year and a number of other 981 owners. Hot day no air con, checked all possibilities, nothing, then after about 5 miles all started working again by itself. Dealer said not uncommon it is the fan sticking and only ever happens once and never again. Seems right, as no problems in past 2 years and same story from others I've spoken to.

The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue

Thanks for all the tips. I'll be bringing it in to the dealer next week, and I hope it turns out to a simple reset or so... don't fancy the cost of them replacing the whole unit! NB - unfortunately it's not just the fan not working - nothing happens at all (no heating, no cooling either...).

Rare for the 'entire' system tray pack up; have you tried moving the fan - it is the same one for hot or cold. ....

Pope said: Rare for the 'entire' system tray pack up; have you tried moving the fan - it is the same one for hot or cold. .... No, not too keen to start poking around at things (two left thumbs and all that..)

Gouldian said: It happened to me during first year and a number of other 981 owners. Hot day no air con, checked all possibilities, nothing, then after about 5 miles all started working again by itself. Dealer said not uncommon it is the fan sticking and only ever happens once and never again. Seems right, as no problems in past 2 years and same story from others I've spoken to. +1. Mine stopped working then when I eventually managed to secure an appointment at the OPC it started working again en route to the dealership. That was over a year ago and it has been working ever since. It seems that the threat of oily hands and pokey things was enough.

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Perfect! I plucked up the courage to go fiddling under the covers and your suggestion was spot on. Strangely, I felt no resistance at all from the fan, yet it worked again as soon as I tried it, so that must have been the problem. A virtual pint for that man! Thanks.

Excellent news, and no expensive labour at an OPC. I understand a bumpy road may also sort it!

I ve had 2 991's where the heater gave out no hot air there was a recall that was done FOC that cured the problem

I've just had the fan stick on my 2014 981 - and used the tip above to fix it (Thanks!!). I can live with it happening once a year, but if it happens on a regular basis, it becomes a real pain. Anyone have the motor replaced under warranty - seems like a design fault?

Answering my own question, I rang up my OPC and they have booked it in for a warranty fix with no question. They obviously knew exactly what the issue was because they have ordered the part. So, hopefully, issue solved.

bcr5784 said: Answering my own question, I rang up my OPC and they have booked it in for a warranty fix with no question. They obviously knew exactly what the issue was because they have ordered the part. So, hopefully, issue solved. Lucky you - mine happened after warranty ran out... and it's done it 3 times in as many months...! I wonder how much needs to be removed to get access to the fan...

monamimate said: Lucky you - mine happened after warranty ran out... and it's done it 3 times in as many months...! I wonder how much needs to be removed to get access to the fan... Got even luckier - salesman at OPC rang me up and asked me what courtesy car I'd like - so I'll be giving the new 911 a go. Not sure which variant, and I think they only have the one yet. A GTS with RWS would be interesting, but I'll take pot luck.

bcr5784 said: Answering my own question, I rang up my OPC and they have booked it in for a warranty fix with no question. They obviously knew exactly what the issue was because they have ordered the part. So, hopefully, issue solved. It has just happened to my 981b. Car had been garaged for a while (on a CTEK) as SWMBO decided that we needed some sun and off we jetted to the Indian Ocean. Back from the sun, fired the car up yesterday morning and all was fine until I noticed the AC/heater fan was not working. All day I tried to "unstick" it but despite numerous stop/starts and flicking of the switch, no luck so put it back to bed in the garage. Couldn't be bothered to try the DIY method and bearing in mind it is still under warranty, I decided to call Porsche Tonbridge. They recognised the problem immediately, said yes we have had others with the same problem so bring it in and we will sort it while you wait. So, off I go this morning to visit the dealer and within 200 metres of leaving home, the fan burst into life. Called the dealer who said no point in coming up now it's working and we will order a new updated fan motor today. It should be in within 3 days and we will then fit it while you wait. Excellent service from the dealer and none of this "see if it will do it again and we will look at it". A new upgraded fan motor will be fitted under the warranty. Not sure how much these motors cost, but reckon it could be a reasonable amount towards the cost of the extended warranty.

b2tus said: It has just happened to my 981b. Car had been garaged for a while (on a CTEK) as SWMBO decided that we needed some sun and off we jetted to the Indian Ocean. Back from the sun, fired the car up yesterday morning and all was fine until I noticed the AC/heater fan was not working. All day I tried to "unstick" it but despite numerous stop/starts and flicking of the switch, no luck so put it back to bed in the garage. Couldn't be bothered to try the DIY method and bearing in mind it is still under warranty, I decided to call Porsche Tonbridge. They recognised the problem immediately, said yes we have had others with the same problem so bring it in and we will sort it while you wait. So, off I go this morning to visit the dealer and within 200 metres of leaving home, the fan burst into life. Called the dealer who said no point in coming up now it's working and we will order a new updated fan motor today. It should be in within 3 days and we will then fit it while you wait. Excellent service from the dealer and none of this "see if it will do it again and we will look at it". A new upgraded fan motor will be fitted under the warranty. Not sure how much these motors cost, but reckon it could be a reasonable amount towards the cost of the extended warranty. I've had two days scheduled for the fix which have been cancelled due the unavailability of the part. Hope you have more luck - but I'll be a bit miffed if you get yours fixed before mine! I'll chase my OPC tomorrow.

Happened in the second week of my new Spyder ownership. The manual blower was on fully but no hot air despite running for more than an hour. It did randomly work and guessed what on the way to the dealership. However, service at Wilmslow diagnosed it to a faulty or sticky heater valve. It's a known issue and Porsche knew about this dodgy party. It happened to some new 911's as well. Any way, despite now being fixed, I still think the heater is not hot enough and doesn't pick up heat quick enough compared to say the old spyder or any other vehicle I've driven. My car was optioned with the manual air con.

My part is now in and being done tomorrow. Your post was helpful though - they hadn't bothered to tell me.

The new fan motor is in today and being fitted next Tuesday. Good service by Porsche Tonbridge so far and fitting will be while I wait.

b2tus said: The new fan motor is in today and being fitted next Tuesday. Good service by Porsche Tonbridge so far and fitting will be while I wait. Mine's now been fitted, but given that the issue was intermittent, impossible to say definitively it's fixed. Silverstone/Towcester OPC were very good and gave me a 991.2 Carrera S Cabrio for the day (no ulterior motive?!) which was interesting. The PDK is definitely improved (1st to 2nd change in particular) and the sheer grunt was nice (subjectively far faster than my S - more than the figures would suggest). Personally (shock, horror!) prefer the turbo engine to my S engine, but not the chassis - much worse ride PASM vs PASM and more understeer (as you would expect, though hoped PTV might neutralise that). There was some turbo lag - but with PDK you had to look for it, probably more of an issue with a manual box.

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. This little tip fixed mine this morning, thanks

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Another massive thank you to Pope for this. My car is a '16 981 Boxster GTS and I read this thread thinking that the modified part made it largely irrelevant to me. Thankfully I remembered it today when nothing would get the fan going for our overnight return journey from France. I managed 200miles with no fan (and frozen feet!) in temperatures just above freezing before a planned stop at services near Caen. 15 minutes later, with the missus holding the torch for me whilst I undid the handful of clips and "flicked" the fan, and we had heat again. Thank Christ!!! That was at 11pm last night. I don't think we'd have made it all the way home through the -3 degrees and fog without this tip. As my car was one of the last Boxsters off the line I think it's clearly safe to say that this can affect any 981. Well worth remembering to get you out of trouble! Kevin

Sir_Dave said: Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. This little tip fixed mine this morning, thanks After not using my 981 for a couple of weeks I jumped in it today and set off down the motorway only to find the car misting up badly. I realised the fan was not doing anything. It made driving a bit tricky in dark wet foggy conditions with the window steamed up on the inside. I could barely see a thing. Anyway I pulled over and a quick Google found me here. I just fixed mine after reading this so thanks everyone. I did snap several clips getting the filter cover off enough to get my hand in. Even then I could not reach the fan without the help of a tool.

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Hi all, had this problem over the weekend. Luckily I remembered his thread from a while back so got googling! I was already on the move when I realised the fan wasn't working. We got the cover off after removing the black trim but found the fan was too far down to reach. Luckily the other half had a wooden spoon long enough to poke into the fan blades and we got it sorted. Thanks all!

If this happens to you and you don't want to do roadside "surgery", set the controls on maximum defrost. I know the fan won't work but all the valves are set for directing air to the screen and any heat from the heat exchanger will naturally rise up and do something useful. That's how we managed 200 miles before stopping. It wasn't perfect but forward visibility was adequate. Sideways visibility required use of the electric windows. Just cracking open the windows every so often helped too.

ATM said: Sir_Dave said: Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. This little tip fixed mine this morning, thanks After not using my 981 for a couple of weeks I jumped in it today and set off down the motorway only to find the car misting up badly. I realised the fan was not doing anything. It made driving a bit tricky in dark wet foggy conditions with the window steamed up on the inside. I could barely see a thing. Anyway I pulled over and a quick Google found me here. I just fixed mine after reading this so thanks everyone. I did snap several clips getting the filter cover off enough to get my hand in. Even then I could not reach the fan without the help of a tool. Brilliant, had the same problem myself yesterday!! Because I hadn't used the car for 2 or 3 weeks, I thought I better take it for a run, and discovered the same problem!! Checked the fuses, and thought that it was going to be a trip to the dealership!! After reading this last night, I had it all sorted in about 5 minutes, this morning. My car is a 2014 981 Boxter S. Thanks everyone!!

ginettajoe said: Brilliant, had the same problem myself yesterday!! Because I hadn't used the car for 2 or 3 weeks, I thought I better take it for a run, and discovered the same problem!! Checked the fuses, and thought that it was going to be a trip to the dealership!! After reading this last night, I had it all sorted in about 5 minutes, this morning. My car is a 2014 981 Boxter S. Thanks everyone!! If it's still under warranty I'd still get the replacement fan from your dealer. (Even if it isn't I'd see what they had to say - it's obviously a known bug).

bcr5784 said: ginettajoe said: Brilliant, had the same problem myself yesterday!! Because I hadn't used the car for 2 or 3 weeks, I thought I better take it for a run, and discovered the same problem!! Checked the fuses, and thought that it was going to be a trip to the dealership!! After reading this last night, I had it all sorted in about 5 minutes, this morning. My car is a 2014 981 Boxter S. Thanks everyone!! If it's still under warranty I'd still get the replacement fan from your dealer. (Even if it isn't I'd see what they had to say - it's obviously a known bug). Yes, thanks, I will have a go, and see what they say! The problem being, I bought the car in December off an independent, and it was three years old on the 2nd January! So I think I'll be lucky, but I can ask!! Thanks for all your advice though!

ginettajoe said: bcr5784 said: ginettajoe said: Brilliant, had the same problem myself yesterday!! Because I hadn't used the car for 2 or 3 weeks, I thought I better take it for a run, and discovered the same problem!! Checked the fuses, and thought that it was going to be a trip to the dealership!! After reading this last night, I had it all sorted in about 5 minutes, this morning. My car is a 2014 981 Boxter S. Thanks everyone!! If it's still under warranty I'd still get the replacement fan from your dealer. (Even if it isn't I'd see what they had to say - it's obviously a known bug). Yes, thanks, I will have a go, and see what they say! The problem being, I bought the car in December off an independent, and it was three years old on the 2nd January! So I think I'll be lucky, but I can ask!! Thanks for all your advice though! Am I the only one who snapped the clips getting the cover off?

I didn't snap anything but I'm both VERY careful and, more importantly, the car was nearly new. I've just replaced a leaking grommet on our MX-5 and, as it was 7 years old and has lived out all its life, 50% of the silly clips broke. Plastic clips and age don't mix well!

My August 2015 GTS with 14k miles has been doing this regularly over the winter, so I finally got round to calling the new (ish) centre at Wolverhampton as I am working nearby this week. Called to book on Saturday, the service guy agreed without much explanation to have the car today. When I turned up this morning I asked if any new parts had been ordered and was assured they had and were on site. They then called mid morning to say it was indeed faulty and they would be fitting a new heater fan, or heater, can't remember. Really pleasant experience and the staff were all very helpful. A white GT4 at £94 k and a 2010 GT3RS in the showroom along with quite a few other models. They didn't even wash the car as instructed, jolly good all round and no rattles detected on the drive home either.

robj4 said: They didn't even wash the car as instructed, jolly good all round and no rattles detected on the drive home either. Why didn't you want the car washed? Also what's this thing about rattles? Mine is going in for rattle/squeaks that are getting worse and worse.

Hugo911 said: robj4 said: They didn't even wash the car as instructed, jolly good all round and no rattles detected on the drive home either. Why didn't you want the car washed? Also what's this thing about rattles? Mine is going in for rattle/squeaks that are getting worse and worse. Because it has GTechniq Serum coating and I don't think it's fair to expect the dealership to use clean wash mitts, the two bucket method with grit guards and clean drying towels finished off with Gtechniq detailing spray. Re. the rattles, by good fortune my car is (touch noggin) completely rattle free, and anytime a car gets taken apart there's a good chance of introducing some.. Edited by robj4 on Wednesday 1st February 08:49 Edited by robj4 on Wednesday 1st February 08:49

robj4 said: Re. the rattles, by good fortune my car is (touch noggin) completely rattle free, and anytime a car gets taken apart there's a good chance of introducing some.. Interesting. I learn something new every day on here! My 4 week old 997.2 is going back to OPC to rectify rattling noise. Maybe when they prepped it for sale the rattle was introduced?

Hugo911 said: robj4 said: Re. the rattles, by good fortune my car is (touch noggin) completely rattle free, and anytime a car gets taken apart there's a good chance of introducing some.. Interesting. I learn something new every day on here! My 4 week old 997.2 is going back to OPC to rectify rattling noise. Maybe when they prepped it for sale the rattle was introduced? I dont think this is a general Porsche problem. Everyone here has a 981. The 997 blower might be completely different / better.

Just thought I'd add that the fan on my 01/2014 981 Boxster stopped working yesterday and thanks to this thread I got it working again in a few seconds. Exactly as suggested, I removed the cover to the air box, span the fan impeller and it's ok again. And yes, I too broke a couple of clips they are very brittle plastic rubbish.

monamimate said: Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Perfect! I plucked up the courage to go fiddling under the covers and your suggestion was spot on. Strangely, I felt no resistance at all from the fan, yet it worked again as soon as I tried it, so that must have been the problem. A virtual pint for that man! Thanks. I also owe this man a pint! Legend! I had the exact same problem and fixed it using this approach. You've saved me a lot of bother, mate!

My Boxster exhibited identical symptoms and given favourable comments about service of Porsche Tonbridge who are around 20 miles from our home and who supplied us the car from new, I felt encouraged to contact them in expectation of similar service. Not to be! Having collected the car on a recovery vehicle and supplied a Jaguar XE DIESEL(!) some 4-5 hours later as a replacement vehicle. After 24 hours had elapsed, we called them to see if they HAD received the vehicle to be told they had, but not thought to inform us nor had they started work on it. Another 24 hours elapsed and they called to say they 'started' the heater fan and it appeared to be working! I commented I had determined from on line research that this fan issue appeared to be an endemic problem and required a replacement with an upgraded(?) unit to avoid further repetition of the problem. I was advised that Porsche would not approve this and I affectively need to have unit fail again with potential loss of the car for 2-3 days before further action could be taken. The car was returned on the 4th day using the AA Recovery Service who spent some 2 hours extra delivering the car having been given an incorrect postcode! The fan IS currently working - but the long term prognosis is unknown? To whom do I complain about Porsche's poor performance?

kbjpick said: To whom do I complain about Porsche's poor performance? Porsche GB?

RichB said: Porsche GB? Well, I had the same problem occur with mine last winter, and almost resigned myself to take the car (2014 Boxter S) into Porsche, but then saw this thread, and within five minutes the fault was rectified. It has been fine all year, until last Sunday, I started the car up, and the fan had stuck again, so I went through the same procedure, and again it is OK! Of course when I jumped into my Vauxhall Insignia, the heating, demisting and air con worked perfectly!! Porsche need to accept that there is an inherent problem with the heater motor on 981's, take the issue up with the motor manufacturer, and action a recall to replace them all!! Vauxhall don't have to do that, the fan is NOT an issue!!!!

Porsche Silverstone replaced my fan under warranty after it failed on me, even though I had applied the fix and it was working fine when I took it in.

ginettajoe said: RichB said: Porsche GB? Well, I had the same problem occur with mine last winter... <clip> Totally agree but that wasn't the question. Chap asked who he should complain to about poor customer service and in the first instance I would suggest Porsche GB. I also agree Porsche should replace the fan motors in affected 981s.

kbjpick said: My Boxster exhibited identical symptoms and given favourable comments about service of Porsche Tonbridge who are around 20 miles from our home and who supplied us the car from new, I felt encouraged to contact them in expectation of similar service. Not to be! Having collected the car on a recovery vehicle and supplied a Jaguar XE DIESEL(!) some 4-5 hours later as a replacement vehicle. After 24 hours had elapsed, we called them to see if they HAD received the vehicle to be told they had, but not thought to inform us nor had they started work on it. Another 24 hours elapsed and they called to say they 'started' the heater fan and it appeared to be working! I commented I had determined from on line research that this fan issue appeared to be an endemic problem and required a replacement with an upgraded(?) unit to avoid further repetition of the problem. I was advised that Porsche would not approve this and I affectively need to have unit fail again with potential loss of the car for 2-3 days before further action could be taken. The car was returned on the 4th day using the AA Recovery Service who spent some 2 hours extra delivering the car having been given an incorrect postcode! The fan IS currently working - but the long term prognosis is unknown? To whom do I complain about Porsche's poor performance? Tonbridge are my nearest dealer too and, on the strength of your post, I've just had a phone call with them and got the same answer.....i.e. computer says no! I'm going to have words with Porsche GB about this. The other day I had to endure the 30 miles or so from home until Clacket Lane services before the fan deigned to spring to life. Fortunately the weather didn't require demisting so I got away with it, albeit with frozen feet! Certainly nothing like as bad as I experienced in France last Christmas. It's worked faultlessly through the summer but now it's getting colder I'm expecting it to start playing up again. Tonbridge went on to say that even assuming I managed to get the car to them with the intermittent fan actually failed, if they popped the bonnet, spun the fan and it worked again, that would be considered fixed. They are saying that that's just how Porsche want them to do things. I can't really blame them but I do think Porsche's attitude stinks!

Flyferrari said: kbjpick said: My Boxster exhibited identical symptoms and given favourable comments about service of Porsche Tonbridge who are around 20 miles from our home and who supplied us the car from new, I felt encouraged to contact them in expectation of similar service. Not to be! Having collected the car on a recovery vehicle and supplied a Jaguar XE DIESEL(!) some 4-5 hours later as a replacement vehicle. After 24 hours had elapsed, we called them to see if they HAD received the vehicle to be told they had, but not thought to inform us nor had they started work on it. Another 24 hours elapsed and they called to say they 'started' the heater fan and it appeared to be working! I commented I had determined from on line research that this fan issue appeared to be an endemic problem and required a replacement with an upgraded(?) unit to avoid further repetition of the problem. I was advised that Porsche would not approve this and I affectively need to have unit fail again with potential loss of the car for 2-3 days before further action could be taken. The car was returned on the 4th day using the AA Recovery Service who spent some 2 hours extra delivering the car having been given an incorrect postcode! The fan IS currently working - but the long term prognosis is unknown? To whom do I complain about Porsche's poor performance? Tonbridge are my nearest dealer too and, on the strength of your post, I've just had a phone call with them and got the same answer.....i.e. computer says no! I'm going to have words with Porsche GB about this. The other day I had to endure the 30 miles or so from home until Clacket Lane services before the fan deigned to spring to life. Fortunately the weather didn't require demisting so I got away with it, albeit with frozen feet! Certainly nothing like as bad as I experienced in France last Christmas. It's worked faultlessly through the summer but now it's getting colder I'm expecting it to start playing up again. Tonbridge went on to say that even assuming I managed to get the car to them with the intermittent fan actually failed, if they popped the bonnet, spun the fan and it worked again, that would be considered fixed. They are saying that that's just how Porsche want them to do things. I can't really blame them but I do think Porsche's attitude stinks! My sentiments entirely!!

I know this is a 2 year old post, but may help people searching as I did. My wife's 2015 Boxster heater fan has packed up 3 times recently. The frist time she went over a speed bump and it re started on it's own, the second time it was recovered by the AA and taken to our local dealership who fixed it. The 3rd time and most interesting was a couple of weeks ago and the nice AA man had just phoned his friend who works at Porsche and had it fixed in 2 minutes. Right here we go...... when it gets damp and cold the heater fan sticks, apparently it only happens in this country and Porsche will not admit they have a problem as it's got that serious it may end up as a recall issue. How to fix it.... MAKE SURE THE ENGINE AND IGNITION ARE SWITCHED OFF, lift the front bonnet, remove cover to reveal battery etc. and next to the battery you will see the heater air intake with the pollen filter on the front of it, remove the cover off that, put your hand inside the air intake box and spin the fan with your finger..... sorted.

Funnily enough mine was stuck again this morning, that's 3 times in the last couple of months. And while I agree it's a 5 min fix, it's still a pain in the arse at 7am when it's dark and wet outside and all you want to do is drive to the office. So, this morning instead of taking the Porsche I took the Volvo and I had the funny thought that the fan in my 60 year old Aston works fine so it shouldn't happen in a 4 year old Porsche. I'm wondering if a spray of silicon in the right area might help?

Had to do exactly the same at the weekend on my 981CGTS, second time I've had to do this now in the 3 years of ownership. Like everyone has said this thread was invaluable to me and it literally is a 5 minute job to fix so I'm not going through the pain of a 2 hour round trip, drop the car off and have a BMW 5 series diesel for the day for them to do exactly the same as me. If Porsche GB acknowledged the issue and replaced the fan I'd suffer the pain.

RichB said: Funnily enough mine was stuck again this morning, that's 3 times in the last couple of months. And while I agree it's a 5 min fix, it's still a pain in the arse at 7am when it's dark and wet outside and all you want to do is drive to the office. So, this morning instead of taking the Porsche I took the Volvo and I had the funny thought that the fan in my 60 year old Aston works fine so it shouldn't happen in a 4 year old Porsche. I'm wondering if a spray of silicon in the right area might help? Mine has seized for the second time this winter, and after the first time, I tried spraying a small amount of WD40 around the spindle, but the problem still re-occurred!! So this is the second winter that I've had the problem, and I do feel that all 981 owners that suffer the problem need to get together and bombard Porsche with complaints!! Maybe, just maybe, they would do something!!! Is it the manufacturer of the fan that has it wrong, or is it Porsche? If it is the fan manufacturer, then it is the duty of Porsche to sort it out with the fan manufacturer!!

Mine did too. 2nd time for me too. Peeing it down with rain. Started driving and noticed misting up screen. Got zero visibility so had to pull over. Started digging around in airbox getting soaked and scraped skin off hand.

Just an update on my post from yesterday, but my wife complained to Porsche GB customer services stating that the car was not fit for purpose if the heater fan had stopped working 3 times in 2 months as she usually drove the car on her own and if she was out at night and there was a frost then she would not be able to drive home and they have agreed to replace it under warranty. The bad news is that the service advisor at our local dealership doesn't think it will fix the underlying problem as there has been no modification to the fan motor or unit. We also found out during this process that Porsche GB have told dealers they are NOT to replace fan units under warranty and that if the fan can be fixed and it runs for 3-4 minutes then the car can be returned to the customer, they are experiencing exactly the same problem with the Cayman and certain 911 models. On the plus side, the AA man who came out to us a couple of weeks ago said he doesn't get called out to Porsches very often.

Just out of interest - Could you call AA out to your car if the blower stopped working?

guysybaby said: Just an update on my post from yesterday, but my wife complained to Porsche GB customer services stating that the car was not fit for purpose if the heater fan had stopped working 3 times in 2 months as she usually drove the car on her own and if she was out at night and there was a frost then she would not be able to drive home and they have agreed to replace it under warranty. The bad news is that the service advisor at our local dealership doesn't think it will fix the underlying problem as there has been no modification to the fan motor or unit. We also found out during this process that Porsche GB have told dealers they are NOT to replace fan units under warranty and that if the fan can be fixed and it runs for 3-4 minutes then the car can be returned to the customer, they are experiencing exactly the same problem with the Cayman and certain 911 models. On the plus side, the AA man who came out to us a couple of weeks ago said he doesn't get called out to Porsches very often. Mine was replaced under warranty - albeit 12 months ago - and I was led to believe that the new fan would fix the problem - which so far it has.

ATM said: Just out of interest - Could you call AA out to your car if the blower stopped working? Yes, Porsche assistance if it's under warranty or AA through your membership, they came twice to my wife's car, first time it was recovered and fixed at the garage, second time the engineer repaired it on the drive. Both times it would have been impossible to drive the car because the temperature was only just above freezing and so there's no way of de misting the windscreen.

Hi all. Slightly sad to say I've joined this club this weekend. Just got back from a very cold trip to the shops where I had to keep the window open to stop the windscreen misting up. I'll phone my local OPC in the morning, but curious about the mix of comments on this thread. Earlier ones seem to suggest it's a no quibble replacement, and later ones seem like they're now denying it. I'll let you know what they say to me!

Phoned this morning. Got told I could either bring it in but would have to leave it with them for an investigation, or have it brought in via Porsche assist (as not being able to demist the screen is something of a safety concern) and get a courtesy car.

bcr5784 said: Mine was replaced under warranty - albeit 12 months ago - and I was led to believe that the new fan would fix the problem - which so far it has. Same for me. Fixed 12 months ago by OPC at Tonbridge with no quibble and under warranty. New fan and no problems since.

Had exactly the same issue on my 2015 981. Same fix as well, actually called the Porsche assist (who sent AA but silver van) and he knew exactly how to fix it. I would not hesitate to do the fix mysefl having watched how simple. The issue is it seems to have been affecting owners for years now, and there seems no sign of the issue going away. I've only had the issue once but if it happens again car is under warranty until Feb 2019 i will be insisting they replace the Fan motor/unit. Persistence is the key i suppose. Andy

I'm going to pick mine up tomorrow, but they've apparently fixed not replaced it, and said they'd seen it before and were confident that it wouldn't fail again, etc. Fine with me as it's a warranty thing anyway. Is it just a leaf getting in and blocking the fan or something?

StevenRugg said: I'm going to pick mine up tomorrow, but they've apparently fixed not replaced it, and said they'd seen it before and were confident that it wouldn't fail again, etc. Fine with me as it's a warranty thing anyway. Is it just a leaf getting in and blocking the fan or something? No, if you look at the fan (it's a rotor type, not a blade) nothing gets in, the motor simply stalls. I wondered about trying to lubricate it but others have said not to bother. I'm not confident Porsche can have "fixed" the problem on yours but good luck.

RichB said: StevenRugg said: I'm going to pick mine up tomorrow, but they've apparently fixed not replaced it, and said they'd seen it before and were confident that it wouldn't fail again, etc. Fine with me as it's a warranty thing anyway. Is it just a leaf getting in and blocking the fan or something? No, if you look at the fan (it's a rotor type, not a blade) nothing gets in, the motor simply stalls. I wondered about trying to lubricate it but others have said not to bother. I'm not confident Porsche can have "fixed" the problem on yours but good luck. I think the only option is to pull the thing apart and see what motor is in there. Then surely it can be replaced. Years ago when i was a lad you could get hand wound motors for radio controlled electric cars. Different gauge wire in different windings - not sure of technical terms here - gave different rpm and battery drain times.

This happened to me on Friday. No fan, no heat. (Think I'll buy an Alpine A110 now, for more reliability). Anyway... has anyone experiencing this failure noticed the regular clicking noise coming from the dash, around 80 clicks per minute, whilst the heating is out of action? After 75 miles of coldness I stopped for 10 minutes, restarted, and the heater immediately started working with no clicking noise. It's under warranty. What recent fixes have others had for this issue? Is it still fan replacement, even though some posters here have said the fan hasn't been updated? Thanks for info.

DJMC said: This happened to me on Friday. No fan, no heat. (Think I'll buy an Alpine A110 now, for more reliability). Anyway... has anyone experiencing this failure noticed the regular clicking noise coming from the dash, around 80 clicks per minute, whilst the heating is out of action? After 75 miles of coldness I stopped for 10 minutes, restarted, and the heater immediately started working with no clicking noise. It's under warranty. What recent fixes have others had for this issue? Is it still fan replacement, even though some posters here have said the fan hasn't been updated? Thanks for info. I've not had clicking just complete failure.

DJMC said: This happened to me on Friday. No fan, no heat. (Think I'll buy an Alpine A110 now, for more reliability). Perhaps you might it you'd had an IMS or Bore score failure. In years gone by Porsches were the one sports car that you could rely on to be reliable and durable. Other brands have now caught up and passed them, and regretably Porsche seem to have gone backwards.

You might need some aircon in the A110. I’ve heard they can get pretty hot... Bcr have you cancelled your order ? http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/top-gear/news/a853754...

bob2146 said: You might need some aircon in the A110. I’ve heard they can get pretty hot... Bcr have you cancelled your order ? http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/top-gear/news/a853754... Old news. I haven't placed an order yet - but I haven't withdrawn my deposit . As I have said elsewhere the problem has be identified (petrol hose fastener) and unlike the GT3 fires the problem has been fixed on all cars before shipping to customers. Chris Harris was very positive about the car on Top Gear.

Just had the exact problem on my 2014 Cayman. Fan started working again on the way to dealer (I decided to drop in on my way past). I took it to Swindon Porsche who immediately agreed to replace it under the extended warranty, with no quibble at all. That has covered the cost of the warranty for the year.

I am another who owes Pope a virtual pint 64reg CaymanS same problem thanks mate,I have also tried a mist spray of silicon spray so I will see if that helps cheers Roy

Ours has gone, I think for the 3rd time!! (981s) Back to dealer on Monday I understood that they replaced the unit 2 years ago so that didn’t work!!

Mine stopped working when I left for work this week but it started of its own accord after a few mins, perhaps it got jolted into life!

What a great platform this is. One minute my heater packs in, well the fan and my short journey with the windows open didn’t give me time to determine if the heater works or not. So groan, a expensive time consuming trip to sort it methinks? But no, a quick search and up pops this thread. Two minutes later, having lifted the bonnet and the battery cover, I unclipped the fan cover and reached inside (ignition off!) and moved the fan (could just feel it was stuck) and then bobs your uncle, worked perfectly. Thank you &#128591; &#128522; To Pope the original poster of the solution.

Spinneyman said: ...Two minutes later, having lifted the bonnet and the battery cover, I unclipped the fan cover and reached inside (ignition off!) and moved the fan (could just feel it was stuck) and then bobs your uncle, worked perfectly... Unfortunately i will keep stopping randomly until the weather warms up! Seriously it only happens to me on cold weather.

Jim A said: Just had the exact problem on my 2014 Cayman. Fan started working again on the way to dealer (I decided to drop in on my way past). I took it to Swindon Porsche who immediately agreed to replace it under the extended warranty, with no quibble at all. That has covered the cost of the warranty for the year. Update......although when I first reported the problem, they said they would change the fan, when I picked it up yesterday, they told me they had in fact ‘fixed’ it. I’ll see how long it lasts. He insinuated they would replace it if it broke down again.

Jim A said: ...they told me they had in fact ‘fixed’ it... That involves flicking the fan bad (rotor) to unstall it and putting the cover back on.

RichB said: Jim A said: ...they told me they had in fact ‘fixed’ it... That involves flicking the fan bad (rotor) to unstall it and putting the cover back on. I've fixed mine a few times. Generally it fails again after a couple of weeks unused.

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Thank you so much Pope. Saved me a lot of wasted time. My car was sat for about 2 weeks and suffered this issue. This might help some ... Remove this cover: Then this cover: Move this fan: Replace the covers and pull this foam seal back into place:

R1nur said: Then this cover: Only snag is that the plastic clips on that cover break but I've given up worrying, it's off so often in the winter!

I have a 2015 981 and the car had been idle for about two weeks, the tip to reach in and spin the fan worked, like other readers there was no resistance in the fan, I had been over a few sleeping policemen and speed bumps but this did not work.

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Thanks! Set off on a long journey to find fans not working. Quick Google brought up this thread. Pulled into services, five mins and all sorted.

Got bored of doing the hand spinning thing so went to the Porsche dealer today to get this fixed and was rather surprised to find out that this was the fix and there was nothing more they could do. After a small moan they have agreed to replace the unit as its not really acceptable to do this every few days. Lets see how long this will lasts. I'm amazed given the commonality of this issue that Porsche haven't got a solution

Presuming Ed said: Got bored of doing the hand spinning thing so went to the Porsche dealer today to get this fixed and was rather surprised to find out that this was the fix and there was nothing more they could do. After a small moan they have agreed to replace the unit as its not really acceptable to do this every few days. Lets see how long this will lasts. I'm amazed given the commonality of this issue that Porsche haven't got a solution Have you had the sticky brake pedal too?

I had the same problem with my 981 boxster - and thanks to this thread i managed to get it going at the house... Last week I had exactly the same problem with my 718 cayman. Looks like they never bother addressing the problem.

I did ask if the 718 had any similar issues and Guildford told me that they hadn't seen any issues and therefore must have solved the problem. Seems like they must be too new to have seen the problem and yours is a first.

Presuming Ed said: I did ask if the 718 had any similar issues and Guildford told me that they hadn't seen any issues and therefore must have solved the problem. Seems like they must be too new to have seen the problem and yours is a first. Assuming the people at the garage are both knowledgeable and willing to tell you the warts and all truth. Personally I don't believe anything they tell me.

Leics. OPC wouldn't "fix" my 2014 981 fan under extended warranty when it cut out last March on one day only. As it's an intermittent problem they can't replicate it and so it's therefore not a problem at all. They have noted it on my warranty file, that's all.

Had this on my 718 today, car had been stationary for 3/4 weeks. after 2 miles the fans kicked and all was fine

tcs0tm said: ...after 2 miles the fans kicked and all was fine But it's not fine and Porsche should recognise this. With the way Boxsters mist up so much on the windscreen in cold weather it completely immobilizes the car which is not fine when I want to drive home from the office and it's dark and i have to rip the top off the airbox again...

Sir_Dave said: This little tip fixed mine this morning, thanks Thank you, thank you, thank you. The AC blower fan on my 2014 Boxster had not been working for 2 weeks in 90 degree temps. Your fix took me 5 minutes to complete and now my AC is working perfectly. You saved me $500 and a long trip to the nearest Porsche Dealer!

It's that time of the year again I see.... The only issue is that the plastic tags on the cover break off so it's not completely damage free fixing it like this.

Is there a fix for this? Must say they are fragile... a series of screws around the periphery of the lid would have been fine...

Drove Malvern to Reading and back, this weekend, waiting for the fan to start - always worked before, after a couple of mins - now fixed this am in 5 mins by flicking the fan. Thanks vm for your posts... Edited by MG Ant on Tuesday 26th November 20:00

MG Ant said: Is there a fix for this? Must say they are fragile... a series of screws around the periphery of the lid would have been fine... Ah but then t wouldn't be so easy to fix it when you leave the office, in the dark at 6pm on a wet winter's evening!

If you're happy having a go yourself it's an easy fix. Remove the motor and unscrew the rear housing and you'll see the brushes and commutator. With a fine grit wet and dry paper (600 will do) hold the paper against the copper commutator and turn the motor a few times. Afterwards wash it out with brake and clutch cleaner using a small brush taking care to remove any carbon build between the small gaps in the commutator. Once dry refit.

ppy to have a go, is it easy to remove the motor?

RichB said: ppy to have a go, is it easy to remove the motor? Yes. Underthe passenger side dash, remove the foam type cover, pull off the heater tube. These are quite stubborn and do sometimes need some force to pull off. There's a cover under the motor which also needs to be removed, it's only a couple or so screws. Unplug the motor from the loom, it's a squeeze together type plug which should come off easily. I think from memory there's another couple of screws holding the motor in place, you can then lower the motor out from the dash. If applying power to it once out, be aware its a powerful motor so keep hands well away from the fan, most call it the hamster wheel for obvious reasons when you see it..

^^ Oh dear, my bad. Forget every thing I said, I didn't read the thread title properly&#128542; I've just told you how to remove the motor on a 986!!

It must be similar on the 981. I have had the issue on both my 986 and my newer 981. I do the spinning the hamster wheel thing to get it going but it's a PIA so a fix sounds good.

I have just bought a lovely '62 plate manual Boxster S [dark metalic blue, tan/sand leather; PASM, PSE] from Targa Florio Cars. Not had much chance to stretch its legs yet, but a great step forward from my manual 350 SLK in terms of dynamics, driving enjoyment and responsiveness. But this afternoon [continuous rain of course] the heater fan did not kick in leaving me well steamed up, all round. I'm afraid I didn't believe the 'it only takes 5 mins' line in this blog - but its all true, and now blowing like a banshee and clear windows. Many thanks indeed for your help and assistance https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/2.gif and sorry for not believing your hard won knowledge. I'm sure everything else I will be reading in these blogs will be just as believable ............. I'm very much enjoying them, and learning lots of good/useful things.

I've had my 2015 plate 981 for 5 months, just been away for a week and found the same problem as everyone else on here when I started it up. Very annoying as I had to drive 10 miles to an hospital appointment with the windows open on a freezing morning to keep the screen clear. Fortunately I was free that afternoon for the dealer to fix it but it was a couple of hours wasted there and back. In anticipation of getting a new fan fitted for peace of mind can anyone give me the approximate UK cost please? The independent I bought the car from are very good but it's not under warranty. Following on from the drain pipe blockage issue ( checked by the dealer foc) I'm less than impressed with Porsche at present. Thanks for the excellent pics to fix it btw but I'm past tinkering at my age.

It's a 5 minute job to free the fan off on the rare occasion it gets stuck. Personally, I'd live with it until it happens regularly or completely seizes.

Nyloc20 said: I<clip> Following on from the drain pipe blockage issue ( checked by the dealer foc) I<clip>. Did your car flood in the footwell? I have had drains blocking with my previous 987 and my current 981. First time it happened Porsche GB covered the cost but this time it has cost me £1,500 for cleaning and a new amp, which got ruined by the rain as it's situated under the driver's seat. Sadly I won't be getting another Porsche convertible as the chaps at Guildford told me the 911 has the same system of drains.

Hi RichB, no my car didn't get wet inside fortunately. I picked up the problem on here and got a call from the dealer to drop the car in before I progressed with it myself. Sorry to hear about your problems, I'm not impressed with Porsche on this but my independent dealer's been very good. I always wash the car by hand now with no high powered water jets.

Twinfan said: It's a 5 minute job to free the fan off on the rare occasion it gets stuck. Personally, I'd live with it until it happens regularly or completely seizes. Also, when i enquired with Porsche, the part number hadnt changed, so if id bought a new one, id have just being re-fitting a newer version of the same useless part. I left it as it was.

Nyloc20 said: ...I always wash the car by hand now with no high powered water jets. Unfortunately it's the rainwater drains behind the doors where the water runs off the hood. They get blocked with general gunk and detritus.

Sir_Dave said: Twinfan said: It's a 5 minute job to free the fan off on the rare occasion it gets stuck. Personally, I'd live with it until it happens regularly or completely seizes. Also, when i enquired with Porsche, the part number hadnt changed, so if id bought a new one, id have just being re-fitting a newer version of the same useless part. I left it as it was. We really need a keen diy'er to remove the motor and see if its fixable or swappable for another with the same dimensions that wont keep seizing.

Just had the same happen with my 2012 991. Went away for a week over xmas and when I came back no aircon fan so followed all the instructions throughout this topic and my fan was definitely stuck, but it gave up easily and worked under power when I put it back together. Thanks for all the advice.

Pope said: The brushes stick within the motor; open the bonnet, lift the cover and locate the pre-filter (it curls upwards on the nearside). Lift the plastic lid that covers it and you see the fan inside - maybe need a torch. Reach in - ignition off! - and spin the fan by hand - if it's indeed stuck it will free off with a gentle twist. Test system, refit covers. The fan has been modified in the last year or so to counteract the issue Amazing. Thanks!!

Timely that its this time of the year again and my fan has now stuck after 2 years of no issues lol. Will be using the above trick and hopefully it won't happen again!

Chamon_Lee said: Timely that its this time of the year again and my fan has now stuck after 2 years of no issues lol. Will be using the above trick and hopefully it won't happen again! Yeah I've not had this for a while. Probably 2 years for me too.