Does your 2010 gen II base Cayman smoke upon cold start-up?

I would like to know from those of you that have '10 gen II base Caymans if your cars smoke upon cold start-up. Thank you!

This is a byproduct/defect that is caused by the cylinders being horizontal as opposed to a V configuration, making your engine burn a little oil during a cold start, which is the reason for the smoke that you are seeing. Porsche will tell you that this is "normal", the same way all the psychos think they are "normal". I take it this is your First Porsche... and welcome to reality, this is far from the perfect car people make it out to be.

Never had this problem. 2010 CS.

No smoke should be seen out of a sound car engine, being it horizontal or otherwise. Think Subaru, for instance... Should we excuse them, then?:crazy: So, why people make it out to be?:crazy:

How much does your's smoke? I know it's hard to expalin that in words, but did you noticed that while you're inside the car or you had someoen straing the car and your were outside whatching the exhaust tips? I never notice that on mine, but it's a 06 and i don't usually go out after i start the car

I don't have the car anymore. I returned it. There is an obvious design flaw with the '09 gen II base Caymans. See the thread: Engine Problems - Warranty?? Help!!! With the car in my garage i could easily see the smoke from inside the car, sometimes even at open air - embarrassing!!! Other times i would ask someone to look at my tailpipe while i started the engine.

Our Boxster with the same engine smokes on start-up. It also spews out a lot of soot, compared to our Gen 1 CS. Of course, I can make the CS smoke anytime I desire, just by starting it up, switching it off, and then restarting it. I've heard the flat engine architecture explanation, but I'm not sure I'm buying it.

base boxster gen II here....same issue bluish smoke upon almost every start up can see it easily from within car...oil level always seems to be the same on meter which worries me too

The article you pointed to is an extreme example. I really hate the argument that a car which burns oil is "normal", but every dealer will repeat this. I guess if they deny the problem, or call it normal, then it's not a problem? I have never had a car other than a Porsche burn oil... and anyone of them that did burn oil had a defect that needed to be repaired. Wait until you cold start your car during low temperatures, then you will REALLY see all that smoke (condensation).

Greetings, Yes, my 2010 Cayman S sometimes burns a little oil during start-up. My car has 3500 miles, it has occurred approximately 20 times since purchased new in March. I have not had anyone watch the tail pipes during start-up. I've been able to noticed this "normal" occurrence while sitting in the cockpit (sorry, driver's seat). Either by looking out the window or in the rear view mirror. I agree with some who have responded that this is "normal." The manual states this fact. Furthermore, the oil level based on the electronic oil gauge is down approximately 60 - 70%; about 2/3's. I think that means the oil level is down 0.5 - 0.75 quarts. I carry a quart in the side compartment just in case. Also curious to know if in fact this is quite normal and to be expected with ALL models or just the Cayman/Cayman S models. My neighbor owns a Carrera S and had his oil changed at 10,000 miles. He said, "my oil level was okay before the change." Others? Semper Fi

First of all, thank you for your replies. As for the "flat engine architecture explanation" it is suffice to say that if it would be true then every single flat engine in the whole world would smoke upon cold start-up. Well, we all know that several flat engines, even porsche's, doesn't smoke at all - as it is supposed to be - and they are indeed flat . What about that?! Oil level should always be measured in the same conditions: car leveled and engine just warmed-up (say, 10 min. after cold start-up) i really doubt that this is always the case when using the electronic gauge (which i think it isn't very accurate either). How do you know if the engine temperature is the same? This alone changes the oil level reading. If the engine smokes (bluish smoke) then it is burning oil. Period. Reliability should come first than everything else... "we cannot win a race that we couldn't finish" - the same for everyday life - that's the reason why Porsche is keeping the old Metzger GT1-based engine for motorsport. Because it's proven! When i've started this thread i was looking for 2010 (MY10) gen II base Caymans/Boxters with smoking issues. Who has 2010 base Caymans/Boxters?

Those are bad news for me ... i was hopping that none of the new DFI's CS have this issue. Normal it ain't... since the new 9A1 engine has also a new improved AOS(air/oil separator) very similar to that used on the DFI 911s - it has been said that it it is miles better than the previous ones which had been responsible for some of the earlier gen I Boxters/Caymans to smoke upon cold start-up. If the problem isn't from there, as it was the case with my gen II ex-Cayman (i had the AOS replaced with no improvement), then i must say it is from the engine itself. Depending on your drive style, sooner or later, you will have engine problems i'm afraid. How is your drive style?

MY10 GenII 2.9 gives puff of white smoke perhaps 1 in 20 or 30 cold-starts. Smoke doesn't last for any time after initial engine firing. Used perhaps one pint of oil in around 6k miles so oil usage not excessive by any measure.

Hi, I'm a little confused here... you had posted (post #13) the following before in this thread Oil Level Measurement--what am I missing? : « New 09 Cayman Gen II owner here . Had the car for a week now and looked to check the oil as per the Manual and ecdysiast's post. Using the user-initiated measurement, the display tells me that the oil level can only be measured with the engine idling - rather different from what I can make of the manula. Am I simply being rather silly here or is the Gen II level measurement procedure different? » I'm sorry to ask, but can you tell me your VIN? You don't need to show the 3 last digits to keep it confidential if you wish.

i have slowed down much after i bought the po but it still sees WOT everytime i take it out. i took it easy for breakin then ive turned it loose many times ...130 plus. as far as looking at the intake ...ninja pleeezzz...its a new car ...it does it 1 in 25 start ups...as soon as the c7,s come out this sports car goes...porsche ..what was i thinking

your right...nothing wrong with the cars...its us few..the abby normals

Wish my first post on this forum wasn't in a thread such as this one but the topic caught my interest. I purchased a new 2009 2.9 Cayman 2 weeks ago. Had 103 miles on it. It was built in April 2009, so it's not an early production 2009. I've driven it 5-6 times and I saw the big puff of smoke out the back window on 2 mornings. Aw, I hope this doesn't turn into a problem down the road. Didn't see the smoke when engine was started cold during the day, after sitting for a few hours, just in the morning. Should stay away from the complaints area of the forum. I originally came here to do a search for "rattle", which I can't believe I've already got an annoying one from drivers door somewhere but can't isolate. Hope members have experienced this already and I can find a quick fix.

Hi, The issue is related to ALL MY2009 base Caymans/Boxters that had been produced from late 2008 to June 2009 (first production batch), after which is considered MY2010. I will quote myself on this subject:

Anyone with a MY2010 base Cayman/Boxter with the same symptoms?

I've been following the threads discussing generation II non S Caymans producing cold start exhaust smoke. I have any early production (#736) which occasionally smokes on start up, but in 4500 miles has only burned 1/2 quart of oil and lost 12 ounces of antifreeze/water mixture. I'm very sorry to hear that two members have experienced serious issues with their engines, but I'm not sure I understand how those two problems translate to a defective design in all the early generation II motors??

i`ve got an 09 with 6 thousand on it and it used no oil or antifreeze BUT it has/can/will smoke BIG time.....looks [pun intended] like you have issues also

Once the car has warmed up COMPLETELY, I rev the engine to about 6500 rpm every time I drive the car. I don't mean on every shift, just when I come across sections of road that are fun/safe, on ramps, etc. During the break in period I kept the car below 4200 rpm (I'm sure a few shifts were probably up to about 4800 rpm) for the entire 2000 mile period as specified by Porsche. From 2000 to 2200 miles I would periodically shift the car at 5000 rpm once it was completely warm. From 2200 to 2400 at 5500 rpm, from 2400 to 2600 at 6000 rpm and so on until I reached 3000 miles and 7000 rpm, at which point I changed the oil. I never run to the redline (after the break in period that is) as the torque and horsepower curves flatten out at about 6500 rpm, and I have never hit the rev limiter.

My cayman has 1600 miles on it so far. After reading this thread I took a look and glad to say no smoke fort me. dave-t

If you wouldn't mind, please try this experiment. Start the car up, it doesn't matter if it's warm or cold. Move the car about 20 feet or so, and then shut it off. Wait a few minutes (or even 20), and then start the car again. Right after you've started it look in the rear view mirror for smoke. I perform something like this process when I move a car out of the garage to wash it, and then start it up to move it back in when I'm done. Both the '08 and '09 smoke nearly every time doing this. Two different engine families, same smoke.

Ok! Let's wait and see then... yours have 4500 miles, jamesp07's had 5000 miles, mine was around 10,000 miles (and still working)... keep an eye on your tailpipe, though! It's very likely you are going to start seeing an increasingly cloud of smoke upon cold start-up.

2010 CS is my fourth Porsche and all once in awhile emit a puff of white smoke on start up. None ever burned oil and I never lost sleep over it.

Yes, it blows a billow of smoke once in a while on a cold start and yes, I pegged the redline a few times when I first bought it (igored the break in period rules). So what? Some of you guys act like a bunch of mom's waiting up for their teenage daughter's return from her first date. The car has a 4 year warranty. If the damn thing takes a **** during the first 50k miles or 4 years, who cares? The way I see it, if it dies after 4 years of use, it likely had nothing to do with my driving habits nor is it really likely I will ever have a problem anyway. Why the hell else is everybody trying to sell me an extended warranty two months after i bought the car? I can guarentee you the guys who drive these things in Europe are not gingerly about. American's live in fear of the worst possible outcome. Change your oil when necessary, don't dump the clutch, don't slam on the breaks and don't turn corners on two wheels. The car will outlive you, don't sweat it.

CaymanPower, yes I have a 2010 base and blueone I started the car moved it 20 feet and restarted the engine. Again happy to say no smoke. I do not think this is relevant but I did switch out my exhaust tip. I have a fabspeed tip that takes out the t connecter and has two separate pipes. Look on fabspeeds website for better explanation it is the gen ii tailpipe for $415. Dave-t

Very interesting. Though I can't believe the exhaust tip could make a difference.

The issue i'm referring to is related to base MY09 genII Caymans. And it's not even a puff it's a HUGE cloud of smoke. It's my belief that the issue was solved for MY10 base Caymans. That's what i'm trying to find out with this thread. Just out of curiosity, for how many miles do you keep your Porks?

For the case you don't know where Portugal is... i'll tell you i'm portuguese and therefore european. And, in Europe the warranty is 2 years. I shouldn't have to be worried about extended warranty periods if i have to pay 87.5k US$ for a car, let alone one that ONLY has 10k miles.

I have an '08 Cayman (so not exactly the feedback you're looking for)... but I've found that when I park on level ground there is no smoke on start-up. When I park with one side of the car lower than the other, there is usually a small cloud of blue smoke emitted on start-up. I think it has to do with how the oil sits in the crankcase... maybe coating the walls of some of the cylinders. It doesn't bother me and I don't worry about it. The car uses no oil between changes. I think its just part of the design. Could be the same in the gen 2 cars.

Mine does not smoke. However, the Porsche dealers will tell you that it is normal because it is a flat six, the oil sits in the cylinders and it is natural to expulse some smoke.

I was wondering when someone would mention this on this thread. I jack my '07 Cayman up to bleed/flush the brakes after a weekend track event and the next time I start it up (usually in the morning), it smokes (it could be a week after the event, and driven during that time). It also smokes occasionally when I park it in an uphill position. My '04 Boxster S also smoked occasionally, and I did not track that car. Most of the people on this thread, and many other threads report smoke on start up occasionally. The dealer says it's normal. It's normal. Is it a design problem? Do you consider a car that smokes on start up a problem? If so, yes, it is a design problem. My Toyota 4-Runner doesn't smoke on start up, and neither does my C300, or my old 528i. But their engine cylinders face up, not sideways. Can you fit an engine with upright cylinders in a Boxster or Cayman? No. So how did they resolve this problem? Have the cylinders face sideways. No problem. Here's the real question: the Cayman came out in 2006. How many owners on this thread had their engine blow up because of this problem? How many had the smoke on start up go from once every twenty times to once every five times, or every time? This is what would concern me. That would possibly indicate that the valve guides are wearing out because of this design problem, and more oil is leaking out.

OK... so now for the way-out question The big deal for 2012... is a new car that meets the new stronger regulations in Europe for Co2 and Green House Gasses. Do you think Porsche is working on the smoke at start up, as part of the issues it needs to be compliant... or do you think the government testers won't even have a test for "start-up smoke" and not even think to look for that particular problem when it comes to certifying the new car as "cleaner" according to their new test standards?

My best guess is that the 2020 Boxster will be all electric and probably won't smoke on start up.....but the battery might explode.

I have a Gen II PDK Cayman first registered in November 2009. It has been smoking on startup for the last couple of months sometimes with 'clouds' of visible smoke and comments from passers-by. It has just come back from its second visit to Porsche Chiswick - this time for a whole working week. Luckily I had Porsche assistance recover it so I had a hire car. I have been advised by their test driver/senior mechanic that it is completely normal and has been put side by side with another Cayman and there is no difference. Clearly both cars are suffering from the same problem! I have decided to take their professional view at face value and drive the car ignoring the problem. If the engine fails they will need to deal with it under warranty.

I've now got over 1000 miles on my 2009. Haven't seen smoke since I reported earlier in the thread. The 2 times I got smoke in the morning was on level ground in my garage. June/July mornings in San Diego aren't cold. Not worried about the smoke issue for now but ugh, new problem realized a week ago. Squeak, squeak, squeak when turning wheels left going real slow in parking lots. Gotta just keep telling myself I own a "sports" car, not a car which I expect to not have any problems.