Ignition switch question

My ignition switch seems to be "broken." For a couple weeks it was tough to get the key in and out, then it seems the spring inside broke and now when I start the car the key is not spring loaded back to the correct position. If left turned, some electrical stuff (AC particularly) will not function. If I manually turn it back counterclockwise all's well. If I turn it back too far...it shuts the engine down. Does anyone know what I'm facing? Is this a possible DIY? Will I have to have the car rekeyed if the mechanic has to install a new lock? (That sounds expensive.) You should see the valet trying to figure it out! TIA. Jack

wow there has been a bunch of these recently... Yes there is plastic piece in the ignition that has broken. Key really won't move - AC works but not once you turn the car over.... Had mine fixed under warranty. At the dealer it was 600 bucks. I think there is a DIY on Renntech - the part itself is $30.

You can replace just the switch itself as a DIY as Malakas stated. I opted to have the dealer install a new switch and steering column locking mechanism. Which is the only way a dealer will repair it. Cost me $460. This supposedly uses a revised part that's not as susceptible to this problem. Which is pretty common on 99-00 996 and 986's. This happened to me the first thing on a Sat. morning on the way out of town. I couldn't remove the key from the ignition. So I couldn't drive the car because I couldn't lock it and the key being in the ignition would run the battery down. Lucky it didn't happen when I was out of town Sat. or Sun. I would have been hosed! That's the reason why I went with the more expensive repair option.

You have to replace the entire locking mechanism unfortunately. Pelican Parts has them (along with others) to get an idea of cost.

DIY is with an Audi part number - item is identical to the original switch in the car - search on the forum will find details for sure. Dealer repair is a new part as Blackness said, which has been redesigned to avoid future failure in the same way. Failure to replace the switch may lead to your battery running flat - as some systems could be left 'on' when key is removed.

As usual Rennlist saves the day. search on "ignition switch" didn't do it, but search on "audi ignition switch" and I found DIY instructions with photos, part number, link to part supplier, and peace of mind. I love this new fangled internet.

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The problem lies in the locking mechanism, the switch is not going to solve the problem.

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You could have saved a bunch of time by clicking on DIY in the forum menu. I always look there first for anything reputed to be a common problem. Loren and the guys at RennTech have set the most common and helpful DIYs aside in their own section, with descriptive titles.

The switch is most often the cause of the key not returning to position on it's own. I suggest you simply replace the $30 switch and move on.

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I don't believe that is accurate in view of the problem he described and the many, many RennTech posters who have solved the same problem by replacing the electrical portion of the ignition switch. (same goes for your earlier post that the dealer must replace the entire mechanism). Initially, Porsche performed this same fix, but eventually transitioned to a redesign and replacement of the electrical & mechanical switch sections along with the steering column lock. (there's a DIY for that at RennTech, also). However, for problems of a sticking key and/or electrical mysteries involving the ignition .... the replacement of the electrical portion of the switch still seems to be an adequate fix. At $25 or so for a new switch, and less than an hour of one's time, it seems to be preferable to the high dollar repair .... even if you have to eventually perform it again.

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Well, when I had a problem with mine , 99firehawk recommended that I change the entire mechanism, not just the switch. But, apparantly the switch alone does the trick. Luckily, mine never acted up again.

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He will need to source a very short screw driver for the job though - or maybe custom modify an existing one. Access is very very tight for the screws holding the switch to the ignition. I think the DIY posts cover this - but it's worth noting before you start!

I did the Audi part and it worked for about two months before I had to bite the bullet and do the whole thing. Radio Shack has a little RC car tool kit w/the perfect sized screwdriver to do the Audi part.

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I think you're right on this, the Audi switch doesn't have much of a spring to it so I believe the lock would have to be replaced as well judging by the symptoms.

Please do a search for " HELP: Key stuck in ignition switch - battery NOT dead" . There is a lot of information and links in that thread. Good luck

I replaced mine with an Audi part from ebay for about $24 and it's been good since, almost a year now. Took me about 20 mins total time.

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I was overruled

Gentlemen, I had the sticking/hard-to-turn key and electrical gremlins (no lights, no steering lock, and no wipers) as well and replaced the switch with the OEM part obtained via eBay for about $20 shipped. This took about 20 min and fixed not only the electrical stuff but also the "stickiness" of the lock. I still don't really understand it except to guess that something inside the broken electrical switch may cause some tension on the lock cylinder making the key hard to turn or extract. After changing only the electrical switch, the lock is back to being as smooth as silk. I used the Renntech instructions and bought an extra switch for next time. I bet I can do the next one in under 10 min... Good luck! Tonger

Does anyone know if this is covered by Porsche on a CPO car?

I just had mine done at the dealership. It cost me $415. I asked the service manager if it would have been covered under the CPO, hoping for some goodwill coverage since I was still under the mileage although over the time. He told me that it would not have been covered under the CPO warranty. He also told me he does about 10 of these ignition switch replacements a month.

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Unless something has changed very recently, you did not get the simple replacement of the electrical portion of the ignition switch. You got the replacement of the entire column locking hardware assembly, which includes an ignition switch of new design (in hopes of avoiding the problem in the future). Because Porsche went to this new, much more extensive procedure a while back, Porsche stopped selling the old electric portion of the ignition switch, and DIYers have had to resort to sourcing it through Audi, eBay, etc.

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Yes, I got the entire column locking hardware. The service manager told me that most of the time the real problem is in the locking mechanism. If you read through all of the posts on line, more than a few people report they had to redo the cheap fix. If you don't mind doing the work yourself that might not be a big deal, but to someone like me whose mechanical abilities and patience are limited, $415 did not look like such a bad deal. I required some tools just to get the key back in the ignition just to start the car. If I had been out at night and that happened far from home, I would have probably had to pay for a tow. Using the dealership might be a bit more expensive, but it should eliminate the risk of this happening again anytime soon.

Its really not that difficult to change out the entire switch assembly. Im sure just changing the single piece is a little easier and cheaper but there is a really good DIY here: http://www.renntech.org/forums/index...howtopic=16077 Its really only a few screws, its just a matter of having patience since your working in a small place.