22 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHDoes anyone have pics of a VarioCam opened up?
Leading reported evidence
Check dtcs
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I connected my trusty Obd2 code reader and checked for DTCs.
Leading evidence: 'Check dtcs' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'day' (1 discussions; 0 report identifying it and 1 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Check dtcs' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
Replace 13 times, never more than 5k inbetween oil
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
In 66K miles the oil was changed 13 times, never more than 5K inbetween oil changes and always Mobile1.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed · Original poster
I reset a good dozen times and surrendered, it went to Porsche then the crap started with the warranty company.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I used the reader to clear DTCs, though there was no current DTC this also cleared the pending DTC.
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that suspect a cause
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Suspected cause
The idle was a bit rough upon startup -- probably because fuel trims reset after I cleared the code -- but nothing like it was the day before.
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Suggestion
Also, I pointed out that if he had proof he followed the recommended service intervals, used the right oil, etc., that there was no basis for the denial (at least to my non-lawyer mind) and to me this suggested he was a victim of consumer fraud.
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Suggestion
However, I had not been given the choice of replacing both items -- had I been given this choice I would have gone with the techs' recommendation and granted permission to replace both items -- and the dealer absorbed the duplicate labor/parts/supplies cost arising from going back into the engine and replacing the actuator.
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Suggestion
Back to the dealer and I was told the actuator was bad and because this happens quite often the SOP is to replace -- unless the customer refuses to agree with this -- both the solenoid and actuator.
Outcome qualification: Negation, uncertainty or missing explicit repair resolution overrides the raw extraction signal.
Coverage and how to read this overview
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
22 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 1 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T155324Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
My car is at Porsche because of CEL P1539 and the warranty company sent an adjuster to look at it and inspect my mainenance records. I have every receipt since 1999 including 13 oil changes.
The inside of the opened Cam shows some dried Varnishing and what they called sludge. It looks like a thin film of brown all around the spark plug tubes. The Cam is clean as well as the chains and actuator.
The service writer said her gut is they are going to deny the claim because they are claiming that the sludge aided in the failure. It's BS because it looks more like varnishing on the inside of the cam area no loose sludge or anything thick. The buildup is as thick as a piece or two of paper. It's thinner than a credit card. I'm going back there in the AM to take pics of it.
Does anyone have any pics of the VarioCam with the cover off that I can compare mine to?
This is the inside of my cam cover after 75k miles. Varnish is a fact of life even with religious oil changes. I would call BS on the claims adjuster. The actuators don't last forever and even with regular oil changes they are going to fail. They are a SERVICE part after all.
And one of the heads:
Looks about the same as my 02 Boxster did when its VarioCam solenoid/actuator failed at around 240K miles.
To the OP: Send me a PM with your email addresss and I'll reply with various pics taken when my Boxster engine's passenger side camshaft cover removed for solenoid/actuator R&R.
Denying the claim due to "sludge"? Might as well deny it because the alignment of the planets is not quite right.
Your mechanic though ought to fight for you and point out there's no sludge present. I've seen sludge in other engines (not any Porsche engines) and if one has seen it he never forgets it. Sludge is a very unhealthy looking collection of 'goo'. Yuck.
Every horizontal surface/depression collects it.
Sincerely,
Macster.
To add to your comments, what I think happens is the solenoid starts going bad and in doing so it activates/deactivates the actuator over and over again which takes its toll on the actuator.
Also, I found the pics of my Boxster's camshaft cover and the underneath side of my Boxster's camshaft cover is pretty bright. Brighter than I remembered.
But even so the amount of discoloration visible in the pic of the camshaft cover you posted, if the OP's cover has this same coloring that is not sludge at all, but varnish just like you said.
And no where sufficient to deny the claim.
Sincerely,
Macster.
My head and cover are darker with a coating than the pics logray posted. This is going to be an uphill battle, the repair is $2800 for actuator/solenoid and labor.
I'm sick over it.
About $2800 is right. I paid around $3K (had an oil/filter service done at the same time) when I had the solenoid/actuator replaced in my 02 Boxster's engine.
Afterwards, though, the engine was like new. And it still is and it has just a few hundred miles over 248K miles on it.
Sincerely,
Macster.
I won, I filed a complaint with the Secretary of State in Texas and the BBB in Irving Texas where Enterprise Financial Corporation (the warranty company) is located last friday.
I received a call from them yesterday asking if I had picked up the car yet from North Scottsdale Porsche, I told the guy I spoke to that I was planning to pick it up at 5PM. He told me, "I have good news for you; we have decided to pay your claim", they Paid Porsche $2800 and change.
I've been emailing back and forth with Macster and he wanted me to share the news that I won.
It felt great driving my 911 to work this morning.
Thanks to all that participated in my thread.
One second the engine was running just fine the next it was not.
As I arrived at my office after an uneventfull 30 mile drive mostly at highway speeds the engine developed an odd idle condition.
One moment the engine was idling at normal idle speed then it dropped to around 500 rpms (by the tach dial/needle) then almost no sooner does it reach 500 that it climbed again to the normal idle rpm and this cycling repeated over and over again, at least for the few minutes I let the engine idle.
Gave the engine some throttle and it ran and sounded ok. No scary noises. (I was probably whimpering though...)
No other symptoms, Oh, the CEL was not on.
I connected my trusty Obd2 code reader and checked for DTCs. Even though the CEL was dark I thought it might be dark because the bulb had burned out.
But the CEL status was 'off'.
Then I read pending DTCs and there was one, P1341: 174 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 1 - Signal Implausible, 174 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 1 - Below Limit, 174 Camshaft Adjustment, Bank 1 - Above Limit.
I used the reader to clear DTCs, though there was no current DTC this also cleared the pending DTC.
Then I shut off the engine and restarted it and upon restart and idle the rough idle symptom was no longer present and the engine still sounded ok.
Decided to risk it and drove the car home and did so without incident.
Next business day drove the car 1.5 miles to the dealer. The idle was a bit rough upon startup -- probably because fuel trims reset after I cleared the code -- but nothing like it was the day before.
On way to the dealer the check engine light did come on just a few blocks before I reached the dealer. I didn't read the code -- took OBD reader out prior to taking the car to the dealer -- but suspected the code was was the pretty persistent (at least in colder weather) P0430.
Got the car into the dealer the next business day and the tech confirmed the solenoid/actuator bad. Solenoid replaced and the symptom returned shortly after I got the car back. Back to the dealer and I was told the actuator was bad and because this happens quite often the SOP is to replace -- unless the customer refuses to agree with this -- both the solenoid and actuator.
However, I had not been given the choice of replacing both items -- had I been given this choice I would have gone with the techs' recommendation and granted permission to replace both items -- and the dealer absorbed the duplicate labor/parts/supplies cost arising from going back into the engine and replacing the actuator.
After this the engine ran and has continued to run just fine.
Sincerely,
Macster.
My car had no symtoms at all but the CEL came on. I reset it and it came on again. I reset a good dozen times and surrendered, it went to Porsche then the crap started with the warranty company. If my CEL was not on I would have never known anything was wrong.
This had a good outcome! I'm glad your claim was not denied due to varnish. LOL.
BTW, am I correct it sounds like you loaned your car to Macster to diagnose and help out?
No diagnosis on my part.
I simply suggested the OP look into how to challenge a denial of warranty claim. Sludge indeed..
Also, I pointed out that if he had proof he followed the recommended service intervals, used the right oil, etc., that there was no basis for the denial (at least to my non-lawyer mind) and to me this suggested he was a victim of consumer fraud.
The OP said he filed a complaint with secretary of the state in which the warranty company was based and a few days later he got a call from I guess the warranty company informing him it had decided to honor the claim.
Sincerely,
Macster.
I showed the adjuster my binder with clear sheets in it that has every invoice from North Scottsdale for all service and warrany work that was done since May of 1998 when the car was new. In 66K miles the oil was changed 13 times, never more than 5K inbetween oil changes and always Mobile1.
They tried to hustle me, I resisted and complained.
I'm happy now!
I showed the adjuster my binder with clear sheets in it that has every invoice from North Scottsdale for all service and warrany work that was done since May of 1998 when the car was new. In 66K miles the oil was changed 13 times, never more than 5K inbetween oil changes and always Mobile1.
They tried to hustle me, I resisted and complained.
I'm happy now!
All's well that ends well.
I think this is a good place to reinforce to all of those that have extended warranties to be sure to know what is required to keep the warranty in effect and to adhere to that. And save the paperwork!
Sincerely,
Macster.
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