PADM Transmission - Safety/ How Long/ Damage - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

A different set of questions re the perennial Boxster PADM Transmission mounts nightmare bearing in mind that replacement parts continue to fail and that there is no way of coding out a fault : 1) Are there any safety issues at all in continuing to drive once the PADM Warning light comes on - the owner,s manual says it’s OK to drive , but to get it attended to. 2) If it’s OK to drive the car, and again bearing in mind that Porsche often has an interminable wait for replacement parts, is there a set mileage or time after which some other part of the car will get irreparably damaged by not replacing the faulty mounts? The owners manual doesn’t specify a set mileage or time. 3) if the answers to both the above questions are NO , and again bearing in mind that the majority of owners have only recognised that there is a PADM fault through their dashboard display and not through the handling of the car, then why not just keep running the car with the faulty PADM mounts? Otherwise one is just needlessly subsidising Porsche who continue to push out poor quality replacement parts which invariably fail for a long known fault. It is almost as if the PADM issue is not being properly addressed by Porsche just to keep us buying their extended warranty ! Edited by carspath on Friday 16th May 18:39

I have had four PADM units replaced two on a GTS and two on a spyder - all within about 3 years and all replaced under warranty. In all cases I have not noticed any difference in the driving characteristics with any of the failures on road driving - I don’t do track days. As fas as I am aware, no damage can be done by running with inoperable units and I will be tempted to run like this if I have any more failures. I am certainly not forking out for an extended warranty just in case ! I took out an extended warranty on a 996 Turbo many years ago :- Exhaust bracket failure not covered Air con condensor failures *2 not covered Central radiator failure not covered Warped discs at front not covered Fuel tank sensor failure not covered All this on a car with less than 12000 miles and four years old. That car was a nightmare !

I can't imagine any damage being caused, only the inability to increase/reduce the stiffness of the mount. If you can live with the warning light, and it's not an MOT fail, then no harm in leaving it as it is.

Yep doesn't affect the car in any way afaik. One side PADM failed last Autumn...718 GT4 manual. Did around 500 miles with warning light on but safe to drive message on the car and no difference in driving characteristics whatsoever. Replaced under warranty. Half expected the other side to fail but hasn't. Porsche will understandably only replace the faulty PADM not both sides if one has failed. Car needs full 4 wheel alignment following work because the rear triangle frame has to be dropped so quite an expensive job in total. Afaik the new padm is different to the original to prevent future failure. Someone reported the new unit is also encased silicone sealed but this is unconfirmed.

Thank you all. I too don’t do track-days in my Boxster and it is highly reassuring to hear that you haven’t noticed any difference in handling in road-driving pre-vs-post PADM failure. 1) Surely this is the bottom-line issue - of course you would want Porsche to foot the bill if you have already paid out for an extended warranty, but if not it would be good to have a rough-guesstimate of : (a)what proportion of owners can feel a handling difference and (b) if anyone at all has suffered any follow-through damage from leaving the faulty PADM mounts untouched. 2) Does anyone know if these PADM mounts are designed to fail in the hard or soft positions?

They essentially "fail safe", in that they are left in the firmer state when not operational.

carspath said: It is almost as if the PADM issue is not being properly addressed by Porsche just to keep us buying their extended warranty ! Look at the facts, it makes no difference to the car if they are working or not it isn't a safety issue, nobody seems to be able to tell if they are working or not by the way the car drives and the vast majority of drivers only know they have failed when the warning light comes on. The failure also allows the car to be driven until stock and a fitting slot are available for a free fix under the extended warranty, but expensive if you have gone independant with no warranty. No doubt someone will accuse you of being part of the tin foil hat brigade but I think you are spot on.

Has nobody cracked the coding yet so they can be isolated out of the system? Mine are working fine for now on my 718s and it does seem to be more of the 6pot cars that we hear about but I would be much more inclined to remove than repair if they did fail.

Steve H said: Mine are working fine for now on my 718s and it does seem to be more of the 6pot cars that we hear about but I would be much more inclined to remove than repair if they did fail. You probably hear more about the 6 pots because there are more of them out there.

Steve H said: Has nobody cracked the coding yet so they can be isolated out of the system? Mine are working fine for now on my 718s and it does seem to be more of the 6pot cars that we hear about but I would be much more inclined to remove than repair if they did fail. Someone posted a solution on another thread here, so there is a way of tricking the car into thinking the mounts are operational.

There's also a replacement PCB and case (the fault of the PADM) to the existing mount that a clever chap in China has made and now sells. According to Rennlist they are $200 a pair. All my research told me the fault cannot be coded out but someone on here in another thread mentioned it can be done albeit nobody has said how it's actually done! Irrelevant for me now as I've moved my 718 Boxtser on although in 8yrs and 91k miles the original PADM had never been replaced. If and when I go back to a Porsche with PADM I'll buy the Chinese repair option.

Just had PADM warning again whilst tearing around Goodwood on Saturday. If anyone has had one replaced the last few weeks, what's the current supply like on the mounts please?

maximtaylor said: If anyone has had one replaced the last few weeks, what's the current supply like on the mounts please? My 718 GT4 is booked in next Thursday to have it done (for the 2nd time). It's going to be interesting to find out if it's the previously replaced side, or non-replaced side, which has failed this time.

kmpowell said: My 718 GT4 is booked in next Thursday to have it done (for the 2nd time). It's going to be interesting to find out if it's the previously replaced side, or non-replaced side, which has failed this time. Ditto the above Booked in for early June. 2022 car with 5000 miles. Pleased I extended the warranty.

JT68S said: kmpowell said: My 718 GT4 is booked in next Thursday to have it done (for the 2nd time). It's going to be interesting to find out if it's the previously replaced side, or non-replaced side, which has failed this time. Ditto the above Booked in for early June. 2022 car with 5000 miles. Pleased I extended the warranty. 2700 miles here. 2022 car also, which the manufacturers warranty ends in July (I bought from new). When my car first failed (January 2024), I was told a new revised part was now used (original part no' 98137505984, new part no' 98137505986). So depending on which side has gone this time (new/replaced or old/original part) will probably dictate what I do with the car long term. I really begrudge the thought of paying £1000+ each year just to cover a known issue. I already do that (£1400 a year) on another car I own, and that smarts a bit knowing it's for a family car I can't have fail on me, let alone for just a fun weekend/occasional car.

Couldn't agree more. First failure at around 4000 in October 2024 car then in warranty. Extended warranty Jan 2025 fault again at just over 5000 miles I have owned the car from new and so far this is the only fault. The PADM issue is poor....should be allowed to replace both with the "upgraded part" at the same time, surely cheaper for Porsche ? I am in a similar predicament with 2021 Defender 110 3.0d do I extend the warranty or get rid.. Often think get rid of both, buy an M3/M5 Tourer, one set of running costs but probably a bucket load more depreciation !

JT68S said: The PADM issue is poor....should be allowed to replace both with the "upgraded part" at the same time, surely cheaper for Porsche ? I requested that first time around. My OPC agreed, but Porsche pulled the plug on the request at the last minute, saying they would only do the non-broken side with a few hundred pound gesture of good will towards the cost of the job. JT68S said: I am in a similar predicament with 2021 Defender 110 3.0d do I extend the warranty or get rid.. Ha, that's the other warranty I was talking about that I pay for, but on my 2021 Discovery D300 (also owned from new). Nothing gets close to the Disco for my needs, so I foot the bill for extended warranty.

Have to say the Defender has been fine apart from a few minor electronic gremlins. Owned from new, 4 years old next month, time for a change. I also enquired about doing both PADM at the same time, told not within Porsche policy.

It would be really interesting and informative to hear back from those owners who are having their car,s 2nd ( or 3rd or 4th! ) transmission mount replaced as to whether the failed mount is a new ( and if so, exactly how old - both in terms of mileage and time ) , recently replaced mount, OR an original, factory-fitted mount that has survived for many years. It would be good to build up a database , as I suspect that this will continue to be an ongoing issue - people that I have spoken to , who should be in the know , have variously given differing answers as to whether or not anything truly substantial was done between the oft-quoted different parts numbers. I am not sure that the PCB or the waterproofing was in anyway upgraded between the earlier and later part numbers. If they were then Porsche would surely be shouting about it from the roof-tops and future and further failures should be minuscule in number. Replacement mounts, labour to fit, and resetting the suspension geometry will be a costly exercise , both in terms of money and time, - especially if it doesn’t sort out the problem permanently/semi- permanently. A PH database as suggested above will give owners the info upon which to make an informed decision as to whether to fork-out yet again or whether to just live with the dash warning light.

A PH database as suggested above will give owners the info upon which to make an informed decision as to whether to fork-out yet again or whether to just live with the dash warning light. Living with the dash light on will only hinder when you sell/part exchange effecting the value, probably the cost of the years warranty....?? My car, two failures one at approx 4000 miles Oct 2024 next one at approx 5000 miles May 2025, car goes in early June for replacement so will find out if its the original or Oct 24 replacement. Around 7 months 1000 miles apart.

Thanks zJT86S The database will be most useful for very longterm owners. I write off the capital cost of the car before I make the final decision to purchase on the basis that I hope to keep the car for decades. I do this for my 2nd hand Toyota MR2’s just as much as I do for my supercars as it is an expense I can readily calculate. Far more worrying to me is the incalculable cost of ongoing maintenance and repair costs - and warranties often don’t cover many. expensive items. The PADM on Boxster is one such issue which will hit the 981s and 718s once past 15 years, and is why I worry about spending circa £2000 repeatedly with no guarantee of getting even a semi-permanently fix. Please do keep us informed as to which transmission mount now needs replacing.

According to the text in the advertisement the car in this link has had the PADM warning light mapped out by Sports & Classic: https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/2019-porsche-7... It could be a good option for some people.

I saw this PADM delete option advertised today

kmpowell said: My 718 GT4 is booked in next Thursday to have it done (for the 2nd time). It's going to be interesting to find out if it's the previously replaced side, or non-replaced side, which has failed this time. Done today. The technician confirmed that the side that failed this time was the original, so thankfully not the side which was replaced at the start of 2024. I can breath a bit easier now knowing I have both sides done with the new updated part no'...

Repaired-replaced Confirmed it was the original part that had failed & not the side replaced late 2024. Told the original part prone to moisture ingress leading to failure.

Hey everyone, Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone out there. My PADM failed for the third time... and honestly, after getting fed up with it, I decided to dig a little deeper into the issue. While browsing through some forums, I came across a thread discussing sensor replacement. So I did a bit of Googling and found a replacement part available at Zuffenparts. I ordered it, and it arrived in about a week. Yesterday, I tackled the installation myself (with the help of the included manual. I wouldn’t have dared try without it!). Once everything was reassembled and plugged back in, the system started working perfectly. No need to visit the dealer, no reset required, the fault code just disappeared on its own. Huge relief! Massive thanks to everyone who takes the time to share advice here. Your posts really helped me figure this out!

Just seen this post... So my 718GT4 that I bought 2 years ago with 5K miles has had both replaced within my ownership. The first failed within 3 months of owning the car - Porsche took a few months to get the part and subsequent replacement, obviously had to go to the OPC to confirm which side, then for replacement... and then annoyingly the OPC informed me they had forgotten to do the geo/alignment being a GT car so had to back for the 3rd time!!! Second one failed whilst on the ramp for the 4 year service last October, no issues up until that point but the OPC informed me upon collection that it had failed whilst being serviced and you guessed it no part in stock, so back again and I made sure they did the geo this time. The only saving grace was the fact that everything was under warranty, but effectively 5 visits to my local OPC for something that shouldn't be failing.

jimmy718 said: Hey everyone, Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps someone out there. My PADM failed for the third time... and honestly, after getting fed up with it, I decided to dig a little deeper into the issue. While browsing through some forums, I came across a thread discussing sensor replacement. So I did a bit of Googling and found a replacement part available at Zuffenparts. I ordered it, and it arrived in about a week. Yesterday, I tackled the installation myself (with the help of the included manual. I wouldn t have dared try without it!). Once everything was reassembled and plugged back in, the system started working perfectly. No need to visit the dealer, no reset required, the fault code just disappeared on its own. Huge relief! Massive thanks to everyone who takes the time to share advice here. Your posts really helped me figure this out! I assume by your username you have a 718 - how easy was it to replace yourself? Did you need the car up on a ramp? Any particular tools needed?

Swapping the sensor was simple enough, but removing the PADM module took a bit more effort but still very manageable. I tackled it on a 718 using a lift, which I highly recommend. Once the car's up, you start by removing the underbody shield. Next, place a jack under the gearbox to prevent it from dropping, then you can safely take out the PADM module and install the new sensor. Zuffenparts provided a manual packed with detailed photos, which really helped, especially since I’m not a professional mechanic. It gave me the confidence to handle it myself. Unfortunately i can't put the manual here in attachement

Jimmy718 - OP here. Thank you for your highly informative post - easily the most valuable on this thread as it gives owners an option other than to replace the whole PADM module. 3 Questions please: 1) How much did the replacement sensor cost ? 2) Does you know if the replacement sensor you used can also be used in the 981 series cars ? , and if so does anyone know if the replacement procedure is largely similar? Thank you

Copy pasting here from another forum - boxa.net Someone has done this as a DIY and it was apparently quire straight forward ‐-------------------------------------------------------- I've no affiliation, but this is the the Shopify link to buy the replacement PADM sensor from China. For the 981, you need sensor A, for 982, Sensor B,. Someone on Rennlist seems to have fitted one. Apparently PADM mount has to be removed to fit it. Look like $199 +$90 postage https://www.poporacing.com

av185 said: Car needs full 4 wheel alignment following work because the rear triangle frame has to be dropped so quite an expensive job in total. This was a concern of mine yesterday. I had a PADM fail yesterday, the day after a Manthey corner weighted set up. I spoke to RPM who did the set up and they said it can be replaced without it needing to be set up again but to make the OPC aware.

I had a PADM sensor fail on my 981 Boxster last year. Having then read a lot about this topic, and the failure rate of the Porsche modules (even the replacements), I thought I'd try a more pemanent fix. Sports & Classic replaced both the PADM mounts with normal mounts (a fraction of the price of the PADM ones) and then coded out the PADM feature from the car. So I know the new mounts are good, and I won't get the error message again. Total cost was less than one replacement PADM mount. So OK, I don't get adjustable damping now, but I'm not a good enough driver to push the car to the point where it makes a difference, or to notice when driving around normally. And I'm no longer worried that I will get an error message when I'm driving around.

gd said: I had a PADM sensor fail on my 981 Boxster last year. Having then read a lot about this topic, and the failure rate of the Porsche modules (even the replacements), I thought I'd try a more pemanent fix. Sports & Classic replaced both the PADM mounts with normal mounts (a fraction of the price of the PADM ones) and then coded out the PADM feature from the car. So I know the new mounts are good, and I won't get the error message again. Total cost was less than one replacement PADM mount. So OK, I don't get adjustable damping now, but I'm not a good enough driver to push the car to the point where it makes a difference, or to notice when driving around normally. And I'm no longer worried that I will get an error message when I'm driving around. Does Mike know about the new replacement sensors for the PADM units? It’s pretty common knowledge at this point that it’s just the sensor that fails on the PADM mount, causing the error code. There isn’t anything actually mechanically wrong with the damper unit. There are companies making upgraded and sealed sensor units for a fraction of the cost of the complete damper unit. Something like £120 per side.

I guess he might, but I asked him to swap these out. By the time he would have taken out the mounts, taken off the old sensors and replaced them with the new ones, and then refitted them, it would probably have cost about the same. From what I've seen the replacement of the sensors is not a ten-second job, it takes a bit of work. For a non-track day, road going base Boxster, PADM feels like overkill, and at least this way I know it won't be a problem in the future. If it was a GT car or something more performance oriented I'd have replaced the units or the sensors.

I’m not sure it has much to do with performance or track use in any real terms. You want stiffer mounts when converting an ordinary road car into a race car but it’s not like the ones on a Porsche are ever going to be made of jelly in the first place. The softer setting on PADM will isolate some extra vibration which may be appreciable for road use, although probably not. The default when the sensors fail is to go to the hard setting but most owners that have the failure say they wouldn’t have known if the light hadn’t come on.

I had 3 PADM failures in 6yrs on my previous 981 CS. I’d gone with an OPC warranty so it wasn’t a big deal for. No failures so far on my 981 GT4 4yrs of ownership. Christian’s YT channel Project 981 follows his ownership journey with his GTS. He’s made 5 videos from the time he first had the inevitable PADM failure through to finding the censored to fix the mounts himself. All explained…

Since this is the most recent of the various PADM threads, I thought I'd post in here. Finally had PADM sensor failure on my 7k mile Spyder, and I'm going to go aftermarket for the fix. Does anyone have any feedback or preference for the various options? I see Design911 and Ninemeister both do a fix, does anyone have any opinion or experience on one being better than the other? https://www.ninemeistershop.com/product-page/9m-up... https://www.design91.uk/p/porsche-padm-sensor-type... Edit: also noticed the Zuffenparts option - https://zuffenparts.com/products/padm-sensor?varia... Edited by john_1983 on Monday 14th September 11:30