tiptronic shifter problem - stiff mechanism

Hi, I was driving my 2007 Cayman base tiptronic yesterday and enjoying the marvelous car that it is until a strange thing happened. The tiptronic shifter has become very stiff. I can still move the selector to all positions and the car drives normally but the mechanism is very stiff. It was never like that. Has anyone else seen this problem? I'd appreciate any commiseration, advice, links to possible solutions, etc. I have found information about 986 and other older models having this issue but nothing about later models or Caymans . As near as I can tell from the shop manual, the shifter is one unit connected to a cable in turn connected to the transmission (with various electronic bits along the way). It doesn't appear to be many points of failure here - transmission, cable, shifter. Given prior historical events, lack of idiot lights or errors, and perfect functioning of the transmission, I suspect the shifter or the cable. I have installed the Softronic plenum kit (best mod so far) and, of course, had to move the cable a bit per the instructions. I'd really hate to waste my time driving to the dealer only to be told it was something I did with the plenum install and be charged hundreds of dollars for the pleasure of the insult. I have the extended warranty (it was a Porsche certified buy) under which this should be covered, but I can buy a new shifter on eBay for about $100 US. Even at the wholesale Porsche price it would be worth the money to avoid the time lost and conflict at the dealership. Don't get me wrong - I have great appreciation and respect for Porsche mechanics who have superior knowledge on all things Porsche - I just don't trust dealerships to 'do the right thing'. Thanks! PS Is it me or was the translator of the service manual under the influence of mind altering drugs when he wrote it? Or do I have to be in an altered state to read it properly? :hilarious:

I have not heard of this problem before, nor have I experienced it with my own Tip at 52K miles (I also have the race plenum). You didn't spill some drink into the mechanism by any chance? I suppose if you are up to removing the center console yourself, and are concerned about the dealer making an issue of the SRP install, then that might be a reasonable place to start. If it were me, I would probably take it to the dealer, and if challenged about the SRP (which might not even get noticed), point out that it had been on the car for x months/y miles without any problem. Please keep us informed of what you discover.

Thanks for the advice. I've made an appointment with another dealer on the 27th. I'll let everyone know what happens. A minor off topic detour to further explain my hesitancy with dealerships... I have had great service with the dealership I bought the car from until an incident 19 months ago (I've done my own yearly service since - turns out it isn't any more complicated than my BMW K1200LT and maybe less so). It wasn't a big deal - I asked them to please check the alignment because something 'felt' off. When I got the car back, they said they found a few degrees of alignment off here and there (their words) so they fixed that. But when I drove away on level pavement the steering wheel wasn't straight. I mean, who doesn't check that during alignment? After two more attempts of returning the car (the same day) insisting the steering wheel wasn't straight (and they adjusted it each time), I finally asked for the mechanic to drive it and tell me what he thought. Well, he comes back 15 minutes later admitting that it was indeed off 'but only about 5 degrees'. The service manager told me I was being picky and after watching the mechanic lift my car and turn each tie rod adjuster 1/4 turn each without so much as a gauge I felt that their service wasn't up to my humble standards. This was a genuine Porsche dealership with factory trained mechanics! (or so their sign claimed) The problem was resolved but my trust in the dealership's ability to properly service my Cayman hasn't returned. A wise friend of mine (many years my senior) told me once the mark of a good mechanic is the lack of hammers in the top drawer. I suppose this guy's got a dozen or so really big ones in there. :hilarious: Perhaps these other folks will be better.

I have the same problem with mine, but only when it's above 90 degrees. If it's cold out, no problems at all. But if it sits in the sun all day it can be really hard and frustrating to change between the gated selections. This may be attributed to a passenger spilling coffee in the mechanism during my first week of ownership

That normally happens to me when i let the car sit for a week or so, or when its either VERY hot or VERY cold, I think its the lubricant for the shifter, after a while it goes away for me, what I do is stand on the brake in my drive way and just move it from park to drive and repeat that step 20 times haha, hope this helps - Jerry

Like Golfguy, the Tiptronic mechanism is stiff only when it's hot outside. No issues between gears, only when initially shifting down to drive.

This just happened to me tonight and it is weird I saw this right after it happened. Yeah I had problems moving from P to R but then went back and forth about 10 times and it fixed it. Probably something to do with the lubrication like others mentioned. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hi, as mine fine when it is cold, but stiff between p n d r. Any ideas what has caused it and what the fix is, as I live in hot South Africa

Hi I am sure it has something to do with the proximity of the cable. As this stiff scenario occurs when the engin is hot. Can the cable be insulate in anyway.

This same problem just cropped up on my '06 CS for the first time and I've owned it for 5 1/2 years. Very cold or very hot outside, it never did this before. After the past two days of 90F it's doing it now. Maybe the age of the car is becoming a factor? I'll live with the problem for a while to see if it goes away like it seems to have done for the others. Anyone have any more insight into this?

This problem was gone the next time that I drove the car and has not yet returned. OK...

Found the solution. I loosened this screw a bit and greased it. ! Happy to share what I did.

Please provide more instruction as to what and where “this screw” is? Thanks.

In the three year & eight months since this last post the stiff shifter has been a recurring problem. It is definitely associated with high summer temperatures, likely high cabin temperatures after sitting for hours in the sun.

Just in case that for sale listing disappears in the future, I've captured the pertinent image.

Thank you for the research. I anticipated not hearing back from the OP so I kept digging. I found a great video that explains the issue and provide provides ways to resolve it. I’m gonna give this a go in the next couple weeks. Hope this solves my problem and maybe help someone else in the process who finds this post.