Help with PCM 3 and backup camera

Hoping to get some advice from some of you more seasoned in Porsche ownership than me. In a moment of weakness, I allowed my dealer to install a backup camera on my brand new 911 Turbo S, and now I'm really regretting it. The last several cars I've owned have had backup cameras, and I was worried I'd be bumping into all sorts of things without one on the Porsche . My dealer sold me a camera he claimed was installed "on about half the new 911 's" they sell. Normally, I'm the type who keeps my cars pristine, but I figured the dealer knew what he was talking about, so I gave in. When it was first installed, the camera caused some sort of problem with the GPS and iPod interface in the car. Selecting Nav/Map displays "Loading Map data", and then it just hangs there. At the same time, my trusty iPod wasn't even detected when I plugged it in. The service folks claimed it was just a cable in need of replacement, so I waited patiently for the part to arrive (about a week), and the dealer dispatched someone out to my home to make the repair. After that, the car worked properly...the camera was fine, and everything from the GPS to the iPod worked perfectly. Unfortunately, it lasted less than a month. A few days ago, I started the car and I noticed the radio went dead, the screen went blank, and then the PCM seemed to reboot itself. After staring at the Porsche logo for maybe 20 seconds, the radio came back on - but (you guessed it!) back to the same problems: no iPod, and the Map/Nav screens just hang displaying "Loading Map". To make matters worse, the dealer stood me up twice now...two days this week, he offered to have his technician come out and redo the repair, but he's been a no-show both days. This doesn't help with the frustration level, especially given that we're talking about a $175K car here. So now I'm considering my options: Keep working with the dealer. I'm willing to believe they want to stand behind the product they sold me, I'm just not very confident given the history so far. I'm sure there are ways to escalate this sort of thing through Porsche if it comes to that, but for now, I just want my car to work right. Go outside the dealer to find the world's greatest PCM authority (at least in my vicinity), paying someone who knows what they're doing to fix it correctly once and for all (feel free to PM me with recommendations if you guys know anyone in the Long Island NY area). Ask the dealer to remove the backup camera and get everything back to original factory condition (is this even possible, if the installer tampered with wiring, etc?). Is there anything else I can try? Would it help to reset it myself (and if so, how)? Are there any obvious cables I can check for tightness? Error codes logged somewhere that would pinpoint the problem? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

elf, My XM radio stopped working and the whole PCM 3.0 was replaced under warranty. It took me 3 appointments. I think it is reasonable to ask them to uninstall the rearview camera, see how the PCM works and replace it if the operation is anything but flawless. I did not ask for the replacement, but they were unable to fix the problem otherwise. The fun part was that certain submenus appeared in german. Best of luck, Tamas

Curious, I was under the impression that a backup camera was not available on 997 / 987s at all from the factory. There are 2 after market solutions, one from Nav TV that works with older PCM3 and an interface card that goes inside the PCM3 that overrides what is displayed. Any idea on what exactly they did? What type of camera is installed?

You're correct of course, this isn't a factory-installed option...it's a dealer-installed accessory. It's not the NavTV. I think they used a product called "Control Logic" to add an A/V input to the PCM , and then a generic camera mounted over the license plate feeds this input. Technician is coming out early next week to attempt repairs again...hope it turns out better than last time.

Just thought I'd close this thread out... On the fifth (!) attempt at repair, the dealer figured out that the Nav unit was fried and ended up replacing the entire PCM system. I suspect there were some shenanigans going on between the dealer and Porsche USA since the dealer mysteriously removed the entire backup camera system (including the license plate frame mounted camera). If I'm Porsche USA, I suppose I don't feel good about a warranty replacement on a part that's been modified by the dealer, but that's between the dealer and the manufacturer I guess. I was without the car for nine days this last time. Overall, my first 50 days of ownership were quite dismal: the car was either in the dealer's garage (14 days), sitting in my driveway waiting to be repaired/picked up (5 days), or being driven with a non-functioning PCM system (7 days). That's 26 days out of my first 50 dealing with this issue - not exactly what I signed up for! After reaching my level of frustration, I demanded a refund and asked that the camera not be reinstalled. After getting my car back from the PCM replacement, I am minus the backup camera, but at least it has been operating correctly. I have about eight weeks and 1000 miles behind me since this last repair, and the car seems fine overall. To be clear, the management at my local dealer were reasonably accommodating and in the end, they did most of what I asked. About all I can blame them for is selling me an accessory that didn't work with my car. Still, there's something uniquely frustrating about spending so much money for one of the best cars on the planet, only to find yourself driving to work in the three-year old Chrysler loaner while your Porsche sat in the shop for days at a time. Not sure what the moral to the story is, other than reinforcing what I said in my first post about leaving well enough alone and not tampering with the car. Still, I post it here in case it helps someone else avoid the mistakes I made.