[Santirx]

@FAST, thanks for describing all symptoms in detail. One reads about all the Transfer Case issues, and thinking how the heck do I know if mine is bad? Your post is really good at clarifying this question.

 

[FAST]

Thanks for the kind words. I slightly reworded the original post to make it a little clearer.

Dealer also told me:
1) They average 5 replacements per week and did 9 transfer case replacements last week. They typically keep 5-6 in stock. It's a common problem.
2) Older Cayennes and Macans (2014 and older) tend to have greater probability of failure and sooner (30K-40K km) and are often replaced 2+ times in the first 5 years
3) Symptoms can be mild for a while and very suddenly get worse. Mechanic thinks often-use of off-road mode accelerates the problem.
4) Mechanic says the problem rarely results in the car becoming undriveable, just various degrees of degraded.
5) Older SUVs (Cayenne 2011-14) have a 10 year extended warranty (from date of manufacturer), newer SUVs (Cayenne 15-18 and Macan 14-18) is 7 year. However they believe the 7 year is now also 10 (I couldn't verify that via Google)
6) Problem is believed to be solved starting with the 2019 model.
7) The problem is fixed by modding returned transfer cases (in China I believe?). Transfer case is fully rebuilt and modded, send back to Porsche who (apparently) thoroughly tests it.
8) I was told the cost of the part retail is $4500 and the labour another $1600 dollars. ~$6K CDN and ~$4K US. Internally, they get paid ~$900 labour.
9) Evaluation charge is $200 CDN. If no problem found, you pay $200, otherwise it's covered under the recall
10) Take your wheel spacers off. I'm guessing that oversized rims and tires may also create hassles

 

[Santirx]

Fantastic. These two posts from @FAST should be pinned to the top of this thread. And I hope you are right, about the 7 years being extended to 10. My 7 years are due this November.

 

[santastico]

So, second transfer case was replaced 3 weeks ago. Car started jerking again and it is worse than before replacing the transfer case. Even my kids mentioned that it feels like the car has hiccups. It is most prominent when car shifts from 1st to 2nd and 3rd gears. Spoke with my SA and he wants the car for a day so they can do some deeper search. He said it would be a record for a transfer case to go bad but it can be possible. Any other things that could be causing the car to jerk/hiccup in low speeds and low gears?

 

[oqjnLu@>@W]

mechatronic valve body?

What are the symptoms for the MVB?


Where's @Her95B?

 

[FAST]

...... Any other things that could be causing the car to jerk/hiccup in low speeds and low gears?

Is the jerking amplified when in off-road mode and slowly turning hard left or right? Or just when turning hard left/right if you don't have AS? If yes, sounds like a defective replacement Transfer case. It's possible they didn't follow the exact procedure for set-up of the case. I understand there is a sequence of unplugging/plugging/resetting that has to be followed and they may also choose to reset the transmission.

If no, perhaps:
1. Transmission fluid fully topped up?
2. Transmission fluid due for a change
3. Drive shafts not properly torqued to the transfer case and you are getting a little slap on the connectors?
^^-- Educated guesses.

Please let us know the root cause when you find out.

 

[santastico]

Is the jerking amplified when in off-road mode and slowly turning hard left or right? Or just when turning hard left/right if you don't have AS? If yes, sounds like a defective replacement Transfer case. It's possible they didn't follow the exact procedure for set-up of the case. I understand there is a sequence of unplugging/plugging/resetting that has to be followed and they may also choose to reset the transmission.

If no, perhaps:
1. Transmission fluid fully topped up?
2. Transmission fluid due for a change
3. Drive shafts not properly torqued to the transfer case and you are getting a little slap on the connectors?
^^-- Educated guesses.

Please let us know the root cause when you find out.

Thank you so much for great thoughts on what might be the cause of the problem. Trying to answer your questions:

• I haven't tried off-road mode. I actually don't think I ever pressed that button in 6 years of owning the car;
• The jerkiness is not related to turning the car. The car jerks on a straight road when shifting gears of when I take the foot from the accelerator a little bit and press it again. Only in low speeds;
• Car has 53k miles and all services are up to date and done at the dealer so transmission fluid should be good (I think I did it at the 40k miles service)

I got an appointment in 2 weeks since I cannot do this week and they did not have loaners available earlier. Will keep you guys posted. Car is no longer under warranty but I have Geico MBI so not much concerned about a big expense in case it is not the transfer case.

 

[FAST]

• I haven't tried off-road mode. I actually don't think I ever pressed that button in 6 years of owning the car;​

;-) Me too, only reason I've ever pressed it was to diagnose this problem. But I like buttons, so I love the Macan.

• The jerkiness is not related to turning the car. The car jerks on a straight road when shifting gears of when I take the foot from the accelerator a little bit and press it again. Only in low speeds

Turning jerkiness especially in off-road mode is the biggest tell. However most cars also experience your slow acceleration jerkiness too. Mine does this around 0-5 mph and again at 30mph. After I went in for the diagnoses, by car's symptoms were much worse, especially the slow acceleration jerkiness.

Full disclosure: I am guessing at possible other causes. I have done a lot of research about the problem and now realize that Porsche has built a complex SUV that's dependent on multiple independent computers/software in every major component of the car that have been integrated together. For example if a mechanic updates component 1 (or even just unplugs/replugs) they sometimes have to reset component 2. Sometimes they have to disconnect/reconnect the battery, all in the right order. I've seen their procedure documentation on a computer, it is very detailed but a missed step could lead to weird problems. I have 20+ years turning wrenches under the hoods of muscle cars, but I can't even find the Macan motor under the hood for all the wires and pipes.

 

[FAST]

Deleted post

 

[schnell]

Hi All: I bought a 2017 Macan S last year. Has 23.000 miles on it. Just had routine maintenance for $950 at dealer! Yikes! I received a notice from Porsce that the transfer case warranty was extended for 7years. Great. But the mechanic said I don't have a transfer case. i have a center diff.!? Which is it and do I need to change the fluid in whatever it is? I saw nothing in manual about changing it. The PDK needs routine servicing but they quote $300 to change diff fluid and $990 for PDK service. If I have a local garage do this is my warranty void? Thanks for any help.This is my first Porsche so I'm not familiar with whats really needed. Cheers Tom

 

[togatown]

Hi All: I bought a 2017 Macan S last year. Has 23.000 miles on it. Just had routine maintenance for $950 at dealer! Yikes! I received a notice from Porsce that the transfer case warranty was extended for 7years. Great. But the mechanic said I don't have a transfer case. i have a center diff.!? Which is it and do I need to change the fluid in whatever it is? I saw nothing in manual about changing it. The PDK needs routine servicing but they quote $300 to change diff fluid and $990 for PDK service. If I have a local garage do this is my warranty void? Thanks for any help.This is my first Porsche so I'm not familiar with whats really needed. Cheers Tom

Methinks you need a different mechanic....

 

[oqjnLu@>@W]

Merging with an EXISTING transfer case thread


@schnell: Achtung! Take note!

 

[FAST]

Learned a bit more about transfer case (TC) failure from a Porsche service manager (SM) today. As mentioned elsewhere the root problem is a breather/filter tube on the bottom of the TC that allows moisture to get into the TC which damages the fluid and degrades the TC's performance.

To resolve this, the returned TC case is modified to remove the breather on the bottom and replace it with a top breather that is designed to prevent moisture from getting in. The guts are rebuilt, Porsche tests it and sends it back for the next replacement.

According to the SM the TC's mechanicals aren't damaged by this problem most of the time, but the rebuilt and replacement is a NA solution "encouraged" by American regulators. In Europe the first solution tried is to replace the TC fluid with a different fluid (he told me the name, but I lost my notes), add a friction modifier and reflash the TC with the lastest code. This solves the problem ~80% of the time. Maintenance is required every 4 years. Only if the problem persists is the TC replaced.

So, if your TC case is out of warranty there is potentially a few hundred dollar solution vs a $4K+ solution worth a try.

Lastly, the SM said his dealership adds the friction modifier to all their TC rebuilds and suggested I do the same. Available from Porsche parts.

 

[Santirx]

Learned a bit more about transfer case (TC) failure from a Porsche service manager (SM) today. As mentioned elsewhere the root problem is a breather/filter tube on the bottom of the TC that allows moisture to get into the TC which damages the fluid and degrades the TC's performance.

To resolve this, the returned TC case is modified to remove the breather on the bottom and replace it with a top breather that is designed to prevent moisture from getting in. The guts are rebuilt, Porsche tests it and sends it back for the next replacement.

According to the SM the TC's mechanicals aren't damaged by this problem most of the time, but the rebuilt and replacement is a NA solution "encouraged" by American regulators. In Europe the first solution tried is to replace the TC fluid with a different fluid (he told me the name, but I lost my notes), add a friction modifier and reflash the TC with the lastest code. This solves the problem ~80% of the time. Maintenance is required every 4 years. Only if the problem persists is the TC replaced.

So, if your TC case is out of warranty there is potentially a few hundred dollar solution vs a $4K+ solution worth a try.

Lastly, the SM said his dealership adds the friction modifier to all their TC rebuilds and suggested I do the same. Available from Porsche parts.

Thanks. Very good information to have... do you have a link for that friction modifier? Not that I need it, but would be good to have the reference.

 

[FAST]

Thanks. Very good information to have... do you have a link for that friction modifier? Not that I need it, but would be good to have the reference.

No, he told be the name of the TC oil (but I lost my notes) and said the friction modifier was available at the parts counter. He also said there was a Porsche Technical Bulletin for the procedure. I tried searching, but nothing, it might be a European only TC?

Rennlist has a thread on both products and they say it's a Ford product - I'm guesses it's just Ford rebranded. I wouldn't suggest buying the Ford product, I'd buy the one sold or recommended by Porsche. My Macan is in today having the TC swapped, I'll ask my service advisor about it.

 

[BNF]

Hi all,
2017 GTS with 49,000kms and the Transfer Case has just gone!! All covered under the extended warranty I paid for a couple of years ago. This was the only time I have ever taken this up and now so glad that I did....

Anyway, the dealer tells me that Porsche has "updated some parts in the new replacement Transfer Case to address the issue". Can anyone else confirm this?

 

[FAST]

Hi all,
2017 GTS with 49,000kms and the Transfer Case has just gone!! All covered under the extended warranty I paid for a couple of years ago. This was the only time I have ever taken this up and now so glad that I did....

Anyway, the dealer tells me that Porsche has "updated some parts in the new replacement Transfer Case to address the issue". Can anyone else confirm this?

Hi BNF. I also just had my transfer case replaced in my 2017 GTS. Everything is explained in the last 2 pages of this thread (see post 511): Transfer Cases The answer is: Yes

The TC would have been covered by Porsche's 7 year (from date of manufacturer) extended warranty specific to the TC.

 

[FAST]

Hi All: I bought a 2017 Macan S last year. Has 23.000 miles on it. Just had routine maintenance for $950 at dealer! Yikes! I received a notice from Porsce that the transfer case warranty was extended for 7years. Great. But the mechanic said I don't have a transfer case. i have a center diff.!? Which is it and do I need to change the fluid in whatever it is? I saw nothing in manual about changing it. The PDK needs routine servicing but they quote $300 to change diff fluid and $990 for PDK service. If I have a local garage do this is my warranty void? Thanks for any help.This is my first Porsche so I'm not familiar with whats really needed. Cheers Tom

My GTS definitely has a transfer case (TC) as yours does.

Here's the maintenance schedule for your 2017: https://pictures.dealer.com/porscheofarlington/a4ab5c7c0a0e09a7404529c2e237d1d5.pdf
No reference to changing the TC oil. I did some googling - lots of people offering opinions, but couldn't find anything official from Porsche.

I'm getting my 4 year 40K miles service this Friday (plugs, PDK service, oil change, brake fluid plus the usual filters and inspections). $950US just for PDK sounds real expensive to me, but I'll let you know what I paid.

I'm getting the work done by a local shop who specializes in German cars. No, this will not void your warranty as long as you have a worksheet showing the work done. My shop uses Porsche parts with an option to use OEM parts (VW / Audi or OEM) at lower cost. In Canada (and I'm 99% sure in the US), Porsche has to prove that any mods or service work resulted in the damage in order for them to not honour the warranty. Doesn't mean they won't give you a hassle. Also, if you want to buy a CPO warranty, Porsche will perform a detailed and expensive inspection to verify all maintenance work was performed. I was quoted $1400CDN + $3500CDN for the warranty (memory is vague on the exact number). I went with an aftermarket warranty.

Update: $1400CDN + $3500CDN plus cost of any needed repairs

 

[textbook]

My 15 Turbo is giving me a thud if I accelerate hard. If I launch the car I feel it through the floorboard. I don't know if it is cardan shaft, transfer case or what but Porsche says the car is fine.......

How is your 15 Turbo still holding up?

 

[textbook]

Transfer Case

Ours started at 48K miles. Noticed the car seemed to be jerking when taking off.

Also noticed an oil leak from the drivers side when doing the transmission service. Which nobody would ever notice if you don't take the belly pans off.

Bought our 2016 from a Ford dealer. Took it to Porsche and they immediately recognized both issues. Taking it in 8/9 to have both issues fixed.

Thought the dealer would give me crap about doing my own maintenance (especially the transmission) but they didn't say a word.

How is your Macan holding up?