Things I don’t like about my 981

[anonymous-user]

I love it, but there are just a few little niggles:

Steering wheel buttons, hateful things, why oh why couldn’t they just fit the paddles across the range
PDK manual shift is backward (who the hell pushes a gear stick forward to change up?!)
PCM is poor (imo, prob not much can cheaply be done to upgrade?)

Minor details sure and I can live them all, but just wondered if there are there any cheap (easy) fixes...

[Boxster_racer]

Regarding navigation, I bought my Boxster without and use my mobile on a windshield hook instead.
Retrofitting a sports steering wheel is over £1k I believe and probably not worth it?
PDK, don’t use the stick, but the paddles on the steering wheel instead so can’t comment.
I got a fright with a loud knock on full steering wheel lock, but it’s apparently normal...
I love everything else, though I’m surely biased !

[88racing]

Thee is a company who do PDK remaps which include getting the stick manual shift to work the right way.

[Pinball]

For PCM/Sat Nav, you could look at a CarPlay or Android Auto retrofit. You’d get a better integrated nav system, which would be easily updatable plus any new apps added to the system.

[arcamalpha]

88racing said:

Thee is a company who do PDK remaps which include getting the stick manual shift to work the right way.

Who’s that? I have one of each which is even more annoying than one just being backwards!

The thing that gets me with this is that race sequentials have always been pull for upshift and yet the road car companies chose to reverse it!

[Maxym]

991 GT3's PDK was the 'right' way round. 982 etc PDK is now similar.

I went for the SD steering wheel because the MF one looks horrible and has no paddles. The SD one, on the other hand, is a lovely thing.

The PCM 3 nav is indeed pants looks-wise. The 982's is better but still features a small screen. Upgrading it somehow via an after-market supplier would, I suspect, give rise to extended warranty issues. Ditto messing around with the gear lever operation.

[Koln-RS]

Retro- fit a sport design steering wheel with 'paddle shifts' and alcantara - should be around £900 from an OPC, and will transform the pleasure of using PDK.

PCM software can be updated. It won't transform it but works very well for an integrated system.

[Memnoch888]

Pinball said:

For PCM/Sat Nav, you could look at a CarPlay or Android Auto retrofit. You’d get a better integrated nav system, which would be easily updatable plus any new apps added to the system.

Hey there mate - do you have an approximate amount as to how much this would cost? I am seriously considering this as I think the days of mounting my iphone on the AC has to go!

[kingston12]

Memnoch888 said:

Hey there mate - do you have an approximate amount as to how much this would cost? I am seriously considering this as I think the days of mounting my iphone on the AC has to go!

The units themselves start at about £300 and then you'll need a harness and a fascia. If you have a Bose fibre-optic system, you'll need to spend an extra £150 on an adaptor.

The more expensive units have nav built-in, the cheaper ones are effectively dumb screens that use your phone as the source for nav and music as well as calls and messages.

I fitted one in my 987 a few years ago and it has been a brilliant upgrade. The only slight downside is the loss of the factory look. I don't mind too much because the Pioneer unit I have fitted actually looks much cleaner than the old fashioned PCM2.1 and I have kept the original unit in case I ever want to sell the car.

I am assuming that the PCM in the 981 is a lot better than the one in the 987 so the step up wouldn't be quite so great, but it is hard to imagine a simpler and more intuitive system than CarPlay. I haven't used Android Auto, but would expect it to be similar.

[Boxster_racer]

I’m on a long 718 Boxster test drive... can I erase anything I said I disliked about the 981...??
Re 718: What an uneventful (sports?) car... it’s got 15bhp less than mine, but it feels sluggish, unconnected and I won’t start writing about that sound tune...
For those that can get their hands on a 981, cherish it and keep it...

[Pinball]

Memnoch888 said:

Hey there mate - do you have an approximate amount as to how much this would cost? I am seriously considering this as I think the days of mounting my iphone on the AC has to go!

I saw this YouTube video a few days ago. It’s in a Macan but I guess it’s fine for any other PCM vehicle. They charge about £500 for the necessary kit. Seems like a few other places offer it so may be cheaper elsewhere. The Connect option on the 718 was about £440 before they included Connect Plus and Nav as standard equipment, so not that bad a price to get that function. Only downside on the 718 CarPlay is that the map won’t display in the binnacle screen. A non issue really with the Porsche nav which does display there and is better than Apple maps but would be a good addition if it’s something a retrofit was able to do on a 981. I’d hope that additional nav apps eventually become available on CarPlay. I was sent a CarPlay survey a few months back from Porsche that had a checklist of desired apps including Waze. It’s down to Apple though what’s included but you never know https://youtu.be/RF_kbvtX2XQ

[Green1man]

A few niggles of my own:

PCM/Nav - I think the unit is decent enough but why don’t they make the maps easily updatable, £2k for this and then maybe map updates available every few years at silly prices is a joke.

Grills for the front condensers - just a stupid design not to have any protection against stones hitting the condensers.

Battery quality - why Porsche don’t seem to be able to specify batteries that last more than about 4 years I don’t know?

Analogue speedo, - totally useless, needs a complete redesign (i.e using 270degrees rather than 180 degrees).

[n4aat]

I don’t think I have ever looked at the analogue speedo. Why would you?

[7184c]

Have the SD wheel too so no buttons but what is annoying is having to reach over for the volume they should have swapped it for RHD cars.

[n4aat]

7184c said:

Have the SD wheel too so no buttons but what is annoying is having to reach over for the volume they should have swapped it for RHD cars.

How do you cope...

[7184c]

n4aat said:

How do you cope...

Ha just reread that, you get what I mean about it being designed for LHD cars though.

To be honest I’m clutching at straws to find niggles with the 981 they are such a great all round package hard to believe some are 6yrs old, have aged incredibly well.

[n4aat]

7184c said:

n4aat said:

How do you cope...

Ha just reread that, you get what I mean about it being designed for LHD cars though.

To be honest I’m clutching at straws to find niggles with the 981 they are such a great all round package hard to believe some are 6yrs old, have aged incredibly well.

I get it. Ergonomically the switches and knobs aren’t great. But as you say, everything else is so great it’s all there is to complain about. The parking brake switch is the one that I don’t understand. Although at least being so out of the way it is impossible to activate by accident.

And yes, they have aged well. Although I think a sharper edge would look better in places, like the rear of the 991.2.

[Twinfan]

I also think they're aging nicely, unlike the 987 series which I think has echoes of the original Audi TT - too rounded. The 981 has a nice combination of sharp lines and curves to my eyes.

[Klippie]

Twinfan said:

I also think they're aging nicely, unlike the 987 series which I think has echoes of the original Audi TT - too rounded.

That's what is beautiful about them.

[Twinfan]

Eye of the beholder and all that - I really don't like the looks of the 987