Coming from M3s well recognized for engine problems...got the turbo because literature shows these turbos high on trouble-free list. 30K miles bad engine problems, turbo could only be driven >3K RPM without stalling, just a bad situation
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7-days at dealer found two mass sensors and actuator shot. Tech says doubtful warranty would have covered this with aftermart exhaust. I guess that depends on dealership. So much for bullet-proofed 911 turbos.

Did drive Panamera with PDK. Found no difference from newer automatics. Earlier because of the 50HP, I was going to trade for a turbo S, but driving the PDK, I wouldn't want the trubo S without a manual trans.The fun and involvement vanishes with the PDK. Wonder why Porsche wants two automatic transmissions anyway....one oil driven, one dry clutch but both very much alike.

 

The PDK in the Panamera is a much tamer version designed for a luxury car . It's similar in concept but not in aggressive shift patterns .
Drive a 997S or a Turbo .. then decide .

 

The "bullet proof" reputation mainly concerns the mechanical parts of the engine. A peripheral part can always break unexpectedly.
BTW I have stickshift 07TT and drove the PDK 10TT of a friend and absolutely loved it.

 

When I think of the 997TT engine being "bullet-proof", I think about the fact that catastrophic failures are exceedingly rare. No matter what car you own, O2 sensors, MAF sensors, etc. occasionally fail. Comparing a sensor and actuator failure to the problems with the BMW M3 engines is an apples to oranges comparison. I am sure it was frustrating for your car to enter limp mode but that does not constitute an engine failure.

 

I have never accepted the term "bullet proof" when describing any engine. I think it is an over-enthusiastic term applied by Porsche lovers. There are Porsche engine failures. Considering how many Porsche owners track their cars, and do so for years on end, the incidents of failure are relatively small compared to the heavy use that they see.

That being said, I have to agree that a sensor failure is not an engine failure.

 

How many miles? MAF sensors are not lifetime items. The actuator is the VTG actuator arm? There was a service bulletin regarding lubrication of that item to prevent sticking. Bulletproof usually refers to the bottom end of the block

 

If one more person calls a PDK an automatic transmission I am going to listen to Queen on level 20!

 

The PDK IS an automatic transmission.

 

How would you prefer it be labeled?
-Getz

 

Same with BMW's SMG.... They should have disabled "automatic" mode from the factory so people wouldn't drive it and think it should shift like an automatic -- it is a manual with a computer working the clutch for you. Drive it as such and it is fine.

 

Bingo, another bit of trivia.....does anyone know that some autos have clutches instead of torque converters and that there was a manual that had a torque converter? Wether its controlled by your left foot or Nasa space control....and no matter what kind of power transfer medium. The transmissions are seperated by what is inside of them. You can not mistake one for the other when they are apart and side by side.

 

I like to think of it as a semi automatic hybrid.

 

Guys: I have to say I love the PDK, I drove it on my friends C4s, it was great, the only thing that I didn't like was the push button deal on the steering wheel, it was hard to get use to at the race track and on the road. But!! the shifts were fast, it reminded me of my Sequential box on my race car. ( with out the gear whine) If it was paddle shift, it would have been different for me, but 6 speed is nice anyhow. I'll enjoy it for what it is. My 2 cents.

 

For the record, the PDK gearbox in the Panamera is unique to it, ie COMPLETELY different piece of kit from what they use in the 911s and Boxsters/Caymans.

 

I think it's gonna take more than a couple MAF's or O2 sensors and a VTG actuator failing to "shatter" the bullet proof image of that engine. Heck those items are not even part of the engine which I am pretty sure what being "bullet proof" refers to.