Great information, thanks to the OP for sharing. I just picked up one of the Ebay keys for $13, swapped the guts and up and running. Way better feel than the original key, nice weight and no loose bits - feels like it should.

 

Do these replacement shells come with the colored emblem on them or are you transplanting that from your old, damaged key?

 

Most come with the emblem. I have gone through amazon and they all have had it.

 

thanks to this guide i have saved myself buying a complete new key head from porsche.
the guide is spot on, but i found the transponder a pig to get out, i resorted to hacksawing the old case and pulling it apart with pliers. new key body and transferred internals work fine. the only thing is that at least in europe, it seems the products on ebay/amazon do not come with crests (prob to do with conterfeit terms and conditions), the old crest did not seem to be at all removable, so the only thing is my spare key now does not have a porsche badge.

 

I've found that in most cases it's the little tab on the button that's broken off; I just transplant that button from the ebay head to mine and I'm good to go. I've had to do this twice now - once when I bought the car in 2015, and again last year.

NOTE - I'm talking about fixing a 997.2 key that has a broken button, which is the most common issue with these key heads.

 

1. Excellent Write Up & Pictures! I give it a 15 on a scale of 1 to 10.
2. By way of background, I own a 2012 997.2 Cabriolet Turbo S, and I only have 2 buttons [not 3] on my OEM Key Fob. So, I was curious as to the purpose of the 3rd button. According to comments, the 3rd button would ostensibly be for the convertible top. Yet, again, my 2012 997.2 OEM Key Fob's only had 2 buttons. The only way to raise/lower the convertible top is by using the control button in the console.
3. That stated, I've had 2 Key Fobs 'break' on me over the years. The 1st time, I "overpaid" the Dealer for a new replacement Key Fob, which had to be programmed. The 2nd time, I purchased a 2 button Key Fob on Amazon [$15-$18] - identical in appearance to mine - and just used the top piece where my OEM buttons had broken. I did not swap out any of the interior electronics or transponder. It worked great - and was far less costly than having the dealer replace the entire OEM Key Fob. [I retained the remainder of the Amazon Key Fob "just in case", but have not needed it.] Nonetheless, the $15-$18 Amazon approach solved the broken button I experienced, with no need to transfer all of the interior electronics.
4. My only assumption is that the later model 2012 997.2 [Cabriolet] - produced the same year as the first 991 models - only used the 2 button Fob even for the Cabriolet. Alternatively, the Dealer sold the 'New' car to me with the incorrect Key Fob. In either event, I appreciated the information provided by the OP in his write-up. Thank You!