After spending the day detailing/waxing my 997s I got the following error message when I went to start the car:

"System Alert, Take to Workshop"

The dealer says static electricity generated during my waxing of the headlights damaged the "front controller." I'm told the front controller operates (among other things) the luggage and engine bonnets. The malfunction causes the controller to remain switched on and thereby drains the battery -- I waited two weeks to go to the dealer (it was raining) and had to charge the car battery as it went completely dead.

Anyone ever hear of such a thing?
Am I forever banned from polishing my headlight covers?

Thanks

-------------
2006 997S 2200 miles

 

i waxed the living crap out of my car man, no problems what-so-ever. Then again, the pcm inside of it is a 2nd one. But the first one was defective straight from the factory.

 

Kevin:

Do you use the regular 3M blue tape, or the "low-sticky" version?

Also, which orbital do you have?

-don

 

Regular 3m blue tape, and ..

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog....2060&SKU=10625

 

It looks to me like your using way too much polish.

 

I'm told it's the friction on the clear plastic headlight covers themselves; not on the paint in the vicinity...ever wax/polish the plastic headlight covers?

great pics by the way, do you use Griots "Best of Show" wax and do you like it?

thanks, frank (ICN2U)

 

What was your response after you stopped laughing? Did you ask them why they would design a car suseptable to static electricity? Even televisions eliminated that problem 30 years ago.

 

oh yeah, my point exactly, I laughed and still remain incredulous - but, the dealer insists that this is what happened and that the faulty controller is "probably" okay now - i have yet to waxing again...

 

I've rejexed my lights and scrubbed bugs off of them without issue. I have not used a polisher on them though.

 

can I ask why you guys are taping the gaps/crack lines on your cars?

 

1. taping cracks to prevent excess wax from going into the gaps.
2. the pictures was the wax, not the polish. I had to polish the car twice with machine polish III to get rid of swirls.
3. yes, I used best of show and the clay bar, before the polish. And, I used best of show inbetween the polishes.

 

Kevin, do you or have you polished/waxed specifically the headlights?

 

i guess this could be why I didn't have any eletrical problems? THere's clear-bra over the headlights, so I actually hand waxed it and did not polish that portion (polishing w/ machine 3 actually PUTS swirls on the clear bra).

Still though ... come on ... waxing breaks the PCM? I think that's just funny.

 

Don't mean to steal the thread but it's not necessary to use best of show in between polishes. Why protect with wax if you are going to immediately polish it off? You want to remove the swirl marks and minimize your interaction with the paint. The less you touch it, the less swirl marks it will get. Instead of machine polish III try using 3M Swirl Mark Remover For Dark Cars with an orange pad. Only one pass is usually needed to completely remove swirls and it's completely safe for your paint. The abrasives in the polish diminish in size as you polish. Make sure you remove the polish with a microfiber pad on your polisher though. If you remove it by hand, you will actually ruin your swirl free surface. Don't ask why but it happens. After using the polish apply 3M hand glaze. No need to be perfect. Just apply and remove. In fact, you don't even need to remove it all. Just lightly remove the glaze and don't worry one bit if it the paint looks greasy or strange. Then wax with wax of choice. After waxing you lightly mist with distilled water and polish the water off. You will end up with a PERFECT surface. I am very meticulous about my paint and have personally experienced the living hell known as soft Porsche paint on my '01 triple black 996 cab.

Also, whoever posted that you were using a lot of polish is absolutely correct. Remember the key is diminishing abrasives. You work it until the abrasives are gone. Less is more. If you have too much material, the abrasives never get a change to degrade and it's a ***** to remove the thick layer of material.

Don't mean to sound like a know it all. Just trying to offer some helpful tips. I love black but it's a PITA. I have tried everything under the sun and the technique outlined above is safe and effective for black porsche paint. The ultimate test is the dual 500 watt halogen light test. If it's swirl free under the halogen lights, you did a good job. If it's not swirl free under the lights, then all you have done is filled the swirls with oils from the wax that will wash off within 2 washes or so. In other words, you have merely hidden the swirls and not removed them.

 

Thanks for the advise!! I always welcome new knowledge, learning new things everyday.