Afternoon All,

First post here of many I'm sure! Nice to meet you all.

After owning the 2012 Panamera 3.0 for almost 12 months it has been fault free until last week unfortunately! For no reason at all a Chassis System Failure message popped up and doesn't really seem to go away very often.

I have noticed the compressor running when unlocking the car in an attempt to lower it which doesn't happen very often...but does occasionally. On occasion I have noticed the message not appear and the car and air suspension functions as it should which led me to think it possibly isn't a compressor issue.

I took it to an independent as I'm nowhere near Porsche at the moment and they reported several faults which were quite non conclusive. The car ultimately drives fine and sits in its normal position but won't lower when put into sport plus or adjust with the suspension button.

Just wondering if anyone can possibly suggest anything worth looking at or attempting?

I assumed that plugging a computer into the car would point right to the issue but it seems to not be too specific from the independent. Would taking it to a Porsche dealer give me a better direction to the problem?

Any help much appreciated all!

 

good to hear from a fellow newcomer. welcome along to the party.

i havent seen this problem before but like anything i would start with the basics.

having a computer diagnostic should point to at least an area of where a fault lies so you can go from there with your troubleshooting. do you have any codes the indy guys pulled?

are the height sensors connected properly both physically to the suspension and also to their electrical connectors? i've seen these get loose before and throw intermittent faults on other vehicles i've owned.

with an idea of what the workshop found (whether they think it is relevant or not) we might be able to find a starting point for this.

 

welcome. I m assuming no warranty? The only thing I like about dealers is that they see the same things over and over and usually get right to the point. I m sure they d find the fault,,, just the cost thing.

 

I actually do have a warranty as I purchased the car just under 12 months ago.

However after calling them to report the issue it sounds useless.....Maximum labour cost of £40 an hour which is ridiculous for a car of this calibre.

Its not so much an issue of cost right now as it just needs fixing, rather the inability of getting to one at the moment.

 

Sorry Glenn missed your reply! Thanks for the welcome.

They didn't really give much away apart from clearing out the records as there was quite a selection of faults in there that had accumulated over the 5 years life of the car.

The only fault that wouldn't clear was no communication from instrument closer to transmission control unit which I haven't done too much digging into yet. However it did drive from the Indy with no issue...just reappeared a few hours later.

 

sounds like maybe the workshop is in over their heads with this kind of car maybe?

the point about the dealers from cerbomark is fair. this will probably have been seen before by them and they may have a simple fix for you.

i would maybe ask the dealer for a computer diagnosis and a report and then go from there.

guys on here could help with the understanding of the dealer report i'm sure and then we can decide on what is the best way to proceed.

 

Will give the dealer a call when I get back in town and see how they get on running the diagnostics for me.

Cheers for the replies fellas

 

It's a known problem on these when the weather gets cold. I just had mine in (Chicago) a few weeks ago and it needed a new compressor and a valve. Do a little homework and you will see that the problem typically is sporadic in cold weather leading up to an ultimate failure in the compressor. I would get it to a dealer to replace if it's under warranty. Mine was covered under the extended warranty but it was a $3800 bill.

 

Thanks for the reply cvprez.

i did see that post but figured being in the UK, it hasn't got down so low as some of you guys temperatures.

i had originally convinced myself it was most likely going to be the AS compressor but doubted myself when it worked fine for a few hours one day and then fine after the resetting of the codes.

Think I'll get it into a main dealer and hopefully get some decent diagnostics before spending more money with an Independent

 

My 2010 turbo exhibits the 'Chassis system failure" code every time the temps drop below freezing. The system will not raise or lower the car when the fault is active.


As soon as it warms up it goes away. If I know the temp will drop drastically I raise the car up to the highest ride height prior to the cold snap.

 

The day it initially appeared was actually quite a warm day so didn't strike me as being a possibility, but the car does ultimately live outside as I have other vehicles which require garage space so its possible.

Its going in to an independent on Thursday who has confirmed that he will ultimately be able to diagnose the problem for me rather than giving me a bill with an open ended outcome.

He has mentioned the possibility of a sensor being damaged which could cause the computer to notice irregularities or alternatively as others have mentioned the AS compressor.

I suppose we will see, but Ill keep the topic updated.

 

I had a similar issue at one point. Ultimately it ended up being the valve distribution block for air suspension.

I would suggest unplugging the battery for a period of time (like an hour) or something.
I like to do that when there are constant errors. Its like restarting a computer.

Then clear all your codes (need a computer / Maxidas / porsche computer) then drive and see what re-appears and diagnose from there

 

Thanks amgpan,

Unfortunately I don't have any diagnostic equipment so would have to leave that one to the shop.

I contacted an independent who has assured me he will be able to provide a detailed diagnostic report after looking at the car and has the same diagnostic equipment as Porsche. It's supposed to be going in tomorrow so we will see

Failing that I'll have to take it in to Porsche in a few weeks when I get back, would just prefer to get it boxed off sooner rather than later for obvious reasons.

 

I got the same message when the outside temps dropped below 20 degrees C.

 

What was the outcome Lboogie?