That's great news! Got my fingers, arms, legs and toes crossed that this fix "takes".

My car's issues actually got better as time went on; I never had the DME flashed and I ended up trading the thing in on a BMW a few weeks ago. Fortunately it was never as bad as yours, but I don't have near the patience that you do.

 

Best of luck Stealth. Sounds promising, although history has shown that a re-flash (or battery disconnect) usually lasts only a day or so. Fingers crossed.

The one item I didn't like to see was "TEST DROVE VEHICLE WORKING PROPERLY AT THIS NO HESITATIONS FELT AND VEHCILE IDLES AS COMPAIRED TO LIKE VEHICLES".

In other words, "they all do that."

 

I feel so badly for you having to put up with this problem for two years on a $100k car. I would be tearing my hair out! May I ask why you haven't' ridden with the tech to point out the problem, document it 3 or 4 times (whatever's required) and lemon law the vehicle. I had the same problem on a Honda and found it remarkably easy to lay down the evidence and force them to buy it back.

ChuckJ

 

Here are the problems with all that:

1) Quite frankly the issues are very subtle and can only be felt quickly by me because I've experienced them for two years. Driving on bumpy roads from stop light to stop light around my dealer only resulted in the tech acknowledging a stumble once (and that was then just declared as "normal"). I have ridden along with two different techs from two different dealers and had the same result - they claimed to not feel anything, but one did at least admit he felt one thing that was out of the ordinary. They have done a great job of making me feel like it's all in my head and I must be crazy.

2) I personally do not want to go through lemon law stuff because this particular car means a lot to me. It was the fulfillment of a life-long dream to order a new 911 and pick it up in Zuffenhausen. I just want the car to work properly. Unfortunately (for me) this particular car already has a lot of sentimental value. Yes, it's easy for you to tell me to pursue lemon law stuff, but I'm afraid it's not that simple for me.

 

I will suggest that it's a lot more difficult to get someone to buy back a $100K car than a $25K car. Also, it is easier to resell a buyback $25K car for $20K than to resell a buyback $100K for $95K.

Lemon laws do vary between states, and I've been through it with BMW, so I too have had real-world practical experience. It was not an easy process, although in the end I did get them to buy it back.

 

Congratulations on being successful with your BMW problem. You're right, my Honda was a lot less than your BMW (only $36K).

I think the biggest problem is to get them to acknowledge the problem and if stealthboy could not get the techs to recognize and document the problem it would make the challenge very difficult.

ChuckJ

 

@Stealthboy - that is really good news.
How is it running after 4 days?
Do you (or anyone) know when 15.650 was released?
Thanks

 

Day 4 report to address my original four problem areas:

1) My idle still seems a bit rougher than when I first got the car and the RPMs hunt around a bit, but it's not *that* bad. When I first got the car sometimes it was difficult to feel if the car was even running it was so smooth. Now I definitely feel it. Not that that's a bad thing I guess :-). It's just different.

2) MOST IMPORTANTLY: My terrible, rough acceleration through 2000-3000 is smooth! It feels like a sportscar, dammit. I'm no longer dreading putting the throttle down. It really drives totally differently than before. This morning my commute to work was actually enjoyable.

3) The hesitation under light throttle at 2300 RPM hasn't really been noticed *much*. I say that because I think I felt something yesterday, but it's nowhere near the level it was before.

4) Larger stumble right at 3000 (Variocam). They must have remapped something because the transition can still be felt, but it's much smoother and more intentional. Before it felt like a clunk that was totally out of place. Now when I reach 3000 - 3400 where the VarioCam decides to adjust it's still slightly noticeable, but doesn't feel broken or wrong, if that makes any sense.

Overall, I'm very happy after 4 days. Will keep everyone updated. I've noticed some of my issues in the past would vary with temperature/humidity, so I'll keep an eye on that.

 

A friend of mine has a 2013 Carrera S Cabriolet with over 25,000 miles driven and engine stumble just reared its ugly head. Needless to say he is not a happy camper. My 2014 Carrera has 6,105 miles driven and is still performing perfectly. Though I might be out of the woods but after hearing my friends experience I am not so sure. Fingers crossed.

 

Glad you've got some good improvement, stealthboy! Hope it holds!

ChuckJ

 

I would strongly suggest that your friend (and anyone else having this problem) take their car in and report the issue.

A former stumbler (who wisely dumped his flawed car) was described to me by the PCNA rep as "not driving his car properly."

My quest is far from over, and these *******s will not be able to ignore a growing chorus forever.

 

Glad to hear the reprogrammng is, at the very least, making the stumble issue live-able, and, in some cases, invisible. So is the next step for all the stumblers to take their cars to the dealer and have them reprogram? If everyone does it and reports back, maybe you can find out if this is the fix.

 

A little food for thought concerning the stumble/hesitation.

When it comes time to buy a new model, I'm guessing that probably 90% of us end up trading in as opposed to a private sale. On a trade in, I'm sure you wouldn't take any additional hit for the stumble being present (although the dealer might find it to be a tougher resale if the problem is significant). A private sale might be a totally different scenario though. I could easily imagine the following conversation:

Me: "So how'd the test drive go"?

Prospective buyer: "Beautiful car! I'm amazed at how well these 991's handle and perform. One question though. I did notice a hesitation at about 2500 rpm under light throttle. What's that all about?"

Me: "Uh,,,,, well,,,,,,, I think you'll find they all do that. Dealer says it's completely normal."

Prospective buyer: "Thanks for the test drive."

 

He most definitely is taking his car to his dealer to report the issue and get it on the record. He promised to keep me updated on his progress.

 

The 993 guys are finding that the Idle Stabilization Valve is causing a similar problem. I wonder if there is one in the 991.

ChuckJ