Driving around today I have tried to associate the smell with something else. The closest I can find is sulfur, or burnt matches. The smell only occours when the engine has reached the operating temperature, ie 90 degrees Celsius Oil temperature. I noticed the oil temperature reached 105 degrees C at one point and at that time the smell was extra bad. The smell gives a burning sensation in my eyes.

 

Contact Porsche GmbH and have them send their Customer service rep the dealer.
Now that you can replicate the problem, you should have no problem burning THEIR eyes with your sulfur infused 991.

I would take it back to the dealer and leave it in their shop. That way you cannot be ignored.
Give them a month to fix it, or demand a full refund.
Get a Porsche loaner if you can (that will keep the pressure on them).

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

I agree with DUX, but make sure you document 3 work orders and have copies of them saying what they did to fix it and the fact that they acknowledge the problem. That way if you have to take it to arbitration, you will have the necessary documentation.

ChuckJ

 

Hi Guys. Thanks for your feedback! Today I was out there again and finally I got the sales manager to admit to the smell. So I left it there for them to diagnose and fix. They started suspecting the electric motors for suspension that are located in front of the AC intake (those were kind of hot) but I have my doubts about that. They also launched a theory that the smell might be induced from dust from the paint shop where they did the final touch up with before delivery to me. -again doubtful-. My feeling is that it comes from the engine but I cannot understand how the odor makes its way to the AC intake when the car stops. That would mean that there would be airflow from the motor compartment to the AC intake. And thanks for the tips! I got a Boxster as a loaner. PS: How can I secure those workorders? Aren't those internal as part of the overall diagnostic?

 

Work orders are typically what you sign when dropping off (where the problem is noted) or picking up after the diagnosis and repair is done.
You can request copies so that you'll have a copy of the problem documented.

As for their theories, they are a joke!! Dust from the paint shop??
In that case I "theorize" that you have a squirrel with a box of matches in your dashboard!?

I did not realize that "dust" from a paint shop smells like burnt matches / sulfur and ONLY occurs when you brake???

Good luck and enjoy your Boxtser..

 

They may want to treat the situation more informally and not create a work order. That postpones the arbitration issue. I would request they fill out a work order when they take the car in and when they say it's fixed get a copy that says what they did. Take the car, then if it isn't fixed take the car back a few days later when your sure it's not fixed and start another work order. Take the tech for a drive to show him the problem. There's nothing worse for the company or the customer when there's insufficient communication between the service department and the customer.

Then preserve these in case you need them for arbitration.

ChuckJ

 

By the way, I have NO idea what consumer rights you have in Norway but a refund for an irreparable problem should be on the table.

 

Could it be? Tube runs from the throttle body. See link.
http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-ga...ined-tech-dept

 

The synthesizer gets the sound from the intake and ports that to the cabin. It has a thin membrane to keep the smell out. Perhaps the membrane is inop.

ChuckJ

 

Hi Guys. Thanks for all your tips! Today they called and said they might have a solution. They had removed the gas sensor on the AC intake and felt that the smell became less noticeable. And they wanted me to come test it. I said that this did not sound like a solution but rather a method to camouflage the problem. (Yes, this is an official Porsche center). I agreed to come get the car and could confirm as they also said that the smell was less noticable but still present. I suspect the absence of the sensor just enables a recycle loop in the system to avoid gasses in the cabin. To me this is more or less a confirmation that these guys will not find the root of this problem.

 

If they cannot find the problem, then their "solution" is offensive.
Removing the gas senor only masks the issue.
Based on this logic if your ABS senor goes off and they can't determine why, will they rip that out too?

How can "less noticeable" be acceptable.
What are these fumes?
Are these fumes hazardous?
If they need to fly their engineer in from Germany, then so be it.

 

Hmmm petrol-ish "burnt smell"... you sure you're not smelling hot cosmoline odor that is getting sucked into the cabin?

 

Then why does it only occur when braking at slow speed?

 

the best description of the smell i can think of is the smell of burnt matches. it comes when the car is rolling very slowly or are at full stop. when the car has stopped the smell lasts for around 5-10 secs before it ends. i have driven boxsters and 911s before without getting any such odors.

 

I give up...You tell me.