2nd pop wasn't unique to 2001 as my early 2002 did it when I first got it. It would happen occassional and was on my to do list to get fixed and then it just went away. Recent discussion with Porsche tech conclusion was that due to my fine shifting technique, also known as grinding it in, the synchros wore in and it hasn't happened now in years.

 

I do not believe that the second gear popping out is due to a B&M shifter. I had a stock, B&M, and a OEM short shifter in my 2002 tt and I encountered the problem with each. It is not very often once twice a month or so.

 

Make sure the MAF isn't broken

 

How do I do that?

 

Chuck well thats a great idea, but 10k-15k is just INSANE for maintenance on this car LOL..

I had to replace about 800-1000 worth of stuff. MAF sensor, plugs, wheel bearing and little BS, now its like brand new and so fast/different from when i got it!

 

If you get stuck with a TT that has the poppin out of 2nd gear problem, be prepared to fork out $10 K. Thats how much mine cost. My "01 only has 17 K on it and I just had it done last month. Fortunately Porsche paid half of it. However it seems that it is a factory flaw that Porsche wont admit to. If they did, they would have paid for all of it. A way around this dilemma is to buy one that already had it fixed. It will come with a 2 year warranty on parts and labour. Besides that and the MAF (which is a minor issue) the car is pretty much bullet proof. Gimme a pm if you like polar silver.
-Peter

 

WTF 10k?!?!?!??!

 

I've got an '01 with just under 25K miles. No popping out of second gear, thankfully!

 

This is all great info guys, much appreciated....keep it coming

BTW, how will the car run with a bad MAF sensor? sluggish? hesitate? spudder? Basically how do I know if the car has a bad MAF sensor?

 

All of the above, it just wont be smooth.. Stuttering under boost is the spark plugs

 

You mother^%$%@#$!@%$ you think thats funny? C'mon over to the Machado studio on Wilshire and Ill show you funny when I arm bar you and put you to sleep in a triangle lock. In all seriousness, thats how much it cost to swap out the tranny. I dont think any dealer would have done it cheaper. Do you know sth I dont?
-Peter

PS stuttering under boost could also be attributed to a bad MAF. I had that problem and it went away after I had the MAF swaped (pluggs stayed the same).

 

Interesting, in my case it was the plugs although when i changed the MAF sensor it was even that much better

And show me up, i would love it I was laughing because that's insane, 10k to fix a popping out of 2nd problem. My M3 had a hard time getting into 2nd and would make noises, took it to dealer, half an hour later, no charge it was fixed

 

porsche doesnt really like fixing stuff they would rather replace it and have the dealer send item to germany to see what caused the problem..

best thing is bite the bullet have the dealer cpo and buy the car then buy the car from the dealer...

 

In regards to porsche repair......what Joe said!
I would have to say that the M3 does far better in the maintenance and repair department than the 996 TT. But thats just how it is. Bimmers are cheaper to service and fix than porsche than ferrari. And it of course helps that the current M3 is such a well made car.
-Peter

 

Hey -- sorry to rain on the parade here, but the ‘2nd gear popping’ out issue is not just the 2001 model. My 2003 X50 just need a completely new transmission, and Porsche DID NOT cover under warranty, claiming I ‘abused’ the car. The ‘popping out of 2nd’ is the prelude to complete transmission failure, which needs total transmission replacement.

All 996TT model years appear to have weak transmissions, which may put a serious damper on the value of a used 996TT’s. Porsche does not yet own up to the problem. Worse yet, they are trying to avoid covering transmission failure under warranty.

A used 996TT of any model year should be viewed as having a potentially bad transmission. The cost of replacement is running $10-12k. Here is the my long sorry saga over on Rennlist:

New transmission needed on 2003 X50: Porsche refusing to cover under warranty ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )