Saw some posts about paying couple hundred to change out the switch, etc. All you need is about 15 bucks off ebay, and 5 minutes of work, including a smoke after the deed is done...

Follow the pics in sequence and cannot go wrong. Good luck. Hope helps next person, who in turn will crank out some other DIY.

 

for some reason this forum cannot keep sequenced pics. Go figure.

 

nice write up, thanks for sharing

 

This DIY came in handy today to replace the driver’s side window button! Took more force than I expected to remove the broken switch cap but otherwise a smooth operation! As always, thanks @ciaka!

 

Nice writeup. I had the chromes wear off a couple a few years ago myself and grabbed the whole from Amazon. Still going strong.

 

This is great stuff thanks! I need to address this with my wife’s Cayenne. I have the silver trim that fell of can I just put it back on (maybe glue) rather than replacing the whole button?

 

If you have all the pieces, I don't see why not. But only if you do it meticulously paying attention. Last thing you will need is a nice car that has buttons that look like they're out of a Tonka truck Lego set glue bubbling over.

 

I ordered the top 2 switch caps (driver’s door and passenger door) off eBay. I specifically ordered switch caps that resembled mine so that everything would look seamless. In the end, it was NOT a direct fit. The key cap was slightly too wide (about 1mm) and it would rub on the remaining switch body. I had to file it down a millimetre to get it to work. It also sits up oh so very slightly compared to the other caps. In the end I wasn’t happy so I ordered an entire switch assembly from AliExpress. Total cost was $30 CDN. Surprisingly it came quickly and I will install it soon.

In the end, I should have saved the $20 I spent on the 2 new switch caps and just bought the entire switch to start. I was hoping not to remove the door panel for switch installation but will do. I’ve previously done the rear door panel so don’t expect the driver’s side to be very hard. @ciaka has a good DIY too that I’ll also review.

The switch can be replaced without removing the door panel (by removing the speaker grill and “pushing it out”) but the speaker grill clips are fragile and can easily break. Others have also reported the grill becomes loose and can shake and squeak after being removed. I’d prefer to just remove the door panel. I know there are strong opinions on this matter and not looking to start a war as @ciaka can experienced in the past!

 

Yep. Dont mess with the grille.
Remove the front door panel. Very easy. 10 minutes and out. Then you swap switch. And then youre done. No loose parts later.
Yeah, the plastic switches are a finicky order. Many descibe them for panamera, but they are not. My kid broke my switch after i replaced. Ordered another set. not exact. Was not happy.
Then, I ordered full switch. worked good, exact fit and was quick to do. Next time I will just order switch again.

 

Agree. Shouldn’t have bothered with the replacement switch button caps. Was being lazy and didn’t want to remove the door panel.

My replacement switch arrived very quickly from AliExpress and it looks IDENTICAL to the Porsche OEM part. I installed it today (removing the door panel) and it works and looks like the original. Not bad for $30 CDN all in!

Few thoughts on the install:

1. As you’ve noted, removing the door panel is simple.

2. EVEN with the door panel off, the switch takes a bit of fiddling to remove. The clips catch on the leather and you need to pry them free. It was not easy. I can’t image doing this through the speaker grille. Maybe others say it is easy because they don’t have a leather wrapped door panel.

3. One of my plastic door panel clips broke during the reinstall. Thankfully I was able to fix it with Gorilla Glue. I first glued the “prong” back in place. I then reinforced the repair with plastic “rebar” strips glued overtop. It was very sturdy post-repair and held up to the reinstall. Thanks to @jzchen for this repair inspiration. I got the idea for the rebar augmentation after remembering his JB Weld coolant pipe fix! I guarantee that no one else would think to fix the clip. Dealers/independents would simply throw the part away and pretend like it never happened. No one would be the wiser except for the new door squeak that they would deny they caused! Power to the DIY!

4. When removing a door panel, don’t rush the reinstall like me! Remember, our cars are getting older (like us!) and the plastic is getting brittle.

 

Well done, good to know for future reference!