Buying a Porsche 981 GT4 Series - The Infamous Transmission Recall - Part 2

[@SchraderRacing]

I bought my GT4 used from the dealership in Beaverton Oregon. They called me and asked me to bring it in for the transmission swap. I was impressed with the overall experience. I was told the the transmission manufacturer switched to the welded 3rd gear late in the run and cars built starting in March of 2016 were subject of the recall.

[@DriversTherapy]

Glad to hear the transmission swap experience went well. Thank you for sharing.

[@jobrown1485]

The transmission recall is not a 'Goodwill' request where the customer may have to contribute. It is a worldwide 'Advanced Technical Information' notice. Basically a voluntary recall by Porsche. It affects 2016 cars that fall within the Porsche designated recall manufacturing dates and is free of charge to the customer regardless of whether it is the first or subsequent owner. The change out can be carried by any official Porsche dealership and the customer will have received a service document demonstrating the recall has been carried out. This should have been retained with the cars service documents and should be viewed. Should this document not be present, then you can check if any 2016 GT4 has an outstanding transmission recall on the 'Porsche recall' website by inserting the VIN number found on the front screen. Porsche dealerships can also check to see if the work has been carried out in the past. The new transmission reverts back to the stronger splined gear, as used in the 2015 production run and as shown in the video. Hope this clarifies the situation for potential used car purchasers.

[@DriversTherapy]

Thank you for sharing that information. I am sure others will appreciate it as well. As far as the goodwill. I was told that by a very big and reputable Porsche dealership. Could they be wrong? Yes, but if that is what they are doing then there might be other dealerships that are as well. I made sure to do my research and contacted various sources to find out what they are doing for the recall now. I agree that as a recall it should be clear but I believe recalls, in general, can change over the course of time. An example is a car that is 10 years old with a recall for a system that is wear and tear. They will not honor the recall due to the fact that the part or system in question is worn or malfunctioning beyond the parameters of the recall. I could be wrong but some recalls expire and do turn into goodwill which is not the case I believe with the recall in question but some dealerships are handling it like that. Thank you for watching the video.

[@LapoftheWorld]

Great info for anyone looking! It's definitely best to know everything you can about issues like this and what avenues of recourse are available. I haven't heard too many horror stories from Porsche as a brand though so hopefully their replacement boxes have updated bits. Reminds me of the 2nd gear pop-out that some of the 996 Turbo/GT2s dealt with (not sure if it extended beyond). Those were unfortunately not prevalent enough to make it to recall status, ditto the infamous NSX snap ring problem. Some good-will and a TSB, but no recall.

[@DriversTherapy]

Thanks, man! I appreciate it. Now I did not know about the 996 Turbo issue. The NSX snap ring problem was something I was watching out for when I was searching for an NSX.

[@robertosamayoamelgar1892]

Hi there! Great video! Unfortunately My 981 spyder was the first one with this issue at least at México (I'm pretty sure should be another spyders worldwide with the same issue), I'm still waiting for the OPC response....

[@DriversTherapy]

I’m sorry to hear that. For real. Not cool. But there is definitely documented occurrences so make sure you don’t take no as an answer.

[@alanfanaroff124]

Great video thank you

[@DriversTherapy]

Your welcome!

[@jimbernal405]

Very good in depth information on recalls in general for all to use.

[@DriversTherapy]

Thank you Jim! I appreciate it. I have been glued to the computer trying to do my due diligence.

[@robertmatthews368]

@@DriversTherapy Good info! Thanks...I have a 2015 build. Last time I checked, my VIN was NOT part of the recall.

[@DriversTherapy]

@@robertmatthews368 Thank you, Robert. Glad to hear your GT4 is not part of the recall.

[@robertmatthews368]

@@DriversTherapy My car does seem to have some drive-train whine....not sure if it's related to the transmission.

[@DriversTherapy]

@@robertmatthews368 it depends on a the whine. Hearing a whine in a transmission can be normal. Has the noise increases or stayed constant? When did you notice it?

[@bikeking5259]

If anyone needs a gearbox for a gt4 let me know as I have a new one sitting in my shop

[@MaciusSzwed]

Price?