Thanks for sharing this information!

The "update" disc you speak of, is this a Porsche PCM software update disc? Specifically the version 4.76 DVD?

Our 2016 Macan has PCM3.1 and it can be flakey, reboots sometimes, sometimes no AM.FM/Media selection, only Sirius XM etc.

Your suggestion might be worth a try..

.

 

Yes. It's the software update to 4.76. I got mine here: https://www.maxspeed-motorsports.com/store/p618/Porsche_PCM_3-1_Software_Update_DVD.html

My PCM flaked out a few times when I first got the car last year, but it seemed to be better after the update, right up until last week when it really started showing signs of failure. Once the maps wouldn't load at all, and the system just kept crashing and rebooting every 5-10 minutes I figured it was only a matter of time, and the worst that could happen was that I was going to have to replace the unit anyway. I actually do have another unit on the way and the seller indicated that they don't take returns, so I may be stuck with it. If that is the case, I will see exactly how much work needs to be put into upgrading the drive - i.e. do I have to clone the existing drive or can I just drop in a new one and run the update disc? I'll know more by the end of the week.

 

This is great info! I would still be concerned with heat though - I've had at least a couple of USB memory sticks die from heat in the car. The HD would have been spec'd for the expected heat ... an off-the-shelf SSD not so much. But with a failing HD anyway, for $20, how can you go wrong?!

 

Good thought. I did some quick research and it does appear that SSDs are generally more heat tolerant than HDDs, but it's certainly something to keep in mind. I'm considering going and buying another drive, cloning the new one I just installed in the unit to that and keeping it as a backup.

 

Jslo73 nailed this one! Thank you! My 2014 Cayenne had the rebooting about every 4 minutes and 20 seconds. As a software guy, I suspected that it was trying to update something and failing (unable to write to the hard drive). This was the only thread I found anywhere that mentioned that these radios have a hard drive in them. Of course it is going to fail at some point!

I was unable to use Clonezilla (didn't like my computer for some reason), however I used Easeus.com to clone the drive successfully (and even have a copy of the image file saved on my computer). I have a friend at a local dealer who then ran the Update DVD. When it was finished, it came up in the emergency update mode. He was then able to use the USB update (that I guess only the dealers have?) and I believe that it reloaded all the necessary OS bits (full update instead of partial like the DVD). Although the drive cloned, the cloning program would ignore bad block, which would leave corrupted files, apps, etc. After the USB update was done, everything was running perfectly! My radio was on 4.73 and was updated to 4.76. He was very surprised this worked, as he said that if you get the emergency mode (in English/French) that the radio is toast, in his experience.

 

Happy to hear you got it working. Your experience was basically exactly what mine was. Drive had a bad block. Cloned it. System went into emergency update. Ran update and everything was perfect after that.

 

My system is working, but has an occasional reboot issue (once every couple months). I'm looking at maybe doing this as a preventative measure. If I clone the drive to a new one and install it, will it go into emergency update mode, or will it just run? I'm trying to determine whether I need to source an update CD prior to starting this process, or since my system is running, whether it will just work with the cloned drive.

I've been looking for a industrial grade drive with a large operating temperature range. The only one I've been able to find is a TOROSUS on Amazon. Anyone else found anything?

 

A proper clone on a good drive should just work without using the update drive. I made a second back up of the cloned drive in case the cloned one failed, but it never did. SSDs are generally more tolerant. My work laptop was submerged in the flood as well (31 inches of water in the garage and basement. My IT guys were able to pull the SSD out of it and clone the data, recovering probably 5 years of work. I'll be doing a lot more frequent backups from now on.

 

Performed this mod yesterday with no issue. I cloned a working PCM to a 120gb SSD and it worked flawlessly. Took like 40 min to perform the clone.

 

Good work!

What software did you use to do the clone process?

 

I am in the same boat as WestCoaster - occasion reboot. I have a couple of questions:
1. did the SSD improve system performance - especially around Bluetooth and ipod connection? (my car seems to take forever for my phone to connect and be visible as Ipod media option)
2. where is the drive physically located? I can research but thought I would simply ask the question here.
3. what brand of SSD did you guys end up using - I am looking at the Samsung Evo and Evo PRO, possibly the Crucial as they are highly rated for computer use and performance.

thanks in advance.

(WestCoaster, didnt you have a Blue GTS a while back? Nice upgrade!)

 

Hey there Caymian, yes I had a 2016 DBM Boxster GTS, by upgrade do you mean the Spyder stuff(?), thanks! It turned out well, many compliments but it was an expensive endeavour, trying to stay away from that depth of project in the future.

As for the PCM reboots, this is in the wife's Macan, it still acts up from time to time but since we have an extended warranty I can't touch it just yet.

 

Hey all. It seems there was an XM update that freaked out a ton of PCMs in the wild. Courtesy of @streamliner the fix is as follows:


HERE'S THE FIX!!

Start Car>>Push "CAR" on PCM>>
Push "options">>Set PCM System>>
Reset PCM>>Vehicle Handover>>
Yes>>Yes.

 

Hello,
I found your article on Google and i am happy!!! I have exactly the same problem on my Cayenne S Hybrid. Porsche asked me 3000 dollars to replacé thé unit !!! Can u please give me référence for the harddrive to buy. Is it easy to connect it ? What s the way if i can not back up the old one ? + i also remark that my iphone is still connecting the PCM Bluetooth without the hard disk ( i put it out already) but i do not have any voice ( music + phone). I Mean it s connected on PCM but no voice ... is it a link with hard disk ? Of is there anothet problem ? Thanks for your help. Actually I am in Belgium. Thanks a lot

 

Hello,
I found your article on Google and i am happy!!! I have exactly the same problem on my Cayenne S Hybrid. Porsche asked me 3000 dollars to replacé thé unit !!! Can u please give me référence for the harddrive to buy. Is it easy to connect it ? What s the way if i can not back up the old one ? + i also remark that my iphone is still connecting the PCM Bluetooth without the hard disk ( i put it out already) but i do not have any voice ( music + phone). I Mean it s connected on PCM but no voice ... is it a link with hard disk ? Of is there anothet problem ? Thanks for your help. Actually I am in Belgium. Thanks a lot

hello @Atilla, you might want to check some threads with the keywords "no audio" in them. this looks like a good one: No Audio PCM

 

I just had my '14 BS to the dealer service center to have them look at the rebooting PCM issue. They stated Porsche is working on the issue and they are currently not replacing. There was no timeframe given. I've tried the PCM Reset and and PCM factory settings without success. My reboot time is 1:18 seconds every time. Thankfully if you power off the PCM while the car is running the next time you start it will be off so I'm not bombarded with high volume static every 1min reboot. This is so annoying. Someone said it was related to satellite radio? I like the HDD replacement idea to SDD but as an under warranty car I feel like I'm stuck.

Cheers,
KM

 

I just had my '14 BS to the dealer service center to have them look at the rebooting PCM issue. They stated Porsche is working on the issue and they are currently not replacing. There was no timeframe given. I've tried the PCM Reset and and PCM factory settings without success. My reboot time is 1:18 seconds every time. Thankfully if you power off the PCM while the car is running the next time you start it will be off so I'm not bombarded with high volume static every 1min reboot. This is so annoying. Someone said it was related to satellite radio? I like the HDD replacement idea to SDD but as an under warranty car I feel like I'm stuck.

Cheers,
KM

Since you didn't mention it specifically, did you do the "Reset PCM>>Vehicle Handover>>" as stated above? That is the only thing that resets the Sirius XM issue. The XM update was causing mine to reboot about every 2 minutes (I didn't time it precisely).

As far as the HD is concerned. They use a "platter" type of HD, and in my experience it is always when they will fail, not if... If your tech and mechanical savvy, then I would Clone and Replace with an SSD.

 

Great thread, tks

 

Hello,

As you might see 981 DIY section of PCM refresh thread, when I installed Joyeauto CarPlay to my 981BS, I tried to replace HD to SSD. While I could install Joyeauto, I could not replace HD to SSD. I only have Apple computer and it did not recognize original PCM HD. Did anyone try with Apple system or must I use Windows? Thanks.

Toyota Soarer G1 (Japan only model to G3 is Lexus SC)
MGB (Japan)
Maserati Biturbo (Japan)
Jeep cherokee (USA)
Matsuda MX5 NA G1 (USA)
Land Rover Discovery G1 (Japan)
Mustang V6 (USA)
Honda S2000 (USA I drove 13 years!)
981B manual
981BS PDK (current car)

 

Hello,

As you might see 981 DIY section of PCM refresh thread, when I installed Joyeauto CarPlay to my 981BS, I tried to replace HD to SSD. While I could install Joyeauto, I could not replace HD to SSD. I only have Apple computer and it did not recognize original PCM HD. Did anyone try with Apple system or must I use Windows? Thanks.

Toyota Soarer G1 (Japan only model to G3 is Lexus SC)
MGB (Japan)
Maserati Biturbo (Japan)
Jeep cherokee (USA)
Matsuda MX5 NA G1 (USA)
Land Rover Discovery G1 (Japan)
Mustang V6 (USA)
Honda S2000 (USA I drove 13 years!)
981B manual
981BS PDK (current car)

I’m a Mac user and I just used this instead:

Hard Drive Dock, Inateck USB 3.0 to SATA Dual Bay External Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5 HDD, SSD with Hard Drive Duplicator and Cloner Function, Support 10TB, FD2002, Black https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00N1MAMB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_e-l6EbEJ1GTXJ

If you want I can just send it to you and you can send it back when you are done.

 

Unfortunately you would probably have to use Windows. I tried using Clonezilla on my Mac and it didn't work (although it could be my hardware). You could try it on yours to see if it might work. Clonezilla also did not work for me on my PC, but EaseUS did, so I used that on Windows. The OS on the PCM is some sort of Windows hybrid, so that may be why the Mac cannot deal with it.

 

Just be careful, because when a platter HD fails, it can totally fail without warning. In such a case you will be stuck as you will not be able to restore from anything. If you clone someone else's, things like the Maps won't work (even though they pretty much suck), as it is keyed to your PCM.

 

Hi SurfRider,

Thank you for the alert. Yes I agree that I should do it anytime soon. All HD eventually fail. I am just looking for the next opportunity/reason to do something on PCM+Joyeauto CarPlay box in addition to the replacement and just figured that I should relocate the microphone came with Joyeauto. As it is currently clipped on passenger side vent. It looks so aftermarket. I will post my question where to be easiest but not like aftermarket solution to hide microphone on the PCM refresh thread.

S

 

Here is some info about the HD rebooting...

 

A HUGE thank you for your post. We had been having this reboot issue for 6 months. We ordered the CD update and tried to reinstall the update but it got stuck in a loop. That is how we found your post. We did what you said and got an SSD from Best Buy and cloned it with a gadget we ordered from Amazon. It was very simple. We reinstalled the SSD back into the PCM and ran the update and it worked. We haven't checked all of the functionality of the PCM, but the reboots have stopped and we can actually listen to music. THANKS AGAIN!

 

Great write-up. OP, thanks for your efforts and good documentation.

I too was going to swap out my drive for an SSD SATA drive, but found that my PCM 3.1 unit, being so early in 981 production, uses an IDE hard drive. This caught me off guard.

I just ordered a few additional items (mSATA to IDE adapter, mSATA HDD), and when they come in, I will attempt this again. Shouldn't be difficult....

 

I started on this today using a Kingston 120gb SSD and the drive cloner posted above. It's cloning away as we speak... fingers crossed

 

I finished mine a few minutes ago. It went pretty smooth.

The NAV didn't come up for like 10 minutes after I swapped hard drives tho. I thought I was going to have to revert to the old HDD, but was relieved when it came back up.

 

ah, scary. Did you have to do an update with the DVD? I don't have that so i'm hoping i won't have to.

 

I did not have to use any update DVDs. Good thing, because I don't have them.

 

I just plugged in the new SSD and it worked perfectly. No delays or anything. I didn't try to route anything in navigation, but it loaded up and showed the map just fine. I'll go for a drive later. Might be in my head, but everything does feel a little snappier.

 

I tried to install the joyeauto CarPlay/Android upgrade and may have killed the HDD in the process (it was already flaky before). Now I lost the jukebox and map/navigation.

Does the DVD update firmware/recovery fix navigation if I start with a blank SSD? Or do I need to buy a map update to load the map data separately?

 

I tried to install the joyeauto CarPlay/Android upgrade and may have killed the HDD in the process (it was already flaky before). Now I lost the jukebox and map/navigation.

Sorry to hear, but if you have CarPlay up and running, do you really need the built-in nav and jukebox anyway??

 

Does anyone know where to get the update disk??

 

Thank you to everyone for posting all the great information. All PCM 3.1s are not alike however. I have a very early 2013 Cayenne that was actually built in 2012. It has the Bose upgrade and SiriusXM, navigation and a 6 CD player built in. My guess is that I have an old IDE drive in my unit. I tried to take the PCM out yesterday but something on the bottom is catching and won't let me remove it. (yes I know I don't have to remove to get to the hard drive but I want to add Car Play which does require removal). So what SSD will work properly in this unit (PCM3.1 System Version V3.43) ? How do I get the PCM out of the dash? Where can I get this "update disk" (which I should be able to transfer to a USB stick quite easily) that Porsche has apparently stopped selling?

 

So to follow up on my post #47, I got the PCM out of the dash and replaced the IDE drive with an SSD and a connection converter. The PCM works just fine except when my brand new V1 Gen 2 is plugged in. It is mounted on the windshield on the passenger side up at the top and next to the plastic "box" around the Porsche GPS antenna. The CPM is faster than it was with the old drive which apparently was working just fine. My GPS issues are due to the V1 Gen 2. If I unplug the V1 I can watch the satellite number slowly climb until I plug the V1 in again and it drops to 0. There is a link on the forums for the upgrade disk which is a necessity for the hard drive replacement. I'm still trying to decide on a kit to add CarPlay/Android Auto but the drive replacement was a huge confidence builder so that I really think I can add the board required for CarPlay/Android Auto.

 

That is very interesting about the GPS Sat reception, have you asked Valentine about this?

Regarding the CarPlay/Android Auto board, if I still had this version of PCM it would already be in there!