Installing OEM dash clock

[Goblin]

I have a 2012 Cayenne S. It doesn't have a dash clock, which I would like to have. I see on Ebay I get get an OEM dash clock assembly with a trim panel for about $450. the question is, Is my car pre-wired for the dash clock and can I simply plug the new clock in or do I need an additional wiring harnesses, and is the center speaker going to be in the way and  would need to be replaced with some other center speaker designed for a clock being there, or is it all compatible?

 

Thank you

 

 

[deilenberger]

Goblin - guess you never got an answer to this question?

 

I considered doing the same thing on my '11 CTT - but realized the Porsche clock must be set by the PCM since there is no obvious way of setting it at the clock. This means some special wiring has to be in place to enable this, and I doubt if it is there on Cayennes that didn't originally come with the clock.

 

So - I'm considering adding an aftermarket VDO clock - using the factory cover with the clock opening for the center vent/speaker, but haven't been able to find the diameter of the hole in the cover to see if the VDO clock (which is cheaper by a factor of 10x) would fit. At least with the VDO if you only need to provide it with power for the clock and a dash-light controlled source for the interior lighting, so the wiring should be fairly simple and DIY friendly. It sets via a button on the front.  The VDO clock face matches the existing instruments nicely.

 

If you've found out anything - please let us know..

 

BTW - link to the VDO clock on eBay: http://r.ebay.com/y3ImTk

Edited April 22, 2016 by deilenberger

[Brad Bedell]

This is an old thread, but There's a pretty decent writeup on the web.   I asked this question to myself prior to purchasing a vehicle.  The one I settled on came with a compass, so I don't get to do a DIY. :)    

 

Not sure if I can link another forum, so I won't.  A quick google search will give you the page at the top:  dash clock retrofit cayenne 958 

 

basically, it was a 6 wire plug which only uses 4 wires.  Power/Ground, CanH & CanL, you tapped into the PCM wiring.   (note the type of taps they use)  The clock just worked, without coding.  I suspect a compass would also, especially if it's activated in the dash.    

 

That said, I have to pull the PCM out in a couple of weeks to add a iPhone cable to my ashtray/storage compartment.   I'll try to take photos of the compass harness if it's somewhat easy to see.  

[deilenberger]

Brad, et.al: You're probably referring to http://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-cayenne-forum/774703-dash-top-chrono-clock-harness.html -  The OE clock is easy to find, finding the wiring is not so easy. There is a guy selling a "kit" of the panel, clock and wiring - he wanted silly money for it ($700 or so) on Ebay. I asked about him selling just the harness since I owned several of the clocks - and he wanted $250. Silly price. One popped up for a very short while on Ebay - from Hong Kong - for $90. I jumped on it and it was delivered fine to me. Apparently whoever that was has now disappeared off the US Ebay site. He does appear on the Euro Ebay sites - selling various accessory parts and bling - but won't ship to the USA.

 

Other people mentioned finding a Porsche supplied harness for way less money - but none of them ever reported success in ordering it so I'm guessing that's a pipe dream.

 

Oh - besides the clock working just fine - it also gave me the sport-chrono timer option in the MFD. Trigger button for it is the right side steering-wheel button/wheel. 

 

Besides the standard clock, I also have a dash mount sport-chrono, but since I'm not doing laps in the Cayenne I opted for the standard clock. The sport-chrono makes a nice looking desk display, even when not keeping time - but in a Cayenne it would basically be bling (although it does have a digital time display built into it..)

 

The most fun of the dash top clock - watching the hands do their dance when you open the door..

[Brad Bedell]

 Don, That's the thread. (and Thank you again for your exploration on the other topic we recently discussed)     A few years ago, I retrofitted factory navigation and factory heated seats into my 09 Minicooper and have retrofitted nav into '07 and '11 BMW 3 series.   It took quite a bit of coding and educated guess work to make all the components and diagnostics happy.     However, without coding, it all just worked.  The nav/radio unit was happy and dumb with the canbus signals, even with mis-matched VINs.   I suspect most Porsche stuff is the same/similar for coding/recoding  as BMW Techs are also told that you can't recode VINs/components.    However, Porsche keeps an active team of attorneys looking on the web for trademark/copyright infringements.  I assume it's still true today as my wife, in her early years, was the lucky young associate who was 'volunteered' to draft a few nasty-grams.    It makes sharing/finding this sort of knowledge quite difficult. 

 

As for the parts sources:  I found a local BMW dealer who had a great parts person who was willing to look around for me on the Mini project.   I'd bet BMW/Audi/VW  has a connector that's needed on the shelf if you have a decent parts person/counter who knows their wiring repair kit well.   At retail, pigtails would be $5.00 each pin and  $3-6 for the plastic connector.  ~$25.00   Again, it's not speculation and since I have a compass, I'm not inclined to disassemble the car and find it.   I've found German plastic not nearly as forgiving as Japanese plastics.  

[deilenberger]

Brad, I'm sure Porsche does have lots of attorney's out there - probably reading this shortly after I write it.. but a pigtail wiring harness isn't something that can be copyrighted or patented, especially when other vehicles use the same connector (Volvo uses this same connector - with wires going to it - I know because the clock I bought off eBay came with a Volvo connector that I elected not to use..)  The connector can be found with some searching (I seem to recall finding it as a Tyco product), but putting one together requires special tools to push the connectors in place - and that also was something I decided to pass up on. It seemed simpler to pay the $90 and get one that was made for the job.

 

A lot of searching last night turned up the source for the cable I bought - again. From Hong Kong - again. Price went up to $100.99.  The link is in the other thread.

 

One chap on the other forum did persist on the Porsche Part# that was in the thread, and one finally arrived. He PM'd me last night. It isn't what he expected. It is what I expected seeing the illustration in the parts listing. It's a three-connector cable assembly. Perhaps one of the connectors is the correct one for the clock (that isn't clear yet) - the others are for something else. Makes sense since it was spec'd for a Boxster originally.  I'd love to find the elusive Porsche parts guy who really knows how to work the parts system for things like this, I used to have a Volvo guy and a BMW guy - but haven't found the same sort of guy at a Porsche dealer. I think the difference is - the parts guys at Porsche can't afford a Porsche - even used - so they're not as enthusiastic. The Volvo guy and BMW guys were both enthusiasts who happened to channel their enthusiasm working at the parts counter.

Edited February 27, 2017 by deilenberger

[DrSavant]

Gents,

 

Having read through all the posts, I'm forced to ask a question :)

 

I have a 2017 Cayenne, with the awful digital clock/compass combo. I have an opportunity to perform a swap with a nice mechanical clock from a 2014 Cayenne.

 

The million dollar question is - can I just do a straight swap, and both will work (the 2014 Cayenne belongs to a dealer friend, and he said I can have the clock, as long as whatever I put in its place functions)? If not, is there a straightforward coding process?

Edited September 25, 2020 by DrSavant

[deilenberger]

Doesn't need coding. Just gotta plug it in.

[DrSavant]

11 hours ago, deilenberger said:

Doesn't need coding. Just gotta plug it in.

I'll be a tad stupid here - so my compass/digital clock would immediately function in the older Cayenne?

[deilenberger]

Yes.  You may have to go into the PCM to turn it on - but I doubt it - if there is something there now that works, what you plug into that jack should also work.

[DrSavant]

7 hours ago, deilenberger said:

Yes.  You may have to go into the PCM to turn it on - but I doubt it - if there is something there now that works, what you plug into that jack should also work.

Perfect, thank you. Will post the results if I do it (have plans to screw around with the PCM anyway, since I want to install a CarPlay module).