A litany of issues...could they all be related?

[SoCalTurbo]

Hello, long time reader, first time poster. I searched for answers, but nothing I could find was really able to answer my questions completely...maybe you can help?

First, I still have the full factory warranty, and could take the car to the dealership and have this stuff 'fixed', but I much prefer tracking this stuff down and doing it myself...if possible. I have an '03 TT, and here's what has gone wrong recently:

I went out one morning to find the battery dead, called Roadside Assistance, jumped, dead the next morning, then again that evening. Put a video camera in my storage compartment, and noticed that the trunk light wasn't going 'off', so I took it out and replaced the battery (after much discussion with Porsche service techs about the 'quality' of their own batteries), with a Bosche. Car worked great! Problem solved (except I still need to get that latching mechanism replaced, so I can replace the light).

A couple of weeks go by and I replace the center console, storage lid, hazard and ignition rosettes...cosmetic interior changes. At the end of it all, though, I couldn't remove my key from the ignition. I have a tiptronic transmission, btw. I went for a little drive, though, and the key did finally come out. It was weird, because the park light was on, the shifter was full-forward and the key still wouldn't come out. Fluke?

I don't know, but this all brings me to now, and my clock, speedometer and trip won't turn off when the car is off, and a single click on my key now acts as a double-click and gives the little horn beep when locking the car.

I feel like I have a little demon running around in my car and I can't quite get to him. I know that this is a lot of mismatched information, and all but the 'now' issues can be ignored, really. I just wanted to say it all incase something rang a bell with someone. Anyone have any helpful tips, aside from taking it to the shop?

[SoCalTurbo]

I'm not trying to bump my own topic, but once again the problem has resolved itself. It must be a little demon running crazy in the electrical system. The one thing that persists is when I lock the car, I push the key once and it acts like a double-click, sounding the horn and shutting everything off immediately.

The lights-on problem may have been moisture related, since it's been raining heavily in the LA area, and I drove about 3 hours in the rain just yesterday.

I am about to attempt my own navigation/dvd/audio/live traffic/sat radio installation. I see a few people have viewed this topic with no replies, but if any of you have had experiences with this in the past, I would love to hear them. The main unit of the installation will be the Pioneer AVIC-N3 with voice activated navigation, a fold-out 7" monitor and XM real-time traffic (should be nice for LA driving, for sure). I haven't run into any issues when disconnecting the battery, in terms of needing any codes or anything. I imagine I'm about to find out if that holds true when swapping stereos.

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts. I just got my TT a couple of months ago as a certified pre-owned Porsche, so these problems that I have been having are really irking me, because I felt like "certified" carried with it the promise of everything being in tip-top condition.

[Loren]

If there is a beep when you lock the car there is a zone "open". You have one or more zones open (most common are console lid microswitch, front trunk microswitch).

The key problem could be the switch on the Tip shift lever in the console or a bad ignition switch/lock.

What were you doing with the console and did you connect all the switches back up?

Any independent shop (or dealer) with a PST2 should be a able to tell you what the problem(s) pretty quickly.

[wross996TT]

I'll try a couple of thoughts... first try resetting your key fob. This requires removing the battery, putting it in backwards for 15 seconds and then reinstalling it. It could need reprogramming by the dealer as well (does your second fob do the same thing?)

Regarding the dvd/nav install...since you are replacing the stock stereo, I assume you realize you may have to replace all of the speakers, wires and amps (not sure about this, but have heard tales)

CPO Porsches doesn't mean all that much...other than they will still honor most warranty issues.

[SoCalTurbo]

Thanks for the replies. I will try everything mentioned. I don't know about the 2nd fob (haven't tried it), and I did reconnect the storage lid, but the 'trunk' latch is broken and needs to be replaced (the light wouldn't turn off), so I imagine that that's my open zone. I'm so glad that I asked these questions.

Re: the stereo - I have purchased amps, cd changer, nav unit, xm receiver and am looking for speakers and need to pick-up the ipod adapter and some cables. I intended to replace everything, since I don't think that the current Bose sound system is good at all. I see that you went to CU...I was a DJ on KBCO in Boulder for years, and still love music enough to make it a pretty high priority. I think that I'm going to strip everything out first, then take do the installation fresh. I'm actually pretty excited about it. I'm also doing more interior cosmetic stuff. I guess a lot of this would make more sense in the DIY forum, but I truly appreciate the feedback!

[SoCalTurbo]

If there is a beep when you lock the car there is a zone "open". You have one or more zones open (most common are console lid microswitch, front trunk microswitch).

The key problem could be the switch on the Tip shift lever in the console or a bad ignition switch/lock.

What were you doing with the console and did you connect all the switches back up?

Any independent shop (or dealer) with a PST2 should be a able to tell you what the problem(s) pretty quickly.

Loren - What switch on the Tip shift lever? I have a feeling that I missed something with the shifter, even though I put all of the pieces back together (or so I thought). Is there a diagram of the shift lever somewhere? I keep thinking that this might be it because of the initial problem I had after replacing the center console (from black to seal grey, to match the car, and I put a carbon fiber lid on the storage compartment), where the key wouldn't immediately come out of the ignition. It comes out now, but I worry that maybe I did something wrong.

[Loren]

If you didn't remove the shifter mechanism then the shift lock magnet and switch should be okay. I have heard of a couple cases where the magnet became dislodged. It is kind of hard to get to and I not sure where the wires exit at.