Porsche 991 911 Center Console Switch Box Deconstruction

Porsche 991 911 Center Console Switch Unit

Here's another one for all fellow "tinkerers" out there...  I have been thinking about how the 991 center console switches function, and what one might be able to do with the "blanks" that all of the 991 models seem to have (I have seen fewer blanks on a GT3, but nearly all other 991 models have at least 3 blanks in the console switch unit).

What follows is a step-by-step breakdown of the center console switch module from a 991.  In this particular case, the donor did not have PSE (Thanks for fellow member for donating!).

My thinking is this... that although the unit is a single controller, we should be able to figure-out how to modify the switches in order to do something with the blank spots, such as build-in custom switches for radar, other accessories that one might want to install.

The challenge in doing anything with this console module?  It is a single control board, with various switches mapped and likely programmed specific to the car and its' options (ie when you add PSE they replace the entire switch unit, not just add a single switch).

In the "old days" you could pull a single, isolated switch from the dash or console, and replace with something else, or at least gain direct access to specific wires and such going to the accessory buttons.  Nowadays, all of the switches are on a single circuit board, and tie-in to the car network (CAN) through a couple of wires and a connector.  So you really can't just move the switches around, remove something and replace with a different function, etc.  At least not yet...  LOL

Let's get to the deconstruction.

You need to remove the switch module from the center console, so if you haven't already you should review the DIY I posted previously on just how to do this.

DIY:  Center Console Trim Removal

So if you've followed the removal DIY, disconnected the cable running to the switch-box, you should be holding the 'black box' at this point.  Here is the module sitting on my bench...

This is the "underside" of the switch box.
Note the part #'s S/W and H/W versions

After you have the module on your bench, flip it over so you are looking at the "bottom."

There are 6 torx head screws that you need to remove, as indicated in the following picture.

The small screws removed....

Using the smallest T bit that I have I removed each one and set aside...  These are small, so if you have a tray or even a small plastic sandwich bag you should put them in a safe place.  Would hate to lose one of these buggers!

With the screws removed, gently pull-up on the the back-cover and put aside.  You'll find as you separate the back from the main assembly that there is a rubber gasket layer sandwiched in there (covering the circuit board) - you'll notice it in the area where my thumb is in the following pic.

Place the back cover aside.  In this picture, you can see what you've exposed is a single circuit board.

Now pull-up gently on the circuit board, separating it from the main assembly.  Do so carefully, as in the picture below you'll find that there is a spring in the center -- don't lose that!

Red arrow indicates a small spring in the center of the assembly.

Have something handy, like a small bowl or plastic bag, to put the small bits in.  Place the circuit board to the side.

Since the "top" of the switch box assembly is face-down on your table, you are now looking at the underside of the switch actuators....

I've indicated where the "blanks" are so you can see the difference
between those and the actual "live" switches from the console...

The first observation about this is that given the space under the dummy switch covers (effectively they are hollow) it is very possible that an aftermarket / custom switch assembly can be added.  More on that later.

Let's move over to the circuit board for a moment....

On one side you see the standard green board with some chips and other bits visible.  Flip it over and on the other side is a rubber gasket of sorts...  You can pull that off - there isn't anything holding it in place that you need to worry about.

The small metal discs correspond to the switch contact points, which in turn are mapped to the corresponding circuits for controlling specific features / functions of the car.  This is all via CAN-BUS and programming, so if you were expecting to be able to tap into specific wiring for a switch you are out of luck!  These are pressure sensitive contact points, and represent either an ON or OFF state....  The rubber gasket is effectively protecting the circuit board and contacts from any moisture, such as when someone might spill or drip beverages onto the center console.  Might make for some sticky buttons, but looks to me like there wouldn't be much chance for shorting or other electrical problems!

Back at the "rear" of the switch console box -- you can remove the three grey assemblies, taking care with the center one which has a spring.  The plastic bits literally just fall-out so nothing tricky needed for removal.

In the case of my car the switch buttons are to control the metal sunroof.  Open / Close / Partial settings and corresponding buttons.  If this were a cab car, I would expect these buttons to control the top open / close functions.  In a coupe with NO sunroof option?  Not sure what would be there. Probably just blanks.

To remove one of the buttons that are already in place, you will need to push it out from the rear.  I used a small micro-screwdriver and gently pushed until it popped-out a bit and I could pull it the rest of the way out.

Here's a pic of the switch face plate or cover removed...

The face plate is a small thin black plastic part with a small hole in the corner (for the red indicator light).  NOTE that the face plates are right - or - left side specific.  For example, the PSE button can only be installed to the right bank of buttons...

Once you have the switch face plate removed, you can remove the chrome plastic bit from the front of the console box.

In the following picture, you can see the "dummy" or blank button face removed, with the small chrome bit removed from the "real" button just above.

Here you can see the difference in a "dummy" button  (circled in red) and "real" or working button (upper space in the pic below) when the faces of the two buttons are removed.  In the functioning button, note there is a black "box" of sorts inserted, which when face is on and pressed contacts with the actual contact switch on the circuit board.

You can remove the black plastic "box" in a switch by gently pressing on it from the face side to push it out the back of the console box.  And do the reverse if you are inserting a new button....

Following is a pic showing the two buttons on the right that have been completely removed from the switch box.

And from the reverse side....

Pic of the various bits deconstructed and laid-out on the bench.

So, you've deconstructed your center console switch box...  What can we do with this information???

Well, I didn't do anything.  I simply put it all back together again.  But, I now know that if I really wanted to add a "custom" switch integrated to look factory installed I could.  It isn't going to be fully-integrated at an electronics communication level (CAN BUS), but a physical integration with the switch face plates.  To add a custom switch, you will have to create an access port into the space directly under the switch face plate you are customizing.  This means drilling a small hole on the side of the console box and routing your wiring through and into the space directly below the switch box.

Of course, until someone does this and shows in detail, it is just a concept.  Couple of other things to know -- You can purchase a switch repair kit from Porsche that includes replacement switch face plates, switch console box, and other bits.  I think this currently runs about US $225 or so.  Also, this kit is needed whenever an owner adds Porsche Sports Exhaust to their car, as the kit includes the new button to turn the PSE on and off.  Here is a pic of the kit (swiped this from an online marketplace):

Note also that the switch repair kit does require a match to your VIN -- in the example pic above, this kit was obviously for a car that is NOT a convertible, and doesn't include the metal or glass sunroof option, since there are no buttons for roof control in the middle of the switch panel.  So check your VIN when you order a switch repair kit.  And no, getting a kit with the additional buttons DOES NOT mean that by installing you will magically have PDCC, front lift kit, PSE, or a convertible!!!!  LOL.  These are replacement buttons and other parts, but you will need to get any programming done by the dealer (or independent with the PIWIS tool and the option codes for your car from the factory).

Anyways, this is a LONG post -- sorry all!  I've run out of steam.  Happy to answer any questions if you want to post them.  I also have a spare switch kit that I can dig into in more detail if you have any questions.

Thanks!

DIY: Porsche 991 911 C4S Vinyl Hood Wrap

Well honestly, before I go any further, let me say that this is going to be more of a "review" rather than a true DIY.  Yes, I'll explain how I went about wrapping the hood of my 2014 991 C4S -- but I won't show you step-by-step pictures.  I was considering this to be a "dry-run" as I have never wrapped the hood of the 991 before, and I really wasn't sure that I would want to post anything about it if I failed....

Well, as you can see from the following pics, I didn't "fail."  Seriously, you would have to get pretty darn close-up to my hood to see the telltale signs of an amateur job.  Amateur?  Yes, I have to admit that despite the countless hours of practicing on various objects, wrapping other parts of the car (including the roof panels), I don't feel that I could claim that I am wrapping at a professional level.  More on that later....

Here's what I did:  I ordered-up some 3M 1080 vinyl wrap in Matte Black.  I wanted to match the roof vinyl that I applied a while back.  Having a 'free' Saturday night, I decided last night to do the wrap.  The conditions weren't that great.  The weather here in PA has been cold, and even with the warmer temperatures the previous day the temp in my garage was about 43 F at the car level.  I do have a construction propane space heater, but literally ran out of propane in the tank minutes after firing it up.  But I decided to do the project anyways.  So I cranked up some music, got a beer, and started the prep work.

I had thoroughly hand-washed the car the day before.  It is very clean...  But I then worked the hood with a clay bar to get the surface super-smooth in prep.  After claying, I rubbed-down the surface with a prep solution.  Afterward, I opened the frunk and removed the hood badge.  This was the first hour of my project.

With the surface ready, I then checked the temperature at the hood surface.  I was still on the fence about whether I should ditch and wait for warmer weather...  It too read out at 43, so I continued.  My next dilemma was what to do about the Xpel front-end wrap that was already in place.  My car came from the dealer with a partial front-end wrap, so the hood has a line across it about midway.  This is barely noticeable on my GT Silver car, but of course putting the matte black vinyl on top of it would make the line stand-out much more.  But at the same time I didn't feel like peeling it off as I was pretty-sure that I would probably pull the black vinyl off anyways, and didn't want to leave my front-end unprotected ( I drive this car almost daily).  So the decision was to wrap right over the Xpel.

I placed the 5'x6' vinyl out over the hood, face-down.  I am doing the wrap on my own, so I would have to work the vinyl a bit at a time and use tape to hold it in place at times....    With the vinyl face-down, I first cut the larger piece into a shape roughly outlining the overall shape of the hood, but with enough vinyl around all edges to work with.

I then flipped it over, and taped it in place.  Then, I pulled the vinyl and backing down carefully towards the nose of the car overlapping, stopping about half-way down.  With the paper backing exposed, I peeled it off and cut it away.  Then carefully placed the sticky vinyl area back into previous place, touching in a few spots to set it in place.  I could then start working the top areas of the hood up to the windshield edge to remove all air, wrinkles etc.  This went extremely well and was very easy.  Looked perfect and not a single hint this was installed by me... !

Once that section was done, I pulled the vinyl near the nose of the car up and overlapped the area I just finished.  I pulled the paper backing off and carefully pulled the sticky vinyl down to the nose.  This didn't go as well as the upper portion of the hood.  As the hood slopes towards the nose, it is also curving a bit, and the vinyl was not cooperating.  I had some "wrinkles" and other issues in the surface.  BUT, I found that this is where patience paid off.  I simply applied heat, and working in smaller sections at a time slowly worked all of the issues out of the vinyl until I found myself at the front edge.

I used my heat gun to continue working-out any bubbles or bumps in the hood, until it all appeared perfect...  Now I turned my attention to the edges and trimming.  I slowly went over the entire hood edge, working the vinyl over and under the edge.  I then got my knife and began slowly trimming the excess vinyl off.  By far the trickiest area to work on were the two corners of the hood at the windshield.  There wasn't much clearance to work the vinyl from underneath, and the corners are very pointed in shape.  In the end I got it done simply "ok."  I will want to redo that area no doubt.

I also had some trouble in couple of areas where I trimmed a bit too much away, and the wrap didn't come far enough under to be consistent.  I don't see the edges of the hood, but looking at the edges when the hood is open you can see the problem.  I am too anal to let that go....

And basically that is it!  I finished.  Took me about 2 hours and 45 min, including the prep work.  I put the badge back on, and went back over everything with my fingers, squeegee and heat gun to make sure I didn't overlook anything.

Here are my pics taken the day after...

I am not going to show you a picture of the underside of the hood...  like I said, the trimmed edge didn't come out as perfect as I expected, so I will need to spend more time on that aspect of the project next go-around.  Which I plan to do.  In the next few weeks...  LOL.

Needless to say, I am very happy how this turned-out.  I had my brother-inlaws both inspect the work in the daylight today, and they literally didn't notice anything until I pointed it out.  Like the line across the middle of the hood where the Xpel film ends.  Or the small creases up under the edge near the windshield.  They had no idea this was vinyl until I told them.  So that made me happy!

Stay tuned, I am going to re-do the hood, and may just tackle other parts of the car soon!

DIY: Porsche 991 911 C4S Roof Wrapping

Some time back I decided to add some unique style to my 2014 911 GT Silver C4S.  Among other things, I changed the chrome accents / badging to matte black, changed the headlights out to OEM Black PDLS units, changed the entire exterior mirror assemblies to matte black, and so on.

Additionally, I decided to change the entire roof to matte black, using vinyl wrapping material.  I didn't get a good set of pictures throughout the installation process, but will post here what I do have...

I chose to use a 3M 1080P product, which for those of you who aren't familiar is an automotive vinyl wrapping material that is very durable, easily installed, and completely removable without negatively impacting the OEM painted surface.  I had read a ton of articles on vehicle wrapping, and my opinion is that 3M manufactures one of the better-quality, "higher-end" materials for wraps.

I ordered the vinyl material online from a reputable 3M vinyl supplier, along with some basic application tools such as surface prep, squeegee, and blades.  I don't remember the exact cost, but I think for the surface area I am dealing with I spent about $75.

Here's a "before" picture - not the best view, but clearly shows the three sections of the roof that I had to deal with in my case (obviously, is you have the 'no-sunroof' option, you will only have one large surface to cover....).

My '14 C4S roof includes the metal sunroof panel, so my roof is 3 separate areas.

To get started, make sure the  car is very clean, focusing on the surface area you are going to cover.   I did my usual wash routine, then used some cleaning solution to thoroughly remove any oils, grease, wax or other residues from the surface.  If your car roof is "dirty" you may also want to clay bar the surface -- in my own case I didn't feel this was necessary as the surface felt very smooth and "slippery" to the touch.  Wouldn't hurt to clay anyways, but I decided not to.

You should also make sure to get the area completely dry, paying attention to the areas where moisture might remain for an extended period, such as around the weatherstripping....  I used a air hose from my compressor to blow the water out of the cracks around the area.

 The next step -- and although some may feel this is not necessary -- is to remove any exterior trim, which in my case meant the weatherstripping / rubber gaskets that run along the roof edge as well as around the metal sunroof on my car.  I found that the stripping is actually 5 separate parts -- there is a single 'box' of weatherstripping surrounding the sunroof panel, as well as 4 smaller segments - 2 on each side, front and back, where the stationary sections of the roof meet-up.

I started with the rubber stripping around the sunroof.  I found that this is a single large / continuous rubber piece, a square...  I opened the sunroof, and began at a corner.  Gently pull the rubber up and it should start sliding off as you work around the perimeter of the sunroof.

Start pulling-up at the corner of the sunroof panel.

Be careful, and try not to stretch the rubber too much.  It does deform, but you can totally reuse this piece as I'll mention later.  I am not sure what the price is to replace, and it shouldn't be too bad, but if you are careful and take your time you shouldn't have to worry about it.

Pull-up carefully around the perimeter of the sunroof.

Once I had the rubber gasket removed, I found a nice safe place and put it aside.  I then turned to the 4 smaller rubber strips at the front and rear of the "side rails" along the roof.  Note that this is also the area where you would install the footings for a roof rack.  At first I was thinking that these rubber pieces would come off similar to the rubber running around the sunroof.  But that was not the case....

These rubber sections are anchored much more "permanently" than the sunroof gasket, and in fact I can confirm that these are intended to be replaced entirely upon removal.  I confirmed by looking-up the Porsche PIWIS official workshop manual article.  That would be "WM 605419 Removing and installing seal for roof assembly" for those that care....

You gently pull-up on one end of the rubber seal, and then you'll have to cut-off and remove any plastic bits that remain.  So, I didn't do this!  LOL.  I was worried about cutting something important, so I merely pulled the piece up and positioned out of the way while I worked in that area.

Red arrows indicate front of roof above windshield where I pulled-up the rubber weather stripping.

Each of the strips pull-up at one end, but are secured in place by a plastic fastener that unless you do want to clip off and replace you should take care to not tear or deform.

This is a close-up of the rear roof area, just above rear window...

With that taken care of, I again made sure all moisture was removed from the areas where the rubber gaskets are.

My next step was to lay-out some knife-less tape where I wanted to trim and tuck the black vinyl.  The piece of vinyl was already the best size -- that being a 5' x 4' single sheet.  I decided to use the knife-less tape so that I could avoid any risk of putting scratches in the paint around the roof when trimming the vinyl to three sections.

This method is also great if you don't want to remove the rubber gaskets...

Make sure to leave enough tape sticking-out so you can easily grasp and pull once the vinyl is down.

Make sure to overlap the tape so that you can "cut" the longer
side rails first, then the perpendicular shorter sides second.

Once all the tape is laid-out, you can get ready to place the vinyl.  Unfortunately I did not keep the pictures I snapped while working on this part of the project.  Sorry!  I'll do my best to describe the effort....

If you ever watch the thousands of YouTube videos out there for vinyl wrapping, you'll notice that in most cases roof wraps are put in place by at least two guys, maybe more.  But I am here to tell you that you can do it with a single person, or one set of hands!

I took the vinyl piece, and leaving the backing-paper in place laid it out over the roof.  I then started at the front and pulled the backing half-way towards the rear of the roof.  I pressed-down in a couple of spots near the middle.  As I did this, I began moving my squeegee evenly around the vinyl in a center to front pattern to firmly set the vinyl in place.  I continually worked the squeegee to remove any bubbles or wrinkles from the vinyl, progressively pressing more firmly as I worked the entire area.

Once I felt that I had done enough on the front-half, I reached under and pulled the remaining backing off.  I then started near the center of the roof and while pulling the vinyl taught towards the rear windows began working the squeegee to press the vinyl onto the roof.

I have to say that this was a really simple procedure once I got going.  Just take your time, hold the squeegee at the right angle to the surface and pay attention to detail!  I spent maybe 45 minutes tops getting the vinyl down.  In comparison, I spent nearly two hours prepping for this moment!

Once I finished, I let the surface rest for a bit.  Had a beer, or two.  I then went to the knife-less tape "ends" and started firmly pulling to create my cut lines.  This was a bit tricky at first, but you just have to firmly yank the sting to get the first cut line started.  If you laid-out the tape correctly, you should have a very nice straight line following the gaps around the sunroof and rails.  You can go back around and just yank the tape remnants out from under the vinyl.  This is easy....

Next step is to begin tucking the edges of the vinyl wrap down into the sides of the sunroof / roof panels.  If you've removed the weather stripping / rubber gaskets, this is very easy.  Just take your teflon squeegee and fingers and firmly push the edges down.  If you've cut properly, there should be plenty of material to attach so you won't have any edges exposed to the elements.  You could also use an edge sealing fluid to more firmly bond the edges to the roof, but I felt that tucking the edges under the weatherstripping should be sufficient.

Here's a pic of the front section after I've tucked the vinyl and replaced the rubber strips...

Follow the same to complete all edges around the roof, and replace any weatherstripping once you are satisfied you have a good bond at the edges.

Boom! You are done!  If all went smoothly, you should have a great-looking wrapped roof panel!

This is an "older" after-shot back in warmer weather and before
I changed to the black mirrors....

Next up?  I am going to wrap the frunk hood in either same matte black or may try something very different and go with a matte blue metallic!  

Thanks for reading!!!

PCA Club Coupe Edition 991

Attended PCA Tech Tactics East Saturday Feb 28th.  I'll post other material from the event, but focus in this post on the special 991 Porsche created for Porsche Club of America's 60th Anniversary...

First, a disclaimer:  I took the pictures with an iPhone, which is bad enough -- but on top of that, the lighting conditions in the space where the car was located were just awful.  The area was a very clean service bay/training room in the PCNA facilities, but there were large windows on one side close to the car and a lot of sunlight was coming through.  So needless to say, some of the pictures came out quite crummy.  Oh well...

The car was revealed to the attendees as a 'surprise' -- it was hidden in an adjoining training facility, and at the proper moment on queue a large garage door opened and there it was!  This is apparently the first and only 991 Club Coupe edition at this time.

The car is quite beautiful.  I think they came up with a great color which is special for PCA -- Porsche AG officially named it 'club blau'.  This color is only available at the moment on the Club Coupe.  It was mentioned during the meeting that the color may be available in about 2 model years for PTS orders.  It was also interesting to hear about the process to create this special car.  Apparently took about two years, and PCA didn't know that the Club Coupe would be based upon a GTS until the GTS model was unvield.

In person, the color is both very bold and "muted" at the same time.  Kind of like a monochrome color but with a very shiny gloss to it.  It isn't neon, and not in-your-face metallic.  But it is a stand-out in a sea of white, silver, black, red spectrum colored cars on the road....  This blue is flat but not matte or "frozen".  As you can see in the following pics the tone is lighter in bright lighting and looks much darker in shade or darker lighting conditions.  Very cool.

Just a few other notes before we get to the pics....  What makes this car special is the color and a few styling bits.  Beyond that, the car is like a GTS.  The interior is nearly identical to my own 991 C4S, but for a red centering indicator stripe on the steering wheel....  I didn't take any pics of the interior for the simple fact that it wasn't anything special.

On the outside, aside from the color and the 50th model wheels, the only other visual was a small decal on the lower front of each door indicating "Club Coupe."  My personal opinion - they should have changed the rear badging to reflect the special edition -- but they left it as the normal GTS badging.

So here are the pics:

Notice the 'orange peel' in the door paint??!

One final note:  PCNA will be giving away (NOT a raffle) one of the 60 Club Coupe cars to a very lucky PCA member!  All active members will be eligible for the drawing, so make sure your PCA membership is paid up!  They didn't explain when the drawing would be however, so stay tuned to your PCA newsletter for the details.