Last weekend, whilst away with a bunch of friends driving in NW Scotland, it became increasingly difficult to adjust the position of the steering wheel in my 06 Cayman S (66k miles). Eventually there was no vertical adjustment and fore and aft adjustment was difficult and accompanied by a ratchety sound. The steering response was normal. Initial phone contact with my indie was inconclusive but he promised to ask around OPCs and/or Porsche to get another opinion. The consensus was not good; a 'failed' steering column (apparently not as rare as we might expect) was the worst case scenario (£850 + 9 hours labour + VAT). "Bring it in" said my indie (911Sport in Horncastle) "and we'll take a look".
When the adjustment release catch is moved it turns a rod alongside the column which, in turn, moves the locking mechanism allowing adjustment to be made. Part of this mechanism is a spring held in place by a plastic nut. Over time the nut had worn and was failing to grip properly, gradually unscrewing with each use of the release catch. The solution - one nyloc nut to lock the cheap plastic one in place. Less than one hour's labour and one small nut. Thank goodness for indies!
It is worth mentioning that my car is used by quite a few other drivers, all of whom have been taught to adjust their seating position on first entering a car before taking any further action, so wear and tear of the mechanism is probably more than usual. But if you do have similar problems at least you know what it could be.
When the adjustment release catch is moved it turns a rod alongside the column which, in turn, moves the locking mechanism allowing adjustment to be made. Part of this mechanism is a spring held in place by a plastic nut. Over time the nut had worn and was failing to grip properly, gradually unscrewing with each use of the release catch. The solution - one nyloc nut to lock the cheap plastic one in place. Less than one hour's labour and one small nut. Thank goodness for indies!
It is worth mentioning that my car is used by quite a few other drivers, all of whom have been taught to adjust their seating position on first entering a car before taking any further action, so wear and tear of the mechanism is probably more than usual. But if you do have similar problems at least you know what it could be.
]. The steering wheel is the only item where an axial force might be applied and you’ll risk damaging it, and space is very limited, so unfortunately anything more drastic probably will require removal of the column assembly to get better access.
