996 Porsche Dash Display Dead, Clutch Switch Mystery

Had the same issue on my '07 Porsche Cayman S last summer. The gear display went blank, and that annoying warning light kept staring at me. Took it to my regular shop, and they found it was indeed the clutch pedal switch connector that had worked itself loose over time. The wiring harness also had some wear. They had to replace the connector and secure the wiring harness properly. The repair itself wasn't too complex, took them about 2 hours. It wasn't a serious mechanical issue, more of an electrical annoyance, but definitely something you want to fix to avoid any potential problems with the transmission safety features. My advice: get it checked soon. A loose or faulty clutch switch can eventually prevent the car from starting as it's part of the safety system. Any Porsche specialist should be able to diagnose and fix this pretty quickly.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I needed to hear. Do you remember roughly how much you ended up paying for the fix? Also, has everything been working smoothly since then? I'm hoping my repair will be as straightforward as yours was.

Hey there! Happy to help with an update. After getting my Cayman fixed last summer, everything's been working perfectly, no more blank gear display or warning lights bugging me. The total bill came to 95€, which covered fixing the cable connection to the clutch switch. Pretty reasonable, if you ask me! They found the plug was acting up and replaced it. I'd say it was worth every penny because the car's been running like a dream since then. No more electrical gremlins or starting issues. The repair was quick and simple, just like I thought it would be. If you're still having the same symptoms, I'd definitely recommend getting it sorted sooner rather than later. These Porsches are amazing machines, but sometimes they just need a little TLC to keep them happy!

Thanks so much for all the info! Just wanted to update everyone, I took my 996 to a different mechanic yesterday, and you were spot on! Turned out to be the clutch pedal switch, just as we suspected. The repair was quick and painless, only took about an hour and a half. Bill came to around 110€, which wasn't bad at all. The new mechanic was actually great, really knew his stuff about Porsches and explained everything clearly. Much better experience than my last shop! The gear display is working perfectly now, and that annoying warning light is finally gone. Car's running smooth as butter. Really appreciate everyone's help here, saved me a lot of worry and probably some money too! Sometimes it's just nice to know you're not alone with these quirky car issues. Time to enjoy some proper driving again!