Cayman's Secondary Air Issue: Warning Signs & Solutions

Hey there! I faced something really similar with my 2013 Boxster S. I've got some experience working on cars, though I usually leave the complex stuff to the pros. Had almost identical symptoms, CEL, bad fuel economy, and that nasty exhaust smell. Turned out to be a faulty electric switching valve. Took it to my regular Porsche specialist workshop, and they diagnosed it pretty quickly. The fix cost me around 140 Euro, parts and labor included. Car's been running perfectly since then. What's your current mileage and have you noticed any other symptoms? Would help to know if there are any other warning lights or unusual noises. Also, has it been serviced recently? Hope this helps! Let me know if you need more details.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Cayman's got 12722 KM on the clock, and it just had its service last month. Haven't noticed any unusual noises, just these symptoms you mentioned. Interesting that you had similar issues with your Boxster S. That repair cost sounds reasonable, definitely better than what I was expecting. I'll get it checked out at my local Porsche specialist. Thanks for the heads up about the electric switching valve, I'll mention that when I take it in.

Hey again! Yeah, that's exactly what my Boxster went through. After fixing my electric switching valve, everything went back to normal, but I actually had another similar episode about 6 months ago. This time it was the secondary air pump itself that went bad, same symptoms but the repair was a bit pricier, around 400 Euro. Given that your Cayman's pretty low on mileage and recently serviced, I'd definitely lean towards the switching valve being the culprit. That's usually the first thing to go in these systems. Mine started acting up around 15000 KM, so the timing fits. Just a heads up, when you take it to the specialist, make sure they check both components (the valve and the pump). Mine did a full diagnostic and caught both issues, even though the pump didn't fail until later. Better to know what you might be dealing with down the road. Let me know how it goes at the shop! Always curious to hear if others have the same fix work for them. These Porsches can be tricky sometimes, but they're worth the hassle!

Thanks so much for the detailed follow-up! That's really helpful to know about both the valve and pump potentially being involved. I'll definitely ask them to check both components during the diagnostic. It's actually reassuring to hear that your symptoms matched mine so closely, and that the mileage when it happened was similar too. I've got an appointment scheduled for next Tuesday at my local specialist, and I'll make sure to mention your experience. I'll keep you posted on what they find, really appreciate you taking the time to share all this info. These Porsches definitely keep us on our toes, but like you said, they're totally worth it!