jimhsu

Driving my wife's '04 C4S the other day and within 5 minutes of startup got "Check Engine....Drive to Workshop" error messages. Car also idles a touch rougher, with a little bit more of the shake.

From my search here it seems ignition coil related issues could be a problem. I haven't scanned it yet, but I have one question regarding next step....

Question:

If the message on the dash says "DRIVE to Workshop" is it safe to drive @ 12 miles mixed highway/local to the dealer, Seattle to Bellevue (car is still under Porsche warranty so I prefer to have them look at it) or should I flatbed tow it there?

My assumption, and I may be naive, is that if there is impending doom or irreparable damage or risk of catastrophic failure with any further driving, wouldn't the dash say "STOP immediately" instead of "DRIVE to Workshop?" Maybe I am assuming too much there.

The other possibility is an indy shop locally, but because of the warranty I would like to get the car to Bellevue.

Thanks!

Jim

ivangene

who are you taking it to Barrier?

they are open, call them
Chris's would be a beller choice if its not covered by CPO

sandersd

Sounds like precisely what happened to me: the camshaft actuator (the one that changes the lift) failed, making the engine run rough at low speed/idle and giving the same "Drive to workshop" message.

ROK

If you're under factory warranty, then by far the best choice is the Porsche dealership. Like someone above said, call the dealer first.

I had the same warning when my o2 sensor went bad on the cat.

Patrick E

As long as you don't have the blinking light indicating certain doom is just seconds away you're fine to drive the car. I'd suggest pulling the code sooner rather than later just to be on the safe side. Could also save you a few bucks at the mechanic as well.

Barn996

Wouldn't your dealer send a flatbed to pick up your warrantied Porsche?

pongobaz

If your CEL is not flashing, you can drive it to the dealer.

Malakas

Same exact thing happened to my 4S.

Most likely it is misfiring (esp if its running rough) which is spark plugs or coil packs... When were the plugs last changed?

uberskier

This happened to me on Saturday morning to the PCA NY Metro Area meet. But unlike the OP, I had just fueled up and it went off within 100 ft. of the gas station. Same thing, rough idle. I stopped and checked the gas cap, it seemed ok. Drove to the event and home with it on. Drove out later and when I got back in the car it was off. I'll have the code pulled soon, but it certainly seems extremely related to my re-fueling.

rat9545

Just had the same thing today. First time for my '04 C2 (Anniversary). Nothing obvious - no oil leak under the car, coolant seems okay etc. Engine also seems to be running normally (at least from the sound and feel). I only drove it 50 m and then put it back in the garage. I am hoping to take it the shop in the next couple of days. Previous posts helped calm me down from the fear of the worst as the light isn't flashing!

jimhsu

Thanks for all the replies. Glad it is more common than I had thought and may mean things that do not have too complicated a solution (hope it's the case here). The dealer said if it's not flashing it's OK to drive, so that's what I'll do. If it's flashing tomorrow I will stop and call AAA.

Graufuchs

Possible coilpack failure.