Put a data sim in and nothing happens...

[Westy]

Hi all,
Picked up my April 2015 SD last Thursday and generally very happy except for a couple of niggles.
There is a sim card slot but no SD card slots.
I had a data sim in my previous A6 Avant which gave me google maps and send destinations to car etc. with the My Audi app.
I've put the same sim in the SD and.... nothing.
I can't see any menu anywhere that relates to data and I've been through the manual but still can't figure it out.
There is a 'Car Connect' in one of the sub-menus but this is greyed out and I haven't registered for My Porsche yet as the V5 hasn't landed.
I've downloaded the Porsche Connect and Car Connect apps (which is the right one!) but can't use those until I've got a pin from My Porsche.
Frankly, I'm baffled.

Will this resolve itself when I can register with My Porsche and then get an app working?
Many thanks.

[Semerka]

Hello Westy, I believe that you need to register your car with Porsche Connect services via My Porsche. When I bought my used car, I sent them a copy of the V5 via the website, or you can give them a call. It took a few weeks for them to provide the pairing code that you need to enter into the PCM in the car. You will also need to purchase their connect services subscription for about £120/£130 for a year. That should enable you to access the connect services, including Google search and Google maps.

[Semerka]

from My Porsche portal:

Connect vehicle

Login in vehicle
Using the pairing code, you can link your Porsche ID with your vehicle in order to use your services in the vehicle. To do this, go to the "APPS" area in the PCM of your vehicle and then press the "OPT" button in the centre console.
Your pairing code: xxxxxxx

[Guy]

I am not convinced than an Apr 2015 car, with PCM3.1, has any of the functionality that you are after - eg sending locations to the car satnav.

Mine is a Sep 2015 and has an unusable SIM slot under the pull down flap; I think it is there for either the very limited 'connect services' or maybe the 'internet access' that was offered - the latter to provide a WLAN for use within the car (not by the car).

The 'grayed out' Car Connect refers to the ability of the car to send limited data to the Car Connect app - things like fuel range, whether the car is locked (but not the ability to lock it!), but does give you the ability to fold the mirrors remotely! It also sends location (find my car) data and is used by both the geofence option and tracking system, if you sign up for it.

EDIT: If you take a look at the Tequipment site you will get an idea of some of the PCM3.1 options - read the descriptions carefully to make sure that they are applicable to PCM3.1 and your car: https://content3.eu.porsche.com/prod/pag/tequipment/TeqFinder.nsf/TeqFinder?ReadForm&ba=Macan&ma=PCGB%20(RL)&sp=1&bt=Macan%20I&mo=Macan%20S%20Diesel&co=30&vin=&ac=category&ka=Audio%20und%20Kommunikation

[Semerka]

Also, it’s the Porsche Connect app that is for navigation / destinations.

Porsche Car Connect app is for accessing car info (location, fuel level, etc) from your phone. And you need a Vodafone Telematics contract for that.

[Semerka]

Give Porsche Connect a call and they should be able to tell from the car’s VIN what is available to you:





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[Westy]

Thanks all.

[andreas]

Why is all this stuff so impenetrably complicated? I haven't seen any simple understandable explanation of what all this Porsche Connect is about.

[Nuclear Nick]

I haven't seen any simple understandable explanation of what all this Porsche Connect is about.

That's because there isn't one!

(And it's the reason I left it to much better qualified people than me to attempt to answer the question!)