Fortunately that very same day in my mailbox was the October 2007 issue of Chicago Scene and in there was the Midship Report column by John Miller which among other things described how he ran into the same problem on his Boxster and included detailed instructions on how to fix it!

Upon doing some further on-line research it appears this is a VERY common problem and had been for several years. The problem is a simple VW/Audi electrical switch that's attached to the end of the key cylinder that tells the car's electronics what position the key is in. It's a cheap plastic part and eventually it seems some little plastic part inside cracks or breaks off and causes the key to not be able to turn. In my case I was lucky and was able to crunch the plastic enough to allow the key to turn semi-freely again.

That little plastic part costs all of about $10.92 from www.autohausaz.com. The OEM version of the switch is VW/Audi part# 4A0905849. Since this part seems to break a lot it probably couldn't hurt to order an extra one or two. The part has been discontinued from Porsche so it may not be available from VW/Audi parts sites forever. There is an updated ignition lock that avoids using the easily broken VW switch. The process is well documented at: DIY Upgraded Ignition Switch/Log Installation for 996/Boxster. When (not if) this switch ever breaks again I'm likely to just buy the more reliable ignition lock assembly and not have to replace that switch again.

The basic process is pretty simple. The switch can be accessed from under the dash. It's a little tricky to get to the two small slotted screws holding it in place so you need to at least remove the section of duct running across the dash but I found I had a hard time getting to the screws so I ended up also loosening the ODB-II and swiveling it out of the way and also removing the light switch/left duct assembly and unscrewing the vertical duct as well which I was then able to wiggle out of the way for better access to those darn screws.

1. Romove the key or leave it in the 0 position if at all possible
2. Contort yourself under the dash and remove the big duct. Just compress it and it should easily come out and both ends.
3. Find the switch and pull the wiring harness of the switch. It should come off pretty easily.
4. The screws you need to remove are covered in bright red paint. Scratch off the paint with a small screwdriver.
5. Then just unscrew the two screws with a very small slotted screwdiver. If you're having trouble getting to them you may need to move the other duct out of the way too.
6. The screws are not very tight so it should take very little force to unscrew them. You also don't need to unscrew them all the way, just enough for the heads to extend slightly past the bracket holding the switch.
7. If your key was stuck in the ignition you should be able to remove it now. The new switch will only go in if the key is in the 0 position.
8. Install new switch.
9. Replace the wiring harness. It only goes on one way.
10. Replace any ductwork you moved/removed out of the way.
11. Take the car for a spin to make sure it's all working still.

Click on thumbnail for a full-size picture
The key is out of the ignition. Viewed: 324 times.	Pull out the light switch and insert a tiny screwdriver into the hole to release the switch. Viewed: 447 times.	For your reference, this is how it looks from behind. Viewed: 407 times.
Use a T-20 Torx screwdriver to remove the screw here. Viewed: 460 times.	Use the same screwdriver to remove these two and then carefully pull out the whole unit. Viewed: 428 times.	Remove this phillips screw to loosen this other duct. No need to remove completely. Viewed: 521 times.
Compress the big duct under the dash and remove. Viewed: 492 times.	If necessary unscrew the two of the three screws holding the ODB-II interface and rotate it out of the way. Viewed: 484 times.	The wiring harness plug pulls straight off. Viewed: 592 times.
Once off you can see clearly see the red paint covering the two tiny screws. Viewed: 608 times.	With the ducts and ODB-II out of the way I had enough room to use a small screwdriver to unscrew the screws and remove the switch. Viewed: 537 times.	This is the small screwdriver that did the trick. Viewed: 453 times.
The old broken switch on the left and the new one on the right. Viewed: 704 times.	Once re-assembled it was time to put it all back together. Viewed: 459 times.

For me I had another surprise under the dash, fortunately a pleasant one. Apparently a previous owner had installed the Valentine-1 hard wire adapter. I followed the wires and found the power cord tucked between the window and frame. The end had been cut off but there was enough slack to pull the wire back and I can just crimp on a new RJ-11 plug!

Comments From People Like You! Replace Ignition Switch :: Repairs :: Greg's 2004 Porsche 996	add a comment
Josh 02-Feb-2010 08:24
Very easy fix on my 2002 carrera C4S!! A little tight though for a 6 ft person reaching under the dash. Other than that it only took about 15-20 min to complete. Thanks for all your help
Dan 06-Dec-2009 04:33
The only thing I'd add is that the red-painted set screws holding the switch in place are flathead... probably seems obvious to a lot of people but I first thought they might be metric allen bolts... Great resource, thanks... saved me a few hundred dollars for sure...
Clauber 24-Nov-2009 18:56
Just as described. Thank you for your time and effort.
bob 09-Sep-2009 10:04
to be pefectly clear: to remove the headlight switch knob you're trying to push the little metal tab on the knob itself.   and the 2 ign switch screws are like set-screws, you don't have to back them out too much to remove the switch.   wear some eye protection so bits of gunk don't fall in your eyes.   what do you lubricate the lock tumblers and cylinder with?  wd40?  silicone?  graphite? thanks so much for these instructions.   a 15 minute job with the right screwdriver!
John 31-Aug-2009 11:33
GREG! You are the president. Tough to fit under there but your directions and photos were spot on and saved me hundreds at the dealer. THANKS!
Andrew Pfeffer 29-Aug-2009 13:00
Thank you so much for the pic by pic instructions!  They were perfect and made this a simple 20 minute project which saved me likely hundreds of $ at the dealer.   The recommendation to order the parts from Autohaus was also spot on.  Ten bucks and were here in a couple days! Thanks again!
steven clark 07-Jul-2009 11:32
thanks for finding the time to do this. 2002 Boxter just would not reelase the key. Great to know that I am not the only one and previous experiences are there to learn from. Thank you very much for your efforts
Bob 19-Jun-2009 12:02
Again, your advice saved a lot of frustration trying to figure out how to get to the switch.  Also saved a few hundred bucks at the dealer.  Thanks and happy motoring.
Sam Ambruster 28-Apr-2009 07:56
Greg, I just completed the ignition drum replacement for my '99 996 and I have to thank you, because of your post I probably saved hundreds of dollars. thank you and happy motoring.
Atish 15-Feb-2009 00:48
Thanks Greg, this page save me a couple hundred dollars.   The instructions were perfect.
harj 12-Feb-2009 00:57
hi there i have a 2000 carrea 4 and i had the same problem as you did so i look on your page and it was a lot of help thank you
Alan 15-Nov-2008 01:21
Way cool !! I just completed my installation of the vw switch in my 911. Your comments and pictures made a potentially hard job easy. The removal of the air vent was a time saver.I visited others on the web that did not have this step but I saved time with the back side screw and the  natural light from the removal helped also.Thanks Alan
59Caddy 02-Aug-2008 19:32
The internet is great. My key was stuck and would not come out at all.  I looked this problem up and found this information which was exactly what happened to my 2000 boxster. So, lucky for me and unlucky for my husband, since he had to do the work, he fixed the switch very easily. The part was bought were we live for $38.00 an  audi part as described with the part no..  I know if we didn't do this we would have had to buy a whole new ignition at the dealer. Thank god my husband works on cars. Now I say along with our classic cars he's a porsche mechanic too. haha thanks for the pictures it really helped. The only thing he didn't do was take side panel off he was able to access the switch directly under the dash.
Fred Jackson 09-Jun-2008 10:32
Thanks, Greg! Just finished the job on my wife's 2002 Targa. Found pieces of plastic inside the switch, so we were close to being left stranded. Now it's good as new.
jcpinbox@gmail. 20-Feb-2008 17:44
thanks for the pics and how to do. just did mine and it works perfect. got a quote of 250 and i did myself for 15 bucks. thanks again

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