996 Headlights Gone Wild: Control System Acting Haywire?

Hey there! I actually had a similar issue with my 2006 Porsche Cayman S last year. The symptoms were exactly the same as what you're describing. My headlights were going crazy, pointing up and down out of nowhere, and that annoying warning light wouldn't go away. Took it to my regular Porsche specialist, and they diagnosed it as a faulty headlight adjustment servomotor. It's a fairly common issue on these cars. The servomotor basically controls the auto-leveling system, and when it fails, you get those erratic headlight movements. In my case, they had to replace the servomotor unit. While it's not a major mechanical issue that affects the car's performance, it's definitely something you want to get fixed, both for safety reasons and to pass inspection. The repair itself wasn't too complex, took them about 2-3 hours to sort out. Make sure whoever works on it knows Porsches though, these systems are a bit different from regular cars. Hope this helps!

Thanks for sharing your experience! That's exactly what I was afraid of with the servomotor. Did you remember roughly how much they charged you for the whole repair? Also, has everything been working properly since then? Just wanna make sure I'm budgeting right and won't have to deal with this issue again anytime soon.

Hey again! Good to hear back from you! Yeah, I can actually tell you that the repair has been absolutely perfect since I got it fixed. Not a single issue with the headlights for the past year, they're working exactly as they should on my Cayman S. The total bill came to 1040€ for replacing the defective servomotor in the headlight. I know it's not cheap, but honestly, it was worth every penny to get it sorted properly. The headlight range control malfunction warning disappeared immediately after the repair, and the headlights have been behaving perfectly since then, no more unusual pointing up and down! I was really relieved because like you, I was worried it might be a recurring issue, but nope, once they fixed it, it stayed fixed. Just make sure you go to a proper Porsche specialist who knows what they're doing. These cars can be a bit finicky with their electronics, but when they're fixed right, they stay right! Let me know if you need any other info, happy to help!

Thanks so much for all the details! I actually took your advice and got it fixed yesterday at a Porsche specialist. Funny enough, my experience was almost identical to yours. The mechanic was spot on, it was indeed the servomotor that was acting up. Bill came in slightly higher at 1200€, but they also did a full diagnostic check while they were at it. The whole thing took about 3 hours, but man, what a difference! Drove home last night and the headlights worked perfectly, no more disco lights on the road! The mechanic was super professional and explained everything clearly. Even showed me the old servomotor and pointed out where it had failed. Really appreciate you steering me in the right direction with this one. Feels good to have it sorted properly without getting ripped off. Thanks again for your help!