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987.2 · 2009–2012

2012 Porsche Cayman S

3.4 L flat 6 · RWD · Coupe · water-cooled

Power
320hp
Torque
273lb-ft
0–60
4.9s
Weight
2,976lb
lb / hp
9.3
Displacement
3.4L

Specification

US-market 2012
Power 320 hp
245 493
Weight 2,976 lb
2,855 3,227
Weight to power 9.3 lb/hp
6.5 lower is quicker 11.8

Where this car sits against every Cayman in the catalog.

Engine
Engine code MA1.21 (9A1)
Layout flat 6, water-cooled
Displacement 3.4 L
Aspiration Naturally aspirated
Power 320 hp @ 7,200 rpm
Torque 273 lb-ft @ 4,750 rpm
Redline 7,500 rpm
Specific output 94 hp / L
Chassis & body
Drivetrain Rear-wheel drive
Body styles Coupe
Transmissions 6-speed Manual · 7-speed PDK
Curb weight 2,976 lb
Wheelbase 95.1 in
Length 172.1 in
Width 70.9 in
Height 51.4 in
Performance & market
0–60 mph 4.9 s
Top speed 172 mph
Weight to power 9.3 lb / hp
MSRP when new $59,000 base

About the 2012 Cayman S

2012Final 987 model year before the 981 arrives.

Cayman SNo intermediate shaft, 320 hp, PDK optional, and quicker down a real road than the Carrera it was priced below. The sweet spot of the whole generation.

Known issues

6 Specific to the Cayman S

PDK mechatronic faults

Major $1,200–$8,000
Affects

2009-on cars fitted with PDK.

What happens

The mechatronic unit actuates the clutches and gear selection. Sensor and solenoid faults produce harsh engagement, refused gears or a limp-home restriction.

Symptoms
  • Jerky low-speed engagement
  • Transmission warning or flashing gear indicator
  • Stuck in one gear
  • Clutch adaptation fault codes
What to do

Fluid, filter and a fresh adaptation fix a meaningful share of complaints. A genuine mechatronic replacement is the largest bill on the car.

Air–oil separator failure

Major $600–$1,200
Affects

All 987, most commonly the M96 and M97 cars.

What happens

The separator diaphragm tears and the engine draws its own oil into the intake.

Symptoms
  • Heavy white smoke at start or under load
  • Rough idle
  • Oil consumption with no external leak
What to do

Replace the AOS — cheap relative to the failure everyone assumes it is.

Parts for this job

Coolant expansion tank cracking

Major $250–$600
Affects

All 987.

What happens

The plastic tank goes brittle and splits at the seam, dumping coolant. Overheating either engine family is how a cheap part becomes an expensive one.

Symptoms
  • Coolant loss with no hose leak
  • Low coolant warning
  • Residue around the tank seam
What to do

Replace the tank with the cap and level sensor. Effectively a maintenance item at this age.

Parts for this job

Ignition coil failure

Minor $350–$750
Affects

All 987.

What happens

Coil packs fail with age and heat, producing a misfire on one cylinder.

Symptoms
  • Flashing check engine light
  • Rough running under load
  • Single-cylinder misfire codes
What to do

Replace all six with the plugs. Owner-doable and cheap insurance.

Parts for this job

Radiator debris and corrosion

Minor $700–$1,800
Affects

All 987.

What happens

Low-mounted radiators pack with leaves and grit that hold moisture against the cores until they corrode.

Symptoms
  • Gradual coolant loss
  • Weak air conditioning
  • Debris visible through the bumper ducts
What to do

Grille screens and an annual clear-out. Replace radiators and condensers as a set once they weep.

Parts for this job

Interior soft-touch coating failure

Minor $250–$1,200
Affects

All 987, worst in hot and humid climates.

What happens

The rubberised coating on console trim and switchgear turns tacky and lifts.

Symptoms
  • Sticky console and switch surfaces
  • Coating flaking at the edges
  • Marks that will not clean off
What to do

Refinish or replace the trim. Cosmetic, and the first thing anyone touches.

Parts for this job
Does not affect this car

Blocked drains and water ingress, Convertible top faults — documented elsewhere in the 987.2 range but not applicable to the Cayman S. See the generation overview for the full picture.

Service intervals

8
Item Interval
Engine oil and filter 5,000–10,000 mi or annually
Spark plugs and coils 40,000 mi
Brake fluid 2 years
Coolant 4 years
Serpentine belt 4 years / 40,000 mi
PDK fluid and filter 40,000 mi
Clutch 60,000–100,000 mi
Suspension bushings and mounts 80,000+ mi

What fits this car

33 Sizes, capacities and part specs

The answers you need when something has already failed — bulb sizes by position, wiper lengths, battery group, fluid specs and capacities. Sizes are for US-spec cars and are a starting point: options and mid-year changes move them, so check against your own car and its VIN before ordering.

Bulbs

10 The xenon bulb changed at the 2009 facelift — check the year before ordering.
Low beam — halogen H7 55W Shop →
Low beam — bi-xenon (987.2) D1S 35W Shop →
High beam — halogen H7 55W Shop →
Front turn signal PY21W Shop →
Front position / parking W5W Shop →
Fog light H11 55W Shop →
Brake / tail P21/5W Shop →
Rear turn signal PY21W Shop →
Reverse P21W Shop →
Licence plate W5W Shop →

Wiper blades

2
Driver side 24 in Shop →
Passenger side 24 in Shop →

Battery

3
Group size Group 48 (H6) Shop →
Location Front luggage compartment —
Minimum cold cranking amps 680 CCA —

Fluids and capacities

8
Engine oil — capacity (9A1 DFI) 7.9 qt with filter —
Engine oil — specification 0W-40, Porsche A40 approved Shop →
Coolant — capacity 21 qt —
Coolant — specification Porsche pink G40, phosphate-free Shop →
Brake fluid DOT 4, low viscosity Shop →
Manual transmission 2.6 qt, 75W-90 GL-5 Shop →
PDK fluid 8.5 qt, Porsche-specific ATF Shop →
Fuel tank 16.9 gal —

Wheels and tyres

7
Bolt pattern 5 x 130 mm
Centre bore 71.6 mm
Lug bolt thread M14 x 1.5
Tyre size — 18 in front 235/40 ZR18
Tyre size — 18 in rear 265/40 ZR18
Tyre size — 19 in front 235/35 ZR19
Tyre size — 19 in rear 265/35 ZR19

Torque values

3 Safety-relevant. Verify against factory documentation before relying on these.
Wheel lug bolts 96 lb-ft (130 Nm) Star pattern, on the ground, calibrated wrench.
Engine oil drain plug 37 lb-ft (50 Nm) New sealing washer every time.
Oil filter housing cap 18 lb-ft (25 Nm)

Fitment for the 2012 987.2 Cayman S. Torque values in particular are safety-relevant — verify against factory documentation rather than relying on this page alone.

Buying guide

4
  1. 01

    Decide 987.1 or 987.2 before anything else

    The 2009 direct-injection cars have no intermediate shaft and no bore-scoring epidemic. That single fact matters more than trim, colour or mileage, and it is why the later cars cost more.

  2. 02

    Insist on PDK service history

    Fluid and filter records separate a maintained gearbox from the most expensive gamble on the car.

  3. 03

    The base car is not the consolation prize

    The 2.7 and 2.9 cars are lighter over the nose and, to a lot of people, better balanced than the S. You give up straight-line speed and very little else.

  4. 04

    Manual holds value the Tiptronic never will

    On the 987.1 the choice is stark: the 5-speed Tiptronic blunts the car and costs real money at resale. On the 987.2, PDK is genuinely good and the argument is closer.

Parts and gear

18 Chosen for this car, not for the commission

What a Cayman S actually costs to keep, grouped by why you would buy it. Prices are typical US parts-only figures — labour is separate, and the DIY note says whether that matters. Where a link earns us a commission it costs you nothing and never changes what appears here.

Parts that fix a known problem on this car

5 Each one maps to an issue above
  • Engine $200–$450

    Air–oil separator

    The part behind the dramatic smoke, and the reason plenty of healthy 987s get sold cheap by owners who assumed the worst.

    FCP Euro → DIY or shop
  • Cooling $130–$300

    Coolant expansion tank

    Nearly every car this age needs one. Replace the cap and level sensor at the same time — an overheat is how this becomes an engine bill.

    FCP Euro → DIY or shop
  • Cooling $500–$1,200

    Radiator and condenser pair

    No repair once the cores weep. Do both sides and the condensers behind them while the bumper is off.

    FCP Euro → Shop job
  • Ignition $300–$550

    Coil pack and spark plug set

    Six of each. Coils fail on age, so replacing them as a set with the plugs turns a future roadside misfire into a planned Saturday.

    Link coming DIY
  • Interior $250–$1,200

    Soft-touch trim replacement

    Console and switch panels in a finish that does not go sticky. Cosmetic, and it is what your hand lands on every time you get in.

    FCP Euro → DIY or shop

Worth doing before it fails

3 Cheaper than the repair it avoids
  • Cooling $90–$220

    Radiator grille screens

    The cause of the repair above. Mesh in the ducts, fitted in an afternoon, guarding a bill ten times its cost.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Engine $25–$60

    Magnetic drain plug

    Catches ferrous debris where you will see it at every change. With a cut-open filter it is the entire early-warning system on an M97.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Chassis $180–$450

    Engine and transmission mount set

    Sagged mounts read as vibration and vagueness rather than as a broken part. Cheap, and it sharpens a tired car noticeably.

    FCP Euro → DIY or shop

Consumables you will rebuy

6 Ordinary running costs
  • Fluids $250–$500

    PDK fluid and filter kit

    The single highest-value service on a 987.2 and the thing standing between you and a mechatronic bill.

    Shop this → Shop job
  • Fluids $70–$140

    Porsche-approved engine oil

    Approved specification only. Around eight quarts a change, and the purchase a 987 owner repeats most.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Fluids $15–$45

    Oil filter and hardware

    Bought with every change, and on a 987.1 it is the thing you cut open afterwards.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Fluids $30–$80

    Porsche-spec coolant

    The correct pink specification, not universal green.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Fluids $18–$65

    Brake fluid

    Two years, annually with track use. The cheapest meaningful brake improvement there is.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Service $28–$75

    Cabin and engine air filters

    Quick jobs that shops bill properly for. Check the cabin filter box drain while it is open.

    Shop this → DIY

Tools worth owning

4 Bought once, used for years
  • Diagnostics $250–$1,000

    Porsche-specific diagnostic interface

    A generic reader cannot separate a PDK adaptation fault from a failing mechatronic, and on a 987.2 that distinction is worth thousands.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Inspection $30–$80

    Oil filter cutter

    Opens the filter so you can spread the pleats and look for metal. Cheap, permanent, and it works for the life of the car.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Lifting $150–$420

    Low-profile jack and jack pads

    A standard jack will not clear the sill and the jack points crush without a proper puck.

    Shop this → DIY
  • Storage $50–$130

    Battery tender

    These sit more than they are driven, and a flat battery brings module faults with it.

    Shop this → DIY