Only happens to non-leather panels.

 

Just found this and had to chime in...since I just bought a 2013 Boxster S for the wife. Glad to see/hear that it's supposedly not occurring on the full leather interiors - of which our S has.

I went and checked and no signs of warping what-so-ever. With that said, our car only has 4600 miles on it and it hasn't seen much sun/heat yet.

It's also SAD to hear that one must have paid for a $3850 leather option, to rest assured that your friggen door panels (on a $65-90k car) won't warp.

 

Full leather is not just for non-warping door panels...it makes the interior look so much richer since it eliminates the plastic airbag cover, dash edge, etc. A small price to pay IMO to give the car the look it deserves.

 

Hey, I think it looks better and am glad mine has it.

With that said, not everyone feels it's worth paying the over-priced $3850 PNA charge for a leather option. "Small prices to pay" here and there quickly add up to $30-40k in options. Some could care less about leather.

We shouldn't have warping on any door panel on any car, especially an expensive Porsche.

 

I agree 100% that door panels should not warp on a Porsche, even if they are plastic, but the other options are the price one must pay to get what they want. They could raise the price of every car by $4k and include leather while offering a no-cost downgrade to plastic. Personally, I do not mind paying the prices for other options such as RAS, PCCBs, stereo, etc. and if it takes another $30k to get what I want so be it - it is my choice to make and I want to make it my own.

 

IMO, what they can/should do is ensure their standard door panels don't warp and when they clearly see it's a fairly wide-spread problem, cover the affected cars (in or out of standard/cpo warranty). It's the right thing to do and the Porsche brand/reputation is at stake.

Not everyone is able/willing or feels good about potentially optioning a $50-60k car by an additional $30-40k. Some options clearly make sense but it's also clear that Porsche has taken the number and price of options to a somewhat absurd level. If you can approach the realm of DOUBLING the base cost of a car with options, that's fairly absurd.

 

I agree that your example of doubling the price is absurd, but in my case the base was $140 and $35k in options, which is totally reasonable to me based on what I got as a total package, especially with a $10k discount when ordering.

 

Totally...I suppose it's more proportionate on a 991 that has a $140k base price.

 

Yes, that was my point. But as you said, none should have a warping door panel problem but I think they changed the adhesive or materials so that is no longer a problem.

 

Im facing the same problem on my 981. Anyone can advise where I can order a replacement panel online?

 

- 2014 991.1, bought new 09/2014, warranty expired 09/2018, 13,800 miles
- Both door panels de-laminated to the point of being noticeable in Q4 2019
- My dealer service advisor put in a goodwill request, Porsche offered to replace both door panels if I paid $2,000.00 out of pocket.
- Porsche advised that the cost to me for the 2 door panels and their replacement would be about $4,700.00 or so without their goodwill. My service advisor told me that figure included 4 hours of labor on a job that takes less than one hour. Porsche's offer apparently reflects Porsche's door panel internal cost plus an excess amount of labor. I declined Porsche's "goodwill" offer.
- My service advisor confirmed that the replacement door panels would be the same exact item that was on the car now - that is, there is no new, improved door panel. The original panels de-laminated after ~5 years. The replacement door panels could be expected to likewise de-laminate after 5 years of life.
- I removed my door panels per the Porsche factory manual instructions and also found two youtube videos that show the process. It is very simple to do - remove 4 hard plastic trim pieces, remove 4 screws, unfasten 2 electrical connectors, disconnect the door handle/latch connector.
- I sent my door panels to Pedro's Garage / technolab, pedrosgarage.com, for repair with their technopanel repair process.
- One needs a box 48" long, by 24" tall, by 8" thick in which to ship the bubble-wrapped panels. I could not find a 48" X 24" X 8" box, so I bought 2 50" X 20" X 8" boxes, called "guitar boxes", and split them both along one of their 50" X 8" sides, then joined them together to result in a 50" X 24" X 8" box.
- Shipping was ~ $80.00 via UPS ground and took 2 days Houston, Texas to Tampa, Florida. Return shipping for some reason took 6 days.
- Pedro's Garage / technolab performed the repair the day after they received the panels for $250.00/panel, $500.00 total, and shipped them back to me that same evening.
- Installation was the reverse of removal and was very easy.
- All in cost was ~$75.00 for the boxes, tape and bubble wrap, $80.00 shipping to Pedro's Garage, $500.00 repair, and $80.00 return shipping, or total of ~$735.00

I am pretty put off by Porsche's turning out faulty parts that affect a broad range of vehicles of a certain recent range of production dates, their failure to correct the known defects in original parts in replacement parts, and their disingenuous approach to goodwill.

There's a large quote from Ferry Porsche on the wall of my dealer saying something along the lines of that Porsche's goal is to make cars that people desire to buy and are happy to own. Porsche has fallen far short of these goals.

 

This problem may not exist in newer Porsches, yet. My door panels didn't de-laminate until about 6-1/2 years after the car was built. Per my discussions with Porsche about my de-laminated door panels, the replacement door panels are exactly the same as the ones in my car - there is no new, improved door panel for the 991.1, etc. Porsches that have this issue.

I just went through this and had pedrosgarage.com repair mine rather than replacing them. I just did this last week and am pleased so far. Pedro's Garage says the repair is permanent.

If you have to buy new ones, shop around everywhere you can. I found that all 3 of the Houston dealers had my door panels in stock and the prices varied, - the best I found was for 17% off retail for panels that I assume would de-laminate 6-1/2 years after they were produced.

 

Holy sheet how maddening. That’s straight up crazy BS and expense you’ve had to go through and Porsche should fix then all. Disappointing.

I am just glad and lucky I got the full leather panels that are supposedly not prone to warping. I didn’t know that when I was buying and would have been pissed had I now been in your shoes...

Cars at this price point shouldn’t suffer from stuff like this and you’d think the reputation of the brand is worth more than the cost of the fix. I agree, shame on Porsche for this.

 

So glad I found this thread. Same thing just happened to my 2013 981.

Is it possible to just glue it back in place? Seems like such a waste to order a completely new panel when mine is still in pristine condition, aside from the warping.

 

yes. I just went to upholstery shop and they should be able to help glue it back.