Totally pissed and panicking here, as this car is supposed to be a surprise birthday gift for my wife.

I just bought a 2015 911 Cabriolet from CA (I’m in PA), and it was immediately apparent that there were issues. Some more cosmetic than others, but at least some of the issues seem to me to fall under CPO warranty and should not have passed CPO inspection/requirements. The whole reason I purchased CPO was to avoid issues like this! Being out-of-state, I had even hired a third-party inspector from PomCar, and none of these issues were in the inspection report.

The day after the car was delivered to me, I took it to my local Porsche dealership where they have now had it for a week. I was under the impression that they were fixing the warranty issues, but turns out they were just “putting together quotes” for the various issues. The local dealership is telling me that my gripes should be directed towards the dealership in CA, the CA dealership is telling me that their hands are clean since I signed off on the car and that gripes should be taken up with my local dealership, while I’m claiming my gripes should be directed towards whoever is responsible for Porsche CPO standards & claims (i.e. any authorized Porsche dealership).

I’ve listed the issues below, along with my local dealership’s suggested remedies. ANY advice would be GREATLY appreciated!


1. The first time I opened the top and then went to close it, the fabric from the top ripped off the interior rear window trim. It looks like the trim piece was missing clips, as well as some broken plastic where the clips fasten into the trim. The local dealership says they’re going to see if new clips work (not under a warranty claim), despite me telling them that the plastic where the clips fit into the trim are broken.



2. With the rear window trim piece now completely removed, I went to open and close the top again. This time, when closing, the fabric from the top started ripping off another trim panel. In the pic, I’m lifting the part in question by hand for illustrative purposes. This all happened within 20 minutes of ownership! The local dealership says that part needs replaced, and they referred to it as a “headliner”, which I don’t believe is correct. In the second pic, I’ve lifted the loose panel to discover that, at a minimum, there is a broken piece of plastic around one of the anchoring screws. The dealership seems to be skirting this issue for some reason.





3. For the cab top trifecta, there is a small hole in the inside fabric of the top, as well as some unraveling in the stitching on the exterior of the top. My local dealership claims they can’t fix the fabric defects and that I need an entirely new top (not under CPO warranty) seeing as though the outer stitching is under tension and, thus, a water leakage hazard.





4. Both interior door panels are suffering from the dreaded warped-door syndrome. The local dealership says they’re 50/50 on whether they can “fix” it, but said they’re going to try to — not under a CPO claim, though.




5. The “boxes” around the passenger seat hinges are also, somehow, cracked. I’ve read online that some people have had luck getting this issue covered under CPO warranty. Cosmetic, yes, but I was just told by my local dealership that even paying out-of-pocket, they can’t replace just those parts and that the entire seat would need to be replaced, which I find hard to believe.




6. This is pretty nit-picky, but when the frunk is closed, part of the inside plastic panel is visible. I’ve read that it’s most likely due to missing clips.





I didn’t expect a new car when I bought a CPO, but I paid the CPO premium in order to avoid issues when buying out-of-state. Anyone with some experience, please tell me what my realistic expectations should be as to what the CPO warranty covers and which party I should be pushing.

 

Hello...Sorry to see the issues you are experiencing with your CPO. I also own a 991 Cab and unless Porsche agrees that the issues are "factory defects" they will not fall under your CPO Warranty. The seam stitching on the soft top is a common issue. If pushed enough, you may be able to have the top replaced under CPO. Instead of arguing with the two dealerships, you should contact Porsche North America customer service. They will help you work through the finger pointing and hopefully get these issues resolved for you.

Best of Luck!

 

Did the selling dealer give you a copy of the CPO form that is signed by the service manager as well as the pre owned manager? If not I would ask for it. It states above their signatures that it is the confirmation of those two, that the car has been meticulously inspected and detected defects have been rectified in accordance with the Porsche Approved Certified Pre-Owned Program. There are many boxes that should be checked "pass" and some are Roof Lining, Interior Trim and luggage compartment. If you have this or when you get it, I would then contact PCNA and make them aware of such findings. Obviously the tech didn't do a very good job of inspecting and certainly the managers should verify findings prior to signing said document. Good luck.

 

Call 1 (800) 767-7243 and ask to be put in touch with the PCNA regional after-sales rep for the dealership you purchased it from.
Document EVERYTHING. Letters, emails, etc.
Don't waste anymore time dealing with the dealership that sold you the car. After the sale they typically don't give a damn about you.
You've tried the bottom up approach, now go to PCNA and go top down..