I took delivery of my 2007 997 TT on 8/31/06. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. However, I am extremely discouraged about my dream car after suffering through 18 months of intermittent oil leaks. Here is my story...

2/12/07: I noticed oil on my garage floor. The dealer found oil leaking from the oil line check valve. They replaced the valve and seals.

3/8/07: I installed several modifications including Fabspeed air intake, EVO headers, Fabspeed exhaust, Fabspeed tips, and GIAC flash.

6/5/07: I found oil leaking again. The dealer noted oil leaking from the oil pressure and temperature switch. I dropped off the car on 7/16/07 and the engine was removed in order to replace the oil pressure and temperature switch.

11/19/07: Oil on floor again. The dealer found oil leaking again from the oil pressure and temperature transmitter area. The transmitter was removed and the oil "O" ring was replaced. Dye was added to the oil for future testing.

1/25/08: Oil noted in a slightly different location on the garage floor. At first, the dealer could not find any leak using a black light to detect the dye. Later they noted a slow oil leak through a small crack in the engine block. My dealer requested a remanufactured engine, however, the Porsche regional service manager approved a new engine block and instructed the dealership to rebuild the engine. He also raised the possibility that my modifications could have contributed to one or more of the leaks.

In light of all the problems that have occurred with my car, I have made it clear that I will only accept one of the following two outcomes: (1) replace the current engine with a remanufactured engine, or (2) trade for a 2008 997TT. Currently, Porsche is only willing to replace the engine block despite a protest by my dealer. I am considering initiation of a "buy back" under the Ohio lemon law ("three or more attempts to repair one problem and then the problem either continues to exist or occurs again").

I am very upset with Porsche of North America for how they have handled this problem. I am reminded that Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking received $100 million in 2007. I now understand how Porsche was able to pay that level of compensation.

I would appreciate any advice from fellow 6speeders.

 

Sounds like a BMW. I had problems like that with my M3s. That was one reason I switched to Porsche. Porsche seemed more reliable at least as shown by JD Roberts statistics. Surprising such treatment from Porsche. Germans are a bit arrogant. With my BMW, it was always the driver's fault when something went to crap, never the German technology. Their cars were perfect. If it broke down, it was the owner'drivers fault without question. Looks like Porsche folks are the same. The key is the dealership. I had to find a more "Americanized" dealership. The one run with rigid German-like folks gave me a real hard time all the time. But I have heard engine mods do seem to affect Porsche factory reps in a negative way. Like you are doing, stand your ground. That car is under warranty and should be corrected with Porsche cash.

 

Sounds like the car is jinxed or a lemon, I'd trade it in for another. Eventhough your getting a new engine, just doesn't feel like a new car anymore with another motor in there.

 

"(2) trade for a 2008 997TT" = My vote

Automotive arbitration is like a divorce where there are no winners. Time and expense never will make that "dream car" new , or erase the 18 months of grief, and even if you got everything your way from this pont on you already faced a headache.The only way to immediately turn this negative into a positive is hedge your loss . Every day you hold that car it depreciates. It sounds like the dealership will work with you in reaching a win/win as they probably wish to resolve this too . They can fix and sell that car a lot easier and cheaper than you can and let them deal with those snags .

My guess is that they will absorb some of the loss in offering you a reasonable deal as they aim to sell another unit and retain your business as a satisfied customer .

This can be a happy ending for both.

Good luck. Enjoy the new car.

 

I would stick with your 2 options and settle for nothing else. Its a huge plus that the dealer is on your side. That will make a difference on the final outcome. IF YOU CAN WORK OUT A DEAL WITH A trade for a 2008 TT THAT WOULD BE IDEAL. Sorry to hear about your issues. My car is 9 months old with 8500 miles and knock on wood no oil leaks. Your car was flawed from the start ( a cracked engine block) your dealer should really step up to the plate for you. It sounds like they are. Frankly when my warranty is up I will either get some type of extended warranty or sell it. Keeping these cars without a warranty is not a comforting thought. Porsche does not want to loose a good customer even though they play hardball. In back of my mind I wonder if this hairline crack was there from the start or if something happened to create it? Did the dealer find any fault codes that might of caused this? The aftermarket stuff should not have contributed to this. Good luck.

 

Ron I would go for a new car and nothing less. You bought a new 997TT with a new Engine. Not a remanufactured engine. Think about the resale factor also. I know a great Lemon Law attorney if you need one. They cleaned house on Audi.

 

I would go with this lawyer and show Porsche that you can't be pushed around!

 

Yes, #2, but I think you're gonna need a lawyer at some point. The chip/flash creates a problem bc it 'stresses' the engine more than stock, at least that's what they will argue. I would de-mod the car completely.
As far as owning a tt beyond warranty, I have no fears, the engine/drivetrain is generally bullet proof, this is an anomaly.

 

There is a federal law (One of the lawyers on the board should know it) that says that if a manufacturer says that modifications caused problems, the burden of proof is on the manufacturer, not on you. And I would believe that they would have a very difficult time proving that considering the number of TT's that are chip'ed, etc and don't have any issues. For what this car cost, I would file under the Lemon law and see what PCNA does. You can still continue to negotiate with them while the buy-back process is working. Someone in my region had PCNA buy back his 997 Cab due to an electrical problem, but he really didn't get their attention until he filed under the Lemon law. Good luck...

 

Ron, who are you dealing with? Northland? Do they know the car is chipped? I had full exhaust and intake on my S4 and the Lemon Law was no problem, but they did say if anything internal (ECU also) would void warranty. I would be getting the stock flash asap.

 

I would be getting a new dealer in the process as well.

 

A chiped ECU poses the extra time that it would take to tie him up so long in drama . Even in the best case scenario where the keys to a new car are simjply handed to him in the end my guess is that his attorneys would have ticked off so many that he'd be lucky if getting an oil change wasn't a headache with the new car .
In my opinion "winning" sometimes means establishing compromise and diplomacy is telling someone how to go to hell in such a way that they actually look forward to the trip .

His car is 18 months old. If he paid aprox 130 K it's probably worth 107K in trade and there a lot of wiggle room.

They all can shake hands right here and walk away from this car .

To me --that's a win for everyone. Plus it's an immediate resolution . Time is money . Time without stress is priceless.

 

Donīt wanna scare you, but your mods could bring a lot of trouble for you. Maybe itīs better in the US but in Germany youīre really f**** up with a flashed ECU and some engine problems. Porsche is very *****y at this point, at least at the moment.

i only installed an after market exhaust and my dealer told me half an hour about the problems i may run in to.

Every OPC worldwide must mark a car as modded in their database as soon as they experience the mod, no matter if itīs done somewhere else.

From now on, no warranty covers the engine anymore, worldwide, because every OPC can see that in the porsche database.

If there is a problem with the engine, even it is only a CEL, you first have to pay everything and later on youīll getting something back, if itīs proofed that the reason is not based in your mods - MAYBE....

And no warranty prolongation is available anymore, even if you reinstall all stuff or sell the car.

This is the official Porsche policy right now, but i donīt know if itīs handled like that in the US.

But keep in mind that not your OPC will decide what to do (or pay), itīs Porsche NA and at the end itīs Porsche in Germany.

So itīs really hard to tell if you should go to a lawyer or try to keep it sedately with your OPC.

With headers and ECU, they will perhaps find that the reason for the broken block......

Anyway, donīt give up

 

With all that Porsche-record keeping going on, not sure the $4-6K full-exhaust system is worth getting, i.e., if one is interested in keeping warranty protection. I guess as long as you kept the rear exhaust cans stock, perhaps you could get away with it when in for service. You sure couldn't quick change the exhaust.

The flash-chip is OK because that is removeable when one gets warranty/maintenance work. That is, unless you get the rev-limiter rpm extended to 7600 which would be recorded. I always thought that extended rpm would be great in 1st gear, but now I am told that the turbo-boost begins to go south a bit very near 6800 rpm, so you don't gain any real acceleration by the rpm-extension, just possible loss in warranty coverage. I guess the real fun of these Porsches is after 4-years when you can make all these mods without worrying about warranties, re-sale value, etc.

 

Excuse my ignorance, but is this a RMS leak?