I leased a 2006 Carrera 4S from Prosche, approximately 1 1/2 year ago I took the car in with what looked like a distortion in the lense on the instrument cluster and asked they replace it. When I picked up the car nothing had been done and I was told that Porsche wanted them to try and clean it. Since it was a lease car and I was not sure if I would purchase it yet I waited, I did purchase the car from Porsche in April. I took the car into the dealer on Monday this week to have the repair, cleaning or whatever done, the dealer called me late Monday and advised they would not replace the item and that someone (I assume me) had sprayed something on the lense. I advised the dealer that I do my own detailing and that was not the case and the only other place the car had ever been was to their dealership. By the way my wife has a 2006 Boxster that I also detail and it does not have this problem. I was also informed that Porsche does not sell the lens, only the whole instrument cluster at a price of over $3000.00, if they did offer the lense the dealer would make the repair under warranty. So it's not a matter of a warranty item only how expensive the item is. The dealer is concerned that Porsche will not honor the claim and refuses to make the repair.

I contacted Porsche Customer service on Monday, told them the story and was assured that someone from Porsche would contact me within 24-48 hours. That time expired yesterday and I have heard nothing.

Does Porsche stand behind their products or are they like most other manufacturers and only want to sell cars?

Ken
Roanoke VA

 

great first post

 

Let's look closer --at your part because they are not here to share their side -
1) You found the problem early and didn't resolve it then. Why ?
2) You leased the car which gave you an exit out of the vehicle (at lease end) but you bought it knowing theres a problem . Why?
3) You claim X and they claim Y -- leaving the reader with doubt . We read your side but not theirs . Two sides to this story can be told.

Keep in mind that after 1.5 years --the stress revealed in your post is centered over a lense ?
Why this particular battle of all battles ?

 

You are correct, I took the car in 1 1/2 years ago and they did not correct the problem, I thought I was clear in my first statement that I was not sure if I would purchase the car or not, it is a pain to have to keep taking a car back for the same problem that was never addressed the first time.

I did purchase the car, but was unaware that they would decline the repair since the car is still under warranty. They did not decline it before, they did nothing.

As stated, if the dealer could get just the lense they would replace it, the problem is the cluster it too expensive, and they do not trust Porsche to honor the claim, basically it is over money and value and Porche has not responded it the time they said.

Ken

 

I suggest that you try a different dealership . If for no other reason it gives you a second opinion and perhaps even a solution . There are several good dealerships in the northeast . All you need is the one who can fix your lense .

 

Good luck BTW.

 

1) I don't think I would have bought a car with an issue that the dealer hadn't resolved in over a year. Dead sure that would have been fixed or in process (part ordered, warranty repair ticket in hand) before I took delivery.

2) If I loved the car enough to buy it, in spite of the above, and it bothered me that much, I'd just fix it myself (probably through some other dealer) and enjoy my car. Trying to "squeeze blood out of a turnip" - something my grandparents used to say - no point in doing that.

Is your car CPO'd? Do you still have warranty? Could you work this through a different service center?

Or you could try to meet them half-way on the cost. Or shop the part through Pelican Parts or Suncoast or some other place with better pricing - maybe even salvage. Maybe look for a more sympathetic service center or independent to do the install for you to cut costs.

Bottom line; you bought the car knowing this issue, and unless the repair was part of the sales agreement, you might own the problem. Of course it would be good if Porsche stepped in and took care of it - and maybe they should. I just don't get why you let it go on for so long, and now that you are on the hook for it, have let it become a big deal.

 

It surprises me of some of these responses.

First I am the person that leased the car and purchased it at the end of the lease and am the original owner. The car is under warranty and it is a pre existing issue. I was told that if the part was cheap they would fix it but since Porsche does not offer the lens and the only way to fix it was to replace the entire instrument cluster at a cost of over $3,000.00 the dealer would not. What happened to warranty and consumer protection? Currently no one from Porsche has called me and the dealer has had the car for four days and I am riding my Harley.

Ken

 

I also have an issue my my cluster on my 997 C4S with the tach needle sticking. My local dealer wouldn't do anything about it since I had the gauge faces changed at the dealer I bought the car from, who is 10hrs away and in a different country. The selling dealer is more than willing to fix it if I can bring the car back. The selling dealer suggested I speak with PNA abou the issue (i.e. the local dealer not willing to fix it over concerns PCA will not pay). I called PCA, got a case number and got a call back from a warranty specialist at PNA within 24hrs who spoke to the local dealer and instructed them to fix it. Still waiting to hear back from the local dealer, but in my experience PNA was very responsive and nice to deal with. Please remember to be nice to them on the phone!

 

To be honest that is what surprises me, the lady I talked to when reporting the problem was quite nice and said I would be contacted within 48 hours and that hasn't happened. I called Porsche again and was given the name of the person working on the case but that was about all they told me. I have heard nothing from the dealer or Porsche and being a business owner that is the worst thing to do is leave the customer hanging.

Ken

 

God loves Larry...........................says it how it is. To the point with no waivering

 

They should fix the problem, my cousin had a problem with his '09 C4S, the transmission. The dealership tried to fix it 2 times, same problem. After the third time and 20 days total in the shop, the car is fixed! My cousin complained about the time it took to fix his car, they offered to pay 1 month of his car loan. I think the lawyer talk did help his situation. The dealership also scratched his new TA wheel, but they repaired it. Good luck with everything, if nothing works, just tell them you'll see them in court.

 

One final note on this issue, I finally received a call from Porsche and they refused to fix the item. So much for good customer service, I hope everyone else gets better service than I have.

Ken

 

I have to empathize with the OP to some degree as my one and only interaction with Porsche Customer Commitment was also shockingly poor...

 

I'm not trying to be a downer - but if I had a problem, I would never have waited for a year and a half to REALLY follow through. If you have a problem you need to immediately create a sense of urgency and accept the responsibility to get it fixed without a huge amount of time elapsing... If it looks like you don't care, chances are they won't escalate the problem where you will be satisfied.