Read all about it. I'm sure this kind of thing happens with every manufacturer. But I'm still very disappointed in the way Porsche is handling this.
This has been going on a for a while, I've been following it as well. I drove a new 911 about three weeks ago, and WOW, that car is AWESOME!
It doesn't seem disappointing at all...they are buying his car back. It's not a fiasco in any sense of the word......probably a thousand cars or more are repurchased every year behind the scenes at various manufacturer's. If it took me two or three months to attempt to resolve an issue with something that was a first year production vehicle, which incidentally are designed by humans...built by humans...driven by humans and fixed by humans...I'd be happy. I'd like to see FNA do that.
My BMW has been in the shop 11 times, now going on 12 as soon as I make time to get it there) in less than 2 years. The first few times, all within months of purchase, called for the replacement of two clutch assemblies, a tranny, 2 window regulators, and some other items. BMW never offered to buy back my car even after I complained. This guy is luck in comparison.
I had the same issue with a MB G-500. MB finally re-purchased the car back and returned my money. By law, they had the option to put me into another car of equal value but they opted to give me my money back instead. Great customer service?
I had a friend who had a similar outcome with his new MB G-500- apparently buy-backs are something MB has gotten accustomed to, what with the declining quality of their cars over the past few years.
Not completely, they are charging him a use fee, the meat of the story is in the last few pages where PCNA finally gets envolved. The whole thing sucks from the way the dealership has handled it too. I've been following this from the get go and it does suck.
Tom..... I have been reading that thread from day one as well, but haven't been to Rennlist for almost a week.....I see there are at least 4-5 new pages of info there......gotta go get an update.....
This is EXACTLY why I sold my P. Boxster. My car had the rear main seal go bad at under 10k miles. Although the car was slightly out of warranty time-wise, this was a very well known, documented issue that should have been a recall, but instead they dealt with it on a case by case basis. I guess doing it this way was cheaper and less of a PR hit to them. Some people even required a new engine to solve the problem. Definitely not a cheap fix, but one that should have been addressed since this was such a well known issue. Yes, I know my car was technically out of warranty so perhaps I was out of line for even asking for assistance. But, the dealer had such a snobby attitude and everyone up the line I spoke with just gave the same BS story!!! See ya Porsche. Yeh, there is no substitute - I love my Toyota.
Tom...... I just read the balance of the thread at Rennlist....and I stand by my previous statement. Lemon laws apparently have a provision for a usage deduction (whether or not as a consumer you like that is another issue) so in effect the owner is getting back what apparently seems like about 97% (assuming a $3-4K deduction) of his purchase price......... So why is he now even madder at PCNA ? Because they are following the rules set up to protect a consumer from a bad product......? If the lemon laws did not exist his car would be worth 15% back of invoice at a bare minimum..........a $25-30K hit............ As for the dealer dropping the ball.....well I am one.....and in no way shape or form am I going to take it up the financial you know what because of a manufacturer's defective product. I feel genuinely sorry for the guy and the grief he has endured....and maybe his dealer could use a little sensitivity training......but aside from that..... The problem with ALL customers in this business is that when they know where the line is drawn in the sand it is just fine and dandy with them to walk on the right side of that line until it affects them. Then suddenly the rules don't apply to them anymore. I believe that is the case here..........
Kds, Well I do agree w/some of your statements and you've made valid points as a dealer yourself, I look at this objectively. As a business owner myself I think the dealership could have been much more proactive. Sensitivity....how about handling it respectfully & responsably after more than a few attempts at a fix and given him a yugo as a loaner and the guy has been a loyal P-car owner. I don't think he has actually driven the car alot b/c its been in the shop. If your talking a few % useage fee thats reasonable, however no one from PCNA is communicating in a timely fashion all the while the clock is running and he's still hanging in limbo b/c the dealership & parent company have been picking their respective nose. He does have to stand by the Lemon law, I agree....but at the end of the day, know one will take responsability as usual and the owner of the car will end up eating a turd sandwich and at that point its doesn't matter what what side of the line he walks on! Regards
Tom..... That's why I feel sorry for the guy. On a side note, when I was a salesman and sales manager at high end new car franchises before going out on my own, I was often in the situation of the dealership in his story.....we went out of our way with "heat scores" to keep the customer happy.....and from what I have read this Porsche dealer didn't even come close to doing what he could have in my books. I am surprised it was Porsche though......it's a textbook case for sounding like an MB dealer based on my experience. Unfortunately....no one will now feel satisifed regardless of the outcome.....least of all the customer.....and that's the most important part. I posted to that rennlist thread as "sharkdriver" BTW.........
I think Porsche is shooting itself in the foot with this arrogant attitude. Whether it was true or not, Porsche used to be respected for building the best engineered sports cars, including "bulletproof" 911s. Now, their products are associated with RMS leaks and electronic gremlins which their vaunted engineering prowess is unable to fix. Porsche should be bending over backwards to solve these engineering problems and to take care of the relatively few unlucky customers who end up suffering because of them. Had they been smart, they would have voluntarily taken the car back after it became clear it had an unusual probem and shipped it to Germany to figure out what went wrong. And they would have given the owner a brand new replacement with an extended warranty at no charge for his troubles. They could have improved their product and bolstered their reputation and customer loyalty at the same time.
Businesses are made and lost one customer at a time. I've been following Skip's saga as well, and I must admit it's been a unfortunate reflection on not only PCNA, but also the specific dealership through which Skip is coordinating.
I just chuckled at his last comment about the 10-year-old Ferrari - with that frame of reference I now know EXACTLY how frustrated he is.... Cheers Kevin
