Brad Fletcher

Guys and Ladies,

I'd appreciate your advice on an issue I'm having with my 2007 Boxster S clutch.

The clutch pedal is being very slow to return to full position, if it returns at all, and on occasions has just gone to the floor and stayed there. The clutch, when it is working, will pick up fine, no shuddering etc.

The vehicle has gone back to the Porsche dealer under it's extended warranty three times now. Firstly they bled the system, secondly they replaced the slave cylinder (all under warranty). Each time the clutch was OK for about 20 miles then failed again.

I've asked them to look at the master cylinder but they say they can't detect an air leak so it can't be the master cylinder.

Now they want to charge me up to $5.5K for a new clutch and flywheel.

The car has done 23,000 miles of mostly highway driving.

My question is, do these symptoms seem like a worn clutch to any of you?

And if it is a mechanical clutch problem is it reasonable to be having major issues like this after only 23,000 mostly easy miles?

Regards
Brad

Macster

Clutches can go bad at any time. Their life is highly dependent upon usage/treatment.

If the clutch has not been abused, misused, it can still go bad but this would be due to a manufacturing defect.

The car has just 27K miles. It is my thinking that the car is still "new" with those few miles on it. I do not consider a car not new until it has covered the new car warranty miles of 50K.

The problem is since the clutch is a wear item and a number of clutches have met their demise through no fault of their own, so to speak, but from mistreatment, abuse, the dealer is going to be quite quick to blame you and not the hardware.

However, the symptoms do not read like a worn clutch to me, do not read like a mechanical problem with the friction or clamping hardware of the clutch.

The symptoms read like a problem with the clutch's hydraulic system.

If a re-bleed finds air in the system the master cylinder has to be suspect. If the dealer replaced the slave cylinder without clear signs it needed to be replaced, IOWs threw parts at the symptoms, I can't understand why it is not willing to throw a master cylinder at the symptoms, unless Porsche chastised the dealer for its previous attempt at throwing parts at the symptoms, and now the dealer is just overreacting in the opposite direction.

You need to think about upping your game so to speak with the dealer.

It is always difficult to know the best course to take but one thing you can do is point out that this problem has been around now for a while and the dealer has not been able to address it.

Point out one reason you bought the car was the dealer's highly touted service capabilities, factory trained, experienced techs, blah blah blah.

Mention too the warranty. Then mention that in spite of this that the dealer wants to charge you for replacing the clutch when the clutch shows none of the signs of mechanical wear and you have not abused the clutch.

As an aside, this assumes you have not interspersed hard launches with clutch dumps in amongst those highway miles nor used downshifting and slipping the clutch as a brake to slow the car down rather than using the brakes for this, or engaged in other behavior that is known to shorten the life of a clutch.

Suggest then that you feel you have been mislead have been perhaps a victim of consumer fraud.

Before you speak to the dealer familiarize yourself with the address, phone number, and the name of the head of the consumer fraud agency in your county. You can drop the address and the name of the head of the agency, even an agent or two -- you can call before hand and just speak to someone about this and at least get a name. You will likely be directed to return to the dealer and try to work out a suitable settlement.

Mention that unless the dealer addresses this problem once and for all and to your satisfaction you will be forced to speak with the consumer fraud agency in your area and bring the facts of this matter to its attention and possibly lodge a consumer fraud complaint against this dealer.

Also, state that you are going to write a letter to PCNA and lay out the facts of the matter in the letter and ask PCNA how it can let this dealer sully the name of Porsche with its lousy inept servicing. How the dealer can retain its accreditation as an authorized Porsche dealer given its behavior in this matter?

Something like that.

Come up with a narrative that feels comfortable to you.

Stay calm. Polite. Avoid mentioning lawyers, lawsuits, etc. Businesses are frightened more of consumer fraud complaints and Porsche is always looking for reasons to eliminate dealers to help bolster prices of its cars. (Less price competition.)

Brad Fletcher

Thanks Macster.

Really appreciate the detail response.

In the end I had to make a call on this and got them to replace the clutch at my cost $3,100 AUD. The reasoning was:

a) I bought the car from them as an approved used car with 17,000klms (10,000 miles) on the clock, so I don't know what was done to the clutch before I got it.

b) They have been really good on all the other issues. For example they replaced the entire radio fascia and center console at their cost when I complained that they'ed damaged them during a warranty repair to replace broken gear shift cables.

On the positive side the car runs brilliantly and the shift action is better than ever.

Regards
Brad