agvaldes

I need advice. My new Boxster S engine failed at 2,000 miles. It started with a barely audible tapping when started cold to a deeper tapping. You could not hear it when it was warmed up after 5 minutes. After a week at the dealer they said one cylinder was failing and Porsche authorized a new engine.

Anyway an engine is on order from Germany but I don't want the car anymore. I want Porsche to buy back my car and I will order a new one. I loved the car and followed the break in procedures as stated in the manual.

Anyone every had a similar situation? Should I get an attorney?

thanks

Brinkley

Sorry to hear about your motor. Unfortunately with as much history (precedent) as Porsche has with the 986 & 996 motor failures, I think your legal battle would not be won. The standard since 1999 has been to replace the motor with a new motor or a re-manufactured motor. I've never heard of them replacing an entire car.
Many who have had problems with the 986 and 996 motor would have welcomed the offer of replacing with a new motor fresh from Germany. Many didn't even get that option. Granted they had more than 2000 miles on them.
I'd take the motor and enjoy the car. The next motor will probable go to 150,000 miles without a blink.

Underblu

I would demand a new car, a loaner while you wait and an apology

80+k for a nearly new Porsche and the engine goes. Unacceptable. Imagine if the engine went while you were on the road.

I tell you having owned 911s and boxsters through the whole IMS scare. I will not be too happy with Porsche if the 981/991 start having engine failures

agvaldes

Thanks If I had the car for a year or so I wouldn't care about a replacement motor. I only had this car for less than three months. They are only replacing the block. Some one at the dealer will be transferring everything else to the new block. That's where the problems will arise. Just lost a lot of resale value.

I want at least an extended warranty from them as if it was a certfied used car with 100,000 mile warranty. The rep says they will discuss that but that I could still follow the repurchased of my car separately. Just don't know if it is worth hiring a lawyer.

should have kept my 2010 Carrera S, but I wanted a convertible and the shifting is S.F. traffic was driving my crazy with my bad left knee.

lithium1330

surprised dealer would only replace only the broken bits. It's not not economical for them (dealers) to take that path - cheaper for dealer to replace the whole engine. In fact, that's what they've been doing for the last 15 yrs with the M96/7 engines that grenade. They'll tell you what's wrong...but everyone who's gone through the dealer, the dealer replaces the whole engine - Porsche sells crate (remanufactured) engines.

I'm no lawyer, but getting a new car will be at discretion of Porsche. The lemon law only kicks in after 3 failures. g'luck

Macster

I encountered -- second hand -- a similar situation years ago shortly after buying my 02 Boxster. I spotted a very nice low low miles 996 on the dealer's lot. I asked about the car and was told it was bought new and soon after developed a noise that was believed to be a bad lifter. Porsche ok'd lifter replacement. IIRC all lifters in the bank where the bad lifter was located were replaced.

Afterwards, while the noise was gone the owner rejected the car. I do not recall his comments/reasons but of course they I bet similar to yours.

Let me add here I never talked to the owner only to the salesman that had been involved in this situation.

The dealer relented and took the car back and the owner of the sick but healed 996 ended up in another new 996. I do not know if the car was taken back and full purchase price "refunded" that is applied to the other car or any details of the transaction.

You can push to have the car taken back.

A lawyer in this case won't likely help. The car's warranty clearly states what Porsche can and will do to address new car problems and giving you your money back after 2K miles just because a new car problem appeared and was fixed is not included in the fine print.

If you are successful it will be because the dealer with possibly some help from PCNA/Porsche has given you some goodwill.

If you are a repeat customer you have a better chance at getting this.

Or, another possibility is if you agree to buy another more expensive car the dealer might have some room to absorb some of the cost of taking back a used car at a higher than normal trade in value.

One possible tactic is to just state that because of this early and serious problem you have lost all enjoyment from owning the car.

Because of this serious of a problem so soon after getting a new car the car is now anathema to you.

Because of the prestige Porsche attaches to these cars, the reputation for high quality that is pervasive in all of Porsche's advertising, Porsche can't play dumb or act surprised when a customer actually expects more evidence of this quality than just words on paper.

While an early engine problem may be tolerable for a lesser marquee it is not at all acceptable from Porsche.

Thus you can only regain the enjoyment of owning a Porsche from another new Porsche.

The dealer/PCNA/Porsche might agree.

agvaldes

I was told by a mechanic that is was a bad lifter. when I brought it in they first said they heard nothing. I said leave it over the weekend and then you will here the noise. Monday they said they heard it clearly.

I would gladly order another one. I don't think the dealer would lose money it seems that it would be Porsche losing money. The car was 85,000 so it would be hard to order a more expensive one, the only option I didn't get was full leather which I regret.

To top all of this off I just got stopped by a cop in the Champion Motors loaner Cayenne for having an expired tag! Talked my way out of a ticket. Maybe should have said go ahead it isn't my car.

lithium1330

If dealer takes it back this point, the dealer would rotate it in their inventory as a used car. I'm almost positive only involvement PCNA will have with the dealer is authorizing & paying the dealer to go ahead with the repair under warranty. Like Marc says... never hurts to ask... maybe escalate to the regional rep and maybe good will... and certainly repeat customer will help score some points as well.

CW-VIESOCK

I would do as Macster said and go through the channels on this one. Porsche needs to man-up.

khooni

I'd be surprised if you got anything out of your complaints other than a better trade in price or replacement engine. Better to ask for a replacement engine and if they insist it is just as good as a replacement, tell them to bid the car back at a good price.

getting a new car is a tall ask imo

MikenOH

I also have a 981 S--with only 600 miles on and currently laid up for the winter--but thought the engine noise to this point seemed a bit odd when cold compared to the 987.

Would appreciate some additional details on the noise:
--strictly a ticking noise?
--changes when warmed up?
--smoothness of engine at idle?

the M96 and M97 engines have had a history of lifter issues--IIRC, there was some thought that the oil openings wasn't sufficiently large--but if this has gotten to the point where the block has been damaged and can't be reused, the notion of rebuilding a nearly new motor with old parts seems crazy based on how Porsche has handled things in the past.

I say that because the success of the rebuild will depend on the experience of the shop and how many they've done. If they haven't done many, why set the owner up for more more bad feelings? Since Porsche failed with this particular customer's car on the first go round, why not do the right thing and send a complete engine to make sure it has the fix with the highest likelihood of success?

agvaldes

The noise was a deep tapping sound only on one side. It went away after 10 minutes of idling. However if you listened carefully when warm, something didn't sound right. The engine seemed to idle smooth and it didn't feel like any power was being lost, but then it could have been low on power from the start. Also it would have to sit for two days to be heard really loud. I never had a chance to push the engine hard because I was waiting until 2,000 miles as it stated in the manual. Although I did try one launch control sequence to about 110 mph with the engine warmed right at 2,000 miles to see if the noise would go away.

I might have said I was getting a new block but my service guy called it a "long block" and said a few things had to be taken off my motor and transferred to the new one. I left a message with him today for further explanation on that. I am going to ask him to send me a picture of the motor still on the crate when it arrives.

I have a short video of the sound that I took with my phone and can mail it to anyone if you send me an email. I don't think I can post a video.

My email is 5avaldes@bellsouth.net

Macster

"Long block" means different things to different people, but what it reads like is you are getting a complete new or remanufactured engine.

This is what I would expect. Most dealers are not set up, have the staff capable of stripping an engine down to a bare block and transfer all the parts to another engine block.

The dealer can't bench test the engine, can't dyno the engine, can't subject the engine to the series of tests new engines are subjected to at the engine factory to ensure the engine is performing up to spec.

The engine your car is getting has been through all of the above.

Up to you but I do not believe you're loosing anything with this engine swap. While I agree it is not pleasant to have such a serious problem crop up the replacement engine will be just fine and the engine and its installation covered by the new car warranty.

Before you know it the memory of this incident will fade and you'll be enjoying a very nice car.

f4 plt

Times and corporate policies change, but in 2008 I negotiated with my local dealer and PCNA to have them buy back my 2007 GT3 that had been in the shop of a total of 14 weeks in the 11 months I owned it. Te reason was a rear main seal leak that they could not stop. the engine had been removed four times for seal replacement. My dealer went to bat for me which helped. I replaced it with a custom order '09 C2S that has been great. Good luck, be factual not emotional and you will have a better outcome. By the way I still miss the GT3

Z356

I agree on this particular point. My bet is that you are getting a complete new engine in a crated wooden box air-freighted directly from Zuffenhausen (or Osnabrück) to your dealership! More importantly, they want your 'broken' engine back in 'as is' condition (complete & unaltered by the dealer's mechanics) so that they can study the problem and correct it ASAP. What they don't want is to have any further (and costly) warranty issues like this one and create a possible recall nightmare for PAG & PCNA which will hurt their engineering reputation and lower their J.D. Power customer satisfaction ranking!

Personally, I would take the new engine and go. But buena suerte regardless!

Saludos,
Eduardo