Window Tint Considered A Modification for Warranty?
Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 35
Likes: 14
From: Orange County, CA
Window Tint Considered A Modification for Warranty?
Hi All -
New to the Cayman family - just got a 718 Cayman S last weekend. I picked up the car last weekend and noticed a rattle from the drivers door a bit after pulling away from the dealer. I live in SoCal but got the car from a dealer in NorCal.
Got the windows tinted Tuesday. Took the car in this am to have them check out the rattle and the airbag light randomly coming on. The service tech told me they could not help with the rattle since the car had been "modified" and Porsche would not cover it. Has anyone else heard this? It seems ridiculous to me as the items aren't related in my mind. Waiting for the service manager to call me.
Update: It took a call to Porsche USA and the situation changed. The service manager (only took her 8 hours to call me) claims that they didn't want to work on the door since the tint is still so new. This is despite the texts / email from the service advisor with a list of warranty exclusions and telling me it's all in the owners manual. Seriously expected better from a Porsche dealer. We'll see if they actually make it right.
If anyone is wondering, this is Irvine Porsche.
New to the Cayman family - just got a 718 Cayman S last weekend. I picked up the car last weekend and noticed a rattle from the drivers door a bit after pulling away from the dealer. I live in SoCal but got the car from a dealer in NorCal.
Got the windows tinted Tuesday. Took the car in this am to have them check out the rattle and the airbag light randomly coming on. The service tech told me they could not help with the rattle since the car had been "modified" and Porsche would not cover it. Has anyone else heard this? It seems ridiculous to me as the items aren't related in my mind. Waiting for the service manager to call me.
Update: It took a call to Porsche USA and the situation changed. The service manager (only took her 8 hours to call me) claims that they didn't want to work on the door since the tint is still so new. This is despite the texts / email from the service advisor with a list of warranty exclusions and telling me it's all in the owners manual. Seriously expected better from a Porsche dealer. We'll see if they actually make it right.
If anyone is wondering, this is Irvine Porsche.
Last edited by jdgGTSilver; Jun 18, 2020 at 08:27 PM. Reason: update
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 880
Likes: 401
From: NE Ohio
Hi All -
New to the Cayman family - just got a 718 Cayman S last weekend. I picked up the car last weekend and noticed a rattle from the drivers door a bit after pulling away from the dealer. I live in SoCal but got the car from a dealer in NorCal.
Got the windows tinted Tuesday. Took the car in this am to have them check out the rattle and the airbag light randomly coming on. The service tech told me they could not help with the rattle since the car had been "modified" and Porsche would not cover it. Has anyone else heard this? It seems ridiculous to me as the items aren't related in my mind. Waiting for the service manager to call me.
New to the Cayman family - just got a 718 Cayman S last weekend. I picked up the car last weekend and noticed a rattle from the drivers door a bit after pulling away from the dealer. I live in SoCal but got the car from a dealer in NorCal.
Got the windows tinted Tuesday. Took the car in this am to have them check out the rattle and the airbag light randomly coming on. The service tech told me they could not help with the rattle since the car had been "modified" and Porsche would not cover it. Has anyone else heard this? It seems ridiculous to me as the items aren't related in my mind. Waiting for the service manager to call me.
I'm not sure if tinting means they pull out the window to tint it, but I'm guessing they aren't taking apart the trim.
To me, it sounds like a load of ****. Ask someone higher or the GM if that doesn't work - or just let them know you'll be taking all of your service to another dealer (which you may want to do anyway).
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 1,259
That's absolutely hilarious and absurd. Find another dealership or at least another service advisor who isn't a complete douche. Even if they are the last dealer in the country, they need to prove how window tint could cause a rattle.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 198
Likes: 28
From: NorCal - Bay Area
I'll go ahead and say the unfavorable opinion here. Granted the rattle was present before the tinting happened, which makes for a valid case, most professional tint shops will remove door and trim paneling for tint jobs AND or remove the glass all together for a perfect job. It's very possible that an installer can damage clips and or other fittings which in turn will create rattles or other interior noises, especially if they aren't familiar with that specific car. So I can definitely see why the dealer took that stance with you.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 9,746
Likes: 3,894
Many dealers install window tint too, as an option when selling the car along with paint protection film.
This is a case where the dealer should do the right thing and just fix the issue. It isn’t worth losing a customer over.
Glad you got it sorted but I would try and find another dealer in the area. Not sure I would want to deal with them long term.
This is a case where the dealer should do the right thing and just fix the issue. It isn’t worth losing a customer over.
Glad you got it sorted but I would try and find another dealer in the area. Not sure I would want to deal with them long term.
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Three Wheelin'
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 1,259
Although I'm not a tint expert, I'm confident that most pro tint shops do not remove anything. Maybe some do for particularly difficult to reach areas but I've had every car I've ever owned tinted by different tinters and none have ever required the removal of anything. What most professional tint shops do is use software to cut the tint film patterns with a plotter so all they have to do is trim off the excesses with a blade. This is how most professional shops do it.
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