Two years on and a lot of defective rods under the bridge…
 

March 17, 2021 is a date I remember well. I saw on Rennlist this date a post by 987SCoupe reporting a message he had received from his sales advisor regarding a “stop sale on all GTS, Spyder and GT4 cars.” Having taken delivery of my new 718 GTS a few weeks earlier I had been looking at our Rennlist forum for the latest reports on the 4L engines experiences. A recall was not on my radar so I was more than a little surprised when seeing the stop sale note.

After this march stop sale post appeared the full rod bolt recall saga rapidly unfolded.

I am happy to report now that this whole situation has just about disappeared in my rear view mirror. But as this two year anniversary approaches for me I can’t help but reflect on it.

Since I had taken delivery of my car, I was only advised to stop driving may new car and schedule an appointment with my dealer, Porsche of Nashville, to get a new engine. I was still putting break in miles on my GTS when this happened. I now confess I did not stop using it. But as time went on while waiting for my engine I did tapered my use off a bit. I have yet to hear that any other owners who were in my cohort ever experienced engine failure. I added about 300 miles on my car while waiting. But finally in late July my engine appeared and was installed.

My SA at the dealership took a series of photos during the process. When I saw that the engine Stuttgart had sent was a fully dressed replacement I was really impressed that Porsche GmBH was taking step to ensure my car was returned to a “as new” status. The fact that they also sent me a check for $4k, extended my warranty and a gift certificate to the PEC in Atlanta really tempered the angst I was suffering.

I’ve included a couple of the photos taken during the installation process. I particular like the one with the old /new engine sitting side by side.

When I got the car back I confess I was prepared for issues with rattles, oil leaks and ill fitting body panels and trim pieces. But there were zero problems. I couldn’t tell that my car had an engine transplant. It was as perfect as the day I took delivery.

In the end, I am grateful for how Porsche handled this recall. It had to be as tough on them as on us owners. I saw the final invoice for my engine and install. The engine was just under $28k and the service dept R&R took over 13 hours. This recall had to make a significant dent in Porsche’s 2021 P&L .

Now after two years and all the dust having settled, I can report I am truly thankful Porsche put thing right. When bad stuff happens I can only wish that all corporations would be as responsible as Porsche.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...ff9b9bf5b5.jpg

Back in the day, I had a 1999 Boxster. Same story. Engine failed, replaced with a new one, and never had another problem....

Happy to hear Porsche stepped up and handled the situation professionally and you have been able to put it behind you and enjoy the car. I can only hope that the other failure modes that have since been identified (cam bolts sheering off and oil pump failures) are handled just as well. Early indications from these failures are not great, with some folks not even getting an extended warranty with the new engine. One member that had a cam bolt failure did not receive a new engine, but rather Porsche performed a major engine overhaul to the tune of $57k. The member did not have to pay that, but the break down and tow from the failure hit the carfax as an accident and, as a result of that and the scary $57k bill in the maintenance records, the member took a big hit when he sold the car.

I was on that boat. And my replacement car was very nearly on the Felicity Ace that now sits at the bottom of the Atlantic.

I think Porsche did the right things. They replaced the engines in the US and there have been zero complaints from those that received a replacement engine.

However, the communications around this issue from PCNA and the dealer were genuinely bad. When the manager at my dealership said “I’m not going to tell you the facts because that can’t benefit me” I pretty much threw up my hands. I cancelled my order and ordered again from another dealer. By the time it was over I just wanted my car. The car’s great. The dealer and Company on the other hand…

I'm in the market for a used Spyder, is there a specific build timeframe I need to be wary of?

I'm waiting for a CGTS 4.0 so I read this and the other bigger thread about this issue. Apparently it's now solved on newly built cars, it happened on 2020 and 2021 cars. The recall code for this engine issue is "AMA4".

Kudos to Porsche for stepping up on this issue. Now if only they would be as honorable on the separating door panels...

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...10edf9b11.jpeg

See my previous post, but I know a 718 Soyder with the same problem with an earlier production date and only 20 miles on it.

After 03/04/2021 should be good.

Is my '21 GT4 subject to the AMA4 recall?
 

Reviving this thread. Just realized that my new-to-me '21 GT4's VIN falls suspiciously close to one of the ranges:
Begin :WP0AC2A89MS289322 End :WP0AC2A83MS289400 (Source: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/202...1V200-4154.PDF)
Where the production # (last 6 digits) of my GT4 falls within this range, but the factory code (digit #11) is different (K instead of S).
That seem to mean that my GT4 is made within the same timeframe but in a different factory.
Can I conclude that my GT4 is OK as different factories (for the same model) use same parts that are sourced differently?
The Porsche online recall search came up empty for my VIN but I can't help but wonder maybe my GT4 still has this problem.
I truly hope that I am over thinking this.
Your insights are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

yep. Me too. Still have the car, drive it weekly, 125k miles, engine is great !

Love that even a dealership drops a motor into a used tire to store it on the floor

Wow, I was totally unaware of this. Just checked my: WP0CC2A88LS240412.

Since I bought the car used private party, I can assume I am not going to be contacted about this. So should I reach out to my dealer?

When something works you just go with it.

Turns out the dealers have access to a detailed list of ALL ~190 VINs in scope for this recall.
And if I remember correctly, all of them have 'MS' for the 10th and 11th characters, and the Porsche online recall/campaign checker seems accurate.