emilios

Gents,

I need to solicit your advise and/or any experiences you may have had during servicing /repair of your Porsche at Official Porsche Centers - are our cars covered by insurance or not?

My friend's rhd 996 Millenium (who also owns a 996 GT3 and a fully-loaded Boxter S - and considering a Carrera GT-all through the same OPC!!) was booked for service at the Official Porsche Centre last June here in Cyprus. The day he was supposed to collect it, he received a call from the After Sales Manager that his car (along with a tax-free brand new Bentley Continental GT) were stolen the night before. We was assured, however, by all the "heads" at the OPC that he needn't worry as they would re-imburse him, either in money or with a new Porsche of his choice. The vehicle was recovered by the police about three weeks ago FULLY BURNED a couple of miles away from the OPC it was stolen from.

Yesterday, he received a letter from the OPC (undesigned by the After Sales Manager) saying,

"Dear Sir,
RE: VEHICLE REG. NO . . . . . . .
our request for compensation for your stolen vehicle to our insurance company (name witheld) has been rejected.

We urge you to apply to your own insurance company to settle the matter of compensation.

Thank you for your co-operation..."


So, are our cars insured during work/repairs at OPC's or not?

Please, I need your input/ideas/expertise on the matter.

Also should we inform Porsche AG about this?

Lastly, I must mention that we have been having a lot of problems with the said OPC, both in the sales as well as in the after sales departments - they keep on losing one customer after the other - of course they don't seem to care as their whole Porsche allocation is re-exported to Porsche dealers in the UK (cars here are RHD).

Thanks in advance and Best regards

Emilios

Jim bailey - 928 International

In the United States ,the dealership would be responsible and liable for those vehicles left in their care and their Liability insurance would make restitution. If a service technician had crashed the car the dealer is responsible , The fact that cars were stolen implies that they did not exercise sufficient caution to safeguard the assets. I have no idea how such things are typically resolved in your country. Porsche AG should be informed.

John Struthers

Assuming that the cash replacement of the 'lost' car would be significant in ANY country.
Significant to the point where people of lesser means would be able to buy a house, maybe?
Your local Police Department should have at least shown a bit of interest in HOW the car(s)
were stolen. If the remains demonstrate that the Key was used, or absent the key that the
ignition system was not bypassed. Then it would point, I imagine to someone who had access to the key/key blanks and the necessary key cutter. I would also assume that if there was work already done at time of theft that there is a Work Order/paper trail.
If there was not a physical break-in of the shop or their 'compound' storage area -they don't park
the cars on the street do they?- Then, surely, the shop is liable. I'd be looking for aeither a youngish mechanic/test driver, or a mechanic doing work off the books so to speak who might have lightened the car a bit for parts, and or, a shop that's parting your friend out as he obviously has big bucks.
You might want to examine the remains for missing pieces, burned mount points wether for a computer, engine, tranny, suspension, anything will be burned in appearance if the part was removed before the fire. If the car is now held at the Porsche shop they might pull a few
salvageable parts but you can tell by the relatively 'CLEAN' appearance at the mount points.
The only other reasons to burn the car is either jealousy, revenge, or, to dispose of any evidence left by the thief including most cases prints. The latter indicating a person from the Porsche shop, or a known thief.
Talk to the cops, the insurance adjuster and a lawyer.
Hope you guy's get some resolution and a lot of recompence for this atrocity.
Good luck to you and your friend.