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Drove my 987.2 over to the dealer today to get a new key made. I won't go into the $400 key making discussion... This is my third Porsche, the first one I had worked on at the dealer only, the second one not (old and worn Cayenne).
I drive up and turn in and right away realize the driveway is so steep that I'm going to scrape. I don't remember that being an issue in my last car. I should have stopped and backed up but traffic was coming from the other way. It was by far the worst scrape I've had. I'm surprised there is not a sign to use another entry.
After waiting for the key for almost an hour, it kind of slipped my mind. My car was right there ready to pick up and on the way back out with traffice coming I realized I screwed up again and I scraped the hell out of it on the way back out.
I started noticing a slight clunking noise on the way home right up at the railroad tracks just a couple minutes from the deal, didn't even think much about it figuring it was something in one of the trucks moving around (I keep my helmet in the front of the car all the time).
Got home looked in the trunks it wasn't anything - helmet was stable, briefcase well tucked in. As I was leaving my car to head into my house I turned around to close the garage and realized the entire front moulding was torn off on both sides, with cracks in the bumper and is now hanging free towards the ground. The clunking was this hitting the ground on bumps. I've contacted the dealer to discuss.
Does it seem odd that the Austin Porsche dealer would have a driveway like this in the first place, or not have giant warning signs not to use it/use another entrance and/or not notify in advance saying - we have a lot of experience with low cars - don't drive up our driveway? I attached the Google map photo of the entry - clearly this has been an issue for more vehicles than mine.
So now my $400 new key job has turned into who knows what in terms of $$$ and hassle to get this put back together...
Not surprised by the key cost, sorry about what happened. The lawyers on this site have been busy lately, I'm sure you will get some free counsel. My two cents is that you are going to be on your own even though you do make a good point about the entry to a dealership that sells a lot of low riding cars, however in the photos it looks like the street transition to their lot which they are unlikely to be culpable for. Not sure if you were implying you go over RR tracks too, I refuse to do that I go the long way around my town to avoid them. I know it's bothering you as it would me but that can be fixed like new by a competent body man, just find a good shop. If you're a perfectionist it's going to need new plastic pieces. Most of the paint repair is going to be covered by the new pieces and the really good news is how low all the paint damage is, good luck.
Not surprised by the key cost, sorry about what happened. The lawyers on this site have been busy lately, I'm sure you will get some free counsel. My two cents is that you are going to be on your own even though you do make a good point about the entry to a dealership that sells a lot of low riding cars, however in the photos it looks like the street transition to their lot which they are unlikely to be culpable for. Not sure if you were implying you go over RR tracks too, I refuse to do that I go the long way around my town to avoid them. I know it's bothering you as it would me but that can be fixed like new by a competent body man, just find a good shop. If you're a perfectionist it's going to need new plastic pieces. Most of the paint repair is going to be covered by the new pieces and the really good news is how low all the paint damage is, good luck.
Yes, not sure they are going to have any liability on it. I'm not the suing type anyway - but the heavy scrape was on the way in as well as way out. The photo of their entryway does not really do it justice - I got it on the uphill and the downhill.
If I ran that dealership - I'd sure as hell have big do not enter signs on that entryway - and I'd be messaging another place to bring cars in.
This has to have happened to others coming and going and down - it is clear in the photo.
I'm not all that concerned about how it looks. I'm not that OCD. Scrapes never bug me - but it is ripped clean-off now. Wasting time and money bugs me a lot! I do my own brakes so I don't have to drop a car off at a dealer, arrange to pick it up, and spend money when I don't have to.
If you're not that concerned about perfection you can go to a body shop, get the smallest amount of paint mixed or get a Porsche touch up and carefully do the paint then see about what it's going to take to seat the pieces back in. My only thought about that is one day you will want to trade or sell and going the distance on the right repair will make a difference.
If you're not that concerned about perfection you can go to a body shop, get the smallest amount of paint mixed or get a Porsche touch up and carefully do the paint then see about what it's going to take to seat the pieces back in. My only thought about that is one day you will want to trade or sell and going the distance on the right repair will make a difference.
Until I do it again and tear it off! I'm more worried about re-mounting honestly. Took another look - it basically pulled the mounting screws right through the bumper. So now I have these over-sized holes in the bumper where the front spoiler lip is supposed to mount. Surprised they don't use typical plastic pin mounts. I had to remove the trim on my M3 many times - was really easy to take on and off.
That driveway looks like it's taken many a bumper off in its life span, I am also a bit surprised the dealer hasn't made an effort to do something about it!
Hopefully some oversized screws will work to reinstall the new splitters. What a PITA though.
That driveway looks like it's taken many a bumper off in its life span, I am also a bit surprised the dealer hasn't made an effort to do something about it!
Hopefully some oversized screws will work to reinstall the new splitters. What a PITA though.
Thanks - total PITA. The plot thickens - so I go back out to re-evaluate. There are screws holding the center mount points in place. 2mm hex, dropped in from above the bumper down through the lip, then fastened with a nut, washer, and threadlock. They pulled through the bumper of course.
Could this be the way it came from the factory? On the one hand it is more bomb-proof than a plastic rivet, but sure seems to be a strange way of mounting any kind of moulding. Screaming for the typical expanding plastic rivet.
Wonder if someone did this after-market this way? The other mounts at the wheel wells look factory - black plasti one-use rivets.
I measured the screws that came out, they were 4.75mm in diameter. If I was a betting man, I'd say someone had a similar issue before me, repaired it by forcing screws up to hang through, touched-up the paint and called it a day.
- I bet even with the slightly torn-up hole in the bumper, one of these fasteners is going to work and hold... I never like to spray anything if I don't absolutely have to, I plan on keeping this car for eternity, so a little touch-up paint and it will hardly be noticeable.
Thanks - total PITA. The plot thickens - so I go back out to re-evaluate. There are screws holding the center mount points in place. 2mm hex, dropped in from above the bumper down through the lip, then fastened with a nut, washer, and threadlock. They pulled through the bumper of course.
Could this be the way it came from the factory? On the one hand it is more bomb-proof than a plastic rivet, but sure seems to be a strange way of mounting any kind of moulding. Screaming for the typical expanding plastic rivet.
Wonder if someone did this after-market this way? The other mounts at the wheel wells look factory - black plasti one-use rivets.
I measured the screws that came out, they were 4.75mm in diameter. If I was a betting man, I'd say someone had a similar issue before me, repaired it by forcing screws up to hang through, touched-up the paint and called it a day.
I may try one of these kits - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...A1OMGUSFWWAIBT - I bet even with the slightly torn-up hole in the bumper, one of these fasteners is going to work and hold... I never like to spray anything if I don't absolutely have to, I plan on keeping this car for eternity, so a little touch-up paint and it will hardly be noticeable.
Your lip and mounting are aftermarket - I know this for a fact. First, there is no middle section on stock Spyders. Second, the front portion of stock spoilers are attached via 2-sided tape, not screws or rivets or anything. In fact, you can see on one of your pics where the original spoiler had attached. Rear portions are attached with plastic rivet-type things.
I've taken the spoilers on and off a couple of times.
BTW, I've also once spent hundreds of dollars to have a key made. To save cost, I bought a key blank and key fob from Suncoast then had a local dealer cut the blank for me. However, the problem is that vast majority of dealers will not cut the key for you. Apparently too many had tried on crappy key blanks people obtained on eBay, and the process destroyed dealers' key cutting machines ($$$$). I finally got lucky after calling multiple Porsche, VW, and Audi dealers. I had almost given up.
Last edited by the_vetman; 10-10-2017 at 12:51 AM.
I moved to Fort Worth 3 years ago and I have never seen curbs like this anywhere. Even entering or backing out of my driveway at a 45 degree angle I still scrape. This is the best thing I have found to cure this but it's not designed for the style of curb in my neighborhood. Maybe the dealer should look into installing some of these (yeah right).
Your lip and mounting are aftermarket - I know this for a fact. First, there is no middle section on stock Spyders. Second, the front portion of stock spoilers are attached via 2-sided tape, not screws or rivets or anything. In fact, you can see on one of your pics where the original spoiler had attached. Rear portions are attached with plastic rivet-type things.
I've taken the spoilers on and off a couple of times.
Good to know - surprised tape holds it well enough. Oh well - now I have a couple extra holes to deal with... yay.
If it makes you possibly feel any better: stock front spoilers are much less likely to scrape and/or come off like yours did. Install stock spoilers and most of your problem will go away. When entered at 30-45* angle, most driveways will be harmless. Sure, you could scrape, but what you're scraping would actually be the plastic "mud guard" thing in front of front tires. Even if you scrape the spoiler (and I have), it'll just be the bottom portion where no one would see it unless it was on a lift.
I think your problem resulted from the aftermarket middle portion hitting asphalt, meeting resistance, then ripping the whole assembly away. I'm not sure about its utility other than the bling-bling factor (unless the downforce was increased in the rear to balance it out). Sorry you had to go through this.
That doesn't appear to be an issue with the dealership's ramp, but rather with the city's gutter and the road crown, which I'm sure those who live in Texas now is very common due to all the focus on drainage due to the amount of rain they get. I was visiting my elderly father in East Texas about a month ago and the amount of crown and guttering was insane. No way I could drive any of my Porsches there.
Given the width of that driveway, it should be easy to angle it, even with all that slope. That's probably what the dealership does with their cars, takes their time and goes at a sharp angle. Unfortunately, sometimes traffic makes that hard to do.
Re: Bridjit, people use those out here in residential neighborhoods, but I doubt the city would let him put one of those in a public gutter on a major road.
That doesn't appear to be an issue with the dealership's ramp, but rather with the city's gutter and the road crown, which I'm sure those who live in Texas now is very common due to all the focus on drainage due to the amount of rain they get. I was visiting my elderly father in East Texas about a month ago and the amount of crown and guttering was insane. No way I could drive any of my Porsches there.
Given the width of that driveway, it should be easy to angle it, even with all that slope. That's probably what the dealership does with their cars, takes their time and goes at a sharp angle. Unfortunately, sometimes traffic makes that hard to do.
Re: Bridjit, people use those out here in residential neighborhoods, but I doubt the city would let him put one of those in a public gutter on a major road.
I took it at a pretty good angle both ways actually. I understand - just figured the dealer would alert folks.
I talked to the dealer today - they said "how long have you owned that car? People who have been here a few times realize they have to use the other entrance or do a big angle...." Well, first time to dealer in that car - took my RS60 and my Cayenne didn't have an issue! They won't repair it...
If it makes you possibly feel any better: stock front spoilers are much less likely to scrape and/or come off like yours did. Install stock spoilers and most of your problem will go away. When entered at 30-45* angle, most driveways will be harmless. Sure, you could scrape, but what you're scraping would actually be the plastic "mud guard" thing in front of front tires. Even if you scrape the spoiler (and I have), it'll just be the bottom portion where no one would see it unless it was on a lift.
I think your problem resulted from the aftermarket middle portion hitting asphalt, meeting resistance, then ripping the whole assembly away. I'm not sure about its utility other than the bling-bling factor (unless the downforce was increased in the rear to balance it out). Sorry you had to go through this.
That's what I was thinking as well. I'm not into bling at all - so may go that route. That said I am going to try to re-attach this one as it doesn't bother me. If that doesn't go well, then I will switch to stock.
10-09-2017, 09:45 PM
Spyder front end damage while at the dealer
