991 Turbo S Coolant Leak
 

Hi,

My car, a 2016 Turbo S with around 3200 miles on it, developed a coolant leak at one of the joints for the water tube (9A1.106.238.00) that runs between the water pump and thermostat housing. it only dribbles out when the engine is at temp.

took the car in, and they are telling me that this is a known issue on the non-turbo engines, which i don't see there being much difference on this between the turbos/non-turbos, but in any event they have a written guidance from the motherland that involves a 2 step repair process. replace some parts that doesn't include the thermostat housing is step #1, and if this doesn't work move onto step #2, which includes some more parts including the thermostat housing.

very disappointed in Porsche Customer Service here. To be clear not the dealer (Suncoast in Sarasota). The car has been in the shop for a week now, and Germany only got back to the parts guys today, indicating to them that the final required part (9A1.106.338.00 a 'retaining bar') for Step #1 is not available and won't be available until mid-november. there are none in the united states of america as far as i can tell (verified with a parts department that claims to be able to see everyone's inventory).

my car is going to be out of service for almost a month due to lack of parts for a known issue!

i called the 1800 customer service line, and was told it will take several days for them to look into this and get back to me.

what other recourse do i have here? what expectations would be realistic in this situation?

other than that life is grand. been lurking here for a few years, love the car otherwise and this site, some great information here!

Pretty much at their mercy...

Maybe have your dealer offer a NICE loaner while your car is incapacitated.

Driving a '17 911S until Porsche gets your car fixed might soften your disappointment.

:cheers:

If it's a slow leak, keep driving it until the part comes in? Otherwise, a 2017 C2 is a grand idea. (This is the part of Porsche that stinks!)...(Along with $20k for 4 replacement PCCB rotors that are $9k option when bought on the car)...

Not much you can do if the part is not available.

When my CPO 996 Turbo was in for a leaking 6-speed manual it took a few weeks for the factory and the dealer to get together regarding what to do -- replace -- then it took another week or so for the new transmission to arrive from Germany.

My SM told me the factory Porsche contacts apparently do not use voice mail and are a bit hard to get in touch with given the time differences so some of this time was just playing phone tag

The dealer might offer a nice loaner, or you can ask for one.

Regardless I would *not* continue to drive the car. My concern is any cooling system leak could prevent the system from building up any pressure when hot. It is the pressure that keeps the hot coolant from flashing to steam at the hottest places in the engine.

If the pressure is insufficient this could result in steam pockets forming and causing localized overheating which could result in a cracked head or other damage.

I'd ask for a nice loaner and to extend your warranty period.

Porsche NA called me back late yesterday. They are going to expedite delivery (by overnighting the part to dealer) from Germany, which sounds like it will shave a week off the repair time. They also said that they are going to financially compensate me for this. Was surprised to hear that. They said they will wait until the car is available again, and make a determination of the $ based on time out of service. Still disappointed that they don't have parts available for a known issue on an engine that is 3+ years old now.

These type of issues are wide spread not just porsche. Had a recall on my 17 turbo s for coolant system sensor. Dealer had part in stock and one day to complete.

Sounds like at the end of the day they are taking care of you. That's really all we can ask for in this imperfect world.

Good luck!

Could be worse. A friend has a 997 GT3 that had its coolant tubes come apart. At the track! It dumped all the coolant out and luckily caused no accidents. Repair is an engine-out procedure that costs $$$. I don't know if 991 cars have the same weakness or not.

That's a relatively common and very well documented issue with all 996 and 997 Mezger engines. Their "glued together" coolant fittings releasing, causing the problem your friend experienced. Solution is either welding to pinning their coolant fittings.

The issue the OP has experienced does not seem to fall into this category.

:cheers:

they are taking care of me, but a month to get the parts for a known/documented issue is pretty poor customer service on a vehicle that MSRP'd @ $211k.....IMHO....and it isn't like we are talking about expensive or complex parts here either....

i am just taken back a bit that their response time is what it is. it is likely that the problem could even be fixed with the parts they do have on hand, but i also appreciate that they want to fix it correctly the first time around so that the car doesn't end up back in the shop, and it may be a roll of dice...who knows....

it is what it is, i am over the frustration i had with it....

this is my first 911, and when i crawled under the car to figure out what was leaking, my initial reaction to the cooling plumbing was 'my god' could we make this any more complex??

don't get me wrong, the thing is amazing when it goes, but holy mother of god is this car complex. makes me appreciate my 1935 ford in a different way :D

Yes, when he bought the car, he was told the pipes were pinned. But it turns out they only pinned the side nearest the engine. The other, far side failed.

Good to know this is not a 991 issue.

Rather surprisingly, I got my car back today. I can't say enough good things about Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota FL. They decided to pull the parts from a 991.2 in their inventory to get me back on the road. I was told that they are doubting the delivery time frame given to them from Germany, and that there are at least 6 cars on the east coast right now that are in the same situation. The design was revised in the 991.2. Great guys there in Sarasota.

Wow, that is exemplary customer service. Glad to hear your car is back in action, and yes, kudos to Suncoast for taking care of you.

Glad to hear. They definitely know the meaning of customer service.

BTW I wasn't trying to minimize the time factor, I'd be just as upset.

no worries. just a bit ridiculous that what is in reality probably a $2 part (in porsche's world probably a $50 part) is what they are lacking. i feel for the other folks around the country right now in the same situation with relatively new cars that they can't drive. it is something that a machine shop could whip out several dozen in a few hours.....

oh well, nice day in SWFL, time to go put the top down and go run errands for the wifey....:D