Head light fell out and Porsche won't cover it.
09-14-2018, 12:00 AM
#16
Rennlist Member
Originally Posted by Joenyc
Well the CPO dealer is suppose to check over the car. So a car should be delivered to "Porsche high quality standards". as per their website.
Buying a Porsche Approved Certified Pre-owned Vehicle means that your dream will remain unbroken. In fact, we are so confident in our high standards that we put our name on it: Porsche Approved. Their is a 111 pt checklist. However, as mentioned earlier it appears to be a problem for Porsches in that group of the headlight problem in hard breaking.
Porsche Approved means
Buying a Porsche Approved Certified Pre-owned Vehicle means that your dream will remain unbroken. In fact, we are so confident in our high standards that we put our name on it: Porsche Approved. Their is a 111 pt checklist. However, as mentioned earlier it appears to be a problem for Porsches in that group of the headlight problem in hard breaking.
Porsche Approved means
- 2 Years / Unlimited Miles Warranty coverage after the expiration of the new vehicle limited warranty or from the date of sale if the new vehicle limited warranty has expired
- The vehicle meets the Porsche preparation standards
- The certification vehicle has been inspected in compliance with our 111-point checklist
- All work has been performed by Porsche trained technicians
- Only Genuine Porsche parts have been used
If fender work was done and that involved the light don't expect Porsche PCNA to jump in to cover. Best route is the CPO dealer.
09-14-2018, 12:29 AM
#17
Rennlist Member
The CPO warranty should cover this, no question.
09-14-2018, 11:30 AM
#18
I had a similar problem. Shortly after I got my CPO '13, I started getting an error message about a brake light. It turned out whoever last serviced the engine broke some kind of strut that damaged the wires to the brake light that comes on when the spoiler is activated. I service it a dealer other than where I bought it. They initially told me it wouldn't be covered, but then found a way to cover it since we are good customers there. I had started to raise a fuss with the selling dealer, but backed off when it was fixed.
09-14-2018, 11:58 AM
#19
I contacted Porsche North America and they are going to reach out to my local dealer and get back to me. If don't step up or help out my next call will be to my the GM of Porsche Santa Barbara where I purchased the car and see if they take care of it. They're the dealer that did the CPO at as most of you agree should cover the cost. I'll keep you posted.
09-14-2018, 12:09 PM
#20
Burning Brakes
OP is not in a great position, regardless of warranty, CPO or not. I feel for you, as these are not cheap to replace, even on the used market. But thought I'd add my own $0.02 to the discussion.... ;-)
The headlights in the 991.1's are designed with a release mechanism that allows the headlight assembly to be removed rather easily. For those of us who have ever removed their headlamps (I must have done this a dozen times?) and reinstalled the latching mechanism is "touchy". You have to make sure that the headlamp base is aligned and seated perfectly and fully clamped-down when you turn the crank from inside the frunk, otherwise it could potentially wiggle-loose over time. Anytime I've reinstalled 991.1 headlamps i do a "pull-test" to make sure I can't move the assembly for this very reason -- you shouldn't have any play at all. This isn't really a design-flaw -- it is a clamping mechanism that you have to take care with to be sure the headlamp does not come free. Admittedly, the 991.2 cars do NOT have headlamps that come out in this way, so maybe, just maybe PAG recognized the possibility of problems with the previous latch design -- but I bet they won't tell you that this was a flaw but rather an evolution in their design.
Why does any of this matter in this thread? It does not sound like anything failed or was defective. Perhaps this is not the case -- did anyone inspect the lamp assembly base plate (large flat PVC piece that the upper lamp assembly screws into, and which is where the clamp engages when you turn the lever in the frunk) for signs of damage to the clamp, the retaining slots, etc? Maybe if something actually failed in this case you could claim warranty for part failure. But maybe as others have pointed-out if there was repair to the fender by a body-shop it is highly-likely that the lamp was removed during repairs, and blame might fall to whoever reassembled -- but even then, you would have to prove that after 2k miles poor reassembly resulted in the breakage.
There are just too many possibilities working against you unfortunately. First, the dealer (and maybe even the body shop that did the repair) has no way to verify that the OP or some other service tech, detailer, PPF installer, etc. didn't release the mechanism even just a tiny bit for whatever reason -- or whether it was something the OP did. Hard braking? Try to prove that one.... And The fact that you went 2,000 miles without noticing anything doesn't equate to an argument that there was a warranty item. Who's to say you weren't fiddling around in your garage one day and took the lamp out and .... Sorry, I am not saying you did. Just put yourself in the position of the dealer, or PCNA. You just don't have much to argue here for a warranty / CPO claim given all of the possibilities.
I would recommend looking in the classifieds and/or Ebay for a set of used headlamps -- I see them posted all the time so not hard to come by.
Good Luck!
The headlights in the 991.1's are designed with a release mechanism that allows the headlight assembly to be removed rather easily. For those of us who have ever removed their headlamps (I must have done this a dozen times?) and reinstalled the latching mechanism is "touchy". You have to make sure that the headlamp base is aligned and seated perfectly and fully clamped-down when you turn the crank from inside the frunk, otherwise it could potentially wiggle-loose over time. Anytime I've reinstalled 991.1 headlamps i do a "pull-test" to make sure I can't move the assembly for this very reason -- you shouldn't have any play at all. This isn't really a design-flaw -- it is a clamping mechanism that you have to take care with to be sure the headlamp does not come free. Admittedly, the 991.2 cars do NOT have headlamps that come out in this way, so maybe, just maybe PAG recognized the possibility of problems with the previous latch design -- but I bet they won't tell you that this was a flaw but rather an evolution in their design.
Why does any of this matter in this thread? It does not sound like anything failed or was defective. Perhaps this is not the case -- did anyone inspect the lamp assembly base plate (large flat PVC piece that the upper lamp assembly screws into, and which is where the clamp engages when you turn the lever in the frunk) for signs of damage to the clamp, the retaining slots, etc? Maybe if something actually failed in this case you could claim warranty for part failure. But maybe as others have pointed-out if there was repair to the fender by a body-shop it is highly-likely that the lamp was removed during repairs, and blame might fall to whoever reassembled -- but even then, you would have to prove that after 2k miles poor reassembly resulted in the breakage.
There are just too many possibilities working against you unfortunately. First, the dealer (and maybe even the body shop that did the repair) has no way to verify that the OP or some other service tech, detailer, PPF installer, etc. didn't release the mechanism even just a tiny bit for whatever reason -- or whether it was something the OP did. Hard braking? Try to prove that one.... And The fact that you went 2,000 miles without noticing anything doesn't equate to an argument that there was a warranty item. Who's to say you weren't fiddling around in your garage one day and took the lamp out and .... Sorry, I am not saying you did. Just put yourself in the position of the dealer, or PCNA. You just don't have much to argue here for a warranty / CPO claim given all of the possibilities.
I would recommend looking in the classifieds and/or Ebay for a set of used headlamps -- I see them posted all the time so not hard to come by.
Good Luck!
09-14-2018, 05:17 PM
#22
So I was able to get Porsche North America cover a larger portion of the headlight replacement under goodwill and it cost me $660 out of pocket. I'm going to see of Porsches Santa Barbara will step up and reimburse since the did the CPO on the car but I'm not holding my breath.
09-15-2018, 01:00 AM
#24
I guess I don't understand why you'd be liable for a defect on a CPO car. What's the point of the inspection and CPO? Is the concern that there is question of the actual sotey? I have read less than pleasant things about SB Porsche.
09-15-2018, 05:50 PM
#25
try another dealer
I would try 2 or 3 different dealers. Seems like complete crap to me that you should have to be out of pocket.
So I was able to get Porsche North America cover a larger portion of the headlight replacement under goodwill and it cost me $660 out of pocket. I'm going to see of Porsches Santa Barbara will step up and reimburse since the did the CPO on the car but I'm not holding my breath.
09-17-2018, 11:00 PM
#26
Porsche Santa Barbara who did the CPO on the car stepped up a reimbursed me for the remaining $660 out of pocket expense to have my local Porsche dealer replace the headlight. All is good!
09-17-2018, 11:57 PM
#28
I've also had my dealer step up and cover me when Porsche wouldn't. I believe there may have been a conscious decision at PNCA early this year to reduce the number of goodwill payouts.
09-18-2018, 05:26 PM
#29
Racer
I guess I will have to start checking my headlight fixtures on my 2015 C2S.
At our Porsche Club Oktoberfest last weekend, a younger member with a 997 was leaving and his right headlight was out. Earlier we had all turned on our parking lights in the backyard car show of the Past-President's house with a yard capable of 50 cars for a photo op after dusk and this young guy couldn't get his right side parking light to come on. He said he had had this problem since he got the car. The Past-President owns a similar 997 and walked up and pushed on the right headlight "snapping it in fully" and the light came on. The young owner had been tapping on it to make it go on for the year or two he had the car when it had occasionally gone out.
So "loose" headlights can apparently go for years until you make a panic stop.
At our Porsche Club Oktoberfest last weekend, a younger member with a 997 was leaving and his right headlight was out. Earlier we had all turned on our parking lights in the backyard car show of the Past-President's house with a yard capable of 50 cars for a photo op after dusk and this young guy couldn't get his right side parking light to come on. He said he had had this problem since he got the car. The Past-President owns a similar 997 and walked up and pushed on the right headlight "snapping it in fully" and the light came on. The young owner had been tapping on it to make it go on for the year or two he had the car when it had occasionally gone out.
So "loose" headlights can apparently go for years until you make a panic stop.
09-18-2018, 08:31 PM
#30
Great News! Glad you were persistent and it shows that Porsche believes in its customer.