Recall 991 mess!
05-29-2012, 02:38 PM
#31
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
On my two week anniversary of my car being in the shop I am providing this update which I hope is insightful for you guys. Already this is the by far the longest single in shop stay for any car that I've owned. I feel like a ferrari owner, for which spending a month in the shop is considered normal and expected. I bought my first porsche keeping in mind practicality and reliability (reasons that made me avoid ferrari) but so far my experience has been to the contrary.
The replacement part for the steering is yet to arrive, expected arrival dates have come and gone and it is still expected any day now.
I contacted Porsche Midde East & Africa by e-mail and other than their immediate acknowledgement of my complaint, and the assurance that they will investigate and revert back, they have since been silent for several days despite a reminder by me. I have also made the dealer management aware of my issue and they too are so far silent in response. Inside information is that if I make a fuss about it the most I'll get out of it is a free service or two (that too is not a given).
The moral is that you new model purchasers out there should be prepared for possible shop time, but perhaps you won't have it that bad in terms of delay in the US if porsche has their act together there.
Meanwhile I have been driving a panamera and have reverted back to the more boring routes as driving a sports car has made driving any suv or sedan a boring task. If I have to drive a sedan, frankly I prefer the BMW drive to the porsche.
The replacement part for the steering is yet to arrive, expected arrival dates have come and gone and it is still expected any day now.
I contacted Porsche Midde East & Africa by e-mail and other than their immediate acknowledgement of my complaint, and the assurance that they will investigate and revert back, they have since been silent for several days despite a reminder by me. I have also made the dealer management aware of my issue and they too are so far silent in response. Inside information is that if I make a fuss about it the most I'll get out of it is a free service or two (that too is not a given).
The moral is that you new model purchasers out there should be prepared for possible shop time, but perhaps you won't have it that bad in terms of delay in the US if porsche has their act together there.
Meanwhile I have been driving a panamera and have reverted back to the more boring routes as driving a sports car has made driving any suv or sedan a boring task. If I have to drive a sedan, frankly I prefer the BMW drive to the porsche.
05-29-2012, 03:33 PM
#32
Drifting
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This has to be frustrating. I'm guessing the parts supply chain is not as robust as in the US and Europe. However, Dubai isn't exactly the middle of nowhere. Surely they could have flown in the parts from Germany by now.
Have you seen the car recently? If not I would start to suspect that something has happened to the car while in their care. You might want to pay a surprise visit and ask to see the car.
Have you seen the car recently? If not I would start to suspect that something has happened to the car while in their care. You might want to pay a surprise visit and ask to see the car.
05-31-2012, 04:20 PM
#33
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Finally some good news to report. After 16 days in service center, finally got my car back today. The part arrived yesterday and they completed the job today.
I got it back with a full tank of gas, which is more than what I got at delivery (just half a tank).
Did some spirited driving after to make sure car was ok, and so far it seems to be. Though the steering feels tighter and heavier, could that be possible after software update or just my imagination? Perhaps after driving a panny for so many days I can see a difference. Of course, I don't have power steering plus and perhaps porsche realized that with the way the steering was, no one would order power steering plus, so they changed it, lol.
As far as my compensation claim, after some negotiation all I got was two free services and a one year warranty extension to 3 years, total. I am sure you guys in the US will yawn at that, with your standard 4 year warranties.
I hope the rest of my ownership is problem free. But realistically, I still feel one should avoid brand new models in their first year. Just my opinion.
ps. for those curious, so far they have delivered 20 991 cars in Dubai.
I got it back with a full tank of gas, which is more than what I got at delivery (just half a tank).
Did some spirited driving after to make sure car was ok, and so far it seems to be. Though the steering feels tighter and heavier, could that be possible after software update or just my imagination? Perhaps after driving a panny for so many days I can see a difference. Of course, I don't have power steering plus and perhaps porsche realized that with the way the steering was, no one would order power steering plus, so they changed it, lol.
As far as my compensation claim, after some negotiation all I got was two free services and a one year warranty extension to 3 years, total. I am sure you guys in the US will yawn at that, with your standard 4 year warranties.
I hope the rest of my ownership is problem free. But realistically, I still feel one should avoid brand new models in their first year. Just my opinion.
ps. for those curious, so far they have delivered 20 991 cars in Dubai.
05-31-2012, 04:31 PM
#34
I have a DCS digital player (the price of a toyota) that took 3 months and 3 trips to the MFG to fix. I think we are all spoiled by our cars. :-)
05-31-2012, 04:43 PM
#35
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
05-31-2012, 11:22 PM
#37
Instructor
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Maybe you can drive another 991 to compare the steering feel back to back. Its possible Porsche has decided to listen to all the complaints and give the steering a more natural, less lackluster feel. We can only hope.
06-01-2012, 12:35 AM
#38
Racer
The Germans are **** about product updates. Very normal for BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.
Americans are **** about loaner cars. Most of the cars we downgrade are made in our country.......take the blue pill...you will get your 991 back soon
Americans are **** about loaner cars. Most of the cars we downgrade are made in our country.......take the blue pill...you will get your 991 back soon
06-01-2012, 11:09 AM
#39
06-01-2012, 02:40 PM
#40
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This fuel line bracket problem is a production line assembly "quality assurance" issue. From what I read while I was waiting for my car to be inspected, it's possible to assemble the bracket such that, unseen by the assembly line worker, there can be incorrect alignment of two adjacent lines. The fix is a visual inspection to see that no wear has occurred on the fuel line and that the bracket is then correctly aligned with the addition of a spacer to "braces and belt" prevent trouble.
I'd call this "production engineering" ... it's where a complex system in development cannot predict every step of the production process (literally from forging the pistons to rolling the car off the delivery truck at the dealership, there's activities that are beyond the scope of a million miles of development.
The 991 is far from a "version 1.0" in terms of the drive train. Where I'm seeing design weaknesses revolves around the stuff that really is new (cabin trim, steering, etc.)
F'rinstance, my car has developed a "whistling kettle" sound when the air conditioning blower is above about 80% ... the so-called "squirrel cage" fan is making a noise that suggests it's either partly fouled or incorrectly installed. So they'll probably have to go deep into the dash to get to it, which brings new problems of a dealer tech, as yet unfamiliar with the cabin trim, disassembly and later reinstalling all those clips and screws without introducing alignment trouble or new noises. If you ask me -- this is the real frustration of being a "first customer beta" owner of a new car.
Since Rennlist and other forum sites are a magnet for dissatisfied car owners, I think it's good that we're not buried in threads of complaints about all manner of defects and flaws. Maybe that's a little to "glass half full for me" but in general, I think the car is demonstrating high quality and satisfication.
I'd call this "production engineering" ... it's where a complex system in development cannot predict every step of the production process (literally from forging the pistons to rolling the car off the delivery truck at the dealership, there's activities that are beyond the scope of a million miles of development.
The 991 is far from a "version 1.0" in terms of the drive train. Where I'm seeing design weaknesses revolves around the stuff that really is new (cabin trim, steering, etc.)
F'rinstance, my car has developed a "whistling kettle" sound when the air conditioning blower is above about 80% ... the so-called "squirrel cage" fan is making a noise that suggests it's either partly fouled or incorrectly installed. So they'll probably have to go deep into the dash to get to it, which brings new problems of a dealer tech, as yet unfamiliar with the cabin trim, disassembly and later reinstalling all those clips and screws without introducing alignment trouble or new noises. If you ask me -- this is the real frustration of being a "first customer beta" owner of a new car.
Since Rennlist and other forum sites are a magnet for dissatisfied car owners, I think it's good that we're not buried in threads of complaints about all manner of defects and flaws. Maybe that's a little to "glass half full for me" but in general, I think the car is demonstrating high quality and satisfication.
06-01-2012, 05:34 PM
#41
Racer
Finally some good news to report. After 16 days in service center, finally got my car back today. The part arrived yesterday and they completed the job today.
I got it back with a full tank of gas, which is more than what I got at delivery (just half a tank).
Did some spirited driving after to make sure car was ok, and so far it seems to be. Though the steering feels tighter and heavier, could that be possible after software update or just my imagination? Perhaps after driving a panny for so many days I can see a difference. Of course, I don't have power steering plus and perhaps porsche realized that with the way the steering was, no one would order power steering plus, so they changed it, lol.
As far as my compensation claim, after some negotiation all I got was two free services and a one year warranty extension to 3 years, total. I am sure you guys in the US will yawn at that, with your standard 4 year warranties.
I hope the rest of my ownership is problem free. But realistically, I still feel one should avoid brand new models in their first year. Just my opinion.
ps. for those curious, so far they have delivered 20 991 cars in Dubai.
I got it back with a full tank of gas, which is more than what I got at delivery (just half a tank).
Did some spirited driving after to make sure car was ok, and so far it seems to be. Though the steering feels tighter and heavier, could that be possible after software update or just my imagination? Perhaps after driving a panny for so many days I can see a difference. Of course, I don't have power steering plus and perhaps porsche realized that with the way the steering was, no one would order power steering plus, so they changed it, lol.
As far as my compensation claim, after some negotiation all I got was two free services and a one year warranty extension to 3 years, total. I am sure you guys in the US will yawn at that, with your standard 4 year warranties.
I hope the rest of my ownership is problem free. But realistically, I still feel one should avoid brand new models in their first year. Just my opinion.
ps. for those curious, so far they have delivered 20 991 cars in Dubai.
06-01-2012, 06:01 PM
#42
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Hey not bad compensation after all, here in the US an oil change is $299.00 air filters are $100/each and with the issues I had with my 997.2 an extra year of warranty could save you some serious cash in the long run (under warranty they had to replace the battery, high pressure fuel pump, Cab top latching mechinism adjustment, clutch/ignition release switch, windshield and nav antenna). Funny, how I much enjoy driving German cars (991, 997.2 M3vert, 535i) and yet they all have been considerably less reliable than my gardern variety Ford commuter vehicles!
