simsgw

Wow. Am I boring. And is J.D. Power thorough. I've only had one problem in three months and nearly six thousand miles. (And a couple of quibbles I'll share with you all below. They had no place for 'quibble' on the form.) I did have to report that the system does not reliably connect again to my smartphone when I enter the car. Technically, that's not quite the symptom, but I can't find a closer match in the multiple-choice nature of a survey. It's a Bluetooth connection problem. I rate it minor, though YMMV of course. If I had to conduct my business affairs over a smartphone while commuting, I would find it intolerable. Since I'm retired, I get maybe one phone call a week in my car and I will just pull over to deal with that one until the software patch comes in from PCNA.

My only quibbles would be rated below 'minor' if they appeared on the survey at all:

• The proximity switch to open the frunk is not sensitive enough. I have to touch the paint and get road grime on my finger, so I just use the remote instead.
• With the sun visor rotated to the side window, if I enter a high g-loading left hand turn, the visor swings sideways and bumps me in the temple.

5,600 miles and those are the only complaints. Not bad considering I am a design engineer and by nature hypercritical of other people's design work. Our two previous cars (in a very long lifetime list) were twice as bad. In other words, we had two things we didn't like about the Acura NSX and the Porsche 997S after three months.

None of these are what people usually mean by failures of course, either of design, omission, or manufacturing. Just quibbles. Unless you react more violently than I do to the Bluetooth connection problem. Software protocols are a pain. I ascribe most of these Bluetooth glitches to problems with industry standards, rather than the particular vehicle hauling around the electronics stack. I expect -- no, I demand -- that Porsche get it fixed, but I don't really put the issue on their head, just the requirement to find the answer and install it.

No, I'd say we've been very fortunate in our last three cars. And the 991 is a worthy heir to the position of Porsche's crown prince, even if it doesn't seem like a 911 to everyone.

Gary, planning to run tracks only clockwise when the sun is low and to the left

Carrera GT

You didn't experience any of the recall items?
I think the JD Power thing was far from thorough -- I'd describe it as generic and superficial.
I've had zero trouble with bluetooth, but it is an old technology and can be finicky to allow a BT aux audio source, which is tedious. For a 2012 car, Porsche seems to think 2005 technology will suffice.
Both 997.2 and 991.1 PCM Bluetooth is good enough for handsfree with a helmet on. I"m guessing you're going to maintain concentration on the track even if a sunvisor contacts your helmet.

Nicoli35

I find the Porsche electronics take a few tenths of a second longer to recognize keys and user input than say, a brand new Audi with keyless remote everything. I just hold my hand below the Porsche crest for a moment and she opens fine for me, but that would bug me if it didn't take. It's a cool feature that I use almost every time I'm at the grocery.

Had to keep her in the garage last few days due to road construction here, they are digging up the streets literally and installing new sewer pipes or flanges or switches or something for the nearby hospital. Today the trucks had moved down the street a bit and had her out at 7am with the top down in misty grey wetness. All the construction crew and flaggers waved and appreciated the car fun

BED997

These JD Power surveys should be given one month before the car goes out of bumper to bumper warranty. That would provide a much better indication of build quality than an initial quality survey.

Hammer911

"My only quibbles would be rated below 'minor' if they appeared on the survey at all:
The proximity switch to open the frunk is not sensitive enough. I have to touch the paint and get road grime on my finger, so I just use the remote instead."

My only annoyance so far is my proximity switch is too sensitive! Frunk pops open when water from the hose hits the spot when I am washing. Perhaps I have to put the key in the house...

John 996 TT Cab

I asked this question a while back and never got a response. I use a very high quality hand wash place for my cars. Will the washing of the front hood cause it to pop if I'm in the driver's seat which I normally would be. Or, will I have to get out of the car and walk away. Another option ? might be to place the key in the back seat during the wash. Would that be far enought away? Both are doable just not very handy.

simsgw

No recall items here. I suppose those were initial-build problems. My Oct 2012 build had none of those. My first training was in statistical math, so our expectations are probably different. A multi-brand survey is necessarily generic, in fact that sort of usage is the origin of the word. What impressed me was the detailed list of questions in eight categories to elicit specific responses about The New Car, as a generic entity. Took very nearly an hour to complete and my answers were 'no' to almost everything. Had to stop and consider how to answer the questions about the "second-row seating" of course.

What it really indicates is their long experience in the many different ways The New Car may annoy its owners. For example, and I've known this problem with other cars: "Yes/No: I have trouble directing the airflow comfortably." That's what I mean by 'thorough'.
I'm thinking my jokes need to be less subtle. Only track mavens would have caught that one I suppose. The situation can't arise normally. That's why it's a mere quibble.

Very few people pull high g-loads on public roads, and on a track the helmet protects from glare at the side angles. Not to mention the really subtle stuff like the fact that morning and afternoon sessions always have the sun on the left at some point on the track, since they are a closed loop these days. (Sure wish I'd been able to run the Targa Florio, but that's neither here nor there.) I really am being hypersensitive when I complain of a visor that doesn't work as well in high-g conditions.

What really bugs me is straightaways aligned East/West so we're staring into the sun as we come off the launch corner either in morning or evening. But J.D. Power had no questions about that either.

Gary

simsgw

That's why they call this one the "Initial" survey. They do others that focus on later in the car's life.

Gary

simsgw

That's what I do. Along with my pocket.

I go in the house while the detailer does the car.

Which is why I never answered John's question last time. I'm almost certain he will have to do something with the key if he stays in the car. My best thought is one of those little grounding bags we use for static-sensitive chips, John. I haven't tried it, but I suspect they would block the transmission. Not sure, but it's worth trying. Just slip one in your glove box or something and put the key in it when they start to wash the car.

Gary

certified_prime

I haven't had any problems with Bluetooth connections with my phone (HTS Android phone). I did however have some issues with Bluetooth and an ipod. So it seems to be very dependent on the device.

Fabolous

I also just use the fob to unlock the trunk. The sensor is NOT nearly sensitive enough. I look like a dbag in front of my car waving my hand at the nose of the car like a voodoo priest, then taking out my key to open it.

I read the manual and it says hover hand between crest and forward part of the bumper. Maybe i should ask a service advisor.

rnl

Book is wrong. Sensor located below and left of sensor under bumper cover

simsgw

When I did, he said "Wow? No kidding? I haven't heard of that feature!" They still looked into it of course...

Gary

chuckbdc

Mine operates consistently fast when washing the car if a wet wash glove or wet drying towel gets within an inch or touches. It operates with variable delay to hand waves an touches. The range runs from WTF to smile.

It is clearly sensitive to humidity and and the recency of driving, so I assume it involves a capacitor sensitive to charge. Have to say I would have preferred if they had somehow just made the emblem into a switch. The door handles on the other had work well. Oh well.