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This happened to my 3yo 911 and the SA took a quick look at it and scheduled to have a new set of panels ordered without any hesitation. That's crazy that it's even been a question.
The door panel is indeed not glued at the top edge (or really anywhere to the rest of the door) and the curtain airbag certainty seems positioned to deploy through that gap.
It is actually this design that is likely making the problem a difficult fix for our mediocre friends at Porsche, the panels needs to flex out of the way for correct airbag operation.
I would recommend heating the plastic backing with a heat gun while applying pressure to restore to original position.
The panels separated on both my 2012 991s and my 2014 Cayman. Both out of warranty. Dealer has replaced the Cayman panels under goodwill, and has ordered new panels for the 991, also under goodwill. No charge to me at all. Here's the 991:
Thanks for the info guys! This thread helped me get the door panels replaced on my 2012 911. In late November, I sent pics of the separating door panels to my SA, and was told it would take a couple of months to get the panels. I just had them replaced last week, and they look great! I hope they've been improved and last much longer. I'm the 3rd owner of the vehicle, but CPO warranty covered it!
Last edited by DishoomX2; Feb 13, 2019 at 12:47 PM.
My service adviser states he called Porsche North America, and they refused to take care of this. He asked me how many Porsches I own (only 2 - a 911 and a Panamera, with a GT4 order planned) before giving me the response. I guess that's not enough. I'm going to take this up the corporate ladder. This is insane; both sides are coming loose. $3400 for door panels? Makes me want to cancel the next order.
I took my car in yesterday to get the panels replaced. Was asked the same question, along with how many I have owned in the past. Since I have owned 8 or 9 Porsches and have 6 now, he told me that was sufficient for Porsche to cover it 100%. It totally hinges on your history with the Porsche brand.
It's really the SA that pulls the weight on this sort of stuff. Be nice to them.
This is my first Porsche, purchased CPO'd from a dealer halfway across the country. The local dealer has been completely reasonable with me, as I have been with them. I don't think it should matter how many Porsche's you've owned when it comes to having warranty honoured.
edit - I take back everything nice I ever said about this dealer - they didn't end up following through on this replacement, even though I was told they would look after it.
They didn't ask me how many Pcars I've owned in the past, the warranty is a warranty, they ordered the door panels no questions asked. Only I had to wait a couple of weeks because those are items that are no on hand.
It's absurd if you get asked how many Porsche's you've owned. As 2010panny4S mentioned, a warranty is a warranty. Besides, you can throw any # out there - if you didn't previously purchase from them, how is the dealership going to verify your Porsche ownership history anyway? Are they going to call PCNA and ask them to look you up? This is my first Porsche, and it was my first time even taking the vehicle to the dealership. They replaced the panels with no problem.
Last edited by DishoomX2; Feb 13, 2019 at 02:39 PM.
They didn't ask me how many Pcars I've owned in the past, the warranty is a warranty, they ordered the door panels no questions asked. Only I had to wait a couple of weeks because those are items that are no on hand.
I don't understand who stands to benefit from the dealership turning down the service if its a legitimate claim with Porsche. That makes me suspect my SA was telling the truth when he said Porsche has started denying those claims (as a reason for them not replacing mine). The suggestion of an upholstery shop to glue the panels into place seemed a little low rent though.
It is a 2012, with 28k miles. I understand that I may have to pay for a repair when the car is out of warranty and I am okay with that. What bothers me is the exorbitant cost ($3400 for upper door panels) and the fact that so many on this forum alone have had the same problem indicates a clear manufacturers defect imo. It seems as though the are well aware of it as well.
The reason the dealers are replacing these under CPO is there is an airbag that comes out from under there so there can be no glue(one of your more basic porsche design flaws). If you did the fix pictured would your airbag still work correctly ?
Originally Posted by GregD
So the foam separates from the plastic backing but the plastic backing itself is not all that tight in the door either. 2 issues then.... I'm glueing this for now with 3M carpet glue, see if it helps part 1, but I fear something needs replacing... The timing is spectacular, I admit... The dealer was nice enough to eat one under expired warranty, another partially under goodwill, I'm out of goodwill now... ;(
Next step some JBweld on the back end for the plastic clip that seems separated from the foam part... Disappointing...especially timing wise...
My new ones are at the dealer waiting to be installed under CPO warranty. I have owned 3 Porsche but why would that matter as I would never service them at the stealership except for warranty in any case. Try a different dealer or the service manager (I did have to get him involved). Also my car has never spent the night outside, has 8K miles etc etc. It is completely ridiculous these panels are starting to fail.
Originally Posted by cmb13
My service adviser states he called Porsche North America, and they refused to take care of this. He asked me how many Porsches I own (only 2 - a 911 and a Panamera, with a GT4 order planned) before giving me the response. I guess that's not enough. I'm going to take this up the corporate ladder. This is insane; both sides are coming loose. $3400 for door panels? Makes me want to cancel the next order.
- they didn't end up following through on this replacement, even though I was told they would look after it.
