GJS NYC

After a few weeks of talking to PCNA, regrettably, it's time to publicize the situation so everyone is aware if they find themselves in something similar. During a routine cleaning of my car, I found foreign objects in BOTH of my headlights, see pictures, they look like fingernails that are embedded inside the housing.






Background:

• I took delivery of 2020 992 C4S Cab during COVID with the intent of meeting it at PEC ATL for the driving experience. Given COVID, that never happened, but I have since happily put 24K miles on this gem.
• I optioned the car with the 8JU - LED-Matrix Design Headlights in Black incl. Porsche Dynamic, a +$2,740 option bringing total MSRP to ~$171K.
• Porsche of the Main Line sold me my car - they are fantastic. Porsche Larchmont, my local dealer, has been servicing my car, and has thus far proved completely inept, incompetent and often times remiss. The lack of professionalism at this dealer is incredible.

Action:

• I reached out to my local dealer and advised them this should be covered under warranty and sought a full replacement of defect free headlights.
• They finally replied, two months after my initial correspondence on 3/25/2022, and asked me to contribute $3,569.

• I then escalated to PCNA - this is a brand new 171K MSRP car, not a scratch and dent CPO car that I bought. They finally replied in writing after numerous phone calls trying to seek resolution.

Bottom Line:

Can someone else that has these lights spec'd check their housings and confirm this is " considered a normal condition". I am completely befuddled that PCNA would not override the dealership and stand up to their quality and workmanship.

Thank you
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detansinn

I think that “scratch and dent” CPO characterization that you made is unreasonable. There are a lot of folks on RennList with CPO 992s and truth be told, Porsche loves them just as much as owners who purchased cars new. Spending $171k doesn’t make any more of a customer than someone who spent considerably less on lower spec or CPO car.

You’ve put 24k miles on this car. It’s not new anymore nor should expect it to be perfect forever. From the pictures, it looks as if these may well be small scratches or rock strikes on the lenses. I can’t tell much from the pictures that you shared or without seeing it in person.

You didn’t mention whether or not they were PPF’d. Installers can do strange things, apply weird pressure, make mistakes that go unnoticed for a while. Just a thought there as well.

If PCNA is offering to pick up 75% on replacements, that’s a banging deal — $3500 for brand new Matrix headlights after 24k miles. I’d take it. Honestly, it looks like regular wear and tear.

Good luck.

Stanley Rous

Foreign objects floating inside a sealed light unit can’t be considered normal wear and tear, surely. As an owner of a car we have no way of creating a foreign object inside a sealed light unit, that is design/manufacturing fault. I’m in the UK so can’t comment on what reprise you can expect under US law/warranty but in the UK I would be expecting that to be replaced.

Drew46

I am sure there is more to this story, but I am not sure you can lay this at the dealership’s feet. Any dealer service center worth their salt wants to get this approved as it is good income for them. They are at the whimsy of PNA much like you are in that they need PNA to approve the work or they don’t get paid. It seems pretty clear that PNA is refusing to approve this as a warranty repair. You really can’t expect the servicing (and not selling) dealership to pony up on a good faith basis for a car that was not bought there and that they have no income to offset. Did you go back to Mainline to see if they will assist?

Also, did you relocate or did you buy at Mainline to get the best price since you were doing PEC delivery ? If the later, do you really think you have any reasonable expectation of the local dealer providing you with a “customer loyalty” accommodation?

I have to say that I have had the opposite experience with Larchmont. I bought my car from them in April and had agreed to let them middleman the PPF job to get a break on the ADM. I did not think the job was commensurate with what I paid and what we had agreed - a couple seams where they did not need them and many edges not tucked as we discussed. I dropped the car back to have the PPF redone and was still not happy with he job. Honestly, it was an 8 out of 10 job, but I had agreed to and paid for a 10 out of 10 job. No questions asked, they decided the best solution was to simply refund me the full amount I paid for the PPF. While I am not thrilled to have had to deal with this and the added time my car was out of service, I feel that they handled this in a very stand up manner. Again, I know you gave us the short version and there very well may be more that we don’t know that leads to your frustration with them as well as PNA.

shrimp money

It’s been 24k miles and you just noticed a cosmetic defect?

PS: Asking a dealer to go to bat for you when you purchased the car elsewhere, they’re not going to.


Also, $14k for headlights, woof.

detansinn

An impact from the outside of a lens can cause a break on the inside and even a fragment to be broken off. Again, this looks like the result of an impact.

A little plastic sliver doesn’t just show up inside the headlight after 24k miles.

Tupper

Thats my take. I mean, it took 24k miles to finally notice this? That doesn’t seem right

rk-d

There are hills worth dying on.

This isn’t one of them.

FrankAT

I have the same marks on my headlights (far more than you actually) and I'm certain they are from rock/debris strikes. Don't bother replacing the headlights as it will just happen again. Personally, I think it is a defect that the headlights sustain visible damage so easily, but I just got over it and kept having fun in the car. I would suggest you do the same.

CodyBigdog

RE: “Calculating the cost of two headlights with installation comes out to $14,275.00 ”

OMG! 😱

russbert

When my PDLS+ headlight was replaced it was approximately $3,750 USD, and I was told (after I asked) that the matrix headlights were $5K apiece. So that still leaves quite an installation charge of $4,275.

armanslr

2 years and 24K miles later to make the claim and expect it to be covered 100% is unrealistic. PNA covering 75% is more then reasonable IMO. If it bothers you that much I would go for it, pay the 25% and then sell your pre-owned lights on eBay to cover the majority of your out of pocket expense.

CodyBigdog

…and (not to dredge up an old subject), the “matrix” aspect of these expensive lights still not activated in US…and may never be activated?

yrralis1

Although not with my new 992 I have had foreign objects inside Porsche light housings . Usually its been water or some small insect . Every time it was replaced under warranty . In fact on my 991.2 GTS the lense had some discoloration From the sun and the dash had a small part that had begun to melt . I didnt even notice either of them . My service advisor noticed BOTH and covered. full replacement under goodwill (car had 50K miles and was 6 months out of warranty) . It was traded in with perfectly new pieces (in every area that wore )and the car sold in 2 weeks as a CPO. A stand up dealership goes to bat for the car owner . That especially the case with a repeat buyer (19 Porsches ) who is buying a new car . I have never had the problems of the OP at Porsche .

GJS NYC

I never bothered to inspect my lights that closely but when I did, i found the above. Not on one side, but on both. These are interior defects, not exterior. The above posts insinuate that i had impacts on both sides? Unlikely and yes, the car has full PPF and has had it since day 1.

POTML was used because I did PEC delivery, that is accurate. Their correspondence, responsiveness and general customer service is incomparable to Porsche Larchmont. It took 2 months for Porsche Larchmont to answer my emails, that is unacceptable. I don’t care if i did not buy my car from them, they represent the Porsche brand and they should carry it like any other dealer and act in line with the brand.

If these were exterior defects, a compelling case could be made. These are both interior artifacts.

One forgets, this car has 4 year warranty. I am 2 years in. The car is within the original warranty period. I don’t recall the car being sold with a 75% warranty.