MFG911

Hi guys, could I please have urgent assistance on a question? I had my car serviced last week and asked them to adjust the roof because it wasn't functioning as smoothly as it should.

I got the car back and opened the roof and it worked fine and then drove about 100 miles to where we were staying overnight. When I closed the roof I noticed that the trim over the passenger door was a little out of line.

I thought I would open the roof and close again to see whether it fixed itself but disaster happen. It appears that the rear most screw (only 2 scews) holding that trim in place was missing and the other was very loose.

When the roof opened, the trim fell and wedged against the the rear most frame as they were folding together to drop into the rear compartment, It bent that rear frame, broke the mounts where it pivots and bent the rail that goes through the roof above the window. All power died.

I had to do an emergency close of the roof. About 2 hours just to get it to close.

All of this was caused by the fact that there was one screw missing from that centre trim piece and the other screw was loosened and not retightened.

My question: I asked the service team to adjust the roof so it would operate smoothly. Would they have any cause to loosen the 2 screws on that centre trim over the Passenger door? I have included some photos to help (white one is not mine but shows the trim well).

I am talking to them in the morning so would really appreciate some information.

Thanking you in advance.


Not my car - but this is the trim where screws were loosened/taken out.

Shows bent rear brace, screw that was missing from forward trim and bent bar in roof


regards
Paul

Carreralicious

The dealer is probably going to try to claim that their tech didn’t touch that trim piece there and probably just lubricated the top frame and associated parts. You should tell them that there was no such problem with loose trim parts prior to bringing it to them to work on the top. I don’t see a reason to loosen the side trim in order to get the top mechanism to operate smoothly. They could claim that the screws backed out on their own over time.

If your top frame is bent, you’ll probably need to get a whole new top which if not under warranty will be quite expensive from Porsche. Better off to find a used one from a dismantler/ebay and have it installed by a local top installer. Good luck.

MFG911

Thanks I was afraid of that. Seems very odd it has never shown signs of being loose. Will let you know how I go.

7 treasures

If they serviced the top, should the service have not also included checking for things like making sure all the screws were accounted for and properly tightened?
It seems they should bear some liability under any scenario.

MFG911

Yes I agree. The invoice also said "Inspect roof" which I think should have included checking for any loose screws. I met the service guy today and they were very understanding and agreed to come back with a way forward after they had pulled it apart to see the extent of damage. I will let you know what they ultimately do.

They are a company with a very good reputation.

Thanks
Paul

Petza914

Man, that stinks.

Another example of why my cars only get serviced in my garage. I hate incompetence and don't trust anyone to put something back together correctly, where it won't fall off at over 100 mph and kill me. I recheck all wheel lug torque after having new tires installed, or more often then not, just take thee wheels and tires in my truck and then reinstall them myself. Last thing I need is some tech dropping a whell on a PCCB rotor then saying it was like that when the car came in.

Hope you get it resolved amicably and correctly.

4Driver4

This. I tell people that I'm the only one I trust to work on my cars...and even then I watch me like a hawk.
;-)

MFG911

Thank you. I took it in a day and half ago and they made the right noises about taking care of me. Still no word back. They still have the car.

Cheers Paul