Robin5

Have been lurking here for the last 3 weeks since I bought my 997S cab (Atlas gray on blue). Switched from an M3 cab and never looked back (Live in Montreal, Canada).

About a week ago the in dash CD player stopped working. That, along with a slight occasional rattle behind me with a mind of its own. Brought the car in last week, they thought they fixed the rattle and were waiting for Porsche to advise them on what to do with the CD player. Finally told me they had to do more tests and to bring the car back today (rattle was back so they said they would take care of it at the same time).

I finally get a call this afternoon from the service manager that there was an unfortunate event. Seems that while the car was parked one of the other mechanics hit my back bumper. They apologized and advised me that they ordered a new one and would replace it completely.

When I got there at the end of the day the rattle was still not fixed. They were working on it for 4 hours and after every drive it was still there. They would file some sort of report with Porsche to see what step to take next and hopefully could take care of it next week when it comes in to change the rear bumper. Oh yes, and the CD player was not yet fixed or changed. When the manager started to explain that they needed to properly find out what the problem was so as to ensure it is avoided for other customers, I finally interrupted him and told him that was not my problem and to just order a new one immediately or else add my car to his current inventory. He finally agreed.

I had to leave as I was late for another meeting but he assured me he would call me tomorrow. I have an idea of what I will do, but really wanted to first get some feedback on what some of you would do. At BMW I new everyone from the service manager to the general manager, but this is a whole new ballgame as I know nobody at this dealership (closest one to my office).

Any input much appreciated.

motormouth

Sorry to hear! I am sure dealership will make it right. Would love to read a detailed comparison of M3 cab vs. 997 cab. Good luck!

SrfCity

Sounds like a series of unfortunate events. I think you just have to ride it out. This dealer may just be not very good. Stay on them and if no satisfaction then pull the car and take it to another. Unfortunately you're at their mercy a bit so you have to be patient so as to get the best results that you can.

djantlive

Get the new headunit in and a new bumper on. As for rattle, if they can't fix it, visit another dealer. Sorry to hear it's not very productive visit. Hope they'll fix it up and not screw anything else up. You should let the dealer owner know. He should compensate you for the repair -- free maint at very minimum (it costs them peanuts anyways).

jcf7

At the end of the day, they may fix your car....but, you'll need to get a new dealer. There is no excuse for this type of screwing around (with you).

MikeN

Sorry to hear about these events. If its a good dealer, they should have no problem making it right and give you some sort of perk(s) for the trouble.

BTW....post some pics of the Atlas and Blue combo......really would like to see it.

npp

My 2cents: First rule of getting something done by someone else = be nice! If you act like a jerk (even if it's justified) they will be less likely to give you a fair shake. Be firm in what you want them to do to make this right, but be pleasant and approachable. Make them feel like they need to earn your trust after this unfortunate event but that you'll give them that opportunity. They will hopefully respond in a genuine and efficient manner.
NPP
PS: As my grand-daddy always said, If you act like an a**hole, you just end up smelling the s**t.

DJ23

Well put npp.


Jay

TheOldMan

Robin,

I also live in the Montreal area and have experience with both Porsche dealers. From my experience, the dealer in Laval is first class. The other dealer is not bad, but does meet the same level of customer service as the former. Even though the Laval dealer is far from my home and office, the customer care, attention to detail and overall service has been exceptional.

If you are dealing with the Laval dealership, they will make things right, with no BS. If you are dealing with the other one, you might want to consider a short drive north for future service.

jcf7

npp, well said. However, once you get what you want, find a dealer that won't make you go through hoops to get what you need.

Robin5

Thanks for the feedback everyone. NPP, your grand-daddy was a smart man. Thankfully so is my father who taught me that from a young age. I may be relentless in my pursuits but I am always a gentleman.

Motormouth, I am by no means an expert like some of the members here, but to me the difference between the M3 cab and this one is huge. The Porsche feels faster and much more nimble. I had a 993 C4 Cab and a boxster in the past. I always loved the sound of the engine behind me. My only qualm was that I wanted performance with luxury and always felt that Porsches were just boring and plain on the inside. With the 997 this is no longer an issue. I love the inside (especially the sport seats). I have the Bose upgrade and although some here find it mediocore, it is a huge step up from the HK in the BMW cab. I do not have the full leather but still love the redesigned look of the dash and center. I will try and take some pics shortly and post them.

Oldman, you are not the first to tell me about the Laval dealer. Unfortunately I am with the one near Dorval Airport. The car is scheduled to go in on Monday. They will change the rear bumper and try again to address the rattle. They promised that if they cannot fix the CD player they will replace it to ensure that when I pick up the car it will be working.

I asked them to quote me on installing the Telephone module. They are quoting me $2200 CDN without installation (about US$1800), which seems crazy given that people here are saying US$1000. My goal was to get a discount on this, but with such a high starting price this will not happen. I called the Laval dealership to see what price they would charge (told to do so by this dealer), but they just told me that Porsche pulled these off the shelf because they were having problems with them. Makes no sense, but I will keep you guys posted.

Again, thanks for all the input. Regardless of all these issues, there is a huge smile on my face everytime I get into this car.

TheOldMan

Robin5,

I have tried to order the integrated telephone for a number of months. It cannot be done at this time from everything that I have been told. It may be that the integrated telephone module does not have Canadian approval as a radio device. There are a number of products available state side that do not make it into canada because of certification issues(costs money), because the numbers do not warrant it.

There was another telephone system that they were promoting for the Canadian/US market, but it has been pulled because of a patent infringement problem in the US. As such, we Canadians are left
without a phone solution.


The best advice that I received was to drive the car to a US dealer to have the phone installed.

After your problems are sorted, you may still want to consider the other dealer.

Robin5

Thanks for the update. I guess my dealer is not even up to date on this. I may take your advise and go to Laval after this issue is resolved.

I do hope that we are eventually able to take advantage of this phone. Closest US dealer would probably be in Albany, NY.

djantlive

If you can't get the part, buy it from Suncoast, Sunset or Brandywine. You can have the dealer installed it then, can't you?

This is the module that allows you to plug in the SIM? Wouldn't you have to take the SIM out of your phone everytime you enter/exit the car? If so, can you get bluetooth added aftermarket? Some people have done it by wiring the voice to the left spkr directly You'll probly have to mute the radio manually though.