sashaz

I had the oil light come on before and checked the oil. I filled up the oil and after a short while it agan said the check the oil level. So I took the car to the porsche garage and they drained it and refilled the oil.

A week later it came up with check engine proceed to garage. So this was close enough to my first service to ge them to do the service and also fix this problem. so a second time they drained the oil and said it was fixed.

now 1 week after this i again get a check engine oil level light on allot. I am annoyed as i have paid for 2 engine oil drain and fills and also i live miles from the garage. In all the porsches I have had (for 11 years now) this is the first time i have had a problem with these very reliable cars.

oh when i got the car back after the service the car sounded great and the idle pressure was about 1.75 bar now its about 1.4bar and it doesnt sound as good.

What can the problem be?

ajayabb

Welcome to the forum. Many here will ask you first to post photos of your car before you are granted assistance with any problem. I wonder if the oil pressure sending unit is faulty. I am not sure how helpful draining the oil and refilling the car twice was. This place is a wonderful resource for helpful advice. But you know the rules!LOL

sashaz

sorry i will get some pics of the porker, i have to make sure i give it a good wash and buff as there are some really top notch cars on here!!!!

Macster

First problem is your dealer is not very sensitive to its customer's concerns about possible problems with his car.

As for the car, if the oil pressure is indeed low and coming down the problem's serious.

Now the oil pressure at idle with the engine hot can be 2 bar or it can be 1.7 bar and that's not a significant difference provided the ambient temperature with the 2.0 bar reading was cooler than the temperature in effect when the 1.7 bar reading occurred.

Now the noise may be real or it could be your imagination. Which is understandable. If the noise is real, then the problem is almost something serious.

You will have to take the car back. But before you do, you want to call ahead and be sure not only the service manager but the general manager will be the office and will be there when you arrive to drop off the car.

In fact, the next time you take the car in arrange to meet with the general manager (GM) under some pretense and learn his name and try to get a business card from him (or her). You can even visit the dealer driving another car and meet with the GM to lay the groundwork for when you bring in the car.

When you take the car back speak to the service manager and let him know this is the umpteenth time you've had the car in for this same complaint. Keep your tone calm and pleasant and always courteous.

If the service manager gives you any static then ask to speak with the GM. If SM refuses seek out GM on your own. SM will not like this and he'll come with you.

Mention to the SM (and GM if you end up with the GM) that this problem and the dealer's failure to fix it and address your concerns have caused you to lose any and all enjoyment from owning/driving the car.

Mention that because the symptom still comes back you are concerned for your safety and do not want to drive the car anymore cause you're afraid the car might suffer a serious break down while on the road and subject you and your passengers to risk of being in an accident cause a serious break down can leave you stuck in traffic or on the side of the road. And one hardly ever breaks down at 10am on a Tuesday next to a Porsche dealership.

Tell the service manager you will leave the car and when he calls you to pick it up that you insist this symptom's cause and all things arising from whatever was causing it have been properly addressed. Stress in a friendly but firm mannner you do not want to, you do not expect to have to bring the car back for this symptom again.

Remind the dealer that one reason, one very big and important reason you bought this car and not some other brand of car was the very rosy assurances made by the dealer's employees and its advertising of the this dealer's excellent service, factory trained personal, blah blah blah.

You might mention as an aside that if this problem can't be solved this time once and for all that you feel perhaps you were misled and that the dealer's servicing capabilities was misstated to you and that you wonder if this might not be consumer fraud.

Be sure your comments about your loss of enjoyment of the car and concerns for your safely are noted on the work invoice. Even if you have to write them down yourself. Get a copy for your records.

Before you take the car in it might be worth your while to research what the lemon laws are in your state and figure out what you need to do to help your case should it come to this. And then do it. The best time to do this is as it happens, not try to reconstruct and accumulate the info after you need it.

I don't think it will come to this but you should be prepared for the possibility.

Now when you go to pick up the car read the work invoice over carefully. If the details of what was found and what was done are slim ask the service manager to provide more detail. You are of course not going to get a degree in engine design or a certificate as a qualified engine mechanic but the service manager should be able to explain/translate mechanic lingo into something a layman can understand. That's part of his job responsibilities.

Your's is to take notes.

Then make a point of inspecting the car. Open the engine compartment and look over the engine. Is it clean? No oil drops on anything? Nothing missing? A cap on a fluid tank? Give the caps a quick check to make sure they're tight and on properly.

With the engine compartment open start the engine and give it a nice listen. Does it sound ok? When you can check oil level and pressure. Are they in the range of acceptable?

If you find something not to your liking bring it to the attention of the service manager and work out what is wrong, if something wrong, and when it will be fixed.

IOWs, give the car a serious check out *before* you drive the car off the service entrance drive. In fact before you sign for the car. Ask the SM to go over at the car what was wrong and what was fixed.

And be prepared to leave the car if you find something unacceptable. But of course this time you will then speak to the general manager, ask the service manager to come with you, and go over with the GM what's been going on.

If you do the things above the odds the car will be found unacceptable when you return to pick it up will be very very slim.

Sincerely,

Macster.

hockeyguy

Macster--
Wow, what a post!
I'm envious of guys like you because doing what you suggest would be out of character for me. I'm one of those people who hates confrontation and avoids your kind of assertiveness (like our Preisident, I think).
I would be more inclined to bring the car somewhere else if possible as my next step, as opposed to pressing the issue with the first dealer.

Stephenkng

I would say contact the regional resp for Porsche to address your concern. They normally are very good about this. Good luck.

sashaz

My God Mcaster

I will print this out and fully take this all on board. I love the internet.

Have a great day (bank holiday here in UK)

sashaz

Will give you and update when I book it in.