Gonzo911

As an update to an earlier thread, when I researched my recent purchase (MY12 997.2) I wanted to make sure it had the ability to stream audio via bluetooth as you would expect from a 2 year old car.

The online 2011-2012 Carrera PCM Manual stated that the PCM had the ability to do this by selecting the "DISC" function then setting the AUX BT selection. This would allow the user to stream audio from their smartphone.

After purchasing the car I discovered, as many have noted here on RL, that this feature is not activated on our cars, although available in the Cayenne and Panamera models.

I sent a letter to customer service for Porsche N.A. I am posting their email response here. As a former 996 owner, I am keenly aware of PNA's head in the sand policy regarding the IMS issue. This is clearly further evidence of the corporate culture at PNA.

Although clearly acknowledging that there is a fault in the PCM installed in my vehicle (and maybe yours too), they are refusing to do anything about it since I did not purchase it new. Of course, my car is still under the original factory warranty and the dealership I purchased from Bentley North Scottsdale is part of a megaplex (Penske North Scottsdale) that of course includes a Porsche Dealership.

Please read from the bottom up for continuity.

_________________________________

Don Thomas
8:26 AM (23 hours ago)

to me
Mr. XXXXXXXXX,

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, you purchased your vehicle used
from Scottsdale Bentley and as such you must work with your selling
dealer on this matter as Porsche Cars North America declines your request
for a new PCM.


Kind regards,




Don Thomas
Customer Commitment Senior Specialist
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1000
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
phone:770.290.3726
fax 770.290.5556
email on.Thomas@porsche.us

__________________________________

From: Me

To: Don Thomas <Don.Thomas@porsche.us>

Date: 08/06/2014 10:52 AM

Subject: Re: Porsche cars case 5308909

Mr. Thomas:

With all due respect, it is a Porsche issue. I have noted many posts
on the 997 Forum on Rennlist.com and this is a known issue amongst the
many other 997 owners. There are numerous threads about getting
Bluetooth streaming to work on the PCM and the only options are cheap,
aftermarket "workarounds".

Surely you have knowledge that the PCM units installed in the 2012
997.2 simply do not offer this feature as noted in your owner's
manual. In addition, the visual text message feature is not available
either, although also noted.

Regards,

___________________________________

Mr. XXXXXXX,

Because this was not sold at an authorized Porsche dealership , we would
not be able to upgrade your PCM. We advise you to work with your
dealership on any questions you may have about the vehicle features. I
understand this is not the decision you were seeking but it is not a
manufacturer issue.

kind regards,


Don Thomas
Customer Commitment Senior Specialist
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1000
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
phone:770.290.3726
fax 770.290.5556
email on.Thomas@porsche.us
fax 770.290.5556
email on.Thomas@porsche.us

_________________________________________

From: Me

To: Don Thomas <Don.Thomas@porsche.us>

Date: 08/05/2014 06:22 PM

Subject: Re: Porsche cars case 5308909


Don:

Thank you for your follow up. I did receive a voice message while I was on
a 2 week vacation and accidentally deleted it when combing through my many
messages!

The VIN is WP0CAxxxxxxxxxxx.

As I may have mentioned in my letter to you, I purchased the vehicle used
(5,700 miles) from Scottsdale Bentley (they are affiliated with Porsche
North Scottsdale as part of the Penske Group), but had done my due
diligence and was certain based on the online owner's manual that the PCM
supported blue tooth streaming.

Thank you again for your follow up!

________________________________

On Tue, Aug 5, 2014 at 1:39 PM, Don Thomas <Don.Thomas@porsche.us> wrote:

Mr. XXXXXX

I have received your letter directed to us regarding the Bluetooth
option.
Please provide me the VIN to your vehicle and the selling dealer
information.


Kind regards,



Don Thomas
Customer Commitment Senior Specialist
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1000
Atlanta, Georgia 30328
phone:770.290.3726
fax 770.290.5556
email on.Thomas@porsche.us

blackbull

All I can say us.....whoa!!

kcheves

PCNA is hiding behind where you purchased the car (weird, since it is under warranty), but even if you had purchased it new from a Porsche dealer there was no way they were going to address this for you. My understanding is that you need PCM 3.1 to have A2DP enabled , and the 997 only ever had PCM 3.0.

I have a 2009 C2S with PCM 3.0, and it came with a generic PCM3 manual that is not specific to my car, and in fact does not even state which Porsche models use this PCM. It is mostly correct, but does describe features that were optional (like Voice Control) without making it clear that the feature is not present on all cars. Porsche seems to do this in the owners manual as well, with features such as the passenger seat airbag off switch.


Out of curiosity, did the PCM manual you found online specifically state it was for the 2011-2012 Carrera, or was it generic like mine? How about the hard copy in your glove box - is it the same?

Good luck, but you're beating a dead horse.

MarcoRemius

Technically you could bring it in for warranty with the claim that the BT doesn't work per the owner's manual. At that point, it'll most certainly be a Porsche NA problem (and at a Porsche dealer).

One911

hate to say it all car manufacturers treat their customers the same

Gonzo911

The answer to both questions is yes. The manual in the car has the same info. I double checked online since I know that info can change with firmware updates and such so I was looking to see if the BT AUX could be activated a different way.

Kcheves, I understand your reasoning here, but their response to my email leads me to believe that if I had purchased the car new, then PCNA may have done something about this. The car is still under original warranty and I fail to see how their policy differs just because I am the second owner.

To be clear, if a warranted item were to fail tomorrow and PCNA declined to make the repair because I am the the second owner, well, they would have just created a litigious event.

They may have created a loophole, but if the manual clearly states the car has this function (and is not an optional feature like PSE, ventilated seats, etc) and the manual is specific to my model and year, then any reasonable person should expect this function to exist.

And for a minute, I thought Mr. Thomas thought so too...

Cuda911

Zackly! The responses from PCNA seem to center around the purchase location, and completely avoid addressing the actual issue.

Gonzo911

Here is my reply sent 2 minutes ago...
________________________________

Mr. Thomas:

Please explain to me why being the second owner of the vehicle or where the vehicle was purchased is relevant. The vehicle is still under warranty and according to your company's owner's manual, the PCM is not performing as noted in that manual. The manual is specific to my vehicle model and year and the function in question is not noted as an "option".

Furthermore, can I expect any additional warranted items that will be similarly declined for repair?

I await your response.

Cuda911

I think Mr. Thomas has the official title of "Chief Manager of Obfuscation."

See if you can move up the ladder higher, or find someone else to deal with.

Also, Marco's suggestion is good. Easier to be pushier when you are standing right in front of them.

PhilD

I may have missed it, but what did the dealer say? Usually warranty issues are dealt with by the dealer not the car manufacturer.

workhurts

or better yet, has anyone with a 997 ever had working bluetooth streaming? Ever.

Gonzo911

Agreed, but there are several posts in RL that yielded no success going though the dealership. I thought I would take a different approach.

Gonzo911

Exactly my point with PCNA. False advertising. Again...lots of threads and many are happy with the work around (VizeeO etc. I have one and it works... sometimes). I would prefer to have the option of listening to my iPod (hard docked) or streaming Pandora over Bluetooth without having to re config everything.

And the manual says I should be able to do it.

Gonzo911

Mr. Thomas' next reply will determine my next course of action. I will try the dealer at some point but truthfully, this is really not that big of a deal and I don't mind presenting an argument from the comfort of my office chair.

But right is right...and PCNA's lack of responsibility for the IMS issue has always left a bad taste in my mouth.

As I understand it, they put the same PCM in other models. The current unit already has Bluetooth capability. This could just be a simple firmware issue and if it does get resolved at the PCNA level it could be good for everyone.

9114Scab

Hmmm, I bought my 2012 4s cab new from a Porsche dealership, I don't think the "streaming "works on my car also. I just "hard dock" my phone. Although , I do have the Bluetooth option on my car.

The problem I have with streaming music is, the music seems to be a bit muffled(not as loud). I don't like that, and I think that's why I never pursued streaming in my 911.