Gentlemen I need your help and advice please.

My 2008 UK GT3 went in to Porsche Centre Hatfield for a warranty claim to fix a noisy top mount a few weeks ago. I received a call to say that there was an oil leak from the engine and they were investigating. I knew there was a tiny bit of oil underneath but nothing to worry about and assumed it was RMS and that if it got worse or got near to the warranty running out I would have it done. They came back to me and said it was actually leaking from the crankcase and they would investigate further. They then said that they wanted to make sure that the vacumn breather might be blocked and this was causing the crankcase to pressurise and leak.

So far so good until.... So they then ring and say that they have to submit tot Porsche their report and one of the questions is does the car have a standard exhaust. The answer is yes but the rear silencer box has been changed to a Sharkwerks bypass and I then explain that this can have absolutely no bearing on the leak in question as it only replaces the silencer box etc etc. They go away to relay this information and Porsche GMBH come back saying that they are declining to pay for the repair of the leak due to a non standard exhaust....

I am away and only just took the call and will be getting onto this on Monday but what are your thoughts? I think they are legally bound to repair it unless they can prove the part in question has caused the leak. How do the exhaust valves work as I have been running the car with the connector in the engine bay unplugged for many thousands of miles.

 

the "non standard" exhaust excuse is a cheap cop out by porsche. In writing they can hold you to it i believe.

lesson learned here folks. when they ask if the car is stock, tell them it is 100% stock.

 

I think there is an opportunity for Sharkwerks to create a stock looking bypass with the internals gutted.

 

One of my local dealers "voided" my squeak and rattle warranty so I went to another dealer who claimed they couldn't get the parts until I called PCNA, they promptly ordered the parts and fixed my squeaky front shocks within about 2 weeks.

 

It appears to me that Porsche is going out of its way to get out of warranty claims. I have the same exact situation.

 

would they do it if it had a cup car exhaust? if so, just tell your dealer it is a cup car piece.... (they probably wouldnt know the difference anyhow)

 

I'm not sure the Cup Car angle will fly given that Porsche is now denying claims tied to retrofit of RS LWFW on standard GT3. Gotta keep those margins up at all costs. Damn the LT consequences.

 

I was told that a part that can be ordered for a RS can be put on. Anything else they can use as a reason to void.

 

This is (I think) the second thread about this issue and I suspect there will be many more. In my view, unless the aftermarket industry gets serious about solving this problem with Porsche, their future sales are going to take a big hit. As a minimum, it looks like we're all going to have to swap out our Sharkey bypasses before making a dealer service visit. What BS! Thanks Porsche!

 

RS parts should be interchangeable, right? Makes sense. Unfortunately PCNA does not agreed according to this memo posted on Renntech.org:

Here's the expanded version of the PCNA bulletin.

October 15, 2008.

Technical Information
Service
36/08 ENU 1360 1
GT3 Engine: Flywheel and Pulley
Vehicle Type: 911 GT3 (997)
Model Year: As of 2007
Concerns: Flywheel and pulley
Information: Replacing dual-mass flywheel with single-mass flywheel.
We have discovered that the dual-mass flywheel, which is installed as standard in the GT3 engine (vehicle type 997810/-811), is being replaced in the dealer organization with the single-mass flywheel from the GT3 RS engine (vehicle type 997850/-851).

Information

Due to an increasing number of reported faults, we expressly wish to point out that the installation of the single-mass flywheel (from the GT3 RS) in the GT3 engine is not approved by Porsche.

Since the 911 GT3 (997) engine application is designed for the dual-mass flywheel, conversion to the single-mass flywheel results in the following problems and consequences:

• The single-mass flywheel causes fluctuations and vibration in the lower rpm range, thereby reducing the smooth-running performance of the engine.

• The crankshaft is subjected to one-sided loading, causing stress peaks that can result in damage to the crankshaft.

• The one-sided loading of the crankshaft can cause the pulley to come loose, resulting in damage to the belt drive and engine.

• Any damage relating to conversion or damage that can be attributed to conversion is not covered under warranty.

Please advise your customers of this information accordingly.

©Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

October 15, 2008

 

In the US they must prove that the aftermarket part caused the issues.

 

ditto in the uk but, with any extended OPC warranty (UK only has 2 years standard) this is not the case as that is basically an insurance policy & does not fall under the protection of EU's Block Exemption rules.

 

This sucks and I hope you get it fixed under warranty. Mine had the same crankcase leak, which was eventually fixed successfully (after the Service Center screwed up the repair twice, you will find details on this forum if you do a search). Has been bone dry for 4 months and 5,000 km.

Porsche is taking a very hard line on after-market exhausts. In the UK, the law might protect you, since the bypass would never have caused your leak...

 

Can see this becoming a popular option for UK 997GT3s

http://tech9motorsport.com/Tech_9_Motorsport/Home.html

Especially as the warranty is only 2 years from new.

Regarding changing the flywheel on a GT3 to an RS spec SMFW; I thought the actual blockes were identical. Are some of the components different inside the engine?

 

tech 9 cover looks good, transferable too which is a major +