CK4LIFE
Active member
Finally!!
-
Read the WELCOME ALL BMWFANATICS post.
2014 Porsche Cayman S PDK Sports Chrono
- Thread starter MR_Y
- Start date
Stunning colour... enjoy.
MR_Y
Well-known member
Summary of repairs from 11 March to 7 May:
All costs were covered under warranty, inclusive of VAT, with internal discount stated (where relevant).
Recap of issue: The car exhibited a slight vibration at higher revs and high speed. The car was booked it at a Porsche Centre workshop on 11 March. The car was purchased as an Approved Preowned car from Porsche in January.
Work item 1: The wheels were road force balanced. No impact on issue. No cost.
Work item 2: Both rear side drive shafts were removed and reconditioned. According to the report, they were not machined, but were regreased and had rubber boots refitted. No impact on issue. Cost = R3,500.
Work item 3: After failing with the above, a claim was made to replace the PDK transmission. A reconditioned transmission/gearbox was ordered from Germany and finally landed in SA on 28 April (remember the car was booked in on the 11 March). Reconditioned/refurbished parts are called "Porsche Genuine Exchange parts" and are backed by the same warranty as new parts. Cost = R107,633 (that is after 25.5% internal discount)
Work item 4: While my car was spending time at the workshop waiting for the gearbox, I asked that the warped interior door panels (common fault on 981 cars) be fixed. A warranty claim was made and new panels were fitted. This was not a simple job, since the entire interior door rubber/leather panel had to be replaced. Cost = R27,140 x 2 for both doors! (that is after 25.5% internal discount).
After fitting the gearbox, it took them 4-5 days of occasional test driving and tweaking the settings to get the PDK properly calibrated.
Work item 5: Wheel alignment prior to delivery. No cost.
All-in-all, after internal discounts and labour, the total invoice came to R158,460 and was covered by the warranty (part of the preowned maintenance agreement).
Funnily, when I arrived at the dealership on 8 May to collect the car after 2 months, I was handed another invoice for R500. This was for my cost, since it was for petrol that they had to fill in the car. Seeing that the service manager was not there (it was a Saturday) and I was not in the mood to raise a fuss with the accounts person, I paid it and they released the car. A free car wash was done before delivery on the day.
What did I learn about buying a used Porsche?
a. Never buy a used garage queen (i.e. ultra low mileage) Porsche that is more than 5 years old. Searching online forums, reveals that older Porsches driven with decent annual mileage (being 10,000-20,000km pa at least) by the 1st owner usually have fewer issues after the original maintenance plan expires. This is also due to the fact that issues that come up with increasing mileage are picked up while the car is still under 5 years of age and under Plan.
b. Always stress test (drive and brake hard) a car before buying it. I bought this car without test driving it at high speed (the vibration issue was most noticeable above 120kph, in low gears).
c. Never buy a Porsche as your only car, especially as your only family car. The long wait on parts is not uncommon. While you do get a courtesy car, these are not in the best of condition (disclaimer - this is based on my experience at the Pretoria dealer. Not sure if JHB has same policy). I had 2 Cayennes as courtesy cars in that 2 months of waiting. Both had over 100,000km and the one was pretty banged up (window switch broken, overspray on body panel, leather tearing), while the other had an oil service due and worn rear tyres (I had to ask the dealer to sort this out). I would not take a long family trip in those courtesy cars.
d. Prepare to wait a long time and be aware of the complicated flow of Porsche communication from SA to Germany. All comms get routed through the Abu Dhabu office (SA falls under Middle East and Africa region) and they are closed on Fridays.
e. Pay up for the annual preowned maintenance agreement (Plan) extension. It is R36k pa and you can extend until 12 years or 150,000km total from the date of initial registration of the car. You get 1 year free, when buying a used car older than 2016 from Porsche. Newer used cars get 2 years free Plan.
f. Do not expect brand new parts to be fitted. The Plan says that Porsche have the right to fit reconditioned parts. But, these still carry the same warranty as new parts. Frustratingly, these parts do not arrive any quicker than new parts from Germany.
In another post, I will give feedback on how the car drives after the repairs.
All costs were covered under warranty, inclusive of VAT, with internal discount stated (where relevant).
Recap of issue: The car exhibited a slight vibration at higher revs and high speed. The car was booked it at a Porsche Centre workshop on 11 March. The car was purchased as an Approved Preowned car from Porsche in January.
Work item 1: The wheels were road force balanced. No impact on issue. No cost.
Work item 2: Both rear side drive shafts were removed and reconditioned. According to the report, they were not machined, but were regreased and had rubber boots refitted. No impact on issue. Cost = R3,500.
Work item 3: After failing with the above, a claim was made to replace the PDK transmission. A reconditioned transmission/gearbox was ordered from Germany and finally landed in SA on 28 April (remember the car was booked in on the 11 March). Reconditioned/refurbished parts are called "Porsche Genuine Exchange parts" and are backed by the same warranty as new parts. Cost = R107,633 (that is after 25.5% internal discount)
Work item 4: While my car was spending time at the workshop waiting for the gearbox, I asked that the warped interior door panels (common fault on 981 cars) be fixed. A warranty claim was made and new panels were fitted. This was not a simple job, since the entire interior door rubber/leather panel had to be replaced. Cost = R27,140 x 2 for both doors! (that is after 25.5% internal discount).
After fitting the gearbox, it took them 4-5 days of occasional test driving and tweaking the settings to get the PDK properly calibrated.
Work item 5: Wheel alignment prior to delivery. No cost.
All-in-all, after internal discounts and labour, the total invoice came to R158,460 and was covered by the warranty (part of the preowned maintenance agreement).
Funnily, when I arrived at the dealership on 8 May to collect the car after 2 months, I was handed another invoice for R500. This was for my cost, since it was for petrol that they had to fill in the car. Seeing that the service manager was not there (it was a Saturday) and I was not in the mood to raise a fuss with the accounts person, I paid it and they released the car. A free car wash was done before delivery on the day.
What did I learn about buying a used Porsche?
a. Never buy a used garage queen (i.e. ultra low mileage) Porsche that is more than 5 years old. Searching online forums, reveals that older Porsches driven with decent annual mileage (being 10,000-20,000km pa at least) by the 1st owner usually have fewer issues after the original maintenance plan expires. This is also due to the fact that issues that come up with increasing mileage are picked up while the car is still under 5 years of age and under Plan.
b. Always stress test (drive and brake hard) a car before buying it. I bought this car without test driving it at high speed (the vibration issue was most noticeable above 120kph, in low gears).
c. Never buy a Porsche as your only car, especially as your only family car. The long wait on parts is not uncommon. While you do get a courtesy car, these are not in the best of condition (disclaimer - this is based on my experience at the Pretoria dealer. Not sure if JHB has same policy). I had 2 Cayennes as courtesy cars in that 2 months of waiting. Both had over 100,000km and the one was pretty banged up (window switch broken, overspray on body panel, leather tearing), while the other had an oil service due and worn rear tyres (I had to ask the dealer to sort this out). I would not take a long family trip in those courtesy cars.
d. Prepare to wait a long time and be aware of the complicated flow of Porsche communication from SA to Germany. All comms get routed through the Abu Dhabu office (SA falls under Middle East and Africa region) and they are closed on Fridays.
e. Pay up for the annual preowned maintenance agreement (Plan) extension. It is R36k pa and you can extend until 12 years or 150,000km total from the date of initial registration of the car. You get 1 year free, when buying a used car older than 2016 from Porsche. Newer used cars get 2 years free Plan.
f. Do not expect brand new parts to be fitted. The Plan says that Porsche have the right to fit reconditioned parts. But, these still carry the same warranty as new parts. Frustratingly, these parts do not arrive any quicker than new parts from Germany.
In another post, I will give feedback on how the car drives after the repairs.
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Wow that reads like a nightmare of issues! I had my eye at one point on an older model cayenne, with low-ish mileage, but based on the above BUYER BEWARE
Thanks for the detailed wrote up
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
MR_Y
Well-known member
It you can live with the parts delays, and you have your own 2nd car to use while waiting, then getting a car from Porsche with a preowned maintenance agreement (Plan) does give some peace of mind.
I don't want to trash the brand. Maybe my experience was the exception, not the rule?
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MR_Y
Well-known member
The drive after the repairs:
The vibration is gone.
The gearbox changes gears as well as it did before the repairs (shift quality was never an issue).
I pushed the car to over 200kph (under safe conditions) and it feels rock solid.
Tackled a series of bends and no issues noted. The car's handling and balance have not been impacted.
Sport, Sport Plus, PASM and Launch Control all work.
I was told not to baby the car, given that the PDK was broken in already while they were testing it. I should just drive it and enjoy it.
I encountered bad traffic recently and I was happy with the gear shift being smooth (usually dual clutch boxes jerk a bit in traffic. Granted, this did not happen on my old box).
Basically, the vibration is gone and nothing else was impacted after the repairs.
I may only move house later next year to a more remote area, with gravel roads, so I will be looking to sell this car then. In the meantime, I intend on driving this car every day to get decent mileage and enjoyment out of it.
The vibration is gone.
The gearbox changes gears as well as it did before the repairs (shift quality was never an issue).
I pushed the car to over 200kph (under safe conditions) and it feels rock solid.
Tackled a series of bends and no issues noted. The car's handling and balance have not been impacted.
Sport, Sport Plus, PASM and Launch Control all work.
I was told not to baby the car, given that the PDK was broken in already while they were testing it. I should just drive it and enjoy it.
I encountered bad traffic recently and I was happy with the gear shift being smooth (usually dual clutch boxes jerk a bit in traffic. Granted, this did not happen on my old box).
Basically, the vibration is gone and nothing else was impacted after the repairs.
I may only move house later next year to a more remote area, with gravel roads, so I will be looking to sell this car then. In the meantime, I intend on driving this car every day to get decent mileage and enjoyment out of it.
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///M Individual
Well-known member
Awesome bud. Enjoy the car to the fullest!
modocrat
Well-known member
"Drive it like you stole it"
MR_Y
Well-known member
Porsche Customer Service (mini Rave):
I recently wrote to the dealer principle of the dealership that sold me the car, outlining my issues and frustrations with delays.
Today, I got feedback that they will extend my preowned maintenance agreement by 2 months (to make up for the 2 months that my car was in the workshop). The value of this gesture is R6,000 (noting that a 12 month extension is R36k). This means that my Plan will expire in March 2022.
I am happy with this mini extension, since it allows me more time to enjoy the car before selling it.
I recently wrote to the dealer principle of the dealership that sold me the car, outlining my issues and frustrations with delays.
Today, I got feedback that they will extend my preowned maintenance agreement by 2 months (to make up for the 2 months that my car was in the workshop). The value of this gesture is R6,000 (noting that a 12 month extension is R36k). This means that my Plan will expire in March 2022.
I am happy with this mini extension, since it allows me more time to enjoy the car before selling it.
///M Individual
Well-known member
What a beautiful part of the country!
Spanky
Well-known member
Odd indeed. Wasn't what I expected, but that is exactly how it went down ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@MR_Y
Another instance of PDK failure - AdamLZ, a large Youtuber, recently purchased a brand new Porsche 992 Turbo S. Within a few miles, the car was back at the dealership for a full PDK gearbox replacement.
MR_Y
Well-known member
At the Porsche workshop, I was told that there is a Turbo S waiting from February for replacement oxygen sensors.
They couldn't fit a reconditioned part, because the 992 range of cars is still quite new, so there are no used parts available.
Spanky
Well-known member
I'd be so pi**ed. Spending ~4 bar and then left in the lurch.
Porsche has seemingly always had a reputation for great quality and unrivaled reliability; especially in the supercar space.
I'm now wondering whether the quality has gone down? Or, if the perception has been wrong/overblown all this time?
Porsche has seemingly always had a reputation for great quality and unrivaled reliability; especially in the supercar space.
I'm now wondering whether the quality has gone down? Or, if the perception has been wrong/overblown all this time?
