Need Help - bad engine with only 180 miles!

[SaintlySins]

I need some help/advice.

I sold my 996 C-4 Cab and bought the 997 Turbo Cab, with special factory option – no holds barred – just the way I wanted it back in late 2007! When it was delivered, it was extraordinarily rewarding! My girl had the perfect sentence: “It’s the birth of your child---childhood dreams that is!”

2 drives and 82 miles later there’s a puddle of oil on the floor in the garage. It goes back to the dealer (Ray Catena Porsche – Edison, NJ). After 10 days in the shop, with daily conversations starting as a mild repair, by end of 10 days, they’re telling me they’ve done all they can do and it still leaks. They’ve just about rebuilt the whole engine and replaced just about every seal, gasket, etc possible to no avail and I have discovered it’s a “porous block” and need engine replacement. It seems the Service Technicians haven’t seen this problem since 2001. I don’t want a replacement engine. I want a replacement car – exactly as I ordered it. Something I’ll hold onto for years to come as the one thing I’ve given to myself without compromise.

However … and here’s where I need your help … I am told that full “auto replacement” procedure takes miles of red-tape, approvals, etc and “if” someone says “yes” … it’ll be several more months for the factory get custom orders like that into the system at this time of year.

That sounds like a bunch of ‘donkey dust’!!!! I can’t believe Porsche wouldn’t put someone who has a failure of this magnitude into THIS MONTHS production run. If the sales department is correct, I wouldn’t see a replacement car until August – which means one month later it’s a year old – no way! This also sound like a bunch of ‘already paid dealers’ not knowing who and how to get the right buttons pushed for an immediate, this-month-build solution.

So … who’s got contacts and phone #’s for a solution. Or advice on who/what to do for myself. Please help. Thank you in advance for your help.

Feel free to contact me directly as I’m sure I need to move swiftly on this:

Gregory Saint-James Vigeant

gregory@msihq.com

Edited February 6, 2009 by SaintlySins

[mglobe]

I need some help/advice.

I sold my 996 C-4 Cab and bought the 997 Turbo Cab, with special factory option – no holds barred – just the way I wanted it back in late 2007! When it was delivered, it was extraordinarily rewarding! My girl had the perfect sentence: “It’s the birth of your child---childhood dreams that is!”

2 drives and 82 miles later there’s a puddle of oil on the floor in the garage. It goes back to the dealer (Ray Catena Porsche – Edison, NJ). After 10 days in the shop, with daily conversations starting as a mild repair, by end of 10 days, they’re telling me they’ve done all they can do and it still leaks. They’ve just about rebuilt the whole engine and replaced just about every seal, gasket, etc possible to no avail and I have discovered it’s a “porous block” and need engine replacement. It seems the Service Technicians haven’t seen this problem since 2001. I don’t want a replacement engine. I want a replacement car – exactly as I ordered it. Something I’ll hold onto for years to come as the one thing I’ve given to myself without compromise.

However … and here’s where I need your help … I am told that full “auto replacement” procedure takes miles of red-tape, approvals, etc and “if” someone says “yes” … it’ll be several more months for the factory get custom orders like that into the system at this time of year.

That sounds like a bunch of ‘donkey dust’!!!! I can’t believe Porsche wouldn’t put someone who has a failure of this magnitude into THIS MONTHS production run. If the sales department is correct, I wouldn’t see a replacement car until August – which means one month later it’s a year old – no way! This also sound like a bunch of ‘already paid dealers’ not knowing who and how to get the right buttons pushed for an immediate, this-month-build solution.

So … who’s got contacts and phone #’s for a solution. Or advice on who/what to do for myself. Please help. Thank you in advance for your help.

Feel free to contact me directly as I’m sure I need to move swiftly on this:

Gregory Saint-James Vigeant

gregory@msihq.com

Sorry, can't give you any contacts, but I would call Porsche of North America, and start working my way up the ladder till I found someone who can help. I think that if you are firm, but courteous, and reasonable in presenting your case, you should be able to prevail... maybe. You may end up with the same car and a new engine. If that's all they'll do for you, I'd try to get an X51 kit either comped, or at a nice discount, since they will have everything out of the car anyway. I would want a completely new car also, but best to have a fall-back position.

[donlycan]

If you are a member of PCA you might try to get some help there. I completely agree with your position.

[White987S]

SaintlySins, sorry about your problem. Here are a few very good contact names for you to start the process with PCNA:

Heather Foye- Customer Commitment Specialist

C. James- Regional After Sales Manager- PCNA

J. Blunk- Regional Manager- PCNA

L. McGraw- Porsche Senior Customer Commitment Specialist

980 Hammond Drive

Suite 1000

Atlanta, GA 30328

770-290-3500

Fax- 770-290-3700

Edited April 11, 2008 by White987S

[2008-Carrera]

I wish you the best. However, if it gets down to a legal battle, you should contact Kimmel & Silverman in Ambler, PA (about 30 minutes outside of Philadelphia). Both Craig Kimmel and Robert Silverman are high-end car guys, I am sure they can help you if it comes down to a legal issue.

Kimmel & Silverman

Best of luck.

-Chuck

[1schoir]

Gregory:

Before proceeding any further, I think you should familiarize yourself with New Jersey's Lemon Law. It gives you some very specific rights which cannot be abrogated by the dealer or by PCNA.

I am very familiar with New York's Lemon Law, but I know that New Jersey's statute is different in some aspects than the New York statute.

Once you understand the rights conferred upon you by that statute, and the concurrent obligations of the dealer, you will not easily be misled by what anyone on that side of the fence will tell you.

Regards, Maurice.

[SaintlySins]

Thank you all for your replies, support and advice! Especially the names of people in Atlanta!

Gregory.

[SVTHorsnake]

FYI - Lemon laws don't apply to your car since they know what the problem is and can fix it. You don't have pourous fenders or a pourous chassis. You have a pourous block. Why should they give you a new car? Lemon laws apply to a car that has a recurring problem that's not indenifiable and can't be fixed.

[White987S]

FYI - Lemon laws don't apply to your car since they know what the problem is and can fix it. You don't have pourous fenders or a pourous chassis. You have a pourous block. Why should they give you a new car? Lemon laws apply to a car that has a recurring problem that's not indenifiable and can't be fixed.

This may be true, but everything is negotiable.

[cosorio]

I had a lemon law issue here in California with my MB ML320. This one is a little different as it dealt with suspension geometry rather than drivetrain. To make a long story short, the problem was fixed after 4 attempts. In California, the dealer has 4 attempts at the recurring problem. After the 4th attempt and the problem still persists, you get a replacement car. MB made sure that it was fixed the 4th time that they flew 2 engineers from Germany to diagnose the car. At the end of the ordeal, it turned out to be an out of spec A-arm. In your particular case, if you have a porous block and the dealer is going to replace it, why not just do it and solve the problem? IMHO, there is absolutely no way that Porsche will replace your car because it sets a precedence for future cases. But hey, it's probably worth a shot since your car is so new and it only has 180 miles.

Edited April 22, 2008 by cosorio