2007 Boxster S CPO

[danieldolin]

So like I mentioned in my previous post, I took delivery a few weeks ago of a CPO 2007 Boxster S, but am still a little dissapointed with the cosmetic condition of the car. I purchased sight unseen from an out of state dealer assuming that since it was CPO and since Porsche.com goes into such detail about the inspections that the CPO cars undergo both cosmetic and mechanical I felt comfortable with the purchase.

When I got the car, there were the normal stone chips in the front (car has 10,100 miles on it so to be expected), but there are also a small dent in the front bumper cover at the edge of the the fog light that appears to be filled and re-sprayed (but noticable) 3 door ding type scratches on the passenger side door. These are not dings as much as just scratches. Also, a relatively long (2-3 inch) scratch along the top of the passenger side rear fender. 3 chips on each rear bumperette (have no idea how the previous owner managed those) and another scracth, in a zig zag pattern on the bumper cover abiyt 1 inch x 1 inch area...

The chips appear to all be filled in with touch up paint but look to be repaired in a very ameture fassion.

I am not sure if this is just me being picky, but I would have liked to have received the car in a little better conditions seeing as they went through so many "cosmetic inspections"

Should I contact someone abut this??? thoughts???

Dan

[Loren]

Ask to see the 4 page CPO inspection forms (if they did not give you a copy).

If you accepted the car with the items noted then I am afraid you are stuck with the minor dings.

If not, or if they are not noted on the CPO form then perhaps ask for Porsche to step in.

[White987S]

This is why I would never buy anything of value sight unseen. I hope this gets worked out to your satisfaction.

[danieldolin]

Ask to see the 4 page CPO inspection forms (if they did not give you a copy).

If you accepted the car with the items noted then I am afraid you are stuck with the minor dings.

If not, or if they are not noted on the CPO form then perhaps ask for Porsche to step in.

I have a folder, that has pink copies of the inspection forms (however there are only 2 pages). There is nothing on there about exterior cosmetic condition... the only thing listed is that the car needed an allignment which they performed along with the first scheduled maintanance. Every other box was checked pass, but nothing listed about cosmetic condition. Any idea who I could contact within Porsche? should I go to my local dealer?

Thanks,

Dan

Edited June 30, 2009 by danieldolin

[Loren]

Ask to see the 4 page CPO inspection forms (if they did not give you a copy).

If you accepted the car with the items noted then I am afraid you are stuck with the minor dings.

If not, or if they are not noted on the CPO form then perhaps ask for Porsche to step in.

I have a folder, that has pink copies of the inspection forms (however there are only 2 pages). There is nothing on there about exterior cosmetic condition... the only thing listed is that the car needed an allignment which they performed along with the first scheduled maintanance. Every other box was checked pass, but nothing listed about cosmetic condition. Any idea who I could contact within Porsche? should I go to my local dealer?

Thanks,

Dan

Start with your local dealer - they can call in Porsche.

Have them show you a (blank) 4 page CPO inspection form - so you know what you are missing.

[danieldolin]

Ask to see the 4 page CPO inspection forms (if they did not give you a copy).

If you accepted the car with the items noted then I am afraid you are stuck with the minor dings.

If not, or if they are not noted on the CPO form then perhaps ask for Porsche to step in.

I have a folder, that has pink copies of the inspection forms (however there are only 2 pages). There is nothing on there about exterior cosmetic condition... the only thing listed is that the car needed an allignment which they performed along with the first scheduled maintanance. Every other box was checked pass, but nothing listed about cosmetic condition. Any idea who I could contact within Porsche? should I go to my local dealer?

Thanks,

Dan

Start with your local dealer - they can call in Porsche.

Have them show you a (blank) 4 page CPO inspection form - so you know what you are missing.

After looking at the inspection sheet closer, it indicates that "Paint touch-ups for rock chips and parking lot dings are not considered collision damage" so would not disqualify the vehicle for being CPO, but then it also indicates that "any dings or scratches on the vehicle should be denoted on the Cayenne image" but there is nothing drawn on the car to indicate damage...

Edited June 30, 2009 by danieldolin

[Guest]

Sorry to hear about your issue. I am sure that this is not what you are looking to hear, but I too would never buy a car sight unseen even CPO.

I have had purchased cars that I did not personally see, but was inspected, photographed by a third party inspector without personally seeing a car.

Hope you get some cooperation from the dealer. Have you asked them?

Good Luck.

[danieldolin]

Sorry to hear about your issue. I am sure that this is not what you are looking to hear, but I too would never buy a car sight unseen even CPO.

I have had purchased cars that I did not personally see, but was inspected, photographed by a third party inspector without personally seeing a car.

Hope you get some cooperation from the dealer. Have you asked them?

Good Luck.

I have not gone back to the dealer I purchased the car from yet... The funny thing is that I even asked the sales associate about any blemishes on the exterior (if any) prior to making the deal and the response that I recieved was "Porsche owners treat thier cars like thier baby" ... I think My boxster S may have shaken baby syndrom. When they shipped my the car they did not sent me the colored crest wheel caps or a CD cartrage for the 6 disk changer (shows you how detail oriented the dealer is) so I can see how a few knicks would slip under this dealers radar (but not mine)... They did make good on that and sent me a new set of wheel caps and the cd changer part.

All in all, I am really satisfied with the car, small knicks, scratches and all, and feel that I got a good deal even given the cars condition. I just wish it was better and if I can find a way to get a few areas re-painted on someone elses dime that would be great.

I already have an appointment with my local dealer 2 weeks from today to get a rattle investigated and to give me a quote on possible re-paint of select areas, I will ask them about having Porsche foot the bill if possible. Do you guys suggest I contact the selling dealer directly about it or just have my local dealer contact Porsche about it seeing as they completely dropped the ball on the vehicle inspection... Even the car transport guy that they recommended pointed out some of the scratches on his inspection sheet as he did not want to be responsible for them... I would think that if he noticed with his short time with the vehicle, then the CPO tech guys should have certainly made note of the knicks on thier report...

Anyone have any paint work done at thier dealer??? how much am I alooking at? affected areas - front bumper and rear bumperette... less noticable are the scratch on the rear bumper cover itself, the rear fender and the passenger side door as these are just surface scatches and not knicks.

I used to have an Audi TT coupe from this same dealer and 3 weeks after owner I backed into my dads car, must have spent $75 and countless hours on products, compounds, polishest etc... finaly gave up and went to dealer, repainted for $250. Had I know that was all they would charge, I would have gone there first :) so that is where I will start I guess...

Edited June 30, 2009 by danieldolin

[White987S]

Most Porsche dealerships do NOT have a body shop. They send the work out.

Have bumperplugs redo the bumperettes.

Maybe a good detail guy can fix the other stuff.

A quality bumper respray will be a few hundred dollars.

[danieldolin]

Most Porsche dealerships do NOT have a body shop. They send the work out.

Have bumperplugs redo the bumperettes.

Maybe a good detail guy can fix the other stuff.

A quality bumper respray will be a few hundred dollars.

I had contacted bumperplugs already and Eric indicated that the bumperettes on the 987 are more difficult to remove and suggested getting them re-sprayed locally. I am writting a complaint letter to the dealership GM, as Porsche customer service told me to do as this is a sales issue. I will keep you guys posted on any results, but I am not holding my breath!

[danieldolin]

Sorry to hear about your issue. I am sure that this is not what you are looking to hear, but I too would never buy a car sight unseen even CPO.

I have had purchased cars that I did not personally see, but was inspected, photographed by a third party inspector without personally seeing a car.

Hope you get some cooperation from the dealer. Have you asked them?

Good Luck.

I contacted 800-PORSCHE and they were no help, told me to go to the dealer as it is sales related. They produce the guidlines for the CPO process but it is up to the dealers to follow the guidlines...

Sent a complaint letter to the GM of the dealership. Can't ship the car back for paint work, don't expect them to cut me a check for the work... asked for a 987 car cover and dual stage battery charger as compensation. I will use the $$$ I was going to spend on those to get a re-spray locally if they agree to send. Retail on those items is $470 so I would imagine it cost the dealership around $200 to keep me as a happy client... we will see what they say!

[number9ine]

I contacted 800-PORSCHE and they were no help, told me to go to the dealer as it is sales related. They produce the guidlines for the CPO process but it is up to the dealers to follow the guidlines...

Sent a complaint letter to the GM of the dealership. Can't ship the car back for paint work, don't expect them to cut me a check for the work... asked for a 987 car cover and dual stage battery charger as compensation. I will use the $$$ I was going to spend on those to get a re-spray locally if they agree to send. Retail on those items is $470 so I would imagine it cost the dealership around $200 to keep me as a happy client... we will see what they say!

Dan,

Perhaps you could find a reputable detailer and ask for a quote to touch-up the scratches you have around the car, and then a reputable body shop for the bumper repair/respray. Submit the estimates with a letter to the GM of the selling dealer asking that they compensate you for noticeable cosmetic flaws not mentioned during the sales process, along with some detail shots. I agree with docdyh that buying the car sight-unseen means you're bound to find some of these issues after the sale, but I think that a polite request will net you some kind of result, preferably a check (I wouldn't ask for parts as compensation since your repairs will probably cost more than their value).

When all is said and done I'd choose a repair path involving a MINIMUM amount of resale-damaging paintwork. A bumper cover is one thing, but keep those spray guns away from the metalwork if you can help it. This is why I recommend a detailer; someone with the right experience can make touch-ups invisible, and will probably charge less than a body shop. Check out some of the web forums like autopia for "portfolios" to see what's possible.

Mark

Edited June 30, 2009 by number9ine

[number9ine]

posted twice.

Edited June 30, 2009 by number9ine

[danieldolin]

I contacted 800-PORSCHE and they were no help, told me to go to the dealer as it is sales related. They produce the guidlines for the CPO process but it is up to the dealers to follow the guidlines...

Sent a complaint letter to the GM of the dealership. Can't ship the car back for paint work, don't expect them to cut me a check for the work... asked for a 987 car cover and dual stage battery charger as compensation. I will use the $$$ I was going to spend on those to get a re-spray locally if they agree to send. Retail on those items is $470 so I would imagine it cost the dealership around $200 to keep me as a happy client... we will see what they say!

Dan,

Perhaps you could find a reputable detailer and ask for a quote to touch-up the scratches you have around the car, and then a reputable body shop for the bumper repair/respray. Submit the estimates with a letter to the GM of the selling dealer asking that they compensate you for noticeable cosmetic flaws not mentioned during the sales process, along with some detail shots. I agree with docdyh that buying the car sight-unseen means you're bound to find some of these issues after the sale, but I think that a polite request will net you some kind of result, preferably a check (I wouldn't ask for parts as compensation since your repairs will probably cost more than their value).

When all is said and done I'd choose a repair path involving a MINIMUM amount of resale-damaging paintwork. A bumper cover is one thing, but keep those spray guns away from the metalwork if you can help it. This is why I recommend a detailer; someone with the right experience can make touch-ups invisible, and will probably charge less than a body shop. Check out some of the web forums like autopia for "portfolios" to see what's possible.

Mark

Thanks, I will keep you posted with results. The GM indicated he would get back to me Thursday as he is out tomorrow.

[Guest]

Another issue with purchasing from non-local dealer is that they are not invested in keeping you happy to keep your service business where the real profits are..the margin on auto sales generally are not that great.

my dealer where I purchased the car knows that if they don't keep me happy, I have 3 other dealers to go to.

Keep us posted and good luck. Definately try to work with the GM where you purchased the car from.

[danieldolin]

Another issue with purchasing from non-local dealer is that they are not invested in keeping you happy to keep your service business where the real profits are..the margin on auto sales generally are not that great.

my dealer where I purchased the car knows that if they don't keep me happy, I have 3 other dealers to go to.

Keep us posted and good luck. Definately try to work with the GM where you purchased the car from.

DOCDYH - the GM seemed pretty willing to work with me as soon as he speaks with his sales person to get all the details of the transaction... I will keep you guys posted.

As I am in the cleveland area as well, which dealer have you had the best experience with for service and repair? My only experience has been with Fred Baker as I purchased an Audi from them several years back. Have you had better experiences with Stoddard or North Olmsted? I think maybe Sunnyside has a Porsche dealership here as well don't they? Let me know!!!

Also, I see you have a previous post about some possible paint work on your CPO vechicle as well... did you ever get that taken care of? was the quote reasonable? where did you take it?

Thanks,

Dan

Edited July 1, 2009 by danieldolin

[danieldolin]

I am going to ask my local dealer about re-spary of the front bumper and rear bumper guards. I have placed an order with dr color chip to try to take care of the few nicks that are in the actual metal work of the vehicle. I will let you know how it works... from what I am reading, I am not getting my hopes up as it seems to work better on darker cars and mine is silver metalic. We shal See :huh:

[danieldolin]

Good news !

The GM at the dealer that I purchased the car from agreed to send the car cover and trickle charger to me to resolve the issue.

I contacted my local carstar as I knew they would give me a quote over the phone on a bumper re-spray... they did some work on my wifes car and I was happy with the results. $650 for a front bumper repaint. Does this seem high, low, or in line with anyone elses experiences? I will be visiting the dealer to get a quote from them next week. :rolleyes:

[White987S]

Ok, congrats.

So you got a "free" battery charger and car cover. I'd hardly consider that "resolved", but if you are happy, that's all that matters. Good job.

$650 for a bumper re-spay, in Ohio, seems kind of high to me. But I'd take quality over price any day.

[Q-Ship986]

Good news !

The GM at the dealer that I purchased the car from agreed to send the car cover and trickle charger to me to resolve the issue.

I contacted my local carstar as I knew they would give me a quote over the phone on a bumper re-spray... they did some work on my wifes car and I was happy with the results. $650 for a front bumper repaint. Does this seem high, low, or in line with anyone elses experiences? I will be visiting the dealer to get a quote from them next week.

I would get a quote from Fred Baker Porsche. They do paint and body work on the premises. A few years ago I had some minor work done there to my 2003. The work was very reasonably priced and I was very satisfied with the results.

I am sure Stoddard would treat you right, too. They have a national reputation for Porsche restoration.

I have no experience with Porsche of North Olmsted, but I think they are a boutique dealer without a body shop. Sunnyside closed their Porsche showroom years ago, at about the same time Porsche of North Olmsted surfaced.

My closest dealer is Cascade, which I am very satisfied with for parts and service; but they do not have a body shop. I'd take my car back to Fred Baker for that kind of work without hesitation.

It's nice to have choices in our area.

--Brian

Edited July 7, 2009 by Q-Ship986

[danieldolin]

Good news !

The GM at the dealer that I purchased the car from agreed to send the car cover and trickle charger to me to resolve the issue.

I contacted my local carstar as I knew they would give me a quote over the phone on a bumper re-spray... they did some work on my wifes car and I was happy with the results. $650 for a front bumper repaint. Does this seem high, low, or in line with anyone elses experiences? I will be visiting the dealer to get a quote from them next week.

I would get a quote from Fred Baker Porsche. They do paint and body work on the premises. A few years ago I had some minor work done there to my 2003. The work was very reasonably priced and I was very satisfied with the results.

I am sure Stoddard would treat you right, too. They have a national reputation for Porsche restoration.

I have no experience with Porsche of North Olmsted, but I think they are a boutique dealer without a body shop. Sunnyside closed their Porsche showroom years ago, at about the same time Porsche of North Olmsted surfaced.

My closest dealer is Cascade, which I am very satisfied with for parts and service; but they do not have a body shop. I'd take my car back to Fred Baker for that kind of work without hesitation.

It's nice to have choices in our area.

--Brian

Thanks for the advice... I actually have an apt with fred baker already next week to check out a rattle. I had some paint work done on my audi TT there in 2003 and was also very satisfied with price and quality of work. I will have them quote me on the paint work.

To White987s - I was trying to be realistic with what I was asking for... ultimatly, even though it is CPO it is still a used car and blemishes happen. I was just upset that I was not told about them when asked. I was hoping that the dealership would go half with me on the paint work, and I fell like getting those parts, which would have cost me $400+shipping at suncoast was the approximate cost of half the necessary paint work. I also felt it would be more realistic for the dealership to send me these parts than a check. No difference to me as I would have purchased these parts for winter storage anyway in a few months. So yes, I am satisfied with the result. Now I just have to get the car fixed :)