Think again. This is how they treated a customer that had this unfortunate experience ... Here's a summary of the facts:
- Porsche 911 2003 model purchased in Australia with only 70,000 kms on odometer - no warranty
- Added 15,000 kms during which time a few repairs required, from replacing the water pump to other smaller issues (eg engine mounts, remote keys, etc). Spent about $5,500 - acceptable and understandable
- Then on 85,000 Kms, engine fails. Intermediate Shaft (IMS) bearing failure causes catastrophic engine failure. Required either a new engine $44K or an engine rebuild - $20K. This is a known issue. Porsche North America class action settlement agreed to cover all the costs for owners of vehicles (2001 - 2005 models) with this issue.
This resulted in a letter being sent to the Porsche CEO in Germany. The CEO was too busy to deal with customers so he passed it on to his Customer Commitment Team who was also too busy so they passed it on to a Customer Relations Manager in Australia.
He said he would investigate and asked for the vehicle identification number. But then he too got busy and six weeks passed by. The customer followed up and finally got a response but wasn't sure if it was meant for him, because it was addressed to someone else - they spelt the customer's name wrong. Here it is ...
He said he would investigate and asked for the vehicle identification number. But then he too got busy and six weeks passed by. The customer followed up and finally got a response but wasn't sure if it was meant for him, because it was addressed to someone else - they spelt the customer's name wrong. Here it is ...
Given all of this, would you buy a Porsche?
Please tell us via the Comments below - we would like to hear what you think?
Definitely not. This story has taken the shine off Porsche for me.
ReplyDeletePorsche Australia representative has completely missed the point. The issue is not vehicle age but the defective design of the intermediate shaft bearing. To add insult to injury Porsche are now discriminating between Australian & North American vehicle owners by refusing to acknowledge the US settlement. Given the experience of Volkswagen I am surprised that this is the Porsche position. Effectively what Benjamin is saying is that Porsche engineering is only good for the warranty period. Amazing. There goes the value of second hand Porsches. To be fair to Porsche I think you should give Benjamin another opportunity to consider the implications of what he has written.
ReplyDeleteDear David - you are absolutely right. We decided to take your advice and give Ben the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately it appears that Porsche Australia have their own IMS Failure - it's a failure due to 'Incompetent Management Staff'... Have a look at their response - it's on the links at the top right of this page...
DeleteHaving read the very unhelpful response from Porsche, my advice is Take this Porsche to Darling Harbour on New Year Eve and set it alight to add a glow to the fireworks on Harbour Bridge with a banner behind it saying "BEST USE FOR YOUR PORSCHE" I am sure Porsche Manager, CRM & Customer Relations, would appreciate this action that will bring much publicity to their Porsches.
ReplyDelete