what about all the cars that are used at the PDE in Alabama and then resold as certified by dealerships??? I'd bring up that point to the dealer/PCNA and you lawyer. Those cars are DEFINITELY abused...

 

I guess the way I am understanding it, there was an over rev logged prior to the purchase. However, it is unknown whether that took place at the track or not. Seems like there have been numerous people on here who've logged over revs and have never made it out on the track so it's more than possible to do it on the street.

What we know for sure is that the Boy tracked his car and that Porsche voids the warranty if you track it. Now if say he never tracked the car and had the same mechanical failure; and the warranty work was refused on the grounds that the warranty had been voided due to an over rev prior to the purchase; and it was represented that there was a warranty at the time of purchase... well then i would say it was a stronger case. Now that was a run on sentence if I ever saw one

Either way, Porsche should do the right thing here. It was an expensive car and the GT3 was designed as a street car that is also very capable on the track. I understand PCNA's opinion on the track abuse, but it sounds like these were DE events, not club racing. At the minimum they should crack it open to see if there was a way of determining if it was a defective part that failed prematurely or if it was abuse. Hopefully they just do the right thing and fix it for him for free. Why isolate a customer that obviously has a large bank account and would probably continue to buy porsche's over the course of his lifetime...

Ducati actually sells their track bikes with no warranty whatsoever just so they don't deal with these issues.

 

Bottom line is that if PCNA wants to void the warranty on the basis of track abuse then the onus is on them to prove that the damage in question actually occured from track use and not normal use. They can't do this based on some assumption or speculation. And since it broke in your driveway, they really don't have much to rely on. Its easy for them to say NO and hope you go away and fix it yourself. But in the end if you do not just go away, they have little proof to support their denial.

Whats next? Is PCA going to start collecting VINs at DE's and flagging them for warranty voids?? Insane...

The new Sport Chrono option includes a factory lap timer...I'd like to see them try voiding the warranty on one of those cars for having been on a track. In the same vein, I'm sure much of the marketing language for the GT would support your cause.

dw

 

I have a very similar story and we just drafted a letter to PCNA. I brought my car in because I hit a huge pothole and damaged my tires and I wanted them to look over the tranny. Every since I had the short shifter installed the car wouldn't go into first without working it, and it had been adjusted twice by porsche techs at two different dealers.

So a week later I'm in Bermuda and the Tech calls and says I need a whole new Transmission! I get into a huge arguement as a refurbished one is something like $7500. He tells me no warranty because the car shows signs of track abuse which was a complete crock of ****e since this had been a problem forever. So after days of argueing and demanding that the rep come look at the car they finally agree to have him inspect the car. They refused to let me talk to the rep under any circumstances! So I get back from Bermuda and just walk past all the service writers right into the Service bay pull the covers off all the parts and inspect them and take pictures as they are all lying on a rolling car along with my engine . I'm no mechanic but I and some random service writer figure these are all the new parts because they are perfect and look brand new. Turns out those were my parts, the ones that I was told were destroyed ALL 6 gears they said were trashed. So at this point im furious and I leave because I didn't want to say something stupid in anger and dig a deep hole for myself.

So two weeks later the rep comes and I come into the dealership to try and talk to the guy. So I see my service writer and I'm like I want to see my parts and I want to talk to the rep. My service writer says the rep is gone and to give him a second to take me back to the car. So he walkes out to the car and I see the Rep and the Tech talking as my service writer tells the rep to run and hide. He comes back and takes me to the car. Then he explains that the transmission is actually fine but a Synchro ring for first gear was burned or some bull like that. Then he tells me that Porsche will pay for half of the parts and I'll get warranty cost because he helped me out and talked to the rep blah blah blah. So then they say they have to replace all 6 gears because they are matched sets so it ends up being like $3000.

So an hour later my dad is dropping off his Sl600 at a dealer next door to Midwestern Auto Group (MAG) which is my porsche dealer. He goes to checkout they parts because I told them they looked fine and I was mad they didn't give me the used parts since I just bought new ones. Anyways so the guy can't find any part that is broken to show my dad.

To get the car back I just paid the bill and was going to deal with it later. So basically if I didn't argue for a week while I was on vacation they would have screwed me for a new transmission which is just bull****. Then on top of that I paid to have 6 new gears because one synchro ring was messed up? The other thing that was crap was them saying my first gear being messed up was the result of track abuse? Explain to me how I messed up first gear at Mid-Ohio? I don't think you ever go below 45-50mph. The only time you even use first is to Pit out and Pit in. I was driving in 3-4-5 and maybe 2 on keyhole depending on my entry speed. Funny how all the gears used on track were in like new condition but the one gear I never used is the result of track abuse.

BOYRACER: please let me know how your claim goes as I think our letter went out this week or is going out next week.

 

This really makes me mad. I love Porsche cars with a passion. But I think because of this passion that so many of us have, Porsche the car company is taking advantage of it as they think we'll be blindly supportive no matter what. First of all, Porsche built it's very existence, brand and name on it's motorsport achievements and to think that people aren't going to use these cars for track use is idiotic. To put a laptimer in a car and used for marketing to people that will use their cars at DE's etc that "is not supposed to be tracked" is outright deceiving. I'm noticing more and more of these types of threads and complaints from new car buyers who've purchased Porsches. If they wont take care of the people who are buying the new cars and the newer cars are having problems, what's going to happen to the value of these cars when they're 5-10 years old, Tiffany glass comes to my mind, put it on a shelf because you don't want to break it. What's even more disturbing than the fact that they're looking for any loophole whatsoever to avoid claims is the customer service they're providing. The reputation is definetly becoming tarnished as an automaker and with the plans to expand as much as they want to in the next 10 years, that reputation is invaluable. This is what happens when bean counters run a company. I understand every company needs to make a profit, they make a VERY handsome profit, but it should not be at the cost of the future of the company. Hopefully they make right, but even if they do, it's just a sad direction that's being displayed by our beloved Marque.

Dave W - PCA event's logging VIN #'s, I don't know how active they are about it, probably depends on how close your region is with the factory, but it's already being done. Also, tracks themselves are starting log in this information and provide it to automakers, think about that the next time you sign your waiver at the track. Also, write to PCA, POC, SCCA any organization and let them know how you feel about this, afterall, if they see a serious drop in membership, they're not going to bite the hand that feeds. When it comes down to it, these are private organizations who are dependant on membership and get very little to no support from the factory. Also, write letters to the tracks because if you can't go to the track without fear of being "reported" tracks all over the country will be shutting down if they can't field enough DE's and track events.

Lastly, if you are considering the purchase of a car it is worth it to write a letter to PCNA to find out definitively what their stance is about track use and what they constitute as track use, ie. DE's? Autocross? Time Trial? or outright wheel to wheel. Also, even though they have blanket policies, just like ANY company, they reserve the right to modify those policies and if you're persistent and let them know that the purchase of a vehicle is dependant on what the outcome of their support is, you may be able to get it IN WRITING that they will accept Drivers Ed events under warranty and will not consider it track use. It really sucks that we now have to take such drastic and additional steps when purchasing a car, but if you value your money more than Porsche does, it's worth it in the long run. Unfortunately, these are also the same type of happenings that drive people away from the safe haven's of a controlled environment of a track and put them on the dangerous roads and canyons to enjoy their cars.

 

Whoa. Why would I buy a 997 GT3 now. Useless warranty to fatten up Ferdinand Jr.? No thanks.

 

Does this make anyone else think more about a Z06 since their warranty specifically mentions that tracking will NOT void the warranty? Also, do you think this will force PCNA to begin covering tracked cars? Just a couple of thoughts...

 

I wouldn't expect them to club racing events. I don't think anyone will argue that those events really abuse the cars. But they should cover DE's. There are people out there that hammer their cars just as hard on the street with regards to the engine and tranny.

What's next? voiding warranties for autocross....

 

Here's what Porsche says is excluded from extended warranty converage (I couldn't find a new car warranty online, but it's probably safe to assume it's not more liberal than the following): http://www.porsche.com/usa/pre-owned...oved/warranty/
"The warranty does not cover... abuse, accident, acts of nature, competition, racing, or track use or events beyond the manufactures control."
So that's the warranty you buy when you buy a Porsche. Failures from competition or "track use" (a pretty broad term) are not covered by PCNA.
In Boyracer's case, the dealer (not PCNA) made representations about a warranty being applicable to the used car he bought...so the dealer owes Boy the benefits of warranty coverage.

 

This is very disappointing reading. I wish the OP success in having this issue addressed.

I enjoy DE's and auto-x regularly. I've been thinking about a 997S or Cayman S. This is causing me to reconsider.

Mitsubishi has been accused of scanning SCCA results and voiding warranties. They are a car company in trouble. Wrong as it may be - I can kind of see the rationale as they are desperate.

Porsche is the most profitable automaker on the planet and sells cars in part because of their performance history. Boo.

 

Mo,
I hope you have posted this on every forum out there. BS.

 

Mo, be really carefull about spending money on lawyers, your position is not strong. P is really screwing a lot of customers. I got tagged for $40k! Still makes me furious!

 

+1. Porsche is really trying to screw a lot of customers. They tried this crap wth me also, btw my car went nowhere near a race track. Fortunately after a lot of aggravation I got a new engine under warranty. No lawyer involved. Porsche would have probably prevailed if it went to court, it's all about what's in the fine print. It was a battle, one that I choose not to fight again. I will not buy another P vehicle because of it.

 

Color, I am curious why you think Boy's position isn't strong. It looks to me like his legal position *is* strong against the dealer. If you're talking about his legal position against PCNA, I don't know if his position is strong or not, since it would be a matter of fact whether the failures were caused by tracking. If you're talking about who is more willing to put up with the aggravation of a legal challenge, I'm sure you are correct, since PCNA has a budget for lawyers to defend their denial of warranty claims and none of us have a budget for bringing PCNA to court. On the other hand, Panerai was apparently successful....If it were me, I would be going after the dealer.

 

Hate to say it but porsche is off the list. Thinking Z06 or maybe a Noble.