Worst Nightmare - CEL for Memorial Day
#17
Warranties on high-line cars are a must IMO.
#18
that's a sweet looking ride. I'd take a C2S cab that breaks down twice per year over a trouble-free Cayman anyday, which is not to say that your car will be any less reliable than a new Cayman. new cars often have problems too.
#19
Dealer has the car and will look at it this afternoon. The service manager's initial guess after driving it into the bay is cracked ignition coils or fouled plugs, so right on the money with you guys.
#20
I agree, it looks fantastic on the tow truck. Hope she's better soon.
#21
Best of luck with the car - doesn't sound like a show stopper. I had the ignition coils replaced with the 40k service on my 2005 997S a few months ago. Apparently, they were cracking and showing heavy wear. It was about $500 if I remember correctly. If you're under CPO warranty, hopefully you don't have to worry about it.
#22
OK, got the car back. They stated that the fault that had registered was a "Non-Event" fault, meaning there wasn't anything notable wrong. He attributed the rough running and the CEL coming on to "bad gas" and that I should drive the car to clear it. He blames a misfire caused by the bad gas to cause the CEL coming on. The ignition coils and plugs all look fine to him.
I fill the car up at the same spot every time (BP station down the street, 93 octane) so I'm unhappy with the answer since it's so inconclusive, but then again I'll defer to their knowledge. To me "bad gas" is a lazy answer; my lack of experience stops me from raising that point with them.
The car is still running irregularly. It hesitates slightly as you're driving and seems down on power. I'm going to drive it here for the next few days and hopefully it will resolve itself. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.
I fill the car up at the same spot every time (BP station down the street, 93 octane) so I'm unhappy with the answer since it's so inconclusive, but then again I'll defer to their knowledge. To me "bad gas" is a lazy answer; my lack of experience stops me from raising that point with them.
The car is still running irregularly. It hesitates slightly as you're driving and seems down on power. I'm going to drive it here for the next few days and hopefully it will resolve itself. Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.
#23
Find another dealer. They can test the gas if they think that was really it. If it is bad gas (what makes it bad) would you want it in the car anyway? Wouldn't they want to eliminate the bad gas so it didn't foul other things up? For a service manager to not get to the bottom of it is pretty weak IMO.
#24
Get a second opinion . If you get the same answer try a third . hopefully it will be fixed .. if not after three strikes you know what's next .... new car. You buy these cars to have fun with them .. not live in the shop .
It's too bad you are not in my region but if you were I would give you a referral to the dealership service guys whom I think have the talent to fix it. Ohio is a bit far but before you give up totally I'd glad to refer you in my area but they'd have to see the car.
I am not a mechanic but when I hear of CEL lights and hesitation it sounds like water damage but I may be wrong. I'm just guessing.
It's too bad you are not in my region but if you were I would give you a referral to the dealership service guys whom I think have the talent to fix it. Ohio is a bit far but before you give up totally I'd glad to refer you in my area but they'd have to see the car.
I am not a mechanic but when I hear of CEL lights and hesitation it sounds like water damage but I may be wrong. I'm just guessing.
#25
Totally unacceptable answer – if the gas is “bad” (perhaps water contaminated), the tank should be drained and refilled – this will either fix the problem or eliminate gas as the problem. “Drive it until it gets better” is not the correct answer for a fine car.
#26
Did the dealership at least agree with you that the car was running rough (and should not be doing that)? I hope you at least got an invoice/receipt even if there was no charge so it's documented.
I wouldn't jump to selling the car just yet - there are plenty of options with other dealerships or escalating up the Porsche Cars North America chain. They have regional reps that work with special problems such as this and can pull in the right people to drive customer satisfaction.
I wouldn't jump to selling the car just yet - there are plenty of options with other dealerships or escalating up the Porsche Cars North America chain. They have regional reps that work with special problems such as this and can pull in the right people to drive customer satisfaction.
#27
@JTaylorGT - I didn't get a receipt but I'll contact that dealer to get one.
Update: I drove the car to work today and it was still hesitating while driving it. I topped it off with Shell gas (what the dealer recommended). I went to lunch, no major problem (still hesitating). I drove home, stopped at a restaurant to get dinner. I come out, start the car, CEL running REAL rough again. Fortunately I wasn't far so I nursed it home (no choice, I would have had it towed to the selling dealer but my wife was PISSED, she wanted me home). Ran rough idle all the way home.
Of course the dealership is closed. I sent the service manager and my salesman an email telling them to come pick up the car and drop me off a loaner. I don't want it back until whatever the problem is is resolved.
What sucks is I'm out of town on business for two weeks come Saturday. I want this resolved so I can have a stress-free trip.
Update: I drove the car to work today and it was still hesitating while driving it. I topped it off with Shell gas (what the dealer recommended). I went to lunch, no major problem (still hesitating). I drove home, stopped at a restaurant to get dinner. I come out, start the car, CEL running REAL rough again. Fortunately I wasn't far so I nursed it home (no choice, I would have had it towed to the selling dealer but my wife was PISSED, she wanted me home). Ran rough idle all the way home.
Of course the dealership is closed. I sent the service manager and my salesman an email telling them to come pick up the car and drop me off a loaner. I don't want it back until whatever the problem is is resolved.
What sucks is I'm out of town on business for two weeks come Saturday. I want this resolved so I can have a stress-free trip.
#28
Update: The dealer found that one of the ignition coils was faulty, causing a misfire and the CEL I was getting. He's replacing all six coils and says I should have my vehicle back tonight.
What a ride. Thanks again all for the moral support.
What a ride. Thanks again all for the moral support.
#29
Sounds like the people on this forum know more about these cars than the guys at the dealership!
Glad they're taking action - sounds like you're on the way to happy motoring again!
Glad they're taking action - sounds like you're on the way to happy motoring again!
#30
Excellent news for you - drop that top and enjoy the great car you have.