I need to confirm if in fact it is legal for the local dealer to refuse to service any car that was not sold by them. Please note I am not in USA, but in Panama (Central America). I just want to be 100% sure if what they state (refusal to service) is supported by Porsche or they (it is just one dealer for the country) are being bullies. Thanks.

 

is any warrenty involved????

 

A business always has the right to refuse so I don't think it's a legal question - you can't force a dealer to service your car.

 

No, the local dealer offers warranties on the cars they sell, and even after the 1 year factory warranty expires, they are happy to sell you a very expensive extended coverage.

This is an instance where due to the limited availability of specific models, one has the opportunity to go to USA and buy a car there, import it here, but then the dealer refuses to service that car since they did not sell it. Say (not my case!) that you wanted a GT3 RS, none in the country ever sold (though they have sold a couple of GT3s, GT2s, GT2RS) you go to Miami, bring one in, then you are faced with a dealer that will not allow your car into their shop. In today's world, the need for a diagnostic tool from the dealer is a must for many adjustments on the car, thus fully relying on the dealer for any work that involves this tool. Other services can be easily performed by the ex head mechanic from the dealer who left the job due to the way he was being treated there. Owner of the dealer has his reputation.... Even his kids quit working with him....

 

jhbrennan: I know some business reserve the right to service you (restaurants, law firms, etc.), but I was wondering if that is the case too for auto manufacturers, namely Porsche. At the end of the day, it is the image of the company (Porsche) that is being affected due to the behavior of it's distribution network (dealers).

I know that the local dealer is highly favored by Porsche in the region due to their sales volume, I am not ignorant in that matter, I just wanted to know for sure if this practice, or lack thereof, is a choice the dealer has made and is supported by Porsche, or if Porsche is unaware of this and would in fact tell them to service cars not sold by the dealer. What I need is a contact at Porsche that could confirm this for me. Guess I should just pick up the phone, call Germany and start being given the run around. Was just looking for a more efficient way of doing this...

 

I d stay away from this dealer anyway if your description of them is correct.
BUT,, if a car is factory warrentied (which is a contract) I m not sure how a dealer of that company could re fuse to do warrenty work. That being said, I m not sure I d want them working on it. Porsche msut have a customer service number to call worldwide.

 

Phone:
770-290-3500 Found this online but didn t verify if it is any good.

 

cerbomark: "welcome to the advantages" (insert MAJOR sarcasm...) of living in a country with limited abundance. We are lucky to have a Porsche dealer, and one of the top selling ones in Latin America, but alas, their service and business practices leaves a lot to be desired by many, the main reason for their success is largely due to the product (Porsche vehicles), not its representative. Same is the case of the local Audi dealer...

I recently took my Cayenne Turbo (sold by the dealer, I am second owner, had extended warranty when I bought it) for a transmission problem, and to this day, I am sure they performed the wrong diagnostic and I had to pay for the bill. When I got my truck back, it had a "new problem", one which they were happy to quote me over $800 to repair, and when I refused to accept this repair and told the service manager that more than likely this "new problem" could be fixed by doing XYZ, he took the truck back and fixed it by doing exactly what I told him. It was not a "new problem", it was merely a mistake done by their mechanics in putting the truck back together. I know, quite incompetent, but at the end of the day, there is no other choice. Makes you wonder why I would even consider getting another Porsche, right? Like I said, it is the product, not the dealer.

Thanks for the phone, will give it a try!

 

UPDATE: the phone number that cerbomark listed is for PCNA, but they (PCNA) were kind enough to provide me with a phone number for PCLA (Porsche Cars Latin America). For future reference, it is: (786) 206 7244. I am waiting for a call back from them regarding my case.

 

Good luck and I agree with your assesment that those of us in certain countries have no idea of what it s like in other places in the world.

 

PCLA's sales manager for the region just called and even though there is a worldwide policy that Porsche dealers must service Porsche cars, regardless if it was sold by them or not, there are some restrictions on that policy. He is going to talk to the after sales director for the region and get back to me, but in first instance, it looks like the local dealer is not being accurate in his stand of not servicing cars that were not sold by them...

Apparently a lot of this has to do with the fact that some people "under invoice" cars bought outside of the country (USA pretty much...) thus pay a lesser amount in taxes. Not the case in my situation as I would not participate in such activity.

I do want to have my options when purchasing a vehicle. Due to the fact that the local dealer places a HUGE markup on new cars, he tends to give a bit more on resale, but only if you are getting a new vehicle from them again. Those sellers that are leaving the brand sell their vehicles for a lot less than what the used cars at the dealer go for (the difference is the markup the local dealer places on the used cars, again, quite substantial). A used car from USA brought into Panama would also be a lot less than a used car at the local dealer, even after paying 100% of the corresponding taxes.

I must admit that the response from Porsche Cars Latin America has been prompt and well attended too. I need to make sure to thank them for a job well done.

 

BOTTOM LINE: I am screwed.... As per PCLA's after sales director, if a vehicle is out of warranty, the local dealer reserves the right to accept or deny a foreign-purchased vehicle into its installations. The only way a foreign-purchased vehicle must be allowed into the dealer is if the vehicle is still under factory warranty and there is proof that the car has in fact paid all of its import duties. Legal importation (proper declaration of purchase price plus taxes paid) is the absolute requirement. If the car is under warranty, then it can/must be serviced, otherwise, it is to the discretion of the dealer.

So much for the brand support from factory!

 

wow, seems like it s just not the car you d want in that area unless you don t care about the money. Not worth it IMO.

 

If this is for your Cayenne, you should find either a VW dealer, or a VW independent that works on Touareg's. They are almost the same vehicle, and you can use VW parts in a number of instances.

 

Nope, it is not about my Cayenne. That one they service with no problem, as my ex 996 C2, as both were sold new at the dealer. This is in case I would have purchased a vehicle, regardless of model, that was not originally sold by the local dealer and it is out of warranty. I was not asking for warranty work, I was asking for regular maintenance.

The local VW/Audi dealer is considered in the country to have the worst customer service (by far!) than any other brands. I still cannot wrap my head around how things work down here whereby you are essentially getting screwed from both sides constantly and one is just to sit there and pretend to enjoy it.

I am OK as I have not purchased the vehicle in question. It just caught me by surprise yesterday when I happened to casually mention it to the salesman at the dealer about a car I was considering. Lesson learned: bend over and let them take you for a ride (Porsche and its dealers included).