Porsche not covering suspension failure

I have the champion springs made by H&R and just recently had a shock body failure that caused a cv joint failure and a destroyed tire. Porsche claims it was the springs either because of the lowering or faulty install. I don't believe it was either. first many people have been running these springs for a longer time than I have and second the install was 10 months ago with absolutely no issues and things have been repeatedly checked since then. Just thought people should know my situation.

Thanks for the heads up. Any chance of you letting us know what the dealer quoted you to repair the damages? Good luck with trying to work something out with Porsche, I have heard horror stories of their warranty issues from others, with a few variations in between.

The preliminary quote is for just under $1800. I'm still following up with the dealer I bought the springs and car from, Champion and the servicing dealer. Naturally they're all saying something different. I'll reserve judgement until it is all sorted.

I hope you get coverage from Champion. If not... then it might be time to look into coilovers.

Honestly, depending on the outcome, I'll probably sell the car. I'm a little disillusioned by the brand and the product at this point. This kind of failure is not what you would expect from a Porsche. I have babied this car in comparison to my last couple of sports cars and have never had an issue like this. This could have been catastrophic if it happened at speed.

Sounds completely reasonable to me on Porsche's part. You modified the car. The rear axle needs to come out to replace the rear strut. That's always the risk with modifying the car. By law it is up to Porsche to prove that a modification caused the failure in a warranty situation. But, they kind of hold all of the cards and it would be a tough fight.

Agreed. I'm a big boy and understood the risks of installing the springs. I just don't feel they have come any where near proving the springs had anything to do with the failure. As you said it's a tough battle and in the end considering the relatively small dollar amount probably not worth my time. It will probably proclude me from purchasing another porsche in the future though.

I spoke to my Official Porsche centre today to ask about them fitting the springs and they have tld me they will do it but the Warrenty on the 'whole' car is void. There is nothing i can do about it. I have been advised by a Porsche contact in Germany that Porsche itself is taking out a Suspension drop upgrade similer too what they offer 911 owners in the next 5months. I am unsure if i am prepared too risk lowering the car as if anything happened, its game over on the wallet J

I would suggest calling 1-800-PORSCHE and opening up a case file and lodging a warranty complaint.

Thanks for the suggestion Ken. I will be doing that if I can't get it solved at the retail level.

I would advise doing that now so you can get the ball rolling from the corporate end of things, it never hurts you to do that and will certainly get you noticed and on people's action item list to investigate.

As you suggested. They opened a case file and said they will investigate and get back to me within 48 hours.

It seems to me it's Champion's problem, not yours. If Porsche's position is correct, Champion, as the seller and installer of the "offending" mod, is responsible for the damages caused by its faulty parts or improper installation. Champion should rectify its fault by repairing your car at no cost to you. If Porsche's position is incorrect, its new car warranty should apply and Champion should repair your car under the Porsche warranty. In either case, Champion should repair your car and work it out with PCNA whether or not it gets reimbursed. Certainly Champion has way more clout with PCNA than you. BTW, I too find PCNA's position implausible.

Well the springs and car actually came from the collection, the springs are made by champion (actually h&r but badged champion). I recently moved to TX so I can't take the car back to either of those dealers unfortunately. We'll have to see what pcna says and what champion says after the TX dealer sends the pictures and tech's explanation. I don't think there is anyway to conclusively prove that the springs caused the failure but what it would cost me to fight them in time and money is probably not worth it and as I told the dealers and pcna this will be my last porsche if this is the case.

I agree with you on this, I was also expecting a lot of moola from a car that costs over $65K, but at times when I drive the car, it just seems I may be driving an overpriced VW when I compare it to other cars. Maybe a possible Softronic plenum would change my mind, but I would hate to be in the same warranty mess as you are in now. I will admit, that one reason I got the car was the "Porsche" name and the quality I had expected from it, but that enthusiasm has worn off. I am sure many on this forum will disagree with me, but better quality and service should be had from Porsche in your case, even before any mods on my car. My Chrysler Crossfire was considered a lemon, and I got nothing but care from Chrysler through the whole process, and this is from an American company that tends to get a bad rap from the public in terms of service.

I guess I don't understand the comment that this would be your last Porsche. You modified it to be something they didn't build. Surely you understood the risks of modification before leaping. Or as it sounds modification gone wrong. It happens frequently and to lots of different brands of cars. I'm missing why there is an expectation for them to correct someone else's problem. Champion is an independent business entity that seems to be the problem in your telling of the facts. Usually you would have to sign some sort of agreement to have the work done. Can you produce that? It should spell out the responsibilities of all parties and would be the starting point of settling any dispute.

Santa Fe, maybe I wasn't clear. There is absolutely no proof so far that the springs had anything to do with the failure. The springs did not fail, the pickup point on the shock body is what I was told failed. As I said before though I am reserving judgement until I get all of the info and each party has had their final say.

Aha, a bit of advice then, if you want Porsche to help then be careful of posting they are in the wrong or that this is your last Porsche. You may even be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement if they feel they are bending the rules to help so tread carefully.

Agreed and good advice. I was just nudging them a little with the thought of lost future business over such a small claim. If they can't prove it was the springs they should cover it. If they don't do the right thing under those circumstances it would be hard for me to justify another purchase and consequently I feel it is in the best interest of the cc community to know what's going on. If they can prove it was the springs I'm happy to take responsibility, I also shared that with the stakeholders.

I have an 08 cayman coming in a week or two. I have bought Gemballa springs and front and rear spacers (H&R) on advice from Porsche. They will both be fitted before i take delivery of the car. The service dept told me that they turn a blind eye to minor mods like that. Of course your experience with the damage is not common, at least Porsche is made responsible for installing them. Not sure if porsche is installs minor aftermarket parts anywhere else? Who be great to know...

W/ S2000's, it's well known that lowering springs great diminish the useful life of OEM shocks, as they're not engineered to ride in the revised part of the stroke. Based on what I know, Porsche has a reasonable basis to deny warranty for your shock failure. If you want to lower your car, def. spring for coilovers!

Everyone, please, please read the post before answering. If the shock started leaking, and basically wore out prematurely, it could be argued that this failure was caused by the springs. But his shock fell apart, literally the support broke off, causing further wheel, tire suspension damage. This is something that really should not be caused by stiffer and lower springs. I am 99% sure that Porsche will fix this on their dime, as our warranty laws in US seem to be on our side. Keep us posted.

Based on what experience? If you can find one case won in court based upon the MM Act where the part was an aftermarket performance part, please post. I've been trying to find a single case based on "performance" parts. There are some successful MM cases won but I don't remember them to be based on aftermarket performance parts.

It is a difficult one. As the OP suggests there are lots of similar modified cars without this problem but guess what there are significantly more cars that are un-modified where the part did not fail. The best approach is to ask Porsche and Champion to help and not to threaten with a premature accusing posting (as the title of this thread) on a popular web site. Let’s hope for the best when all the smoke clears. And again having the signed documentation authorizing the work will spell out what the various responsibilities are..

Ha-Ha, I get it!

A question: does your car have PASM? If so, do you know if the springs were linear or progressive springs? I've read in several places that using progressive springs with the PASM shocks will greatly reduce the life of the shocks, and that if you're going to change the springs with a PASM suspension, they definitely need to be linear springs. brad

Bambino Don mentioned in his earlier thread that the warranty for the WHOLE car would be void if you just changed the springs. Is is even likely and/or possible for them to do this? Or is this just an exaggeration?

I do not have pasm. As per champion these are the same springs porsche offers in other parts of the world from the factory btw.

In the US, this is an exaggeration - might be different in the UK - they take warranty work on a "claims" basis - if they deny a claim for a problem with your suspension for instance, they cannot deny a claim or void the warranty on your motor or other parts of the car, if something should go wrong with it, and it's shown to be a manufacturing or other covered problem. brad

One car that makes mine feel like an overpriced VW? Just drive any 2-door VW and the similarities are too many to name. Cayman members always had the issue of the track as bragging rights, but so many cars that cost as much as a CS can burn it at the track now. I know the GT-R is not a comparison, but MSRP to MSRP, that thing will confuse any CS owner, not taking into consideration the amount over MSRP dealers are asking. But take note, that extra amount goes to the dealers, not Nissan. The Z06 is another car that comes to mind, it handles just as well as a CS. One thing that I love about the CS is the steering feel, but the new Vettes with improved steering feel sure do come a close second.

Hmmmm..... My daily driver is a VW Passat that I've been driving for the last 8 years. I notice similarities in regard to the 'German' connection. But drive it and all of the simiarities end. My Passat feels like a POS when I get back into it. I guess it must be those back 2 doors.

Do you play poker? Why go "all in" on your first hand?

In absence of a photo, I will assume from the description that the failed part is the "ear" or tab (for lack of a better description) that protrudes from the strut body and locates the strut in the wheel carrier. This part only locates the shock body in rotation and vertical position in the wheel carrier and is likely not load bearing. The bolt (which also attaches the top of the drop link) passes through the wheel carrier and the hole in locating tab and provides clamping force between the wheel carrier and the strut body when tightened. This clamping force is what holds the strut to the wheel carrier. Given this, if the bolt was tightened to the proper torque then it is not likely that the strut body could move at all and I expect that movement would be required for the tab to fail. Also, even if the tab failed it is not likely that the strut body would shift in the wheel carrier, causing all the related failures, unless the bolt was not properly torqued. Granted that my above assertions are made without inspecting the parts, but my bet is on improper re-installation of the struts following installation of the springs. Specifically, it is most likely that the bolt in the wheel carrier was not properly torqued thus allowing movement of the strut body and subsequent failure of the welds between the tab and the strut. So, if I am right, then your issue is with neither Porsche nor Champion, but with the mechanic that did the installation and likely failed to properly torque the clamp bolt. Certainly not all, but many, mechanics seem to ignore the factory torque specs in favor of the German standard “Guten Tite” and it US analog “F---ing Tight”. While this may be fine for some parts, certainly critical suspension attachments, and crank bolts ;-), warrant the use of the proper spec. Cheers,

FWIW, I was just told it wasn't the installation that caused the failure but the springs themselves. The shop foreman has taken over and is preparing a narrative to explain his findings. I still don't know how they can definitely blame the springs, but we'll see.

This maybe a stupid question, but doesn't the PD-1 come with lowering springs? I heard they might be H&R's.

Agreed and is plausible Did he install the springs? I think something is fishy here, how is it that they can say its the spring that caused the part to break? Is it because the spring rate is too stiff for the shock body? What where you doing when the part failed? Please explain what happened just before the part failed as well as road conditions