CDN Porsche Dealer not servicing US Imports?

I purchased my CPO '03 C4S from a U.S. Porsche dealer last Summer primarily because the selection for C4S' in the US was much better than in Canada. My car has 12K miles and is due for its annual service. I've previously had no issues getting service appts for warranty issues at my local Canadian dealer, which is the only one in Vancouver. The service department has been professional and has provided excellent service in the past. Apparently since the CDN $ is no longer funny money, there have been an influx of US imports. Recently, I tried to book my annual service appointment scheduled one month ahead (with a one week window.) I was told that they were not booking any US cars in order to give priority to CDN Porsches so I would be "wait-listed." No indication given as to when I could actually get my car in. Huh? I tried to explain that they needed to give priority to silver 911s rather than Boxsters and Cayennes with Volkswagen engines, but they didn't bite. I called 1-800-Porsche, which basically said that dealers had the right to refuse service and there wasn't much they could do. I pointed out that I needed to have my car serviced in order to abide by the warranty requirements. They will try to contact the dealer, so we'll see what happens. Any other ideas?

Yea thats not right , but it sounds like something PCNA would do. I did in fact just get a new warranty package in the mail yesterday, I haven't had a chance to look at it but i have heard that warranty is changing, and i do feel bad for you guys with US cars in Canada. So much for a Porsche customer being a Porsche Customer, no its all about where your car came from and what country you call home.It may be a VW engine, but its getting serviced faster then you

That's pretty funny. If they have THAT many cars to service, you would think they would expand thier operation rather than turn you away. I am a heavy truck dealer (Volvo and Mack) and believe me, there is much more margin in parts and service than there is in sales. As far as we're concerned, the best reason to sell something, is so we can service it. My opinion of your dealer is that he is as dumb as they come. He should do anything he can to enhance your experience with his brand. Dealerships are not cheap to open or run, why anyone would do anything to annoy you with a car like that, is beyond me. Go buy an M3.

Also, I forgot to mention in my first post - I needed an oil change about 2 weeks ago, and my Mechanic couldn't get me in (it was a short notice - in the neighborhood sort of thing). I called Pfaff Porsche- one of the Porsche dealers in Toronto, and they could not have been more accomodating. They squeezed me in - I was in the shop about 45 minutes after calling them! My car is a Florida car. They never said anything about it. Why would they care? I paid my bill just like a guy with a Canadian car would have. Good job, Pfaff.

MCL did that? Wow, they did the PPI on my US car prior to me buying it and shipping it home with very short notice; my money was the same to them. I called PCNA specifically about worries of tactics like that and they told me that all NA dealers were obligated to provide warranty service to US and Canadian cars. Raise a little s#*t and escalate things to the service manager then onto to the general manager and finally the dealer principal. If you don't get anywhere that way, contact an automotive journalist; I'm sure they'd like to take a swipe at stupid dealer practices.

That sucks....I was eyeing a 996 TT S in the US. What about going down in the US for service..is there a dealer in Seattle ? I guess PCNA doesn't believe in free-markets.

Oh, I didn't get the feeling that they were full at all. I was trying to book the appt one month in advance and I told them I could come in any day and any time during that 5 day work week. It seems like if they don't fill their appt book with CDN cars they will then start filling in the empty spots with US cars on the "wait list." (i.e. it's like flying standby, there are empty seats but they're waiting to fill them with higher priority customers). Unfotunately, because of my travel schedule, that is the only time I'm available to service the car. It's nothing personal against me, my friend who has a couple of US imported Porsches is running into the same problem at this dealer when I spoke to him.

I had no problems previously. Yes, they have to provide warranty service, IF you actually manage to get a service appointment.

With the exchange rate being where it is now you can save quite a few dollars buying a U.S. car - new and used (about $20,000 on a 996TT). Apparently there has been a real jump in this practice not only for p-cars. DesRosiers (well-known Cdn auto journalist/consultant) has just released a report on this so it's all over the news - check the business section of today's (June 22) Globe & Mail (Canada's business paper) for example. Looks like the manufacturers are closing ranks. Apparently GM won't honour warranties on new cars for 6 months or 12,000 kms. Looks like there is a class action suit being heard in Maine. p.s. Cdn references for our American friends and fellow p-car lovers.

No dealer is booked over a month ahead. Just take it to an independent if you are due for maintenance. Or do it yourself. They clearly want to discourage US imports.

I wonder how long it will be before the California dealers won't work on cars shipped from the midwest? Oh no, next I'll have to buy oranges grown in Ohio

Guys - consider the whole picture. Canadian Dealers are being killed by US imports. It isn't their fault, PCNA set the prices and as we have all seen, it is way cheaper to buy a car in the US. Many of the cars coming in are brand new. Sales at Canadian dealers have slowed a lot. US dealers are happy to ship new cars North. Porsche has announced that as of July 1st Canadian dealers will not honor warranty claims on US cars registered in Canada. US visitors with US registered cars still get coverage. This is not the ideal situation - changing prices to reflect the C$ would be the right thing to do, although it would kill resale value of existing Canadian cars. Essentially, folks who saved a bunch of money (35K recently on a turbo cab) will now face the prospect of taking the car back to a US dealer to get warranty service. Can you really blame Canadian dealers who have seen their business drop significantly? Yes parts and service are a high margin part of the business, but car sales pay the freight for the dealership, making parts and service gravy. With a steep drop in new car sales the dealerships are hurting ..and remember they don't make the extra money on the exchange, wholesale prices are way higher in Canada than the US. Regards,

^^I doubt they can change the warranty contract after the fact for people with existing US cars in Canada. For new Porsches, sure.

Just booked my car into Pfaff for scheduled service with absolutely no problem whatsoever for the date and time I wanted. I simply emailed them my request and they got back to me within 30 mins. I would expect them to behave in the most courteous and accomodating way as they are a Premier Porsche dealer and realize that the Porsche community is like a family where people will share and discuss their bad experiences through PCA meets and forums like this.

Jury - I agree. I can't imagine changing the warranty policy retroactively but I'm sure it will apply to new cars. Oddly enough the problem is a reversal of what was the reverse some years ago. US dealers observe that this is payback for the years when Candaian dealers were exporting to the US because of more favorable pricing in Canada.

A number of us have called PCNA and there have been no announcements about this at all. Sounds like a bunch of disgruntled Canadian dealers attempting to stir the pot so PCNA will take action. I feel for their situation, but to take it out on Canadian customers who take advantage of the free market it just bad business. Personally, I don't mind driving an hour to visit a US dealer if this is how they are going to treat us!

Not a bad idea! Go for some wings and beer, let the spouse go shopping with our mighty loonie in Buffalo and get good service from a US dealer who wants your business. Hmmm...no downside for p-car owners, just for arrogant CDN dealers.

A drive to the dealer in Bellingham???

I really doubt PCNA will execute a policy that punishes Porsche owners (those who buy U.S. cars and live in Canada). If they do they are nuts. What they should really do is execute policy that punishes U.S. dealers who sell cars to Canadians - this is a long-standing practice in the car business. Five years ago Canadian dealers were dumping cars in the U.S. The thing is that these Canadian dealers were not out there hunting for U.S. buyers to sell their cars to cheap - they were simply selling directly to U.S. same-brand dealers. It was easy volume (albeit small profit) for the Canadian dealer, and the U.S. dealer was actually able to buy these Canadian cars at a wholesale price that was lower than what was charged by the distributor in the U.S. See how that works? I suspect that high-volume U.S. Porsche dealers will start selling 996s and Boxsters directly to Canadian dealers at a price that is lower than PCNA is charging those Canadian dealers. These situations can work themselves out, but they usually start because a disorganized, inattentive, money-grubbing distributor (sound like PCNA?) lost control of what they were supposed to be managing.

Well this quote is what would upset me especially if where you live there is only on dealership. People get transfered, move, change jobs, etc and take their cars with them. The responsibility would fall on PCNA to find you a replacement 'authorized service center' (and transport the car back and forth on a flatbed) if you could not get your car serviced localy. I think the onus falls on PCNA to settle your issue, and they have to oblige with getting your car serviced in whatever manner they can. I can just see the newspaper headings "Porsche sells cars but refuses to service them", major bad press for a marque name, and all the pride Porsche is getting in beating Lexus this year for #1 in JD Powers consumer satisfaction will go down the drain. Heck I would use that as a threat if PCNA refused to help. As a side note, the best trick would be to say that the check engine light came on or something like that, and then when you take the car in tell them that they also need to do the annual service or whatever at the same time.

That brings up an interesting question - what would this Vancouver Dealer do with your car if you required warranty work? Refuse to do it? Dealers like doing warranty work because the distributor pays for it and the customer gets the work for free and is happy. Would PCNA refuse to pay for the work on a U.S. car done by a Cdn. Dealer? I doubt it. Your best strategy is mentioned above - call one of the writers from the automotive section of your local newspaper and tell them about this. Or write in to the "letters" section of that newspaper. Make sure you mention the Dealer's name and "Porsche" as many times as you can in that letter. Is it the Vancouver Sun or Province you'd be dealing with? Both have a weekly automotive section. Do it!

^^My buddy who is in the car business says that he has lined up a reporter that would be very interested in interviewing me. I just want my car serviced, not looking for a fight. As a sidenote PCNA just missed their deadline for getting back to me. I guess I'm going to have to call them tonight.

Rock 'n roll dude! If you have a reporter who will help you stick it to PCNA you have my vote for president of the makin' the world right club. Give 'er!

Excellent! Make sure that the reporter is well versed in the Porsche Credo about how a Porsche customer is always a Porsche customer anywhere. I'd also point out that while price is certainly a factor in shopping in the US, many of us will look there because of the poor selection of vehicles here. Having said that, mine is a US car that I bought privately here in Canada. I certainly looked everywhere for the right car and I can say with certainty that NOTHING I saw at the dealers was as immaculate or had the meticulous history/records of this car (previous owners are PCA members and Rennlisters too). I gave both Pfaff and Downtown 7 months to try to find me a car and they couldn't do it. Even when I specifically said I wanted a 6 spd C4S coupe, they'd still try to show me Targas, tips, C2's and Cabs, heck the sales rep at Downtown never even followed up at all with me after the first month! If I'm going to drop $80K+ on a car, I will shop wherever I damn well please and will try to get the best bang for my buck. If PCNA can't control their dealers, then the dealership agreement isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

Tell them you're bringing the Stanley Cup for them to take pictures with if you get your car in today... see what happens.

You bought your C4S from SCAN automotive didn't you? I live pretty close, and my car and yours are almost identical twins. We have very similar options. I've seen it cruising around my neighborhood before you had it shipped back East. Lovely car. I'm not a Canadian resident any longer, but I shopped in the US for the same reason you did, much better selection... Oh well, I'm about to call PCNA right now.

Ok just got off the phone with PCNA...I had a file started about this complaint. They have to get back to me again because it doesn't seem like anyone there followed up on it...I'm assured, however, that someone will follow up on this asap.

Yes I did. James did a great job finding this car. It's been a fantastic car; I drive it everyday. I just wish we had those great roads here like the ones in North Van where I tried the car out.

I don'y have a US car, but several people have raised the service they have received from Pfaff. I have owned many cars to date (not Pcars) and the sales and service experience from Pfaff for my 996 has been superior to all others. My wife is considering a replacement for her BMW 540it (Audi A3 sport) and Jamie Taylor at Pfaff Porsche quickly arranged an Audi A3 demo for a two day test drive from Pfaff Audi. Brad, Derek and Jimmy from service are excellent and all has been done as promised...I especially like seeing Brad (sevice manager) at most of the Pfaff track days. As in any business, careful staff selection and a customer-centric attitude is the way to go...too bad many auto dealers can't figure that out. Not connected in any way....a happy customer.

I bought U.S 2001 996 from a MI dealer this afternoon...If the car ever breakdowns unexpectedly i plan to have it towed to the Porsche dealership in Niagara Fall U.S.A... CAA provides 4 tows per year with a premium membership, Niagara Falls is well within the towing range from the GTA & crossing the border is a non issue for the tow truck. I spoke to the Pfaff service manager today (very friendly) and he told me about the " new policy" for U.S cars....LOL If Canadian dealers are suffering -maybe it's time they adjust there prices for 2006 ??? We're getting close to parity with the USD...has anyone compared U.S /CDN MRSP on 997's recently..lol It's unfortunate...but for those of us living close the the border at least we have the options of getting service right away!

Hey bud, I know the servicing is under warranty, but MCL are ridiculous. Weissach are so much better it's unbelievable. However, give Roger Jobs' Porsche Audi in Bellingham a call. Good people there, and should be no problems.

As long as the car is under warranty, I'd like to keep it serviced at an authorized Porsche dealer. Stuff like this makes a difference on whether PCNA will decide to goodwill certain major repairs after warranty expiration. I see it as a matter of principle - an authorized dealer should have an obligation to provide routine service for their product. What's next? Not servicing a vehicle that's not bought at their dealership? PCNA has a couple of tools at their disposal to punish recalcitrant agents and it is something that needs to be resolved between PCNA and the Canadian dealer network. If PCNA suggests that I need to drive to a dealer that's 150 miles away in a different country, I'll suggest they can have my car towed at their expense. MCL's excuses doesn't really fly with me. If they are upset about losing sales to customers' buying pre-owned US cars, there's nothing stopping them from importing US cars to sell either.

Good point. The CDN dealer network is probably trying to force PCNA's hand in reducing the exchange rate differential between US/CDN cars by holding some existing customers hostage...2007 pricing is coming up soon ain't it?

Update time. I spoke to the PCNA rep yesterday. The official line is that the dealer is not taking any US cars in for service because they don't have the capacity and are in the process of expanding the number of service bays, so this will not be a long-term issue. Consequently, he recommends that I take it to an independent garage for maintenance work and to keep all records. The dealer will still continue to honor all warranty work. Not an ideal solution and they should prioritize customers based on a first come first serve basis...but I'm not running the place.

US/Canadian Warranty By Andy Wright, 07/03/2006 11:20 AM This smacks of desperation and I foresee a class action law suit by Canadian owners of US delivered cars. How can they refuse warranty work on a car that has been legitimately and legally imported into Canada. What about the person who buys a Porsche while resident in the US who gets transferred to Canada. Are they seriously going to void his warranty? They must be nuts. They are just avoiding the real issue which is that Canadian Porsche owners are being ripped off by PCNA because they haven't even tried to adjust prices to track the changing Canadian/US dollar exchange rate. A new 997 Turbo has a Base List price of $122,900 in the US which at present exchange rates is about $138,000 Cdn. PCNA Canadian List Price for the same car, $170,000 Cdn. !!!!! PCNA will try to justify that $32,000 difference because Canadian cars are a different spec. Rubbish. The only significant changes are the addition of a relay into a pre-existing wired socket for the Daytime Running Lights and electronic recalibration of the speedometer to kph. They also whine about much higher costs due to the smaller number of cars sold in Canada, whereas in fact Canadian Porsche Dealers get far more cars per year than their American counterparts. This is because we have far fewer dealers and they serve much larger areas. Per dealer the "costs" are spread over a much higher volume of cars than in the USA. The real truth is that Canadian dealers sell every car that is imported into Canada so there is no incentive to change the pricing. Now that Canadian Porsche enthusiasts are taking matters into their own hands PCNA is trying to stop the practice by voiding warranties. Brilliant!! I have asked a PCNA representative how they can justify continuing this pricing practice (and this was when we had a 85c Dollar), while admitting there was an issue he said that they couldn't just suddenly change prices because owners who had purchased a car within the last couple of years would be upset at the change and the affect on their vehicles resale value. BMW faced a similar problem in the early 1990's (albeit at a lesser exchange difference) and their solution was to sent recent purchasers a certificate that was worth a significant cash value against the purchase of a new vehicle or servicing or accessories. The value differed according to the value of the person's initial purchase but we are talking about $2000 to $4000 being typical. I hope PCNA comes to their senses soon.

My buddy just called this dealer to make an appointment for his 964 911 (Canadian registered). He is looking at the same time-frame as I am. No problems getting his car in.