(RESOLVED) My car was water damaged at the local dealership.

Words. I'm almost at a loss for them, which is rare. Last Tuesday I dropped off my car off at the Porsche dealership for a routine 20k service. It was clean inside and out, and 100% trouble free. Just a complete peach of a 2011 S. A weekend toy that spends its downtime in a climate controlled garage. I left in a loaner 2014 model. Life was good. I returned today to pick it up, paid the bill ($792.18 for 20k service, brake flush, etc. PDK software was updated, too.) and waited for them to retrieve it. First sign of trouble was that my car couldn't be located. Perhaps 30 minutes passes and it finally arrives in the service drive. Right off the bat I see that it's filthy, that the spoiler is deployed and that the taillights are randomly flashing with varying intensity. I notice that the service advisor is trying to get the wing to store. Alternately reaching in to push the button, then standing up to see if it has retracted. It clearly won't. I walk up and point out the crazy taillights and he immediately asks if the car's ever been water damaged, does it have any leaks, etc. Not no, but HELL NO. I explain that it's never been damaged in any sort of way and has never leaked in any sort of way. This is when he tells me it's now full of water. Say what? I reach behind the driver's seat and push my fingers into the carpet. They sink into perhaps 2" of water. Same thing on the passenger side. Obviously they've parked it outside (we've had rains in the past few days) with the window(s) or rear hatch open. And obviously I'm furious. He pulls it back into the service area. Now the spoiler is going up and down on its own. The rear lights are still going nuts, passenger window won't work, hatch won't open. You get the picture. Fortunately, the frunk opens and he sets about disconnecting the battery. There's only a skeleton crew working today, so I'm told that they'll contact me on Monday to decide a course of action. I insist that every drop water is to be sucked out asap, as there's no telling how many days it's already been in there. The service advisor agrees and says they'll hop right on it. Sigh. I'm just a hard working gearhead. In the grand scheme of things, my little car represents a pretty big investment. It's the fulfillment of a long standing wish and has been a joy to own. I paid top dollar for a top car. Flew to the east coast to personally retrieve it. Yea, this is truly a bummer of epic proportions. At this point I don't know whether to preemptively lawyer up - or curl up. Go out and hug your car today.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. That can't be your car, because you didn't check the option box for a pair of footwell swimming pools.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Oh man I'm so sorry to read that. No doubt we'd all be feeling exactly the same but hopefully with it being an official Porsche dealership they will do right by you. I'd start keeping a log of discussions and events tho just in case it proves tricky to solve. Good luck and hope you're on the road again soon...

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I expect you will need an attorney before it's done. Really unfortunate. Take photos and keep a log of events. YOUR insurance carrier should be contacted. THEY have an interest too and perhaps th can be the bad guys for you if that becomes necessary. I feel for the dealership too. One part time valets carelessness is going to cause them lots of trouble.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. All things aside, why are YOU paying a $792 bill to the dealership when your Cayman is STILL UNDER standard 4 year WARRANTY?

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I didn't know warranty covers servicing charges? He was there for his routine 20k service, not getting stuff repaired.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Firstly, so sorry to hear that this happened. Would you mind sharing which dealer this was, Porsche West or Momentum? And is there any chance clogged drain holes which I've read about a few times on this forum could have caused this or is that more of an issue on the Boxsters?

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Thanks mang. West. Not a chance.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I'm afraid you might be right. I've never had to deal with anything like this, so I'm going to check with the Lone Star Region's PCA group to see if a member can recommend someone to contact. Ugh.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Warranty does not cover service charges. This isn't a BMW. What I mess. I'm sure we're all sorry to hear of your misfortune. Good luck

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Man, that sucks. I'm thinking nothing short of a new car is warranted. Freaken dopes. There is NO excuse for this.....none. And I would worry if the car will ever be as good. Lawyer up for a new car and legal expenses. I sure would. Good luck and please keep us posted.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Not sure if you really meant NEW car or just replacement car, but I think I agree with you here. The dealership can blow dry the hell out of it and hope it behaves itself long enough for you to drive off with it, but from the symptoms you're describing, there's water in places where you'll never know the damage, even if it seems to be working properly in a few days. Make sure your insurance company knows it's been flooded and ask them how to proceed. The last thing you want is to have the dealership give you back your $700 in goodwill and send you on your way only to end up having endless expensive problems for years to come.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I'm with Budman on this one. This is not a time to play nice. It would be one thing if they dented a door or something that can just be fixed. Water damage is a whole other animal so to speak. Condolences and good luck.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Ouch, that sucks. The one thing I would recommend you do right now would be to notify your insurance company and apprise them of the situation. Get them on your side and you'll have a lot more clout when the higher-ups at the dealership contact you about a resolution. I wouldn't go so far as to expect a brand new car out of it, though.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. This is of the same magnitude as a flood car. I would suggest you approach it that way. Legal advice strongly suggeested.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I wouldn't go that far. They should replace the brain box, ECU, or whatever you want to call the computer under your driver's seat. You may go trouble free after that. A new / free ECU should be your starting point with them. fais - good question but Boxsters have drain holes, Caymans don't. It was clearly an issue with a window down in a heavy rain storm.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Man, bad deal. Were the seats wet also? Water is one of the worst damages to a car. It gets everywhere and the whole effect may not be seen for years. If it was mine, I'm getting a new car. Either the dealership,or the insurance company is buying the wet car. If it got really wet, you will have many problems in the future. Good luck.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Very sorry to read this. I hope you can come to a satisfactory resolution quickly. I know there are other things in life but our P cars give us so much enjoyment it really hurts when someone else's negligence causes such a major problem. Good luck.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I'm still numb. And for all the great advice. There's plenty for me to consider, no doubt about that. The usual things like diminished value, potential for future gymnastics & such, etc. And of course I have a business trip to Detroit next week. Timing is everything. I'll be chatting with an old friend in the legal field tomorrow. He owns a nice old 911 and shares my love of motos, so he was pretty animated when heard the news. I think his perspective will be useful. Thanks again... :cheers:

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I'm curious, and with all due respect, but what damage due to this would show up years later? If things dry out properly, and it runs fine for say a year or two, what would go wrong? The windows were left open and rain came in. It's water not sulfuric acid.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I can't really give a specific answer on that, other than to suggest that it might kick off some corrosion that could show itself in issues down the road. Obviously the immediate damage caused by shorting stuff out and what not would mostly be apparent right away, though even then you might end up with gremlins that only show up when certain logic in the circuits is used. What I do know is that last year when we had a bit of a flash flood here in Toronto, a friend of mine had his car written off after sucking in some water. The insurance company didn't even look at it, which we were pretty surprised by. We figured it could probably be repaired, but they basically said "Oh? Was in the flood? WRITE OFF!!" Now it obviously wasn't worth as much as a newish Cayman, but it was still worth over $7k and may have been fixable for not very much.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. No mean detected, DLENNOX! I appreciate your opinion.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. So sorry to read about this. Having lived in the Houston area, I can't believe they parked it outside (in the summer!) with windows down. Duh!! I suggest you negotiate for full carpet replacement, maybe all the upholstery, as once water logged those can be impossible to clean so that they don't smell. Sure hope this turns out okay for you, i.e, that the dealer makes it right. Good luck

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Sorry to hear the crappy news my friend - I would be nuclear at this point. Not sure if you are looking for advice but here is how I would handle it: 1) Contact Porsche North America customer relations and apprise them of the situation and include dates, times, employees involved and a description of the events. Provide them copies of any written communication between you and the dealership, photos or anything else tangible. Follow up the phone call with a certified letter reinforcing the facts and details provided over the phone. Send the letter to both Porsche and the GM at the dealership. 2) Contact your insurance company and review your options as well (worst case) as what steps you must take for them to assist you - Do you need paperwork, photos, statements an independent inspection of the car....? DO NOT let the dealerhip or Porsche know you are speaking with your own insurance company!!!! 3) Absolutely contact an attorney to determine to what extent the dealership is liable and what steps you must take to document the damage, the dealership's liability and fault as well as the vehicles prior condition. This is probably pretty important to be able to prove the vehicle didn't have these issues prior to the scheduled service. 4) Most importantly, do not let either the dealership, your insurance compay or Porsche know you have spoken with an attorney - Frustrating I'm sure, but try to work out an amicable resolution with the dealer. Determine what a fair resolution is to you - not to eveyrone giving you advice. What to you, would make this situation "right"? Ask for that in writing. Deman that in writing. Only when the reasonable course(s) of action have failed, have your attorney send a demand letter and include all of your prior communication (dealership, attorney, Porsche, your insurance company) as well as all service records etc with the letter. Your attorney should be able to help you decide what a fair and legally sound resolution would be. I tend to doubt a new car is one - maybe a replacement same year/mileage options? Regardless the situation sucks and I feel you pain - Best wishes!

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. At the very least fight for additional 2 to 3 years warranty. Problem with water damage cars is that the electrical problem that develop later can be intermittent and very difficult to identify and solve.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Sorry to hear this. Absolutely terrible. Someone is getting fired. But seriously it sounds like you were very in love with your car. I hope that I'm wrong but your car will never be same. Thats a major screw up on the dealersips part. Become unattached and get another porshe specialist opinion before and if, you decide to take the car back. I dont think that I would. Bad situation but its no fault of yours.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. There is no excuse for leaving the windows down. Someone screwed up and should be held accountable. I would be in touch with PCNA as soon as possible. As for issues down the road . . . besides future electrical problems I can envision all sorts of problems coming about after getting the interior damp. Have you ever had carpets with mildew? I have. It isn't pretty. Good luck! I sincerely hope that everything gets resolved.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. This sucks. As someone who has also had a car ruined due to the negligence of someone else, I feel for you. It caused me months and months of stress and poor sleep. Keep your head up and don't let them screw around with you or delay. Perhaps they can give you a VERY steep discount on a new one. I think I'd prefer to go that route, even if it ends up costing you, rather than taking back your existing car. If you're anything like me, you'll never enjoy it the same again, always worrying what could be wrong with it. I expect they've let you keep the 2014 Cayman loaner until you have a resolution?

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. That hurt to read your story and it's unbelievable they treated your car like a chevy truck. I also have an attorney friend who is a gear head and also looking into a legal position with NASCAR. I'll have to touch base with him and will report back if he has anything to add. Goof luck!

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. OP, truly sorry to hear about your Cayman. I would feel the same if it happened to me. You may or may not have seen this thread: http://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-...87-cayman-boxster-problems-complaints/97122-car-ruined-our-last-rain-storm.html It a Boxster, but Im sure there are similarities. Long story short- Totaled. I hope you find a satisfactory resolution. Keep us posted!

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. My wife is an attorney and used to specialize in defending car dealer dealerships I remember some of the crazy stories she used to tell me. I told her about your situation and she cringed. contact your insurance company and try and work something out with the dealership before you contact an attorney. Document every conversation and keep every email and what not so if you have to get an attorney you will have all of your ducks in a row. This should be covered under the car dealerships insurance. I personally would try and get the deanship to give you the value of the car and ask of a discount and get a brand new car. If you get an attorney involved all of your money is going to go towards legal fees and you are not going to have any money left to get a new car. A car with water damage could be a potential nightmare. I remember when my first cayman got into an accident and was at the compound same thing happened the tow company left the wind down and it rained and the car was flooded. insurance company immediately said that the car was totaled due to water damage and wanted nothing to do with it.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. I have only had one similar experience. My son had his car serviced at an Audi dealership. One of the services they offered was to pick up your car and deliver it at the completion of the service. There was a bad storm during the afternoon of the day my son's car was serviced, and there was some flash flooding. So while returning the car, the driver drove through a street with a lot of standing water and the car stalled in about 18" of water. It had to towed back to the dealership. I met with the service manager, and it took about 30 minutes to work out an agreement. The service manager offered a few reasonble proposals, and my son chose to get a new replacement car. All of this was done in an amicable manner with no drama and without the involvement of a lawyer or insurnace company. Although your situation isn't as bad as my son's, I believe that you are entitled to some compensation: a gratis CPO warranty would seem appropriate to me. So I would suggest meeting the service manager, not an SA, tell him what happened and explain your concerns. It could be that this flooding will be a minor problem which can be quickly repaired or there could be chronic problems because of the flooding; it's impossible to know at this time. That's why you need protction for the worst case scenario. If the sales manager is unreasonable, you have many options that have already been listed. I don't think you'll have a problem with the sales manager, at least I hope not.

Re: My car was water damaged at the local dealership. Warranty won't cover anything related to this damage. While an extra warranty would be nice to have, any failure related to corrosion or getting wet will not be covered by the manufacturer.