My 996 came with a WARRANTY!!

So, the Mercedes dealer that sold me my 2004 996 is part of the AutoNation Dealer Network. In the package of paperwork that they FedExed me to sign before I came down to pick up the car was something printed in 5 pt type. It was a 60 day warranty. But to collect on the warranty, I need to bring the car back to them, or to another AutoNation Dealer. And this is important, because??? Well, the squealing heater fan on the car started squealing again. Well, maybe it never stopped. On the way back to Chicago from Houston, between the engine "music" and the music on the radio, I just didn't hear it. But I certainly heard it today while tooling around the neighborhood. So, I dug back into the paperwork that they sent to me (I kept a copy of EVERYTHING) I find the 60 Day Warranty sheet. The back of the sheet has all of the inclusions and exclusions. I start reading. About 3/4's of the way down the page it says something about the Air Conditioner, and R12 versus R132, and then those beautiful words, "includes heater A/C blower motor" YESSSSSSSSSSSSS So I jump on the internet, and look for an AutoNation dealer near us. It's not like they advertise that they are with AutoNation. So I find it. Libertyville Toyota. It's about 15 minutes north of us. I call the dealer. They have Service Hours till 10:00 PM. So, I explain to him that I have this Porsche, and it's under warranty, and I need to bring it in. He says, "we're a Toyota dealer, we don't work on Porsches." I say, you just need to check it out and make sure that it really needs fixing, then we'll work out where to get it fixed. So, I run over there, and while I'm watching the Packers beat the Bears, they call my name. "Sir, we have confirmed that it is the blower motor that needs replacing on your car. There aren't any Porsche dealers open now, so we'll call and get the parts tomorrow. Then we'll call you and make an appointment for you to come in and get the motor replaced." Then, once again, the loudest thing in my cockpit will be the music of the engine. Moral of the story - Don't poo-poo any warranty that a dealer is going to offer you. Even if it's for free. Color me Happy. larry

Two things : 1) you gotta have a Toyota hack work on a Porsche - that would worry me. 2) You need to watch the end of the game!

I'd rather put up with the noise than have a Toyota dealer take my dash apart...

If you're worried that the Toyota shop might mess it up (I think they'll figure it out), you could always tell'em that you've only owned it a few days and would love to watch them do it. The manual below makes it sound like it is relatively easy to access. You could go to this, download it / print it out, and take it with you - and hope they use it. http://www.cannell.co.uk/996_Worksho...-Electrics.pdf Good luck - it's a bummer it needs the fix, but I'm glad it's covered. And it's not all bad....you did manage to find a missing toolkit for the car for FREE! I really like your car's color combination - enjoy it.

What would make you really happy, I am sure, is an aftermarket warranty which you can get for 6 more years I believe.

Good for you Larry, nice to have coverage even for 60 days.

I am new here...intro to come when I pick up my 996 in a few days if the PPI checks out....I have to agree with 996pilot on letting a hack work on your 996. Right after I moved from Dallas to PA I had I had a non Porsche shop do the inspection or some other minor item on my 911 and they bent a small section on the bottom of the rear quarter panel jacking it up. Then claimed it was already like that before they got it. I had to live with the dent for 7 years and noticed it every time I looked at my car. Now I only go to a shop that knows P-cars. I don't think it is worth the couple of bucks you save.

996Pilot and Ahmet: I think that you guys are being a bit arrogant, especially as it relates to work on the A/C heating system of the car. It's not like I am having a Toyota mechanic do a valve job, or replace the IMS or RMS bearings, or reseal the engine. Come on, this is a blower motor. It's under the dash, and from what I can see, they won't have to remove the whole dash to get at it. (And, yes, the Bears won. No one expected THAT!!) Tex: I appreciate the manual. I did print out the salient pages, and will bring them along. I'm sure that they will be able to figure it out. Can't imagine that they want to take on the risk associated with messing up my P-car. And thanks for the compliment on the color combination. I love it, too. I have gotten tired of seeing the Silver/Black combinations of Porsches on the road. That is why I liked Kermit so much. Viper Green with Houndstooth seats. Now I need to get some leather cleaner/conditioner. I don't want to risk the leather getting more dried out and cracking under the heat of the sun coming in through the Targa top. Janusz: I am going to have to look into an aftermarket warranty. The issue is going to be one of cost. I'm probably going to be willing to pay $1,500 for a warranty, but I am sure that it will cost a LOT more than that. The dealer I bought the car from had an after market warranty for 36 months, 36K miles that they were selling for $4,995. That was a total rip-off. I am sure that I am gong to end up being too cheap to buy the warranty. PSUBoy: If repairing this at a Porsche dealer was only a "couple of bucks" I would have probably done itat the dealer. But around here, the mechanics at the dealer bill out at over $150 per hour. Even without the part, I am figuring that this would end up being a 2 - 3 hour job. So, I'll stay cheap, go with the warranty, and let the boys at Toyota fix it. larry

Larry, Thats great! its a 996 and afterall... there are a lot of Toyota parts on it, those guys will be right at home I wouold not be any more worried then any other dealer - in fact they might even be a little more careful because they dont see many P-Cars... the dealers sometimes are de-sensitized to being extra careful.. not always but, you know

I would take lots of pics of the inside of your car. Make sure you get the time/date stamp on thie pics. They may come in handy later.

I wasn't saying that to be arrogant, they may very well have skilled technicians working there. As a former mechanic, I personally would not take my Porsche to a dealer that works on a different brand, particularly if that brand is generally associated with a lower cost marque. I don't like chasing down rattles, or cleaning interior bits after somebody. I'm probably more particular than some, and prefer to do all the work myself whenever plausible, but hey to each his own.

Quotes source post: 7930881

That's about how much Fidelity's platinum (i.e., exclusionary) warranty sells for. It may sound steep, but when you consider the $150+ labor / hour and the things that can go wrong, it doesn't sound like that bad of a deal. Especially with that targa roof, when it goes bad (which eventually it will), a new frame plus some peripherals is around $15K incl. labor and as far as I know, there is no other permanent fix. Unless you can do a lot of DIY, a 3-4 year warranty for $5-6K is very reasonable insurance!

I wish I knew how to make that popcorn symbol well hope this turns out for the best, don't see why it shouldn't, the front end of this car is far less complex than the front end of the average toyota

Quotes source post: 7930881

Not intending to be arrogant, just realistic. From my first 911 purchased in 1973 to my latest purchased in June '10, if there is one thing that I've learned is that having a qualified mechanic that is not only familiar with Porsche but has a fair amount of experience working with Porsche (work on your Porsche) is a MUST. Heck, an oil change is a no-brainer but I wouldn't take my 996 to a Jiffy Lube or to a Ford dealer to get it done (just FYI I do it myself). Swapping spark plugs should be a no-brainer but just try it once on your 996 and see if it's like ANY other car. Take it to a mechanic if the "auto up/down" function on the window doesn't work and see how much they take apart before they (if they ever) figure out that all it takes (usually) is several full up/down cycles to "reprogram" the function. Seemingly easy, no-brainer things on most cars may be trickier or more involved than you think on a Porsche. My 2002 C2 Cab had a pinhole leak in the coolant recovery tank. I had just (4 months ago) replaced the coolant recovery tank in my Dodge RAM pickup and it took all of 5 minutes and a bit of new coolant - job done. Since I have a full warranty on my 2002, I decided to let the dealer do the job on the 996. Imagine my surprise when I looked at what was involved with replacement on the 996. The engine needed to be dropped about 6 inches (not a really big deal but - go figure), the tank replaced and then the system needed to be purged of air prior to completion. Several hours of labor for a coolant recovery tank replacement. Then the special coolant - well, let's just say it was more than the average Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Chevy, etc. Sometimes experience and brevity can be misunderstood for arrogance. Hang in there, I see only people here trying to steer you in the best direction for your Porsche ownership experience. Dan

I have an idea! How about everyone STFU and wait to hear how the repair adventure goes...

Quotes source post: 7931800

The targa top will fail for sure?

Obviously it won't fail for sure... But I wouldn't bet against it! That is what I have been told by a couple Porsche shops (specifically Tony Callas and Dan at Porsche Speed Gallery) and also based on my own experience.

Quotes source post: 7930722

@Januz - You bring this up in every conversation. Where are you getting your information? The best I've seen for my 2000 C2 is 2 years/$3800, and I'm having problems getting a response.

Hey Larry, I did not mean to rub anyone wrong way. Sorry if I offended. And, I would not take a tricycle to the guy that damaged my car. I think you should go to who you are comfortable with. I only put my 2 cents as a precaution to be careful.

Quotes source post: 7933235

I didn't mean to get uppity in return, I was just pushing back the way I usually did with the early crowd when I did something expedient rather than "original." I am used to some regular banter back and forth. I didn't take any of your comments as more than reasonable suggestions. That being said, I have been cautioned about many things relating to buying my 996, including the impending doom of the engine due to IMS/RMS failures, and the inevitable failure of my Targa top. I am sure that if I felt it necessary, I could prevail upon them to let me take it to a Porsche mechanic for the repair. I don't know that the replacement of this fan is that difficult, and I would certainly hope that they didn't dirty my spanking new (6 year old) interior. I guess I would rather hold that card in case something really bad happens. Then, I will go that route. In the interim, I am waiting for the call back, and then the inevitable appointment. Until then, I take the tape out every night before going to bed to tape down my cheeks. I feel that I am the master of the road, now. If there is any arrogance, it is ME looking down (figuratively, since I am inevitably lower than the car next to me) on the wheels that pull up next to me and have the unmitigated chutzpah to share the road with royalty!!! larry

Wow, yeah maybe its time for a PPI and get other stuff taken care of!

Quotes source post: 7933116

I got my information from the research which I did when deciding to renew my warranty last June. After confirming that the company which contract I took over from the previous owner while buying the car in Jan. 2009 has indeed one of the best reputations I found out that they will accept the car up to 12 years old and this seems to be a general standard in the industry. Therefore the most economical deal for my 2002 car was to renew for next 4 years. Then it follows naturally that OP 2004 car could be insured for next 6 years relatively cheaply and yours for only 2 and it will be expensive since, logically, the older the car is they will want more money per year. In less then 2 years of ownership my warranty carrier spent over $12,000 on my claims already so naturally it makes me a happy man. I enjoy driving a fantastic car with many new parts including transmission, without any worries about unexpected expenses for next 3.5 years. Then in the summer of 2014 I will sell it and buy a newer one since the last thing I want is to drive Porsche car without a service contract. I hope 997.2 S's will be selling at reasonable prices then.

Quotes source post: 7938914

Well, I guess that I would be happy about having my warranty company spend $12,000 on my car in 18 months rather than spending it myself, but that begs the question as to whether your car was well sorted when you bought it. The evidence is anecdotal, but I have read posts from quite a few 996 owners that they have spent only nominal maintenance costs on their cars, in spite of the fact that their car is a DD, and they drive it hard. I would certainly be relieved if I didn't have to spend the $12,000. But I would certainly be fearful of the first few months after the warranty expired. What you haven't done is to tell us the name of your warranty company, so that we can't call them up to see what, in my case, would be the cost of a 6 year 100,000 mile warranty. My PO had an aftermarket warranty on my car, but when he sold it to a dealer, the warranty was cancelled, and I can't renew it. larry

The bulk of the expense was the transmission. The 2nd gear synchros got weak and while shifting cold there was more and more frequent grinding in 2-nd. Thank God for warranty; if I was on my own I'd had it repaired with hit or miss result but my insurer figured out it would be cheaper for them in a long run to give me a brand new which came directly from Porsche in Germany. This way we both win... The transmission in 996 is a weak point and 2-nd gear especially. It is not related to general shape of the car or how it was cared for. Similar like an engine you cannot forsee if you will be lucky or unlucky one.

And the name of the warranty company is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . the envelope please.

A good new car tech at the yota dealer should have no problem installing a blower motor into your car.Its only about a 1.3 hour job,and trust me he looked up what it pays and how hard it looked to do.Blower motor is probably a nippondenso,same as a toyota

Quotes source post: 7939494

Larry, I will not answer this for 3 reasons: 1 - My comments were of general nature and I do not want to create impression like I am advertising something, 2 - I am in Canada and do business locally so it would not be relevant for you, 3 - I think that if you discuss any claim scenario with sales people before commiting yourself then you know exactly what if...I know exactly what will happen if my engine leaks or blows or say ABS fails. I think any legitimate company is good enough if you do all your investigation before anything happens and then your business decision is an informed one.

Quotes source post: 7940808

Janusz: I know from experience that there are good warranty companies and bad warranty companies. You can search the internet for information on any of them, and they ALL have a few situations where someone is PI$$ED at them because they denied a repair, or for some other reason. So, I feel that doing a generic search for warranty companies may not give the information that's helpful. I just thought that since you had a good experience with your warranty company, I would contact them. You don't want to share . . . OK, don't. larry

So, here's the latest episode. The warranty company approved the replacement of the blower motor. They put a hold on it because the selling dealer hadn't filed the paperwork to register my car with them. Took a couple of days to get that done. I was getting calls from the Toyota Dealer every day, keeping me posted as to their progress. Then after it got registered, I got a call saying that the warranty company wanted to get the inspection certificate and/or checklist that they used when they inspected the car before I bought it. Over the next few days, nothing happened. I don't know if they didn't inspect the car or what. Just got a call from the Toyota Dealer. They finagled a few things, and got the approval from the warranty company to go ahead. They have ordered the new blower motor from Porsche, and will call me when it comes in. They said that they didn't have a manual on the car. I told them that I had a sheet showing the dismantling and re-installation of the new motor. They said that they could pull it up on-line as well. It is a 45 minute job to replace it. Not a big deal. So, they will call me when they get the motor, and I will hop over there, sit in their lounge, drink a coke and eat popcorn. More later larry

Keep us filled in on the final results

Help a brother out. I've been trying to get a warranty with no success. If you have information that can help people post it, otherwise it sounds like BS.

I got a call from the Toyota dealer on Friday. The blower motor came in and I should schedule a date/time to have it installed. I have to say, after all of the negative comments on Toyota mechanics, I was now just a bit paranoid (or was I just a-nnoyed ). I took a bunch of pictures of the front of the glove compartment, the bottom of the passenger seat, the carpeting, the center console, the back of the passenger seat, the door, the underside of the dash, etc. Just about every angle I could think of. I was prepared at many different levels to complain to them about how badly they had treated my car. The appointment was at 8:00 PM. I got there at 7:30 and they took the car. I ran down the street for some pizza. I got back to the dealer at 9:15, and the mechanic was still working on the car. He had the old motor out, the glove compartment off, the bottom plate on the dash out, and he was lying on his back in the footwell of the passenger side, trying to figure out how to prop up his flashlight. Long story short, they finished the car at 9:30 PM. Gave me a free wash coupon for the carwash down the street. I signed the paperwork, and went out to examine the car. They had a plastic sheet on the driver's seat, and a paper mat on the floor. I looked carefully all around the car, the center console, the glove compartment, I opened and closed it, moved the seat up/down, forward/back, etc. Everything seemed to be in order - No . . . Everything WAS in order. I hopped into the car, turned the fan motor on the heater on, and listened to the sweet silence of the wind blowing off the fan. No squeaks, no squeals, just smooth wind noise. So, in spite of most of your concerns (which I took to heart), the surgery went just fine, doctor. And I still have 6 weeks left. Here's hoping that I don't need to make a second visit. larry

So, for whatever reason, when I replaced the battery in my key head, I couldn't get the top to snap back on correctly. A bit of tape held the damn thing together until I could figure it out. But instead of using a taped key, I decided to try my second key. It wouldn't open the door electronically, and when I used the key to open the door, it set off the alarm. Not good. So, it looked like it was going to be another trip back to the Toyota Dealer to get another Porsche part fixed. Then, I have noticed that the car is starting intermittently. I turn the key, but it won't turn the engine over. I'm thinking - it's gotta be the ignition switch. So, now I have two reasons to go get things fixed. I hop over to Toyota, and they are taking it to the Porsche dealer to get these things fixed. Fast forward two days: Toyota dealer calls - Porsche mechanic declared the key dead, and they will have to cut and program a new key for me. Regarding the ignition switch, they claim that it is a faulty clutch switch. The warranty company only pays $120 per hour for work, (talked up from $99 per hour). So, I will have to take it in the shorts for $79 for the differential. But Toyota called and sweet talked the Porsche dealer into taking $120 per hour to do the work. The car will be ready for pick up tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm driving a Camry in Arctic Silver!! BTW, I still haven't gotten my $235 from the dealer for the damaged wood trim on my dashboard. I've probably made 8 phone calls to talk to everyone and their mother. I WILL GET MY MONEY!!!! larry

your porsche dealer gets 199/hr labor rate? the freakin lambo dealer in bergen county nj is like $115/hr

Quotes source post: 8047183

Nope, the $79 was for two hours of work. So, that's $39/hour differential, or $159 per hour. Still a lot of money as far as I'm concerned, but it's a pretty typical rate in Chicago. The Volvo dealer is $150. larry

So they damaged the wood trim in the process?

Quotes source post: 8048332

No, no, no. The wood trim around the heating vents and the radio was pretty cracked up and in pieces when I bought the car. The wood around the instrument cluster is cracked up and coming loose as well. All in all, I think that the wood accents are a very expensive failure. I am trying to figure out how I want to change it out, and how much to change out. The radio surround is shot and will be replaced. Don't know yet if I am going to replace the wood around the instrument cluster or not. But the dealer didn't do anything to damage the wood trim. larry

Quotes source post: 8048679

So the orginal selling dealer is going to pay you $235 for wood trim pieces that were broken when you bought the car? Why didn't they further discount the car instead of telling you they would pay for the wood trim peices? If (and I hope you do) get the money, I'd put it towards some painted trim from bumperplugs or some carbon trim from Suncoast/sunset.

Jim: Your point is well taken. As a matter of fact, when I discovered that the trim was all cracked up (during the PPI), I told them that I wanted a discount to cover it. They said they would give me $200 off, but when they sent me the paperwork by FedEx, they hadn't discounted it. Rather than have them re-generate the paperwork, they said that they would pay me the $200 when I got there . . . then they would mail me a check, then the business office will have to cut a check, then . . . . . . . . The additional $35 was for my cab ride to the dealership. So much grief over such small dollars. BTW, I agree on the replacement trim. I'm not going after the wood trim anymore. I'll get something that I can either paint myself, or buy painted. I'm thinking of more aluminum accents, etc. larry

Thanks for clearing that up! I thought the repair of the fan motor by the Toyota Tech ruined the wood trim. A new key can be up to $400 to buy ,cut, and program so getting a free one on warranty is a GREAT deal.

Maurice - Really - $400 for a new key??? Boy, I AM glad that I had them fix this under warranty. This has to be the longest repair time on record, though. The P dealer is billing for 2 hours of work. I dropped my car off Monday night. Today (Thursday) at 4:00 PM, I called them to verify that my car was back at the Toyota dealer so that I could pick it up. Nope, they just got told the dollar amount of the repairs and weren't going to be able to cut the check till tomorrow (Friday) morning. GEEEZ, Monday night, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and part of Friday for a 2 hour repair. Boy, I am suffering from withdrawal really badly. larry

I replaced a bad key FOB a few years ago. Bought the part for $90 and reprogram for $120 labor. Had to bring in all my keys for the reprogram. An extra $200 to cut the key is not out of the ball park...