The 996-C4S saga.

I would like to be happy to announce that arrival of a new toy. After waiting for the 13 month gestation period, a manual 996-C4S arrived on June 20. Unfortunately I can only wish to be happy, as fate has selected an alternative course. Some of you might have already guessed about the trials and tribulations of the C4S. On July 4, it died: stuck in second gear after driving a total of almost, but not quite, 400 miles. Does this sound somewhat familiar to anyone? So I took it back to the shop. They kindly provided a 'free' Volvo - after I paid for the insurance on the loaner! The saga begins. The two-week old car needs a new transmission. Apparently it'll be ready by Wednesday. It's a little sad, to be honest. I must say that paying anything at all after handing over $95k cash did leave a bitter taste in my mouth. At a minimum I expected a free Porsche. I got a $20/day Volvo. - The unhappy camper.

As others, I know Exactly how you feel. When I dropped off my C4S I was given a Taurus wuth 45000kms on it! I drove it straight home and picked up my Denali....I do not understand how we spend this kind of dough, then are treated this way... Frustrating as hell..... Ron

[quote] The saga begins. The two-week old car needs a new transmission. Apparently it'll be ready by Wednesday <hr></blockquote> I'm terribly sorry to hear this. You've clearly read the threads and know what a hassle this can be. The debate lies mainly in whether a new transmission makes the car "as good as new" or whether it negatively impacts the car for good. My personal feeling is that a new transmission - while psychological damaging - should really not affect the performance or driving characteristics of the car in any manner. And you will be under the Porsche 4-Year Warranty as well, which should provide tremendous comfort. It's still a shame, though, and a terrible inconvenience. I'm apalled that they've given you a loaner Volvo. Completely unacceptable, and you should demand a better car, as well as additionally goodies thrown in for the tremendous inconvenience. Regards.

You and I can sit back and have some beers together in 6 months.....and laugh at all the BS we put up with. Yours died much later than mine, which was at 5 hours old and 30 miles. Write PAG, complain to your dealer, get all the "good will" freebies you can, I am! Mine's been fine (and I beat the hell out of it) since my new tranny went in. Yours will be, too. Oh, and concerning the rental car they offered me....my dealer said they called Enterprise rent-a-car, who would call and deliver my rental to me. Enterprise never called me! Seems none of us got P-car loaners <img src="graemlins/cussing.gif" border="0" alt="[grrrrrrr]" />

Thanks for the comments. I fully believe that the car will be fine once it's fixed. I was just taken aback by the audacity of the dealership. The cheeky monkeys. And urbanski, it's good to hear that yours is fine now. -- The somewhat disgruntled camper.

Yell and scream... call PCNA, I'll give you the number if ou need it. I've heard of up to $800 in freebies from similar problems.

[quote]Originally posted by Ed Newman: <strong>Yell and scream... call PCNA, I'll give you the number if ou need it. I've heard of up to $800 in freebies from similar problems.</strong><hr></blockquote> My dealer made my first payment, over $1K. And I'm still waiting for PAG's good will offerings.

Something to ponder when negotiating w/ PAGre "good will offerings": The 996 rents for $400,- per day. <a href="http://www.exoticcarrentalslasvegas.com/porche966cabriolet.html" target="_blank">http://www.exoticcarrentalslasvegas.com/porche966cabriolet.html</a>

Hello Karl, Urbanski, Ed et al. Any details on the preferred "chain of command" in escalating this through the ranks would be appreciated. To date, I have only written to the dealer's equivalent of a general manager. A few strongly worded, yet open-ended hints were made. I am hoping that this should be sufficient. As a separate thread, I ought to contact PAG. The transmission is apparently a non-serviceable unit and, therefore, not necessarily the dealer's fault. From reading this bulletin board, it would appear that I should contact PAG on this issue. All my booklets are in the car and, therefore, at the dealership. Hence I don't have the contact details for PAG other than the 1-800-PORSCHE number. Is there a preferred route for this type of matter? Regards, The camper who has started recovery from this incredible ordeal.

I called that 800-PORSCHE number, they told me to work through my dealer. I talked to the dealer GM several times, and he was willing to talk to PCNA for me. I am working on a letter to PAG in Germany at the moment. Work through your dealer best you can, if he is reluctant or being unhelpful, ask for his "boss" at PCNA.

Go right to the TOP: Porsche 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30328 President/CEO: Frederick J Schwab [phone removed] <a href="http://cartalk.cars.com/Got-A-Car/To-The-Top/" target="_blank">http://cartalk.cars.com/Got-A-Car/To-The-Top/</a>

[quote]Originally posted by karl k: <strong>Go right to the TOP: Porsche 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 1000, Atlanta, GA 30328 President/CEO: Frederick J Schwab [phone removed]</strong><hr></blockquote>sweet! thanks

Always easier to go straight to the top. Even on my new car order, when the dealer can't give me the info I want, I call PCNA and start bithcing. I feel sorry for the dealers, they are always the last to know anything. As for goodies, the first months payment is a great idea. A nice chunk of chain and easily arguable.

Forgive me in advance for the length of this posting - but I thought maybe my experience could serve as a customer service benchmark. As an owner of a 2002 C4S since March, I have been reading the threads related to transmission failures with quite a bit of anxiety. For me, thankfully, its been so far, so good through 2,500 miles. What has amazed me even more than the mechanical issues are the customer service shortcomings that Prosaic id, Urbanski, et al. have faced while waiting for their repairs to be sorted out. A Volvo, a Taurus and Enterprise Rent-a-Car? Are you kidding me? I have had my C4S in the dealer twice since taking delivery - first (in April) to have aluminum gauges and RUF pedals installed and second (last week) to have the center console painted and an aluminum shifter installed. Due to my travel schedule, both times my car was at the dealer for several days. The first time, I had a friend follow me to the dealer in the late evening so I could drop my car. Since the service manager was gone for the day, I was told to simply pull the car into one of the available service bays so that the car would be secure over night. When I arrived in the office the following morning, I already had a voicemail from my service manager asking me to contact him re: a loaner. I called him back to let him know that I didn't really need a loaner since I planned on using my other car (MB E430 Sport) while my C4S was tied up. When he offered to send a porter into the city to pick me up (I work/live in Chicago), bring me out to the dealership (in the suburbs) and set me up with a Boxster loaner, I knew I had bought my car at the right place. After thinking this was just a good-will gesture in recognition of my recent purchase I was pleasantly surprised to find the same protocol as I dropped my C4S last week - brought the car in on Saturday afternoon (June 29th) and given a black/black 2002 Boxster with 600 miles to drive until I pick-up my C4S tomorrow evening (July 9th). Note - NO CHARGE either time for the loaner. When I called this morning to confirm my car would be ready tomorrow, the service manager was eager to hear my impressions of the Boxster. His comments of "boy, you sure had a nice week to enjoy top-down motoring" and "did you take the Boxster out of town for the Holiday weekend" really accentuated the overall mentality of the dealership. These guys are genuinely committed to me having a positive experience as it relates to my interaction with the Porsche brand. I refuse to believe my experience is an anomoly. Please tell me there are others out there who are getting what they paid handsomly for!!

The dealer where I purchased my '02TT is located 75 miles from home. Because I've purchased four Porsches, a used BMW and an Isuzu P/U from them, they go out of their way to provide me with a Boxter loaner. Incidentally, that is how I also came to own a Boxter. Got one as a loaner and liked it so much that I bought an '02. The sales manager lives a few miles from me and he drops off the loaner at my house. Really good people. I'm theirs forever.

Be grateful you got a volvo loaner...I got a Mazda Protege My salesman saw me in it and apologized and said next time i'm in he'll try and get me an A4 since it's a Porsche/Audi dealer. Why not a Porsche?

[quote]Originally posted by T Hendricks: <strong>I refuse to believe my experience is an anomoly. Please tell me there are others out there who are getting what they paid handsomly for!!</strong><hr></blockquote> In response, I do want to say my dealer provides me with a Boxster loaner for any reason that my car has to be at the dealership for more than a few hours. If the visit is urgent, and the boxsters are not available, they will provide a Jaguar, or, heaven forbid, a Volvo. All free of charge. They never even asked me to return it with a full tank of gas, but I always make it a point to return it with the full tank that I got it with. They have even offered to drop off the loaner and pick up my car if I do not have the time. But I love going to dealerships and playing with the showroom cars, so I never took them up on that one.

"Be grateful you got a volvo loaner...I got a Mazda Protege. My salesman saw me in it and apologized and said next time i'm in he'll try and get me an A4 since it's a Porsche/Audi dealer. Why not a Porsche?" My point exactly - Have you asked your dealer this question? If so, what was his rationale for not providing a Boxster? In my situation, I assume there are a couple of factors working in my favor - First, I am a repeat buyer. Second, my dealer sells Porsche cars exclusively, and I believe they are the largest volume/allocation dealer in the midwest (certainly in Chicago). Perhaps they have more ability to absorb the overhead of maintaining a small fleet of Boxster loaners than the dealer who sells Porsche, Audi, and/or other mixed brands??? Nevertheless, my continuing impression of this dealer is that the people are professional, practical and fair and their dedication to outstanding client service is systemic - from sales, to finance to service. This is exactly what I expect when purchasing such an exclusive automobile.

For T Hendricks- Thanks for the info- am looking for a dealer to order from, and would like to knwo the name of yours.

T: Actually, you have made me feel a little better as I endure the rather lengthy wait on my first Porsche. I really did not ever expect to hear all of the problems that have recently been reported here. My current car runs perfectly; maybe I should stay with it. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

Just a quick update:- The car won't be fixed by Wednesday. Now the dealership doesn't know when they will be able to get transmissions. They'll know "soon". Having said that, this is the same 'certified' sales professional who hasn't returned any of my calls. Apparently no transmissions are available in the States or in Canada. (This is strange, as I seem to remember a thread stating that 16 units were shipped here on June 24 to address the four known problem units - source: G.M. from urbanski's dealership. Perhaps some dealerships decided to prepare for the inevitable. Perhaps a sufficient number of 'mishaps' has already occurred to absorb the last shipment. All speculation really.) My other car returned from the shop today and so I returned the Volvo. There's nothing wrong with them - they just remind me of the experience with the dealership. So I also paid the $86 for the experience and joy of driving around one of those nice Swedish vehicles. (I will take this up with the salesman the next time I see him - no point chasing Enterprise.) In response to T. Hendrick: On Friday, I wrote an e-mail to the head of the services team to ask why they chose not to offer a Porsche. (My salesman won't be back until tomorrow and so I moved up the chain a little.) I still haven't received any response yet. It appears that the certified sales professional took the vow of silence with his work colleagues. I will wander off to see them on Wednesday. By then, they should be able to give me some timeframe for the repair; and explain the selection criteria of the next loaner they adorn me with.

After hearing of the treatment you guys are getting from dealers I'll think hard about a LEXUS when its time for me to replace my Porsche.

My 02 Cab has been trouble free for 2500 miles now and I didn't follow my own advice here. Upon reflection, however, I should (and maybe you should also) find out just what the dealer's policies are before ordering or accepting delivery, and agree on these return/repair policies beforehand. Isn't hindsight great!

T Hendricks, Both MRW and I would like to know which Porsche dealer you are coordinating with, as we are both located in the Chicago-land area. Napleton? Lynch? Somebody else. Regards.

ACtually, when I talked with the GM from my dealer, he said Porsche is building the 16 trannies they will ship here. The delivery to Atlanta timeframe was 2-4 weeks. So add that time to late June and you should expect a new tranny by mid-late July. Ask your dealer to search for a C4 they can harvest the tranny from, instead of waiting.

[quote]Originally posted by Don Watson: [QB]My 02 Cab has been trouble free for 2500 miles now and I didn't follow my own advice here. Upon reflection, however, I should (and maybe you should also) find out just what the dealer's policies are before ordering or accepting delivery, and agree on these return/repair policies beforehand. QB]<hr></blockquote> Totally agree, Don. When I bought the first car from this dealership, there were other dealers within 50 miles. Their prices were at the middle of the spectrum. However, I had heard good things about their customer service, and I specifically went over their policies. I went with them. By the time I was ready for the Porsche, there was no question in my mind which dealer I would go to. This is my third car with them, and have had no regrets. Stil, like T Hendriks, I refuse to believe that the majority of Porsche dealerships are as terrible as the ones encountered by prosaic id et al. It does pay to check the service end of the dealership out prior to handing down that much moolah.

T Hendricks Add my name to MRW and Vik's. I'd love to know the dealer. I also thought the largest allocation was The Exchange. thanks in advance. To the C4S owners. I really feel for you guys. This sort of thing ruins the whole experience we work towards and anticipate. there is a HUGE oversupply of boxstes right now -- look at the deals they're offering. You should be in one of those while waiting for a trans. The bright side is they'll get it figured out like they have before, and you'll be a in great car for a long time. Hang in there, M in C

I completely agree with what Don Watson said - have a conversation with your sales and service reps. regarding their return, loaner and courtesy shuttle policies before signing any deal. The idea is to use their own tactics against them in cases where the dealership will be asking for MSRP or very close (e.g., 02 C4S). Since they will be reluctant to budge on price, an alternative concession would be to build a "Boxster loaner" clause into your deal, so to speak. My experience has been that the dealer views this as a "no cost" option at the time the deal is cut and, therefore, they generally agree to the arrangement. MRW, Vik, Mike in Chi, and others those located in Chicago who may be interested - the dealership that I purchased my C4S from was Ed Napleton Porsche. As you probably know, they are located on Ogden Rd. in Westmont, Illinois [phone removed]). My Salesman was Lance Dillon - very knowledgeable about past, current and future models, including options and specifications. He is a hands-on guy and works productively with the service dept. The Service Manager is Kerry Terlep - the best I have run across to date. Honest, fair, creative and collaborative. He always finds a way to make me feel as if I am being treated as a valued customer, even when the answer is "No, we can't do that." If any of you end up working with Napleton, please feel free to drop my name, as I am on a first name basis with most of their team. Best of luck, gents. Terrence Hendricks

Terrence thanks for the info. I've been out there a couple of times for PCA events in March, but have never shopped the place -- I'm north. Right now the garage is set, but ya never know when the bug will bite. M in C

Mike in Chi - Saw your C2 pictured on posting re: 18" wheels. VERY NICE. Love the Kinesis pattern. You mentioned you were north of the city - care to be more specific? I live in the River West neighborhood at Ashland/Division just outside of the loop, but I spend quite a bit of time with clients/colleagues/friends in the Evanston and Park Ridge area. I haven't seen you and your 996 on the road before, but I will keep an eye out for you.

Terrence I'm in Glenview. Been going to the Exchange since the mid 80s, although my Coupe was bought used from Motorwerks. As to the other stuff, I don't have Kinesis wheels, just 18" tech wheels. No 996 - I'm a visitor on this board -- but always looking. Going to Blackhawk tomorrow by chance? M

Mike - Ahhh....Motorwerks. I have enjoyed many afternoons strolling through their lots and showrooms. I purchased and serviced a used '93 C2 through them a few years ago and when I sold that car I bought a '99 MB E430 Sport from them which currently serves as my daily driver. Nickey Duax in MB service is outstanding and treats me the same as the guys at Napleton. Always arranges for a C series loaner or has a porter drive in from Barrington to pick-up/drop-off my car. Also, I know the gen. mgr. (Jim Hub) fairly well and have found him to be very customer focused. Unfortunately, their new Porsche sales volume is not very high and, as a result, they suffer a bit on new car allocations. Hence my alignment with Napleton with respect to Porsche cars. As for tomorrow, I will out at Rolling Green CC with clients in the morning and then will be heading down to Napleton to swap the Boxster loaner for my C4S. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the new painted console and aluminum shifter. Maybe our paths will cross at another local event. Regards. Terrence

FWIW I've been given an Audi S4 and an S8 while my while my car was in.