PCNA Customer Service is Horrible

Please check out my new website. Porsche is the worst company I have ever delt with from a customer service standpoint. This is my third Porsche since 1999 and my last! I have had 44 cars to date. Mercedes, Audi and BMW treat you like you are a valued customer. PORSCHE could care less if you ever buy another one of their cars. This is a heck of a way to run a business! If you have a horror story about your Porsche please send it to me and I will post it on my website. Regards, Scott http://porsche.tosti.net

Your third Porsche since 99.....and this car was a used 99 996 .........I'm curious what your other Porsche's were.

97 C4S 01 C4

"BMW treat you like you are a valued customer" ????? "If you have a horror story about your Porsche please send it to me and I will post it on my website." are you accepting BMW ones instead as a have several?

SPT, that's a long list of things to go wrong in an 02 C4, I am sad to hear it. But, how did you determine that "the car was in great condition" when you bought it, and then all of a sudden get all of these problems. It is more likely IMHO that the car was majorly abused by the "private party". Actually it sounds more like it went through an amature 'take the car apart and put it back together' project. Also, I hope YOU didn't pay $100k for it . Thankfully the only recurrent problems that has been noted with the 996's is the RMS leak and the glove box rattles, and actually last year porsche beat lexus and acura for it's reliability. Also, i am pretty sure you are aware that the lemon law only applies for new cars, but, I am also fairly certain that with private party sales, if you can prove that these problems were known and withheld by the seller, he may be liable to some of the repair costs. Good luck

Not sure of the value of the web site other than it is entertaining.

This is just the beginning... It's going to grow until Porsche does what they are contractually obligated to do! FIX MY CAR! I am sending the story and the link to every newspaper in the USA. My second goal is to make future buyers aware of PCNA practices... Stay Tuned! Regards!

It's a real shame that it came to this. I remember having some dialogue with you about this, and still cannot believe the DSM did not intervene. In any event, I highly doubt the tone of the website will do anything other than destroy any effort Porsche might undertake. But you have to do what you feel best at this point. A 'tuned in' dealership GM should be involved here, so you don't have to chase these folks down. Also, if you can determine the lemon law applies in your case, get an attorney and file the paperwork. As for repairs at 60k miles, I had an interesting interaction with my DSM last year when my '99, 6 months out of warranty and at a mere 36k miles had the plastic rear window separate from the canvas, costing me a top replacement (broken zipper) and window replacement, to the tune of around $3500, right after a 30k mile service required an MAF sensor replacement too. When I asked the DSM about any 'help' since the car was so close to the warranty period and in factory/showroom condition otherwise, the comment was "Porsches are expensive cars to maintain"...basically told me to stick it where the sun doesn't shine, and take my lumps. What a guy. You are correct - Porsche Customer Commitment is NOTHING like it was 5 years ago - and I had plenty of interaction with them then, and it resulted in positive feelings in the end. Not any more. Best of luck in some resolution. One other thing - I have a C4S ('04) and never hear any sort of 'engagement' of the forward drive train, nor would I expect to hear anything other than the wonderful rumble from the PSE when I let the clutch out. Not sure if any Porsche would provide that particular 'noise' you refer to when the C4 is working properly - it should sound like any other Porsche.

BMW and Audi have lots of customer service problems too read the forums. Sorry to here about ur problems..

sounds like you'll finally get their attention. their lawyers will be in contact regarding the use of the porsche name in the web adress. Perry

LOLOLOLOL ah too true, and thats probably all they will care about

Sorry to hear of your frusteration, but alot of this seem minor and more annnoying than anything. Things go wrong with used cars. An extended warranty may have covered some of this and I had a dash lights issue once resolved by a new instrument cluster. Are you just upset because Porsche is not paying for this stuff out of warranty. If you are looking for free out of warranty fixes, you may meet some resistence when trying to get a dealer to start pulling and replacing parts when the problems don't duplicate or codes don't show. Maybe try another dealer or an independent shop and be willing to pay the $$$ it takes to trouble shoot if you have not already tried that route. Porsches are expensive. To me they are worth it. You got to pay to play, I guess. If your wallet cannot handle $1k to $ 2K a year to keep a used and out of warranty Porsche maintained, then you may be better off with another brand and make sure you have a new one or buy an extended warranty. If you really had problems during the warranty period, why not check on an extended warranty. They are not that expensive for the peace of mind they offer and could have potentially covered your AWD system which seems to be the catalyst here. 2. Automatic door opener works intermittently (36k). Burlington Porsche had me buy a new key at a cost to me of 279.00 dollars! It did not fix the problem. Porsche of Nashua had me change the battery at a cost of 40.00 dollars. This did not fix the problem either. Never Resolved... Porsche keys can be eratic, especially on the Cayenne. Annoying, but not worth losing sleep over. 3. Engine skips at idle (36k). It has never been fixed because Burlington Porsche service could not find figure out what was causing the problem� They told me to wait until it got bad enough to set off the check engine light. This way there would be a code that would help the tech to diagnose the problem. Never Resolved... I get a little wobble/fluctation in my cars idle, but does not affect performance and 2 are chipped. Not sure how this is bad unless the car is stalling and etc. 4. Check Engine Light goes on every 3 to 5 thousand miles for no reason (36k). The latest fix was applied by Porsche of Nashua at 60k. It now comes on and shuts off by its self after a few days. Never Resolved... Does it ever blink while it is on? Maybe a new instrument cluster would help. 5. Airbag Failure Light goes on every 5 to 7 thousand miles (40k). A ground was blamed but it has not been resolved. Never Resolved... Maybe a new instrument cluster would resolve this too. 6. Radio shuts off, changes stations, switches between CD and radio intermittently (40k). Porsche of Nashua replaced the radio. It did not fix the problem. Never Resolved... Try an aftermarket head unit. May be better for less money. 7. Speakers vibrate (40k). Never Resolved... Maybe speaker is blown. Don't turn up to loud and replace speaker with a higher quality driver. Also, watch bass level. 8. Dash, passenger door and back seat rattle (40k). Never Resolved... Some Porsches rattle especially with aftermarket suspensions. I don't think I have ever had a car that did not have a rattle somewhere. BTW, my cars with carbon fibre also seem to have a little more rattle than those that don't. Still like the carbon because it looks good, but might be a bit of a trade off here. 9. Drivers door wind noise (40k). Never Resolved... Happens when I go fast. 10. Temperature gauge over heat light blinks intermittently (40k). Never Resolved... Sounds annoying. Does your temp needle actually go to the red zone or is it staying where it should be. Ask them if instrument cluster could help. May or may not, but worth a try with the other lights and if the temp is not really going high. 11. Gas Gauge is erratic (40k). Never Resolved... Annoying, but not the end of the world. My 90 gas guage is erratic, but the low fuel light or somputer is a good way to guage if you are really low on fuel. Maybe this and the airbag and other lights could be solved with a new instrument cluster. 12. Left Front suspension bangs in extreme cold (60k). Never Resolved... Does it affect the cars handling? Suspension parts can get worn after time and use. 13. All Wheel Drive seems to no longer works (60k). $1800.00 dollars to repair at Porsche of Nashua. Note, I discovered this at 60k. Who is to say when it became nonfunctional? There is no reason to believe that the all wheel drive was ever working in the car. Both winters I drove the car were interesting. I was never able to �hear� the all wheel drive engage as I was able to in my last two cars. Never Resolved... That sucks, but again, this is what extended warranties are for and you run the risk of having things break and costing money when you buy a used car. If you had a PPI when you bought the car, it seemed like this should have been checked. I, however, think it is a completely unreasonable expectation to believe that Porsche should good will this as far as you are outside your warranty. In response to your logic, it would seem to me that you have the duty of reporting the problem within the warranty period. If you never heard the all wheel drive engage, you should have reported it sooner. I would think it doesn't matter when it became non-functional if you don't report it during the warranty period. 14. Carbon Fiber Package �shattered� one morning in January 2004 when the outside temperature hit -12 degrees F (60k). This is unacceptable!!! Carbon Fibre pieces have to be replaced everyone and while. Covered under warranty and extended warranty. Boy have I got some BMW and Audi stories that deal with big items that takes a car under warranty out of service. I wont bore you with the details. BTW, I hope you didn't pay $ 100,000 for your 99 C4 in the summer of 2002 per your web page. Didn't you say you had purchased the car in 2001 when you first started complaining about the AWD system and you say you had an 01, but a while back you indicated that you wanted to buy an 01 and did not even know how much hp it had or if it was different from the 99. Not really picking on you, but if I had a web page like you have, I would make absolutely sure I had all my facts straight so I didn't open any doors for someone to try and say I committed slander or libel.

PCNA does a good job of trying to satisfy their customers, and I have received the goodwill "benefit" on occasion.

Me too. It really depends a whole lot on you relatioship with your dealer because they certainly can go to bat for you and help things out. If you stay in pissing matches with your dealer, the reality is they won't go to bat for you and that will not help your cause. Though the dealer does not have the final say so, they are usually buddies with the regional warranty rep and the regional warranty reps will do them favors or listen to the dealers. Sometimes, the dealer will actually eat some or all of the labor on goodwill items as part of a deal just to keep a customer with whom they have a relationship happy.

Doug, I must have done a bad job explaining what is wrong here. The car WAS under warrantee when 99% of the stuff broke. NO extended warrantee necessary... It WAS covered by Porsche! Thanks for the diag of the issues. If Porsche were as helpful I would be driving Porsche number 4 today! FYI, They sent there number one mechanic from Atlanta to work on my car. He was fantastic! We worked our a very satisfactory deal on the car. When he flew home to PCNA and asked for aproval the legal people said no! They did not think they needed to help even though 99% of the failures surfaced under warrantee! They are trying to outlast me here. THEY WILL NOT! Scott

I have a great relationship with my dealer! They are on my side! They are out of funds to work on the car until PCNA kicks money. I never said they did not try to fix the car. I said they were never able to fix the car. Before the car left warrantee the car spent 6 weeks at Porsche. They could not resolve the issues. The courts will make them try again. If they fail they will be obligated to buy the car back. That is NH law according to PCNA and my attorney. Scott

WAKEUP Save yourself grief and $$$'s, dump it. and buy a New Car, not a used POS. I'am sure your attorney won't be this honest..ca-ching

There is truth to what you say! Unfortunately for me I am an idealist! I believe that a contract is to be followed. Porsche attached a 4 year 50k bumper to bumper warrantee on this car. Contractually they own all documented failures which occurred before leaving the warrantee period. I would hate to dump the car on another person as well... Again a fault of mine! Scott

It will be fun to watch this one unfold ... over the next 12 - 18 months!

I agree! I will be posting and emailing / writing all over the country. I have stopped driving the car at this point as well. It will sit in my garage until this is resolved... Regards, Scott

You bought a used car from a private individual, it has 60,000 miles on it, and you expect Porsche to buy it back. Just curious, do you want them to buy it back for how much you paid for it or do you want them to give you a new car.

Hi, In NH the law says that if Porsche can't fix the car after one last attempt (assuming they have failed 3 previous times and they have...) then they must purchase the car back. I have already offered the car for fair trade in value adding in the miles. They PCNA said that is not possible by law. If they fail to fix the car on the final attempt they need to pay more. How much more is unclear at this point. If they were reasonable when I offered them the car for 35,000.00 thousand in February they would have taken the deal and I would probable be driving an 01 C4. Anyone who buys a used Porsche uncertified is nuts! I will never do that again... Scott

I'd say it is clear at this point. I would agree that expecting Porsche to pay for repairs a year after the warranty has expired is nuts. Buying a used Porsche does not necessarily make someone a nut unless they have unreasonable expectations. I think most would agree that Porsche ownership ain't cheap (still probably less than other comparable cars), but the trade-off is worth it to some. Heck, I have spent more than $ 35K just on my 90 in the last year and I wouldn't trade that car for anything. Did an attorney take this case? Nevertheless, you are frusterated and it sucks being frusterated.

Doug, Your missing the point... I'm clearly not doing a good job explaining... OK... let me try again. You buy a car that is under warrantee. Something breaks that is covered by warrantee. The manufacturer is contractually obligated to fix the problem. It does not matter how long it takes. There is no statute of limitations here... Put simply have a problem develop while under warrantee and no matter how long it takes they must pay! That is the LAW... I'm not frustrated but I expect that since I obey the law daily so will Porsche the worlds most successful car company. Scott

And yes I have an attorney... He says this case cannot be lost to Porsche!

I think the best advice you can get here, without seeming arrogant is "you're pissing against the wind" and you're going to get wet. No real attorney is going to waste his time on this, some may take your money and do little. E.G. I had a $50K real claim and no attorney wanted to help me (beyond verbal advice) because their costs would have been too great versus my potential recovery. They were honorable. Chalk it up to "experience", try the Porsche experience again with a certifed car...and try not to behead the messenger, given that you posted on this forum looking for advice and support. Good luck and don't waste your time and money!

I understood fully. I just did not want to get into arguing specifics. Just purely my opinion, but based on your time line and the types of issues you are having and the lack of documentation during the warranty period for your only real substantial issue (AWD), I don't see it falling within the purview of the lemon law statute. I wouldn't take the case on even an hourly basis, but then again, I ain't the jury nad have plenty of work. There also two sides to every story and I don't know all the details. Now if you had 3 RMS failures and were looking at a new engine, I would take that one even on a contigency basis. If you win great. Maybe I can get a Porsche to give me a new TT as my TT spoiler light is on for the third time. One last thing and I promise, I am done. There are no quarantees in the law. I would assume that Porsche would ask for a jury, because candidly (depending upon where you are at), a jury is not going to feel too sypathetic toward someone who owns a Porsche and is complaining about what may be perceived as little nit picky things. They are probably thinking, man I have a 1980s (insert typical POS) with a motor that only starts every other day. I would be happy to have that car even if the radio changed stations, it had some wind noise or a light came on everty 6 months to a year. Tough case to present to a jury even if the law was on your side. I just cringe whenever I hear something like that because the reality is that jury's can be very conservative in nature and what they do can be as predictable as a roll of the dice.

To the last two postings... First a real attorney is working on it for me. He is doing it for 2 reasons one he is a personal friend and two he believes in right and wrong. Second the legal course this will take is juryless. It is always the case in these car trials. As a matter of record the car manufacturers lose >60% of the time. It's even higher with the highline cars. If you have the time you can win... I have the time and the law is solidly on my side. Porsche is going to have to fix this car. The only question here is what is the date of the appointment. Scott

Times have changed, the company has changed, and the market demo for the car has changed (by Porsche's design). I can recall telling people interested in a 911 that I would not recomend they buy one........ because they were looking for a "car" (a different or unusual car) but still just a car. They were used to the general dependability (and warranty) of their last Plymouth or Oldsmobile. Lets just say at that time, 911 buyers were not really concerened if their speakers vibrated (if they had a radio or listened to it)....... and wind noise, well... I'm not saying the change is a good thing or a bad thing. Just that times have changed. I still occaisionally talk people out of them (though I have several) had a blast on the track with one yesterday (AC didn't work & plenty of wind noise) and enjoyed the drive into work this A.M. in another. Good luck to ya bud. It's unfortunate to hear this company & car has been so much a source of disapointment & displeasure in your life.........hope you find some piece of mind, assuming that's what you are looking for.

Dealer relationship means a lot but not everything. Porcshe seems really caprecious in how they deal with customers. Some relate positive stories and others negative ones. I have a great realtionship with my dealer but was still unable to gain satisfaction/resolution with TWO lemon Cayennes. Despite the dealer's best efforts Porcshe was unresponsive and lost a customer for life in me. I chose not to got the lemon law route as I didn't want to endure the frustration that goes with that process. I took the loss traded the truck and have never looked back. I lost a lot in the short run but Porsche loses even more in the long run and that is where I find satisfaction . . .

You may want to get legal advise from a non-friend attorney, just to make sure your not wasting time and money. A lawyer-friend may be on your side no matter how much of a chance you have.. Not sure about NH lemon law, but typically lemon laws are not that cut and dry. You may have to sit in front of arbitration to sort this out with Porsche.. Best of luck to you!

Count me in as one of those nuts. I have bought 4 uncertified Porsches, and still have 3 of them. Steve 99 996 76 930 64 356C PS: Anyone know where I can get a certified pre-A?

The definition of a "goodwill benefit" is as follows... If your car has a failure and is not covered by warrantee and porsche pays for the repair then you have received a good will benefit. If your car has a failure under warrantee an Porsche fixes it you have receive a "non goodwill benefit". This benefit is called WARANENTEE REPAIR and is contractually owed to you by law. Scott