It is not my day

First, Potomac PCA canceled the DE at Carolina Motorsports. I was really looking forward to that. Second, in preparation for DE this weekend at VIR , I took my car in for Tech inspection. The shop found the following problems with my car (which I bought pre-certified and have put less than 2K miles on since purchase): 1) Nail in brand new rear tire -- not covered by warranty 2) RMS failure -- covered by warranty so NBD, but still 3) Severely shredded clutch -- not covered by warranty The dealer is trying to work with me on the clutch, which is not covered by pre-cert warranty (considered wear and tear). My point to the dealer was that I bought pre-certified due to the 100 point inspection. They said that they do not remove engine to inspect clutch (only caught it due to removal to fix RMS). I said that there is no way that I shredded the clutch in less than 2K miles. They said that they would 1) not charge labor; 2) will not seek to profit off of the parts; and 3) will pick up 50% of the no-profit cost of part. I guess that is OK. On the bright side, better to catch the clutch now rather than on the track or off somewhere in the country.

I didn't think they had to remove the engine on an '02 to check the clutch? However, sounds like they are being fair. Good thing you didn't buy the car from a Ford dealer or something ( couldn't resist, sorry)

True. Although I wish they would cover the entire clutch out of good will (I know that the damage was pre-existing), I got an outstanding deal by purchasing used. If the worst that I have to do is pay half the cost of a new clutch, then I am fairing pretty well. Now I know it is new (and we caught it before it failed), and I should not have additional problems. Also, it has the added benefit of getting me closer to escaping that dreaded continued prosperity. A few more visits to OG racing and Tech inspections like this, and I should be totally happy.

Sounds like they took care of you. I would say that you have one good dealer.

Which delaer ?

Porsche of Arlington. Chad, Mike and Rudy seem like very good guys.

1/2 the price of a clutch seems good to me. Consider it an "upgrade" over the used clutch you would get with any used car. Lucky for you, the RMS leak revealed it. Could have been a repair 100% on your dime otherwise.

This is not so bad since you get a clutch service for the price of a clutch disc. While the Transmission is out for the RMS, make sure that they replace the Intermediate shaft Seal and "O" ring as well. It is right below the RMS, and fails as often as the RMS. Good thing this is the perfect time to swap out a clutch disc, as it has to be removed anyway to get at the RMS. While they have it apart, make sure they also check the throwout bearing. It should not make any noise at all when it is spun by hand. If it does make noise, have them change that as well. Lastly make sure they put a fresh supply of oil in the car. On your tire, if the nail is in the tread, just have a internal patch done. Unless you plan on driving at 90 mph for 10 hours, a patch is a safe and economical solution.

Good advice. All of that was already requested. With respect to the patch, I don't trust them. I think that tires are the single most important performance component, and I like to drive with as few concerns as possible. Although it might not be necessary to spend the extra $$$$, the peace of mind is worth it. Thanks. TD

Go to a good tire store that deals in performance tires to have the repair done (Or have your dealer do the repair while the car is offline for the RMS). Personally I have driven tens of thousands of miles on tires that have been patched or plugged with no ill effects. In fact I do my own tire plugs on my lower performance cars. In 35 years of driving all sorts of cars at all speeds, I have never had a tire failure because of a patch. The culprit in tire failures today is under inflation because of inattention to tire pressure. Under inflated tires will get too hot, which will cause the tire casing to fail. Because a tire patch is glued to the inside of the casing, it is unlikely that it will come off. It is also very unlikely that a tire will fail because of a simple tread puncture. It will just slowly go flat. As long as you check your tires air pressure at least once a month you will be just fine. In the unlikely situation that the patch does start to leak, you will be able to catch it before you drive on an under-inflated tire. However it is your money, so you should do what you feel comfortable with.

Unfortunately, I have to use my daily driver as my track car (live in Georgetown and lucky to have two-car garage but still no space for track car) and also must drive it to the track, so I do not use special track tires. Most tech inspection forms forbid plugs, so I cannot rely on that. In the end though, it is all about comfort. I had a plugged tire blowout on my high school car (64 1/2 Mustang with factory air), and it scared the ^&* out of me. Since then, I have not really trusted them. TD

I've had numerous tires patched, with no problems (street and track), but in the back of my mind, there was always doubt.

Yes, my blowout might have been due to a faulty plug job or even something unrelated to the plug altogether. The mustang didn't really handle all that good to begin with, but a blowout at about 65 was very scary. Now, I pay very, very close attention to tire condition and am probably overly cautious.

When your doing tyre saftey I don't think you can be cautious enough. Many accidents by regular drivers could be avoided if they checked the pressure and wear on their tyres. I think the majority of drivers NEVER check their tyres...I have seen some horror shows rolling along on the highway...and track

sounds like they are a good dealer, and not shafting you like many frequently do to NEW buyers, much less preowned. leon, i believe he is paying only about 30% of the clutches cost, since the dealer is selling the part to him at 50% of THEIR cost.

I think theyre treating you extremely well. In fact I would say its completely unreasonable for them to be held liable for a wear and tear part on a used car. The clutch disc is NOT covered by the Porsche Pre-Owned Warranty and is NOT part of the inspection. Would you like them to replace the brakes for you as well?

Now now, let's not get carried away here and no need for the snide comment. I did not start this thread as a dealer bash, and I gave my dealer kudos for trying to make me happy AND I gave them free advertising by naming them. However, the fact is that Porsche markets the 100 point inspection VERY HEAVILY when you are buying, and the suggestion is that a car with pre-cert (1) is in good (and reliable) shape now due to the very thorough inspection and (2) can be trusted in the future due to the warranty. In fact, the cost of any repairs needed (i.e., discovered by the inspection) is worked into the price of the pre-cert premium. I paid extra to get this certification, which I intentionally sought for exactly this purpose. It was a major point in negotiations. I bought the car with 7.500 miles in April, and the car only has 9,500 miles now. I have yet to take this car to a single track day. I do not drag race people on the street, and I put the car in neutral everytime I stop. I did not destroy the clutch, which means that the clutch was trashed by the former owner, which makes sense because the dealer told me the car was owned by a trophy wife who didn't like standards. If more time had passed, more miles had passed or I had abused the car, I certainly would not expect the dealer to do anything for a wear and tear item. However, the clutch is a big item and a consumer is entitled to expect that the pre-cert process would catch a clutch that was in bad shape. The inspection did not. To answer your question, I would feel exactly the same way about the brakes under the circumstances.

Sounds familiar. I just picked up an 02 C2 coupe last wed, certified/preowned. 14000 miles and good to 9/08 or 100,000. They replaced the clutch and RMS during the certification. The clutch seemed fine to me when i test drove it, and i specifically looked where the car had been parked, and saw no signs of leaking. The service manager told me that it was weeping. Today, driving to work, picked up some sort of nail. I heard a loud bang, like a rock had hit up in the wheel well. Well after getting off the HWY, (thankfully), i started to hear the droan of a flat. It slowly dropped and about two-three miles after realizing this, and late for work, i pulled over and popped on the donut. Too bad those 18 inchers do not fit in the trunk (riding shotgun). Anyway, tires are practically brand new, so i had it plugged. I will not track the car, and will keep an eye on the pressure. It is a shame to toss out a practically new tire. It will probably only last 6 months or so anyway. I am usually good for about 20,000 miles per year.

However, the clutch is a big item and a consumer is entitled to expect that the pre-cert process would catch a clutch that was in bad shape A good test for a worn clutch can be conducted quickly. Simply drop the clutch at 5K RPM and see if there's any clutch slippage. If the clutch passes this test you should have a clutch that's in decent shape.

They said that they would 1) not charge labor; they shouldn't actually because gearbox is out anyway to treat RMS prob-which is covered by warranty.you do not need to take off engine to treat RMS prob or clutch. 2) will not seek to profit off of the parts.the only part that they should "charge" you is clutch kit-disc+pressure plate+bearing+fork 3) will pick up 50% of the no-profit cost of part. that's good but check as well if their price is higher than other dealers...so may be there is a 100% profit compare to other prices and you do not know I guess that is OK. orient express said:While the Transmission is out for the RMS, make sure that they replace the Intermediate shaft Seal and "O" ring as well. that's should be done NOW..... no prob at all when patching a tyre.....done it at least 6 times.....no prob so far... i had excactly the same prob as you.. my dealer: did cover RMS labour+parts... did correct the mistreated probof Intermediate shaft Seal and "O" ring. by previous non-approoved mechanic.!!!!!(the car had an pre-owned 1 year warranty when bought from an OPC, but that dealer had no clue for that specific prob) did not charge labour for fitting my clutch kit which i paid....( i have been told that my clutch even if it was operating fine-it had another 15k kilometers of life....) so it was good chance to replace it.topic found @ : https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...light=warranty i think you have a dealer. not a good dealer that someone stated... you tell me why they should charge youy labour for fitting the clutch. you tell me why they should not cover the RMS prob, since you have warranty