Leaking 996

Last night I noticed coolant dripping onto the drivers side rear tailpipe again. This is the 5 th time the car will have to go in for coolant leaks. The tank has been replaced three times so far, the last service they replaced the water pump. All of these services have been preformed by Porsche dealers under warranty. Shortly after the waterpump was replaced the car was out of warranty. What I was told by the Service Manager at B.H Porsche was if a part was replaced 1 week before the warranty expired, the part is only warranted for 1 week So took the car in this a.m and was quoted $625.00 premliminary estimate. Told service writer to check with regional PCNA rep about preforming service under warranty. Service writer called me 1 hour later said the rep Corbett Head said they will do NOTHING. Told the service writer to have Mr. Head call me asap. Thought to myself well they must have checked the car already to deny the claim. Called back and asked if they had even checked the car to see what's wrong they said NO. He went on to say that where its dripping is probably the tank. I was shocked, told the service writer to make sure Mr. Head calls asap. They will not give me the telephone number of Mr. Head or I would have called by now. I feel like they did not even check with the rep and feel like it's a simple rip off. Any suggestions? Who to call next? Thanks in advance. Oh by the way this car has had it's rear main seal replaced twice.

It is my understanding that all Porsche parts carry a 2 year warranty. Your dealer's "one week" comment makes no sense.

It says it in B&W that ALL replacements parts carry a 2 year warranty. Read the manuals and show it to them. You would think they know that! Cheap bastards. Not to mention this is a RECURRING problem for your car. I would have blown a gasket by now (no pun intended).

Are you dealing with Trevor?

FWIW A part replaced under warranty is not warranted itself (beyond the over riding new vehicle warranty period). Only parts that are PURCHASED are covered by the two year warranty. This is common practice throughout the automotive and other industries. You may not like the logic, but it works out something like this: Your warranty is for items that you PURCHASED. If your parts are replaced under the new car warranty, they remain covered until the new car warranty expires. If you replace a part after the new car warranty, you pay for it yourself unless the manufacturer decides to extend a "goodwill policy settlement" to offset your costs. If this does not occur, you buy the next part and it is warranted for the two years. If the replacement part fails within the two years, the manufacturer replaces it. The worst case scenario is that the customer buys every other replacement part in the cycle. However, an upstanding manufacturer will usually step in and cover a lot of this before it gets to this desperate point. Questions? Cheers,

Fred is 100% correct! Yes, I spoke with Trevor and he's the one that explained this. Read the manual it's in there! So basically if they do something to your car under warranty, it's covered until the new car warranty expires. If you pay for the service its covered by the 24 month warranty. So I guess if my RMS fails AGAIN, it was replaced approx 8 months ago for the second time it's on my tab

Please don't overlook an appeal to the Porsche Service Rep or even writing to Peter Schwarzenbauer, CEO of PCNA, for financial support. If you an show that you have been a good customer, maintained your car by the book, and have a good relationship with your dealer, you just might get some assistance. I wrote to Peter regarding the 10 days it took for PCNA to supply a fuel pump for my then new TT and was rewarded by a "goodwill settlement" from PCNA. Cheers,

i've had extensive dealings with corbett head, none of them favorable. he used to be the service rep for the northeast region, then transferred to the west coast a couple of years ago. i have his cell phone number floating around somewhere, maybe i can dig it up for you. you can always call the PCNA office in atlanta and leave messages for him there. or you can talk to his boss, ......... damn, i can't remember his name! i have a letter with his name on it at home though, and also the name of the PCNA customer committment manager. corbett wouldn't do much for me and all of my problems until i sent a certified, return receipt letter to the president of PCNA. suddenly mr. head sent me a letter within a week, and copied the other two guys i mentioned on it. i'll see if i can dig up the info for you tonight, if you're interested.

oh, just realized i still have soft copies of the letters on my computer here at work! Corbett Head, District Service Manager Porsche Cars North America 980 Hammond Drive Suite 1000 Atlanta, GA 30328 and a couple other names you might want, though i'm not 100% sure they're still with PCNA: D. Martin, General Manager, Service, PCNA M. McMain, Manager, Customer Satisfaction, PCNA i'll have to see about corbett's cell phone number...

Thanks Teflon, Eric Patino service advisor at Beverly Hills Porsche just called back, he said Corbett Head has denied this claim. They have not even looked over the car yet, but they have denied any claim on my part to have this fixed at no charge. Its a recurring problem, and Porsche knows this. When asking why he said this all he could say is he issued a flat out denial, they arent prepared to do anything about it! He was trying to skirt the issue and not give me a number for him. The only telephone number they gave me is his voice message box [phone removed] xt:5644. This will probably not even get me a return phone call. Please have a look if you have the numbers, it will be a great help. At this point it's not a matter of money, I just want it fixed once and for all. By the way Erik said it's just going to happen again, it's just a plastic tank I guess the worst thing is to own a Porsche out of warranty.

well, i found corbett's cell phone number, but i'm not sure if it's still valid. i sent it to you in a pm. even though i didn't like the guy or his customer service, i'm not going to put his number out here for everybody!

Thanks Teflon!! Got the PM. I called the guy last night and this am and guess what no phone call back. Figures! I am picking up the car in a few hours and it will go to an independant to get repaired. I will then issue small claims against Porsche cars NA and Beverly Hills Porsche, no a judge will decide!! Thanks again for all the help. Steve

Check with the State AG office. With that number of repeat problems you might have their help???

Yeah, that's B.S.!!! I'am on my third coolant tank, as well. PORSCHE USA, I think next time it goes, I'll replace it with a aftermarket one.

Given the cost of repairs to Porsches, I chose to purchase an aftermarket extended warranty. Though it has not paid for itself yet, it did pay for an RMS & I have 70K miles yet to go on it!

you're welcome, best of luck resolving this. i'm glad to know the number still worked. i bet corbett is wondering where the heck you got it from...

The most important point made was by paneraiwatches. Do not own a 996 out of warrenty! I am currently chasing Steve Sabatini, who replaced Head in the Northeast. He denied my 99 with 29,000 miles wtih a cracked #2 cylinder. A new engine is going in on my nickel. So far. Pictures of the engine to be posted soon.