997 Warranty Issue - Page 1 - 911/Carrera GT - PistonHeads UK

Good afternoon Gents, I'm wondering if anybody has come across this problem before or if they can point me in the right direction? Last year I purchased a 2011 997 2S PDK, that had only done 17k miles. I purchased it from a (reputable) Trader, who in turn had purchased from the guy who had owned it from new. The car drove perfectly and was in fantastic condition. However, at the end of last year, I received a good offer for the car from somebody I knew in New Zealand, so I said my goodbyes to the car and shipped it over to him. Just before the car left me I noticed a small rattling noise, when I feathered the throttle. It sounded a bit like a heat shield had come a little bit lose, or one of the baffles in a silencer was lose. It was only the tiniest of sounds and I didn't think much of it. When the guy collected the car in New Zealand he took it into Porsche to find out where the noise was coming from and they told him that it is coming from the Gearbox. They also told him that, that their protocol for PDK Gearboxes is, that regardless of what the problem is, the whole Gearbox has to be changed. I checked the warranty situation before I sold him the car and Porsche's 3 year warranty is a Worldwide Warranty. However, when he put the warranty claim through, they told him that it is void, because the guy I bought the car from in the UK was a Trader and his New Zealand import agent was a Trader - Apparently a Porsche warranty is not transferable through the trade. In short, I am facing a £6k Bill for a replacement Gearbox (not including labour). I was wondering; Has anybody heard of PDK Gearbox issues, after so few miles? Does anybody know anybody within the Porsche Warranty Department or suggest anything that I can say to them? (I have spoken to Customer Services in Reading who have been pretty unhelpful) Would Porsche be concerned about a Gearbox failing so early and would they be willing to do something about it, under goodwill? Any feedback or suggestions about this would be gratefully received. Many thanks in advance. Richard

I assume you talk about settling the £6K bill because you are being a good mate. Otherwise, why would you do that? With regard to the warranty, I think you and your mate have come unstuck because the 3rd year warranty "sold" in the UK is not backed by the manufacturer. It is the same as the extended warranty scheme, and as such is insurance backed. This issue came up a few weeks ago on the Porsche GB Club site with regard to getting an independent to replace pads and discs on a car between 2 and 3 years old. As you are not the original purchaser of the car I think a SOGA complaint to Porsche UK will fail. Leaving aside the fact the car is now in New Zealand with yet another owner. What does the SOGA equivalent in NZ say? You could try the goodwill angle with Porsche, but again I can't see the GB office wanting to know. Same with the NZ head office. So you are really left with the Porsche AG HQ to contact and lay it on thick that a PDK should not fail at such a low mileage.

Try discussing it with the reputable trader you bought it off. That and try Porsche for a contribution. It's rare for the PDK box to go, but does happen.

Cheers for the replies. uknick, I think your right about the 3rd year warranty part. I always thought 3 year warranties on cars in the UK were a given, but it seems that Porsche have found a way of swerving it. He tried speaking to Porsche NZ, but he struggled on the basis that their market over there is so small and he imported the car. Does anyone have experience of trying to deal with Porsche AG on this kind of thing? Magic, I tried speaking with the Trader but he wasn't willing to help at all. I'm sure he was holding 2 fingers up, whilst talking to me on the phone! I have a strong feeling that somebody somewhere in Porsche would authorize a contribution towards the Gearbox (surely its not good publicity that their gearboxes go wrong after 17k miles), but I just don't know how to find that person or what to tell them.

Rich D said: Cheers for the replies. uknick, I think your right about the 3rd year warranty part. I always thought 3 year warranties on cars in the UK were a given, but it seems that Porsche have found a way of swerving it. He tried speaking to Porsche NZ, but he struggled on the basis that their market over there is so small and he imported the car. Does anyone have experience of trying to deal with Porsche AG on this kind of thing? Magic, I tried speaking with the Trader but he wasn't willing to help at all. I'm sure he was holding 2 fingers up, whilst talking to me on the phone! I have a strong feeling that somebody somewhere in Porsche would authorize a contribution towards the Gearbox (surely its not good publicity that their gearboxes go wrong after 17k miles), but I just don't know how to find that person or what to tell them. if it happens rarely they won't contribute as they will lay the blame on you IMHO, a known fault may have some goodwill, you need to speak to the Indy's to see if there is a cheaper work around as will your friend

FWIW I don't think other manufacturers' 3rd year warranties are much different and are often specific to the country they're taken out in, or maybe for the whole of the EU (for UK). For example, an Audi comes with a 3 year warranty which is 2 years unlimited mileage and then a 60,000 limit applies - so if you want your warranty to continue for the third year and the car's at 60k or more after 2 years and 364 days (or is older and about to hit 60k) then you have to opt to pay an additional premium. I think this is because the third year is actually backed by Audi UK (who are scared of high mileage cars it seems). BMW used to be similar but their third year is now unlimited mileage too, so it's much more seamless. I don't think either of them have the trader exclusion on the original 3 years cover either, although they do have it on their extended policies.