Several weeks ago I noticed whilst on holiday that the air conditioning was not working(why does this always happen on the warmest week of the year!). I therefore contacted my local PC who said 7 weeks to look at it. I assumed it would be something simple as car is only a bit more than 2 years old so contacted another local dealer who were able to book it in 2 weeks. Initially the service department suggested it might need re-gassing £200, I thought this unlikely for a car of this age.
Later in the day I got a phone call to say that both condensers had failed so naturally said what about the warranty ?
Dealer said probably not covered by the warranty but would check with Porsche GB, a few days later they said not covered cost £1400.
I then asked them to contact Porsche GB to see if they would make a contribution as I found it hard to believe that both condensers would have failed on a car of this age.
I then asked to see the car up on the ramps to inspect the damage. I was expecting to see some damage to the condensers.The only thing that was evident were a large number of dead flies. The technician then showed me some staining on the fins of both condensers which they said indicated leakage. I asked the cause of this and was advised that it was probably stone damage but that this was often difficult to see due to the fins on the condenser. I then asked how the condensers were protected from stone damage( which of course they aren’t) just to see what they would say. They said it was an unusual occurrence and basically bad luck and it was deemed to be ‘outside influence’.
I mentioned that the GT cars had protective grilles so why not the other 911 models.
I then had an off the record conversation with the technician who told me this was a known issue and his own Boxster was fitted with Zunsport grilles.
I then went back to the dealer and said I thought that the more likely explanation would be a failure in the components as there was no evidence of stone damage as one would expect.
The dealer was aware that I was a club member but in the end I had to ask for a 10% discount which they gave.
There was various conversations between me and the dealer as they shuttled back and forth with Porsche GB and eventually they agreed to contribute the princely sum of £258!
Whilst this was going on I was aware that another club member had a similar experience when both condensers had gone at the 2 year period. In this case they were given a 50% contribution.
I then spoke to a lady in the Porsche GB warranty department outlined the facts as above but she would not budge as the dealer had informed them that it was in their opinion due to ‘outside influence’.
I then had to decide where to go with this. A number of weeks had gone by and I had cancelled trips with the car and spent time in a battle with the dealer and Porsche GB but still left with the prospect of being £1,000 out of pocket plus all the hassle getting lifts to and from the dealer due to lack of courtesy cars.
I thought about selling the car and was pleasantly surprised by the strong secondhand prices.
In the end I had to get the work done if only to make it saleable so went ahead and booked it in but stipulated that I wanted to have the condensers so I could inspect them.
The following day to my surprise I had a phone call from the dealer to say that both condensers were to be replaced under warranty as they had been unable to establish any damage to the cooling fins/condensers.I did have to say that I had been saying that for weeks.
Sorry this is a bit lengthy but I thought it would be useful to make other members aware that there may be a potential issue with the condensers. It may be an isolated issue but still an expensive one. Time will tell.
I don’t think that stone damage caused the failure in this instance but have invested in Zunsport grilles( using club discount), as the condensers have almost no protection.Just a terrible design that could be solved by a cheap factory fit grille.
Although it turned out OK in the end I am still left with a nagging doubt that had I not inspected the condensers on the ramp and insisted on seeing them after replacement and not had the tenacity to fight the case I would have been £1,000 out of pocket.
The experience with Porsche GB left a sour taste and doubts about the value of the warranty and the brand.
Cynically I think there is more in it for the dealer if the customer pays as I am sure that Porsche GB don’t pay £150+VAT for labour on warranty claims.
Still I can at least enjoy the car as the weather breaks to the sound of rain !
Neil
Later in the day I got a phone call to say that both condensers had failed so naturally said what about the warranty ?
Dealer said probably not covered by the warranty but would check with Porsche GB, a few days later they said not covered cost £1400.
I then asked them to contact Porsche GB to see if they would make a contribution as I found it hard to believe that both condensers would have failed on a car of this age.
I then asked to see the car up on the ramps to inspect the damage. I was expecting to see some damage to the condensers.The only thing that was evident were a large number of dead flies. The technician then showed me some staining on the fins of both condensers which they said indicated leakage. I asked the cause of this and was advised that it was probably stone damage but that this was often difficult to see due to the fins on the condenser. I then asked how the condensers were protected from stone damage( which of course they aren’t) just to see what they would say. They said it was an unusual occurrence and basically bad luck and it was deemed to be ‘outside influence’.
I mentioned that the GT cars had protective grilles so why not the other 911 models.
I then had an off the record conversation with the technician who told me this was a known issue and his own Boxster was fitted with Zunsport grilles.
I then went back to the dealer and said I thought that the more likely explanation would be a failure in the components as there was no evidence of stone damage as one would expect.
The dealer was aware that I was a club member but in the end I had to ask for a 10% discount which they gave.
There was various conversations between me and the dealer as they shuttled back and forth with Porsche GB and eventually they agreed to contribute the princely sum of £258!
Whilst this was going on I was aware that another club member had a similar experience when both condensers had gone at the 2 year period. In this case they were given a 50% contribution.
I then spoke to a lady in the Porsche GB warranty department outlined the facts as above but she would not budge as the dealer had informed them that it was in their opinion due to ‘outside influence’.
I then had to decide where to go with this. A number of weeks had gone by and I had cancelled trips with the car and spent time in a battle with the dealer and Porsche GB but still left with the prospect of being £1,000 out of pocket plus all the hassle getting lifts to and from the dealer due to lack of courtesy cars.
I thought about selling the car and was pleasantly surprised by the strong secondhand prices.
In the end I had to get the work done if only to make it saleable so went ahead and booked it in but stipulated that I wanted to have the condensers so I could inspect them.
The following day to my surprise I had a phone call from the dealer to say that both condensers were to be replaced under warranty as they had been unable to establish any damage to the cooling fins/condensers.I did have to say that I had been saying that for weeks.
Sorry this is a bit lengthy but I thought it would be useful to make other members aware that there may be a potential issue with the condensers. It may be an isolated issue but still an expensive one. Time will tell.
I don’t think that stone damage caused the failure in this instance but have invested in Zunsport grilles( using club discount), as the condensers have almost no protection.Just a terrible design that could be solved by a cheap factory fit grille.
Although it turned out OK in the end I am still left with a nagging doubt that had I not inspected the condensers on the ramp and insisted on seeing them after replacement and not had the tenacity to fight the case I would have been £1,000 out of pocket.
The experience with Porsche GB left a sour taste and doubts about the value of the warranty and the brand.
Cynically I think there is more in it for the dealer if the customer pays as I am sure that Porsche GB don’t pay £150+VAT for labour on warranty claims.
Still I can at least enjoy the car as the weather breaks to the sound of rain !
Neil
