Hi everyone, apologies for the length of this post but I wanted to give readers the full context. I kind of need a little advice on what next steps I can take to put my mind at ease:
I'm new to the brand (and this club) and I purchased a 2019 registered, 992.1 Carrera 2 at the end of May 2024, with around 7000 miles recorded. From the first week, I wasn't convinced that it was driving right. It seemed to feel sluggish and heavy at low gears and I wasn't getting the typical experience that 911 owners recount of acceleration and smooth, responsive gear changes from the PDK (this is my first Porsche). I had also started to notice a high pitched chirping sound that was pretty much constant at any speed but most notable when driving slowly.
I took the car back to the OPC the week after I collected it to ask them about the sound and the driving experience. The sales-person who sold me the car rode along with me on a test drive and said that everything was normal, and that's just the way the car sounds and drives. He also said that the car was so sophisticated that if there was any issue, it would show up on the dashboard immediately. I took his word for it and drove home.
A few months and 4000 miles later, a warning appeared on my dashboard as I was driving home from work:
"Reduced Engine Power - Driving Permitted - Visit Workshop"
I didn't notice any change in power and luckily I was only around 10 mins away from my home so I parked it up in the drive and let the car rest for an hour or so. When I came back to it later and turned the engine over, the warning had disappeared. I was a little unsettled given that I had doubts from the first week of ownership. The following morning I called the OPC and the service centre said that the car needs to be looked at and that they couldn't book me in until November (around 2 months wait) but that I should call Porsche Assist instead, as the car was under the Porsche Approved Warranty. I did as they suggested and the technician came out the following day.
Upon his inspection, the car's log reported two failures with the radiator blinds and an electrical fault with the fuel injector on cylinder 6. He also noticed the chirping sound when turning the engine over and said that he'd not heard that before on a 911. In response to finding out about the fuel injector, he asked me if I had experienced any loss in power and I couldn't tell him that I had. The car had been driving the same since I bought it. He called the OPC and the car was booked in for the following day.
The next day, I dropped the car off at the OPC service centre and picked it up around two weeks later. It drives completely differently. It's an absolute joy and I'm that much happier for it. It's like a different car entirely.
This whole experience so far has left me a little conflicted and worried about the car.
On a positive note, I really value that the service centre in conjunction with Porsche Assist and the Porsche Approved Warranty that came with the car, were able to sort out a repair a couple of weeks and in that time I was provided with a courtesy car from Enterprise to keep me on the road. On balance, this was a really good service experience. It was disappointing that it had to happen in the first place but credit where credit's due, the team at OPC service did a great job fitting in the repair despite being so busy.
However, on the negative side, I've lost a lot of confidence in the Porsche Approved sales service. I'm concerned that this car was sold to me without the 111 point inspection being carried out thoroughly. This was described to me by the sales person as a completely thorough inspection and part of the reason why buying approved-used from Porsche is worth the premium.
I guess I need a little advice from experienced Porsche owners:
If you've read this far, thank you very much! I was hoping my first post on the forum when I joined would be more fun, but nevertheless, I'm so thankful that this community exists as I wouldn't really know who else to turn to for some help.
I'm new to the brand (and this club) and I purchased a 2019 registered, 992.1 Carrera 2 at the end of May 2024, with around 7000 miles recorded. From the first week, I wasn't convinced that it was driving right. It seemed to feel sluggish and heavy at low gears and I wasn't getting the typical experience that 911 owners recount of acceleration and smooth, responsive gear changes from the PDK (this is my first Porsche). I had also started to notice a high pitched chirping sound that was pretty much constant at any speed but most notable when driving slowly.
I took the car back to the OPC the week after I collected it to ask them about the sound and the driving experience. The sales-person who sold me the car rode along with me on a test drive and said that everything was normal, and that's just the way the car sounds and drives. He also said that the car was so sophisticated that if there was any issue, it would show up on the dashboard immediately. I took his word for it and drove home.
A few months and 4000 miles later, a warning appeared on my dashboard as I was driving home from work:
"Reduced Engine Power - Driving Permitted - Visit Workshop"
I didn't notice any change in power and luckily I was only around 10 mins away from my home so I parked it up in the drive and let the car rest for an hour or so. When I came back to it later and turned the engine over, the warning had disappeared. I was a little unsettled given that I had doubts from the first week of ownership. The following morning I called the OPC and the service centre said that the car needs to be looked at and that they couldn't book me in until November (around 2 months wait) but that I should call Porsche Assist instead, as the car was under the Porsche Approved Warranty. I did as they suggested and the technician came out the following day.
Upon his inspection, the car's log reported two failures with the radiator blinds and an electrical fault with the fuel injector on cylinder 6. He also noticed the chirping sound when turning the engine over and said that he'd not heard that before on a 911. In response to finding out about the fuel injector, he asked me if I had experienced any loss in power and I couldn't tell him that I had. The car had been driving the same since I bought it. He called the OPC and the car was booked in for the following day.
The next day, I dropped the car off at the OPC service centre and picked it up around two weeks later. It drives completely differently. It's an absolute joy and I'm that much happier for it. It's like a different car entirely.
This whole experience so far has left me a little conflicted and worried about the car.
On a positive note, I really value that the service centre in conjunction with Porsche Assist and the Porsche Approved Warranty that came with the car, were able to sort out a repair a couple of weeks and in that time I was provided with a courtesy car from Enterprise to keep me on the road. On balance, this was a really good service experience. It was disappointing that it had to happen in the first place but credit where credit's due, the team at OPC service did a great job fitting in the repair despite being so busy.
However, on the negative side, I've lost a lot of confidence in the Porsche Approved sales service. I'm concerned that this car was sold to me without the 111 point inspection being carried out thoroughly. This was described to me by the sales person as a completely thorough inspection and part of the reason why buying approved-used from Porsche is worth the premium.
I guess I need a little advice from experienced Porsche owners:
- Is it possible that I could have caused lasting damage to the car by driving it for a few thousand miles (not counting the miles that the previous owner may have driven) when the car was clearly experiencing some form of failure?
- Additionally, it doesn't bode well for the car's diagnostic systems that it diagnosed a fault correctly, showed the warning, and then the warning disappeared when I switched the car off and on again. Could I potentially find myself in a situation in the future where another silent failure occurs?
- In my area, there are around 3 independent Porsche service specialists and I'm wondering whether it's worth taking the car there for them to check it over - would that cost be advisable or should I be raising these concerns with OPC or Porsche directly and taking it up with them?
If you've read this far, thank you very much! I was hoping my first post on the forum when I joined would be more fun, but nevertheless, I'm so thankful that this community exists as I wouldn't really know who else to turn to for some help.
.
