Macan breakdown

[dpoynton]

Away on a golfing holiday on Fylde coast, driving along at 30mph, yes that's true officer, heard audible warning, engine cut out, all warning lights came on, put car into neutral and managed to coast to a safe hault on a service road in an urban area.

Electrical smell present, smoke from one of four exhaust pipes seen.

AA, on behalf of Porsche Assistance, arrived promptly, had a look, decided matter was beyond them.

Local contractor put car on back of truck and went off to nearest PC (Bolton).

Enterprise supplied Kia Sorrento, as a stop gap - welcome, but not needed, BMW estate due to arrive early this evening.

But was is the problem? Watch this space.

David

 

[dpoynton]

Turns out that my car is very, very poorly.

PC Bolton have spent three hours on the car and expect to need at least three hours more. They currently (May 26th, 5pm) believe that there may be some serious underlying issues with the engine.

Maybe I should have gone for the diesel version after all.

[]

David

PA, via Enterprise, has provided me with an XC60 Volvo, compared to Macan, it's very sloppy, light, and it wallows around! But it works!

 

[spook]

Sorry to read about your woes David but hope you get it sorted without to much inconvenience. Obviously I'm keen to learn what the problem is but meanwhile it is also interesting for you to try an alternative offering from another manufacturer and compare!
Regards,
Mike Allen
Macan Register Secretary
-------------------------------------------
2015 Macan S Diesel - Impulse Red
2014 991 GT3 - Guards Red

 

[dpoynton]

Can I start this update by making a plea that we keep the detail on this forum and do not tell all and sundry about it by putting links on, or copying to, other sites. A lot of people who don't own a Porsche will take great delight in hearing of these problems which appear, at least for now, to be very rare.

I spoke with PC Bolton a few minutes ago.

Having run diagnostic checks they have now taken the sump off and inspected the engine. They have found anti-freeze in the engine oil (I am not an engineer so don't appreciate the importance of this) and the engine itself has seized (which I do understand!). PC Bolton is now waiting for Porsche AG to confirm if a new engine is to be fitted. Should hear more within 24 hrs.

PCB has confirmed that they; (i) know that I've maintained the car correctly and (ii) have not come across this problem before. They believe that the engine is substantially the same as that previously used in the Panamera with a few tweaks to the head.

I should say that I am very pleased with the service I have received to date from all concerned.

David
[FONT=calibri"]

 

[Lancerlot]

So sorry to hear the problems with your pride and joy, David.

Coolant in the oil might indicate a faulty gasket, 'O' ring or porous/damaged cylinder head/block. A seized engine is certainly a major failure and will require a complete overhaul and rebuild. No doubt recoverable engine components will be reused alongside new and precision re-engineering will be required to reclaim the main constituent parts.

In the circumstances, I would press for a new replacement engine rather than a repaired unit, even if some payment to acknowledge betterment is required - although it would be harsh to expect you to pay anything at all in view of the great inconvenience you have been caused.
Regards,

Clive

 

[dpoynton]

Clive

Thanks for your thoughts. Whilst I appreciate and understand the concept of betterment, it's not of my making, it's during a warranty period and I didn't ask for a new engine to be required. I don't think that GT3 owners had to make a payment three years ago and this concept has not been mentioned by PCB.

I will see what happens and will certainly be seeking a new, rather than a re-machined, engine if that is what is required.

A Daily Mail quote from March 2014 on the GT3 issue stated that; "A Porsche UK spokesman said (that): ‘As far as .................. Porsche is concerned, we don't put a price on our ..... engineering reputation.’"


I hope I don't have to remind them of that.

David

 

[tscaptain]

Seems very unlikely that they would try to repair the seized engine and much more likely that they will ship in a new one and attach the ancillaries. I suspect Porsche HQ may like to take a close look at what has gone wrong....

 

[drcarrera]

Sorry of hear of your plight.
Out of interest, how many miles has it done?

 

[dpoynton]

The car was bought new in October 2014, so it's now 31 months old, and has just under 18,000 miles on the clock. Had its minor service at PC Nottingham in October 2016.

 

[vitesse]

I imagine economics come into play-far more cost effective to fit a short engine plus existing ancillaries than to strip,correct unknown seizure problem,fit new parts &rebuild engine at OPC plus Porsche get the problem engine back for investigations.

 

[StephenJW]

David,
Sorry to hear of the Macau's engine problems, hope that it's soon sorted.
Why not take the Boxster for a spin to restore your faith?

 

[dpoynton]

So, latest news.

Bolton PC staff have stripped the engine and found that a valve (costing £57) has broken and dropped, the piston has smacked into it, the con rod is bent and this has caused a lot of damage inside the engine, I do not have any more detail.

PCB have now sent their findings to Stuttgart and expect a response within 24 hours. Expected outcome is to repair(!!) or replace the engine. They say that only one cylinder bank is affected and that everything else is ok, hence, in theory, a repair is possible.

"Don't worry which it is Sir, it's all under warranty". [&:]

 

[tscaptain]

If the con rod is bent I doubt it did the crankshaft much good either....I think if they offer repair I would want to know exactly what they intended to carry out.

 

[Dick Dastardly]

David,

Sorry to hear about the problems, given the serious nature of the problem and damage to the engine I would not be happy with a repair to one cylinder bank. Although these things are not common in modern engines it would lead me to think that If one valve is defective the fault could be repeated on the other bank of cylinders.
If it is repaired then you are always going to be thinking will the car let me down again?
Possibly worth speaking to PC Nottingham if Stuttgart comes back with a proposal to repair only. It will be interesting to see whether the service lives up to the Porsche branding and marketing hype. It is only when things go wrong that you really find out how good the after sales service is.
Hope you end up with a good result to make up for the hassle.

Neil

 

[dpoynton]

Well, as we know, it is only when you have an experience like this that you find out how good a company is.

PC Bolton has today told me that PAG Stuttgart has authorised the fitment of a new engine (at a cost to PAG of £17k) which is to be shipped from Leipzig to Bolton by Tuesday with the target date for me to have the car back being Friday 16th (which would be 23 days in all).

The right outcome (!) and the timescales are understandable. My faith has been restored. []

The failed engine is to be shipped back to Leipzig for further investigation.

David

 

[vitesse]

Correct result ,David-nothing else would be sensible given the damage.

 

[tscaptain]

Seems very unlikely that they would try to repair the seized engine and much more likely that they will ship in a new one and attach the ancillaries. I suspect Porsche HQ may like to take a close look at what has gone wrong....

Yay, I win! Good outcome as well as the only reasonable one, David.

 

[Peter_Bull]

Great outcome. PC Bolton have always served me well, so good luck for a happy ending.

 

[dpoynton]

If you find yourself becoming complacent about your Porsche here's what to do. Lock it away for four weeks and then go drive it!

The Macan arrived back home last Wednesday, 28 days after it broke down, on the back of an AA liveried truck; to the amusement of the locals []if not me. [][]

Fantastic. Four weeks in a Volvo XC60 and I remember why I bought a Macan. Service from all involved was very good.

Normal service has been resumed.

New engine number of course, but apparently there will be a new chassis number too.

David

 

[vitesse]

Great result -now time to regain your confidence-did you get a 3 yr warranty on the new engine.