Porsche Servicing and Exhaust

[nicmerr]

Hi,

I have recently had my 911 C2 into Porsche for a check on the battery as it wasn't holding the charge.
Whilst it was in the service department have come back and said, that the battery needs replacing (fair enough)but also that there is an issue with the exhaust. Specifically the have said:

"Exhaust silencer bracket broken and exhaust manifold is leaking (MOT FAILURE), Exhaust also rattles. Exhaust nuts and bolts have corroded and broken off. Price: £1570.24 inc reduced to £1400.00 inc."

Now what surprises me, is

1) the lack of detail to describe the problem
2) the breakdown of the costs (what am I getting for that money)
3) the fact this has happened in the first place as the car isn’t much more than 5 years old!

I only purchased the car direct from Porsche 18 months ago. The car is under extended warranty, and was checked both at delivery (although you didn’t initially include the Sat Nav DVD - with should have been caught in the PDI check). In addition the car only had an MOT in Nov where no issues or concerns where raised. As such I find it incredible that I am now facing this size of bill. I would expect that this problem, or hint of it, should have been picked up when the car was sold or at the very least at the last MOT-adding to the above the facts that the car is garaged for 95% of the time and has done <5000 in a year it is shocking this corrosion/failure can happen!

Please can some one advise on the above, does the cost sound reasonable? what other options do I have? other than not paying :-)

Thanks in advance.

Nic

[stevod]

^say all of that to them?

[mrdemon]

makes you wonder what "extended warranty" is and what is covered ?

I thought after the change a few years back & price increase and the strict warranty issues to get one, the new one is a bumper to bumper warranty now.

I would expect a Manafold to be covered. or are we just buying warranty at 1k a year these days as engine insurance ?

[MrC986]

The exhaust components are notoriously poor in my experience and my pet 'techie' advises that every 20k mile service interval car driven daily will most likely need the clamps etc cut off when it comes to service if the exhaust requires removal for whatever reason. I suggest you find yourself a good indie for the exhaust work and get them to provide the receipts for the OPC sourced parts they use - the clamps are about £30 each if I recall, before discount. Exhaust box brackets can also be welded if you have a good garage. Good luck

[nicmerr]

Thanks-I have replied to Porsche saying the above, no reply as yet.

[nicmerr]

What I am picking up though is that the cost from Porsche service is high!
I am getting them to change the battery and the Scavenger pump (apparently covered under warranty)-I am then taking to a trusted mechanic friend with Porsche experience.

My biggest issue with the Porsche centre is the lack of detail and the assumption that I will just pay! Amazing that an exhaust can corrode in less than 12 months with so little usage.

Thanks for the feedback to date.

Nic

[Callughan]

Exhaust nuts and bolts would be around £400 at OPC.

[Rockster]

nicmerr said:

What I am picking up though is that the cost from Porsche service is high!
I am getting them to change the battery and the Scavenger pump (apparently covered under warranty)-I am then taking to a trusted mechanic friend with Porsche experience.

My biggest issue with the Porsche centre is the lack of detail and the assumption that I will just pay! Amazing that an exhaust can corrode in less than 12 months with so little usage.

Thanks for the feedback to date.

Nic

The exhaust components didn't corrode in less than 12 months. They have been corroding since the car was put into service, assuming those are the original exhaust components.

When the car was inspected when you bought it was the components were not showing obvious signs of needing attention. They were probably severely corroded though and your inspection of that by the PPI should have noted this and tried for some adjustment to the price to account for this.

It is the same with exhaust components as with tires, or brakes. While the items mentioned may not need attention right then and there unless they are brand new you have to accept they will not have the same life as new items. They, like the rest of the car, are used.

Not to beat this to death but in some regions exhaust brackets/hardware are wear items or more accurately in this case subject to degradation due to corrosion.

As a result these items have to be replaced periodically. You I believe overlooked this or were not aware of it when you bought the car.

[nicmerr]

Thanks Rockstar. I take the point. Maybe I was naive to assume that Porsche would have checked and replaced any parts needing attention prior to granting an extended warranty as per their 120 point check.

My point is not so much the cost, but the fact Porsche uk dealer sold me a car that they must have known had this potential issue, because as you say it had been corroding since it left the factory!

I am being told now that it is just one exhaust and it is a replacement Exhaust pipe including changeover valve @ £854.19 + vat and a labour charge of £420+vat

Anyone know if there are other options for sourcing genuine parts?

Thanks all.

[Callughan]

nicmerr said:

Thanks Rockstar. I take the point. Maybe I was naive to assume that Porsche would have checked and replaced any parts needing attention prior to granting an extended warranty as per their 120 point check.

My point is not so much the cost, but the fact Porsche uk dealer sold me a car that they must have known had this potential issue, because as you say it had been corroding since it left the factory!

I am being told now that it is just one exhaust and it is a replacement Exhaust pipe including changeover valve @ £854.19 + vat and a labour charge of £420+vat

Anyone know if there are other options for sourcing genuine parts?

Thanks all.

They tend to corrode quicker if car always parked outside. When I fitted my PSE on the 996 the fixings needed replacing after 2 years.

[Rockster]

nicmerr said:

Thanks Rockstar. I take the point. Maybe I was naive to assume that Porsche would have checked and replaced any parts needing attention prior to granting an extended warranty as per their 120 point check.

My point is not so much the cost, but the fact Porsche uk dealer sold me a car that they must have known had this potential issue, because as you say it had been corroding since it left the factory!

I am being told now that it is just one exhaust and it is a replacement Exhaust pipe including changeover valve @ £854.19 + vat and a labour charge of £420+vat

Anyone know if there are other options for sourcing genuine parts?

Thanks all.

Well, maybe I didn't make myself clear. When Porsche checked the car while the parts were corroded none had failed.

Porsche does not recondition these cars prior to sale.

Porsche only works to ensure the cars are safe, road worthy, everything works, and not in need of say new tires due to age or wear, new brakes because they are clearly shot, etc.

In some cases -- in one particular case brakes -- this means the brake wear warning light is not on and the brake hardware shows no signs of any issues.

In this case I speak of the owner bought the car drove it a couple of thousands of miles (some mountain road driving so we can imagine the usage the brakes received) and then there wear light came on. He was upset. But he was I think wrong. He didn't buy a new car, he bought a used one. He should have noted the brakes only had a few thousand miles of wear left and adjusted his offer accordingly or made the brakes being renewed as part of the bargain.

The dealer though relented and did the brakes if not for free at a considerable discount from its usual price as goodwill.

I think you seem to believe used means new when it obviously doesn't. A used car can have something go wrong at anytime.

Your job when looking over a used car is to make sure it has nothing wrong with it before you buy it: Like a leaking water pump.

And to note anything that looks to be a problem in the near future. Like tires. Or in this case like the exhaust hardware.

You can buy Porsche parts from a number of other sources other than the local dealer. Pick up an issue of any one of the several (3 at last count) indy Porsche mags published in the UK and scan the pages for ads by companies in your area offering parts for these cars.

[nicmerr]

Thanks Rockstar and others. I take your point and noted.
Appreciate all the feedback.