Satin platinum wheels. Chips galore!
Discussion
Hey one and all.
Has anyone else had a problem with the durability of satin paint finish on the 20” Carrara S wheels?
I’ve done 500 miles on mine, not been near any asphalt or ‘bad’ roads, yet my wheels are peppered with stone chips! Had two big ones day. I’m wondering how durable the OB5 satin paint finish is...
Be interested in others experience, before I contact my OPC.
Has anyone else had a problem with the durability of satin paint finish on the 20” Carrara S wheels?
I’ve done 500 miles on mine, not been near any asphalt or ‘bad’ roads, yet my wheels are peppered with stone chips! Had two big ones day. I’m wondering how durable the OB5 satin paint finish is...
Be interested in others experience, before I contact my OPC.
Ollie1977 said:
Hey one and all.
Has anyone else had a problem with the durability of satin paint finish on the 20” Carrara S wheels?
I’ve done 500 miles on mine, not been near any asphalt or ‘bad’ roads, yet my wheels are peppered with stone chips! Had two big ones day. I’m wondering how durable the OB5 satin paint finish is...
Be interested in others experience, before I contact my OPC.
Sounds like a straightforward Warranty claim.Has anyone else had a problem with the durability of satin paint finish on the 20” Carrara S wheels?
I’ve done 500 miles on mine, not been near any asphalt or ‘bad’ roads, yet my wheels are peppered with stone chips! Had two big ones day. I’m wondering how durable the OB5 satin paint finish is...
Be interested in others experience, before I contact my OPC.
Ah... my specialist subject...
I bought my May 2014 981 Cayman privately in Nov'15 at 13k miles. Asked the seller to put it through the 111 point check. All fine.
Washed it for the first time 4 weeks later, Dec 2015. Noticed 100's of micro stone-chips on the outer leading edge of every spoke on each of the Satin Platinum Carrera S wheels...
Contacted my local OPC with a warranty claim. They said: "I have had a looked at the wheels and I believe this is not a warranty issue; the stone chips are caused by an outside influence."
I escalated to PGB who said: "This matter has already been investigated when Porsche centre Sutton Coldfield brought it to my attention. This matter is not covered under warranty as it is seen as a cosmetic issue and is an outside influence, which is outside of Porsche's control. This I believe has been explained to you by the Centre following my investigation.
I was also informed that you had recently bought the vehicle privately and had brought this matter to the centre for assistance. At the time of your purchase this pitting would have been apparent as pitting does not happen within a short time span, therefore, build up over time. Nevertheless, this information was a contributing factor for the decision not to offer a gesture of goodwill.
I am sorry my response may be met with disappointment, however, the decision made by Porsche is final and will remain unchanged."
I replied:
"Please answer me the following:
1/ Do you have an explanation as to why this issue has occurred only on my Cayman wheels and not on any other wheel on any car I have owned in 38 years?
2/ Do you have an explanation as to why so many Porsche owners report the identical issue with the same model wheel?
3/ The pitting was not apparent until I washed the car. As you say, I have no doubt it was there on 6th November when I bought it.
So, if there was an engine issue, one covered by your warranty, on the day I had bought the car, would you be saying this too is not covered? In other words, what does it matter if ownership changes whilst a fault occurs?
4/ Why does Porsche so easily dismiss a warranty claim when they have not even asked to inspect the vehicle/wheels?
5/ In preparing the car prior to its sale on 13th December 2014 to Mr Anderson, had Reading OPC refurbished the wheels in any way? If so, why were they refurbished?
6/ I paid for Reading OPC to carry out a pre-purchase 111 point check on 5th November. It confirmed "wheels" and "paint" were "OK". Why was this when, as you say, the damage would have been apparent?
7/ If this had been a car Reading OPC were preparing for sale in November 2015, at the point they carried out an inspection of the wheels, as they did for me, would they have considered the wheel damage acceptable for re-sale or would they have had the wheels refurbished pre-sale? In other words, do you have one standard for checking damage on cars you are about to put up for sale and another, lower, standard when taking money from prospective customers who seek some professional reassurance via a 111 point check that the car they are about to buy comes up to Porsche's own standards?
I look forward to your responses. Once I have these I shall further consider taking Porsche UK to task in the small claims court for the full replacement cost of a set of Carrera S Platinum wheels. Could you please advise the full company name and address for service of legal documents in this respect?"
PGB responded:
"I have reviewed your comments and questions and I am now in a position to respond, please see the clarifications below.
Stone pitting can occur at any point in any vehicle's lifetime, and in many instances. This is outside of Porsche's control and we are unable to pass comment as to why this has not occurred on your other vehicles. What you are experiencing is not a known issue or a defect.
The Porsche Warranty is applied to the vehicle and not the owner. Any repair required to the vehicle, which is afforded under the terms and condition of the warranty, will result in no cost to the customer. As such, owing to the stone pitting being due to an outside influence, this is not covered under the warranty.
Having looked on our system, there is no log that repairs have been carried out on the wheels or alloys by a Porsche Centre. If you feel that this is not the case, I can only recommend that you contact Porsche Centre Reading to discuss it further. Should you require it, their contact number is 0118 930 3911
The 111 point check is for the mechanical items which would be covered by a warranty. As wheels are not classed as mechanical and are deemed as cosmetic, they are not afforded under the warranty.
Any vehicle sold within the Porsche network, New or Used, undertakes a strict procedure by means of a complete vehicle check, and if there are any issues, these are rectified prior to the sale of the vehicle.
I trust the above with appease any concerns you may have had with the pitting on your vehicle and I hope you can also understand Porsche's position. Further to this, the desision made by Porsche remains unchanged."
I replied (short version!):
"Question: If wheels are purely cosmetic, and the 111 point check is for mechanical items only, why are the wheels checked for damage during the 111 point check? See attached copy from my 111 point check from 5 Nov 14.
Question: If this pre-sale complete vehicle check would have resulted in stone chips such as those on my wheels being rectified prior to sale, and you now accept that wheels are inspected and reported on in the 111 point check, which surely you must as I have attached a copy showing this to be true, why is it that the 111 point check I paid for did not report to me the fact that the wheels were damaged?
In other words, you say Porsche would have pointed out such a defect to itself for rectification but not to a customer paying for a similar overview of a car's condition prior to purchase?
Is the customer paying for a 111 point check of lesser importance than the customer paying for a used car?
Your answer only inflames my anger at how Porsche deal with an obvious quality issue by trying to brush me, the customer, away. I await your response to my further questions with interest."
PGB then phoned me, backed down, agreed to refund the 111 point check fee and add a "goodwill gesture" on top toward the refurb.
£350 total. I tried for more, they refused, I settled.
At PGB I dealt with:
Charlotte Gorsuch
Customer Assistance Advisor
Porsche Cars Great Britain Ltd
Telephone: 0118 9191744
Email: customer.assistance@porsche.co.uk
She may have moved on of course, or you might fare better with someone else even though she's aware of the issue.
Strangely the wheels don't seem to have deteriorated further in another 28k miles?? Maybe there are more stones on Reading streets? Maybe the paint was still soft when the car was first driven? Maybe it was a PEC track car, although I wouldn't have thought there are too many stones at the PEC, and it shows no signs of abuse otherwise. It had been a Porsche Reading car for its first 6 months. When they get worse I'll get them re-painted. For now, there's some money banked toward that day.
Hope that helps!
I bought my May 2014 981 Cayman privately in Nov'15 at 13k miles. Asked the seller to put it through the 111 point check. All fine.
Washed it for the first time 4 weeks later, Dec 2015. Noticed 100's of micro stone-chips on the outer leading edge of every spoke on each of the Satin Platinum Carrera S wheels...
Contacted my local OPC with a warranty claim. They said: "I have had a looked at the wheels and I believe this is not a warranty issue; the stone chips are caused by an outside influence."
I escalated to PGB who said: "This matter has already been investigated when Porsche centre Sutton Coldfield brought it to my attention. This matter is not covered under warranty as it is seen as a cosmetic issue and is an outside influence, which is outside of Porsche's control. This I believe has been explained to you by the Centre following my investigation.
I was also informed that you had recently bought the vehicle privately and had brought this matter to the centre for assistance. At the time of your purchase this pitting would have been apparent as pitting does not happen within a short time span, therefore, build up over time. Nevertheless, this information was a contributing factor for the decision not to offer a gesture of goodwill.
I am sorry my response may be met with disappointment, however, the decision made by Porsche is final and will remain unchanged."
I replied:
"Please answer me the following:
1/ Do you have an explanation as to why this issue has occurred only on my Cayman wheels and not on any other wheel on any car I have owned in 38 years?
2/ Do you have an explanation as to why so many Porsche owners report the identical issue with the same model wheel?
3/ The pitting was not apparent until I washed the car. As you say, I have no doubt it was there on 6th November when I bought it.
So, if there was an engine issue, one covered by your warranty, on the day I had bought the car, would you be saying this too is not covered? In other words, what does it matter if ownership changes whilst a fault occurs?
4/ Why does Porsche so easily dismiss a warranty claim when they have not even asked to inspect the vehicle/wheels?
5/ In preparing the car prior to its sale on 13th December 2014 to Mr Anderson, had Reading OPC refurbished the wheels in any way? If so, why were they refurbished?
6/ I paid for Reading OPC to carry out a pre-purchase 111 point check on 5th November. It confirmed "wheels" and "paint" were "OK". Why was this when, as you say, the damage would have been apparent?
7/ If this had been a car Reading OPC were preparing for sale in November 2015, at the point they carried out an inspection of the wheels, as they did for me, would they have considered the wheel damage acceptable for re-sale or would they have had the wheels refurbished pre-sale? In other words, do you have one standard for checking damage on cars you are about to put up for sale and another, lower, standard when taking money from prospective customers who seek some professional reassurance via a 111 point check that the car they are about to buy comes up to Porsche's own standards?
I look forward to your responses. Once I have these I shall further consider taking Porsche UK to task in the small claims court for the full replacement cost of a set of Carrera S Platinum wheels. Could you please advise the full company name and address for service of legal documents in this respect?"
PGB responded:
"I have reviewed your comments and questions and I am now in a position to respond, please see the clarifications below.
Stone pitting can occur at any point in any vehicle's lifetime, and in many instances. This is outside of Porsche's control and we are unable to pass comment as to why this has not occurred on your other vehicles. What you are experiencing is not a known issue or a defect.
The Porsche Warranty is applied to the vehicle and not the owner. Any repair required to the vehicle, which is afforded under the terms and condition of the warranty, will result in no cost to the customer. As such, owing to the stone pitting being due to an outside influence, this is not covered under the warranty.
Having looked on our system, there is no log that repairs have been carried out on the wheels or alloys by a Porsche Centre. If you feel that this is not the case, I can only recommend that you contact Porsche Centre Reading to discuss it further. Should you require it, their contact number is 0118 930 3911
The 111 point check is for the mechanical items which would be covered by a warranty. As wheels are not classed as mechanical and are deemed as cosmetic, they are not afforded under the warranty.
Any vehicle sold within the Porsche network, New or Used, undertakes a strict procedure by means of a complete vehicle check, and if there are any issues, these are rectified prior to the sale of the vehicle.
I trust the above with appease any concerns you may have had with the pitting on your vehicle and I hope you can also understand Porsche's position. Further to this, the desision made by Porsche remains unchanged."
I replied (short version!):
"Question: If wheels are purely cosmetic, and the 111 point check is for mechanical items only, why are the wheels checked for damage during the 111 point check? See attached copy from my 111 point check from 5 Nov 14.
Question: If this pre-sale complete vehicle check would have resulted in stone chips such as those on my wheels being rectified prior to sale, and you now accept that wheels are inspected and reported on in the 111 point check, which surely you must as I have attached a copy showing this to be true, why is it that the 111 point check I paid for did not report to me the fact that the wheels were damaged?
In other words, you say Porsche would have pointed out such a defect to itself for rectification but not to a customer paying for a similar overview of a car's condition prior to purchase?
Is the customer paying for a 111 point check of lesser importance than the customer paying for a used car?
Your answer only inflames my anger at how Porsche deal with an obvious quality issue by trying to brush me, the customer, away. I await your response to my further questions with interest."
PGB then phoned me, backed down, agreed to refund the 111 point check fee and add a "goodwill gesture" on top toward the refurb.
£350 total. I tried for more, they refused, I settled.
At PGB I dealt with:
Charlotte Gorsuch
Customer Assistance Advisor
Porsche Cars Great Britain Ltd
Telephone: 0118 9191744
Email: customer.assistance@porsche.co.uk
She may have moved on of course, or you might fare better with someone else even though she's aware of the issue.
Strangely the wheels don't seem to have deteriorated further in another 28k miles?? Maybe there are more stones on Reading streets? Maybe the paint was still soft when the car was first driven? Maybe it was a PEC track car, although I wouldn't have thought there are too many stones at the PEC, and it shows no signs of abuse otherwise. It had been a Porsche Reading car for its first 6 months. When they get worse I'll get them re-painted. For now, there's some money banked toward that day.
Hope that helps!
woodysnr said:
Got Satin on the 981 no apparent chipping in 3.500miles but the quality of the finish is poor in comparison to the 987 which are silver .They clean up better and look nicer the 981 ones always look dirty .
Odd. My satin platinum always look clean, as the grey colour hides brake dust, dirt etc.Unless you mean grey paint = dirty?
Previous silver wheels quickly looked dirty.
My chips aren’t as bad as some have mentioned, but I think I been unlucky with a few big ones!
However, I had some ob5 satin platinum paint mixed - but given the finish of the wheels it stood out like a sore thumb. But I had some touch up paint from an m135 grey wheels (b55) and the match is perfect.
Still work in progress but see the pic! Bearing in mind the chip was 4mm x 4mm on the spoke!
However, I had some ob5 satin platinum paint mixed - but given the finish of the wheels it stood out like a sore thumb. But I had some touch up paint from an m135 grey wheels (b55) and the match is perfect.
Still work in progress but see the pic! Bearing in mind the chip was 4mm x 4mm on the spoke!
S7EV3N said:
Got the same wheels (Black Gloss) chipped leading spoke edges, only 900 miles from new (Dec2019) Not fit for purpose. Dealer shut to COVID 19.
What to do ? Cost £2500 above base wheel, what to do?
As your bought new recently from an OPC I doubt you will have an issue sorting under warranty. Log it now via an enailWhat to do ? Cost £2500 above base wheel, what to do?
S7EV3N said:
Got the same wheels (Black Gloss) chipped leading spoke edges, only 900 miles from new (Dec2019) Not fit for purpose. Dealer shut to COVID 19.
What to do ? Cost £2500 above base wheel, for this !!!
You won't get anywhere with warranty as it is impact damage. The wheels are painted with waterborne paint and it chips like mad. You can get them repainted in 2pak which is a bit tougher. I just did this with my GT3, however you can only get the paint code from Glasurit, they can convert the waterborne colour code to the 2pak code. The colour is spot on.What to do ? Cost £2500 above base wheel, for this !!!
Edited by S7EV3N on Thursday 26th March 20:26
2016 981 Cayman GTS, mine were fine until I started doing track days and now they are like most other folks' above. I put it down to the extreme heat and wasn't overly bothered, but reading the comments i'm thinking the design of the wheel somehow maybe attracts the damage? Not sure.....
They are spare wheels now as I've changed to black GT4 wheels (still on the fence about how tiny these make my brakes look)...
They are spare wheels now as I've changed to black GT4 wheels (still on the fence about how tiny these make my brakes look)...
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