Porsche Parts Warranty Disparity
Porsche Parts Warranty Disparity
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Glassman

Original Poster:

23,941 posts

233 months

Tuesday 4th July 2023
quotequote all
Porsche parts warranty.

Why is it so complicated when it comes to owning quality issues, or is it just Porsche?!

Fitted a windscreen (bought from Porsche) and 18 months later, it's showing a defect. Around the windscreen is the frit, a black band of ceramic paint which, historically, was screen-printed on. Technology has advanced (subtitles: found a cheaper way of doing it) and that frit is now digitally printed, ergo, it's thinner. This is fine provided it still does what it is designed to and that is to block UV light from attacking the bond (of the windscreen adhesive behind the glass). What can happen is the glass - or frit - can discolor from an effect called 'bleaching' which in very simple terms means the ceramic paint just washes away ( coming into contact with water, cleaning products etc).



On this windscreen, the adhesive (that holds the windscreen in) is not affected, nor is it affecting the discolored area.There is an under-glass trim which is stuck to the glass with double-sided tape (from factory) and it is this area that is affected. It appears that there is water penetrating (or has penetrated) the two layers of glass. This should not happen, especially with a new windscreen. It clearly is a fault in the glass (most likely that the sandwich construction had an defect in that particular area, or that there was a pocket of air which as allowed moisture to seep in (by way of capillary action) and make contact with the PVB layer between the glass. In a period of time the glass has started to delaminate and as a consequence, more moisture has seeped in.

Porsche (Germany) are shrugging their shoulders. They just don't like to entertain any notion that their product may well be faulty. We had the same issue with a batch of 993 heated rear windscreens whereby the (soldered on) electrical connectors weren't bonded sufficiently to the hotlines on the glass. We had to re-order four times to get a good one. Porsche Germany didn't want them back. 'You bought them - your problem'. They remained on the OPC's stock until they were written off. It's a really bizarre stance on quality which I'm not sure if it's two departments playing tennis with a problem or if it's plain arrogance.

In this latest case, the glass has been in the car for 18 months and the problem has manifested recently. The warranty guy at OPC is suggesting that the car comes in to them so that they can go through the motions. This is where it gets complicated:

1. the customer has bought into my company brand;

2. he lives quite a distance from the OPC;

3. the OPC uses a different contractor for their windscreens;

4. this is a product quality issue - not fitting a fitting one.

The bottom line is, I will replace the windscreen. This however will come at my cost until Porsche acknowledge the issue and therein lies the issue; they won't. I'll end up out of pocket for an issue that belongs to Porsche. The OPC uses a subbie, so it's not even like they are doing the work themselves; I do it, they do it, it's academic. In fact, the subbie could even say we used the wrong glass cleaner!

To be fair, there is rarely an issue with OE parts; it's practically unheard of. If there is, it's resolved owing to the relationship you have with the parts manager/business manager and their ability to 'lose' a part. It's not because Porsche acknowledge what is being presented as a clear and obvious quality issue.

stevemcs

9,627 posts

111 months

Tuesday 4th July 2023
quotequote all
Isn’t that delaminating?

If it’s anything like the rest of the vw empire all warranty claims need to be handled by the brands main dealer, if they agree it’s faulty they replace it with no cost to the customer

If you replace it they won’t cover it under warranty

Glassman

Original Poster:

23,941 posts

233 months

Tuesday 4th July 2023
quotequote all
stevemcs said:
Isn’t that delaminating?

If it’s anything like the rest of the vw empire all warranty claims need to be handled by the brands main dealer, if they agree it’s faulty they replace it with no cost to the customer

If you replace it they won’t cover it under warranty
The disparity is in if it's a retail customer, or trade.

I find that Porsche do not like to acknowledge there's a problem. Fear of setting a precedent for that issue, perhaps.

stevemcs

9,627 posts

111 months

Tuesday 4th July 2023
quotequote all
Makes no difference, we fitted an egr valve to a vw, we still kept getting an egr fault and were convinced it was the new valve supplied by tps, it had to go to a main dealer for them to diagnose - luckily they confirmed it was and replaced it. Some manufacturers have some freedom for the trade but the vag group are not one of them.