Help - Serious Repair Bill

[ABZ RS6]

Just looking for some advice from the Porsche sages on here.

My 991.2 is current at OPC for MOT and investigate slight fuel smell. Initial investigation indicated corroded fuel rail and was give repair cost of £2,300. To be fair to OPC they approached Porsche U.K. who agreed to cover 50% of cost.

This morning OPC came back and said as they could not remove the oil pipe from the turbo they would now have to replace turbo also which is taking the bill to £8,000, of which Porsche will still cover 50% so £4,000 out of my pocket.

The vehicle is just 4 yrs old and has 14K on the clock. It has been full serviced by this OPC from new.

I probably should not be surprised but I am frankly appalled that a vehicle of such age and mileage should be attracting an £8K repair. Do I just have to suck it up or any advice????

Edited by ABZ RS6 on Thursday 28th October 15:00

[randlemarcus]

I'd be seriously unhappy at the second part. Fuel rail, maybe OK, but at 4, I'd be happier with a much higher contribution from Porsche, especially with an OPC history. 50% for the Turbo not letting go of the fuel rail? Nope.

Ask the OPC to appeal the Porsche decision, and see if they will let you see the submission. If it still fails, I would want to see the OPC kicking in to reduce the 50%, and that would be across the whole bill. They help you out, you keep the car, and they get it back over the next few years. They leave you hanging, you switch brands.

[Mogsmex]

feed or return pipe ? why cant t they get it off ?

skill level ? machine shop job ?

I would investgate taking the removed turbo to a proper machine shop before rolling (pending issue and they havent already trashed it being ham fisted)

[ABZ RS6]

Mogsmex said:

feed or return pipe ? why cant t they get it off ?

skill level ? machine shop job ?

I would investgate taking the removed turbo to a proper machine shop before rolling (pending issue and they havent already trashed it being ham fisted)

Thanks Mogsmex, feed pipe apparently.

[ABZ RS6]

randlemarcus said:

I'd be seriously unhappy at the second part. Fuel rail, maybe OK, but at 4, I'd be happier with a much higher contribution from Porsche, especially with an OPC history. 50% for the Turbo not letting go of the fuel rail? Nope.

Ask the OPC to appeal the Porsche decision, and see if they will let you see the submission. If it still fails, I would want to see the OPC kicking in to reduce the 50%, and that would be across the whole bill. They help you out, you keep the car, and they get it back over the next few years. They leave you hanging, you switch brands.

Thank you. My thoughts exactly however I did wonder if I was a little too emotionally involved.

[eric1000]

A number of 991.2 owners (me included) had their turbos/oil feed/etc replaced due to a problem with oil getting into the turbo. (I think you can search on PH and Rennlist for these). While not the same problem as yours, it could indicate a design problem in that area. Mine was dealt with by the OPC under warranty thank goodness!

Edited by eric1000 on Friday 29th October 17:27

[randlemarcus]

ABZ RS6 said:

Thank you. My thoughts exactly however I did wonder if I was a little too emotionally involved.

We all are. If we weren't we be buying Vauxhalls

I had Porsche reject goodwill on a 2010 Panamera Turbo coolant pipe failure (with full OPC history), but the OPC stepped up, reduced the bill to a palatable level, and my new one went back for its major service last month.

[bosshog]

Mine was replaced at 17K I think.

Do you have extended warranty? TBH the cost does not surprise me.

[nw942]

ABZ RS6 said:

Mogsmex said:

feed or return pipe ? why cant t they get it off ?

skill level ? machine shop job ?

I would investgate taking the removed turbo to a proper machine shop before rolling (pending issue and they havent already trashed it being ham fisted)

Thanks Mogsmex, feed pipe apparently.

Or consider taking the car back and asking a local garage to take a look at the seized bolt/connection on the turbo.

If you do proceed ask them for the old turbo as you may be able to sell it on eBay or just have it adorn your coffee table

[Slippydiff]

nw942 said:

Or consider taking the car back and asking a local garage to take a look at the seized bolt/connection on the turbo.

If you do proceed ask them for the old turbo as you may be able to sell it on eBay or just have it adorn your coffee table

I'd be amazed if it needs a new turbo, to suggest as much infers a lack of ability/motivation (or both) on the part of the technician working on the vehicle and/or just a straightforward attempt at an upsell on the part of the OPC.
I'd phone a couple of the well regarded Porsche indys and find out if the problem is a common one, and whether they have a solution that doesn't involve replacing the turbo itself..

[Cheib]

It’s definitely a big bill but I’d never run a car like this without a warranty. Maybe an independent can fix it without needing a new turbo but the chances are you will still be looking at a four figure cost to fix it.

[Slippydiff]

Not exactly easily accessible, but not impossible.

Not sure where you're based or which OPC it's at ? But I'd be amazed if it's not doable by a decent indy, or indeed someone like Litchfield.

If it were me, I'd be taking the "It's really not my problem. Anything you damage or need to replace as a result of removing one component to get to another, is down to you" stance.
Especially on car that with full OPC history and such a low mileage example.

Where's Pope when you need him ?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=...

[MDL111]

I’d be very happy that they cover half of the bill. Feels like a win to me.

[BaronMcLaren]

Slippydiff said:

Not exactly easily accessible, but not impossible.

Not sure where you're based or which OPC it's at ? But I'd be amazed if it's not doable by a decent indy, or indeed someone like Litchfield.

If it were me, I'd be taking the "It's really not my problem. Anything you damage or need to replace as a result of removing one component to get to another, is down to you" stance.
Especially on car that with full OPC history and such a low mileage example.

Where's Pope when you need him ?

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?h=...

And then what, they put everything back together and ask you to collect your car as they refuse to carry out the strip down. Not really any option.

[Slippydiff]

BaronMcLaren said:

And then what, they put everything back together and ask you to collect your car as they refuse to carry out the strip down. Not really any option.

Helpful post. Not.
If, as I suggested in a previous post, the OP does his homework, he'll establish if the OPC are trying to pull a fast one with regards to selling him a new and expensive turbo, which he probably doesn't actually need, and knowing how many of them have been known to operate in such a manner, I'd suspect there's every chance they are doing just that.

Indy's tend to be owned/run by individuals who are skilled technicians and engineers, and very adept at problem solving/fixing things (rather than rolling over and replacing them at great expense to the customer)
as opposed to fitters that merely remove old parts and bolt on new ones.

The suggestion that the OP should pay £4K for the questionable privilege of having a new turbo fitted, that he most likely doesn't need, smacks of an easy get out of jail card for the OPC concerned, albeit it's been dressed up as "we're doing you a favour".

So carrying out some due diligence with a handful of indy's may reveal the removal of the oil feed pipe and turbocharger isn't straightforward, but with care it can be done, and the turbo reused (a bit like the steel oil pipe fittings on the 996 turbo reservoirs that seize into the alloy the reservoirs are manufactured from) and all for considerably less than £4K.

If that proves to be the case, I'd happily instruct the OPC to put the car back together and take it elsewhere.
£4K may be small change to you, but to many it is not.

[gd]

Slippydiff said:

Helpful post. Not.
If, as I suggested in a previous post, the OP does his homework, he'll establish if the OPC are trying to pull a fast one with regards to selling him a new and expensive turbo, which he probably doesn't actually need, and knowing how many of them have been known to operate in such a manner, I'd suspect there's every chance they are doing just that.

Indy's tend to be owned/run by individuals who are skilled technicians and engineers, and very adept at problem solving/fixing things (rather than rolling over and replacing them at great expense to the customer)
as opposed to fitters that merely remove old parts and bolt on new ones.

The suggestion that the OP should pay £4K for the questionable privilege of having a new turbo fitted, that he most likely doesn't need, smacks of an easy get out of jail card for the OPC concerned, albeit it's been dressed up as "we're doing you a favour".

So carrying out some due diligence with a handful of indy's may reveal the removal of the oil feed pipe and turbocharger isn't straightforward, but with care it can be done, and the turbo reused (a bit like the steel oil pipe fittings on the 996 turbo reservoirs that seize into the alloy the reservoirs are manufactured from) and all for considerably less than £4K.

If that proves to be the case, I'd happily instruct the OPC to put the car back together and take it elsewhere.
£4K may be small change to you, but to many it is not.

This ^

I've had a very similar experience at the hands of of the OPCs. The initial cost of a relatively simple repair on a 996 blew up out of all proportion when they started the work. That's after I paid for an hour's labour for the inspection too. Lots of other parts needed to be replaced as taking them out would damage them and they were already well worn, and some new issues had been identified when dismantling the car... and before I knew it I was looking at a five figure bill.

I asked to speak to the technician and look at the parts involved, and things started to get a bit sniffy. Both the technician and the service manager couldn't give me a straight answer as to why parts that looked fine needed to be replaced. Just good practice, Sir, when you are doing this kind of thing. So I suggested that either I should get an independent inspection undertaken, or if they were not in agreement with that, I'd take the car back off them on a trailer and take it to an indy to repair.

After some heated debate, some condascending "if you can't afford it" type comments (which clearly work on some people but just irritate me more) and some conversation behind closed doors, they agreed to make the original repair and leave the other parts in situ. I ran the car for another 10k miles, nothing failed, but it never went back to that OPC.

I'd challenge their assertion. Perhaps even suggest that you are being asked to foot the bill for damage done to your turbo by the technician (which I would suspect), and ask them or Porsche to address that. Stick to your guns, and if necesary bring in some external expertise.

[Cheib]

I suppose the only thing I would question about the OPC being overly eager with wanting a new turbo is that Porsche GB have authorised covering 50% of the cost. Might be that there an official policy of not being able to repair anything ot do with the turbo and replacement is the only officially authorised option. Seem to remember something similar with a gearbox where OPC wanted to replace it and the owner took it to an Indy who repaired it.

Totally agree that an Indy will have more flexibility about how they repair a car but it might be down to official policy not just trying to fleece you.

[ras62]

A corroded fuel line requiring replacement after 4 years is disgraceful. Not fit for purpose and not your problem. Get the dealer to replace it. How this escalated to the turbo you dont say but again it isnt your problem after such a short time. Your consumer rights have not been met. Remind the dealer and politely tell them to do the work at their cost.

[Slippydiff]

Cheib said:

I suppose the only thing I would question about the OPC being overly eager with wanting a new turbo is that Porsche GB have authorised covering 50% of the cost. Might be that there an official policy of not being able to repair anything to do with the turbo and replacement is the only officially authorised option. Seem to remember something similar with a gearbox where OPC wanted to replace it and the owner took it to an Indy who repaired it.

Totally agree that an Indy will have more flexibility about how they repair a car but it might be down to official policy not just trying to fleece you.

Indeed, hence my suggestion the OP does his due diligence with some indy's who have a different mindset and thus don't see that as the ONLY option.
I know which I'd choose given the option of £4K fixed under Porsche warranty, or possibly £1500 by an indy.
As long as the indy's repair relies on sound engineering principles and won't affect the OP's ongoing warranty, it would seem the sensible option.

[53x11]

To the OP. Give Tom a call at Weissach UK - 01606 834460.

He looks after my Cayman and has had a couple of 991's in with corroded Turbos when my car has been in.

I've a friend who has just got a 9914S and have told him to give Toma call as well to book in for some preventative maintenance.