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Old 10-03-2007, 04:23 PM   #1
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Repair costs out of warranty

So I took my car to the dealership today because grease has been leaking out into my right rear wheel for about a month--I clean it off and it comes back. I assumed at first that it was fresh asphalt from around my work, but no it was just in that one wheel.

I figured it was axle grease and a boot needed to be replaced. My dealer has determined that they're going to replace the entire axle because of this.

It kills me. I mean, ****************, is this the kind of thing they'd do if I was out of warranty too? How can anyone afford to have a Porsche out of warranty?

I can just see it:

"My transmission drain plug stripped out the threads on my transmission."

"We'll have to replace your tranny."


Thank god I have an extended warranty, and a lot of time before that becomes an issue. 33,700 miles...

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Old 10-03-2007, 06:34 PM   #2
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Eslai, I believe you are now starting to gain the feelings that I have all the time.

Every little problem with my car STARTS at $250 when I bring it to Hans. Grrrr.

You've had more than your fair share of problems with your 987 though. Could it be that it's a first year car's inevitable problems?
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Old 10-03-2007, 11:41 PM   #3
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Certainly it's possible. I also think that Porsches just aren't as durable and bulletproof as people think they are.

No big deal. I'll wear this one out and move on I guess.

As a side note, I'm thinking of getting an Audi S5. I think they look awesome, don't know about y'all.
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Old 10-04-2007, 04:07 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eslai
Certainly it's possible. I also think that Porsches just aren't as durable and bulletproof as people think they are.

No big deal. I'll wear this one out and move on I guess.

As a side note, I'm thinking of getting an Audi S5. I think they look awesome, don't know about y'all.
If you think Porsche's have problems, just wait until you buy an Audi.
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Old 10-04-2007, 04:59 AM   #5
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My Audi is 8 years old and has 160k... runs like new!!! (Mod'd A4 1.8qt) I bought it new.
But, I also do all of my own work... I just recently did a clutch.
Next summer I'm going to do a clutch in the Boxster as well...

I made my wife a deal... let me have nice cars and I'll offset the expense by doing the work myself! Plus, I know it will be done right.
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Old 10-04-2007, 05:17 AM   #6
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Eslai, did that axle sustain any damage that time you were in a rear-end accident?

Why are you upset, the car is under warranty?

It is one thing to purchase a vehicle, it is a whole additional value proposition to properly maintain and run that vehicle, especially a high-performance sports car. Remember the "risk and reward" balance too. We get a lot of reward from our cars. Along with the additional risk of proper repairs and higher maintenance costs.

You don't get something for nothing.
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Old 10-04-2007, 06:28 AM   #7
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I'm a bit perplexed... you noticed a month ago that there was a problem, did a half -assed diagnosis and are now complaining that it will cost you money to fix? I am not familiar with how the cv/axles are currently assembled, but it can be a near financial wash to pay a shop to remove, rebuild and reinstall your current one vs simply installing a brand new one.

That said, the current cars are not as robust as 911's of 15 years ago. Also realize that if they were as well built, they would cost twice as much as they do and Porsche would have ceased to exist long ago.
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Old 10-04-2007, 10:49 AM   #8
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I'm just going to ignore the unnecessary vitriol in your response. I love how everyone likes to jump on anyone that says anything that can be construed as even slightly negative about our beloved cars.

I'm not complaining about the costs of course, because I'm under warranty of course. What I am doing is sympathizing with those of you that are NOT under warranty because it seems like the answer to something as simple as a torn boot is "replace". Most every little thing that I've had go wrong with the car, the answer has been "replace the whole thing".

That would get pretty expensive if I had to do it out of my own pocket I bet.

I've replaced axles on a lot of cars myself and yes I understand that nowadays it's often cheaper to just do the whole thing, but c'mon, a leaking boot?
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:38 AM   #9
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I enjoyed my Boxster ownership sans warranty coverage. A 2000 Non s. 40K miles when bought. Sold 1 year later for the same money.. 4k miles and a ripped rear window later. No RMS failure. No engine failures.. A Maf failure, an oil pressure switch failure ($200) and, suprise, a Variocam actuator failure. Part was around $800.. labor? a lot more.. About $3K out of pocket to fix. Suprised of the failure? yes. but owning what was a $50K car and trying to maintain on a $15K car budget is NOT being realistic. This is why 944s sell for $3k. Lots of people can afford to enter the dance, but staying there costs some serious time/money of upkeep (a clutch job in a 944 is a $2k proposition.. if you only paid $3K for the car, where's the incentive to fix it for example).

If anything, I hoped you learned that Porsche ownership is an ACTIVE relationship. It asks the owner to learn its intricacies and notice when things aren't quite right.. then have them attended to before they become even larger problems. You new there was a problem. You have replaced axles before.. was there not cause for concern that the joints were now dry and grinding?

Did your dealer determine to replace the entire axle after removal and inspection of the actual axle? here the bearings ruined? dry? missing? My hope is that more than the boot was at issue here and you are not sharing the whole story of any damage to the parts that would make replacement the way to go.

I would also venture that the "repair vs replace" mentality is now EVERYWHERE. Why spend $20 to fix a $10 watch? Cars are built as cheaply as they possibly can, and in that formula, "replace" is the new "fix". It costs the shop less time and if the costs are nearly the same, wouldn't you want a "new" one than your "old one fixed"?
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Old 10-04-2007, 11:41 AM   #10
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[QUOTE=RandallNeighbour]Eslai, I believe you are now starting to gain the feelings that I have all the time.

Every little problem with my car STARTS at $250 when I bring it to Hans. Grrrr.

QUOTE]

I've had five problems with my car in 18 months and 12,000 miles. The first two (MAF and evaporative system) cost $450-500 at an independent repair shop, so $250 would be a bargain to me. Replacing the oil filler tube was less expensive (around $275.)

I found that I have to take care of maintenance and minor repairs myself if I want to keep costs down for an out of warranty car. I recently replaced the oddments tray hinge and an oxygen sensor for the discount cost of parts and a couple of inexpensive hand tools. This forum is a great source of information concerning common repairs. It also helps you to judge whether or not a repair is within your skill level.

If you really want to spend money, start modifying your car.
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Old 10-04-2007, 01:06 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by racer_d
If anything, I hoped you learned that Porsche ownership is an ACTIVE relationship. It asks the owner to learn its intricacies and notice when things aren't quite right.. then have them attended to before they become even larger problems. You new there was a problem. You have replaced axles before.. was there not cause for concern that the joints were now dry and grinding?
You really are a judgemental prick, aren't you.

I have a very good relationship with the dealership. My car has been there countless times over the last two years--I'm on first-name basis with all of the service reps and the Hertz rental counter.

You might say that I'm on top of all the problems with the car.

But yeah, I'm not MAD that the dealership decided to replace the whole axle--far be it from me to complain about new parts. I'm just wondering if a do-it-yourselfer would have the option to just replace a boot.

Quote:
Originally Posted by racer_d
Did your dealer determine to replace the entire axle after removal and inspection of the actual axle? here the bearings ruined? dry? missing? My hope is that more than the boot was at issue here and you are not sharing the whole story of any damage to the parts that would make replacement the way to go.
When I asked my service rep why they wanted to replace the entire axle rather than just the leaking boot he told me "that's just the way we do it." I didn't argue with him, it's probably a "better safe than sorry" thing. I did ask him, "so, you want me to just drive on it then?", to which he said, "yeah, just let it go and if it starts clicking or what not, no big deal--we're replacing it anyways."

Okay then.

So yes, I'm glad that under warranty the dealership goes out of their way to keep my car in top-notch condition. I just know that things have been expensive for repairs for others, and I can see how that could be the case.

And I don't buy the argument that these are high-performance cars and that one should expect high repair costs. Cars should be built to spec and parts should be expected to perform for their entire lifetime, whatever that lifetime may be. As a consumer, if the car isn't durable and reliable, then we should be able to state that without anyone saying "you're expecting too much."

Now, as someone who's worked on rally and road race cars as a hobby for the past eight years, I understand what it means to go beyond tolerances and I can tell you that I ain't stressing this thing out! These cars just aren't the perfect machines that everyone seems to want to believe they are. You've got the good and the bad. It doesn't make the car any less enjoyable, it just makes them expensive.

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