[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by imon_2nd

The Boxster I purchased a month ago has a warranty-replacement engine. (I know this from the engine serial number.) I'd like to know when the motor was replaced so I can anticipate service intervals. The dealership that sold the car originally erased their files older than 10 years, so they are of no help. The local dealer in Roseville was kind enough to print out the warranty history of the car, but it doesn't show the swap.

I wrote an email to Porsche NA with proof of ownership attached requesting the swap date. Here's the reply I got and my response to it.

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Dear Mr. -----,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We are excited to hear you are please with your new Boxster S.

Regretfully, service history is considered proprietary information, and we would not be able to advise you the date of any repair.

I am truly sorry for the inconvenience. If you have additional questions or concerns, please call us at 1-800-PORSCHE. We are available Monday through Friday 8AM to 9PM EST.

Kind Regards,
Jessica Riley
Porsche Specialist, Porsche Contact Center
Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
One Porsche Drive
Atlanta, GA 30354

Phone: 1-800 PORSCHE (1-800-767-7243)
Fax: 1-866-334-5280
Email: customer.commitment@porsche.us
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Jessica;

I fail to see what could possibly be proprietary about the engine swap date, especially considering that ongoing maintenance needs this one piece of information.

Given the huge financial losses and embarrassment Porsche suffered for the IMS bearing defect in many of these motors, I expected the company would want the owners of cars with warranty-replaced motors to be able to anticipate service intervals as if the engine had not been replaced at some unknown point in time.

Please pass this email and my previous one along to senior management as well as your legal department for evaluation of potential risk exposure to the company.

Sincerely,

David

Some years ago, the federal court ruled that all service record data, including dates of service, are the sole property of the owner of record at that time, and therefore cannot be shared with any third party without prior written permission of that owner of record, which is why we suggest buyers try and get them from the previous owner, if they can be found (again, Porsche will not reveal that information either for the same reason). The service records in my shop are covered by the same ruling, which is why we do not share them either. Porsche would see the legal risk of telling you what you want to know as being substantially higher than your implied threat.

That said, you can get the date of the engine build by decoding the engine number, which would give you some idea of its age. What "service intervals" are you trying to determine? If you just go by the car's odometer, you won't go wrong, you just may be a bit early, which really is better than using the intervals Porsche recommends anyway, as their recommendations are pretty much too long to begin with.