"product improvement campaign"
 

Hi,
I have a 2002 S and recently I got a post card from Porsche North America stating that I needed to come by the dealer for a "product improvement campaign" that will ensure my porsche will continue to provide years of reliable motoring.

Is this a recall? The dealer said that they just wanted to look at my car and fix anything that is wrong with it. He refused to acknowledge the word RECALL.

weird.

James

"The dealer said that they just wanted to look at my car and fix anything that is wrong with it. "

for free?


also, Is this the same dealer who has worked on your car in the past?

"product improvement" = put you in a new car

The post card is from the dealer I bought it from. Service department

They apparently are looking for a specific problem and they will fix it for free even if my car has not developed the problem yet.

Sounds like a recall and they dont want bad press or something. They will not tell me what they are looking for, just to bring in the car, even offered a free loaner.

quick search of other p-car sites shows that:
- it's a way to get you in the dealership and buy a new car
- porsche is quietly updating the computer to kick the fans in sooner in hotter weather
- porsche is quietly replacing some screws in some doors that could prematurely wear out and/or rust

my bet is on #1. but if you want some free food, a loaner if it turns out be necessary and can stand a sales pitch, go check it out and let us know.

They'll adjust the PTM (Porsche Timing Management) on your IMS. Don't go.

What would be awesome is if they decided to pull your IMS bearing!

Stick a video camera in the car and turn it on, see what they say and do :-)

A product improvement campaign is a manufacturer's way of fixing something that they believe is their responsibility either before it becomes a formal recall or to preclude it from becoming a formal recall.

Often if the manufacturer voluntarily starts the fix it process, then the gov will back off and let it run its course and not get involved even if they receive a decent number of complaints. And after the Toyota recall mess last year, no mfg wants to be forced into a formal recall if they can avoid it.

It would be intresting to see if they address the IMS issue. I have the RABY upgrade so I will not let them touch that.
A camera would be neat. Hide it in the visor or something.

Most of the known issues that can go wrong with theses cars has gone wrong with mine and has been fixed. So I dont know what they plan to do.

Because of the great distance to the dealer, I called them again to reconfirm that this is not a sales pitch and subsequent waste of time.

They assured me that it is a real repair request. - still not calling it a recall.

One of the most productive times to sell someone a new car is when theirs is getting serviced. Whether it is a soft recall or not there will be someone offering to show you the new goods and keep you occupied while your repair is under way.

I worked at a chevy dealership in high school and saw a salesman find a buyer for a car that was in for service and then sell the owner of that car a new car because he had a buyer for the old one. It takes balls to sell a car that is not even the dealerships or available for a test drive.

While I was in college I interned for GM. During their 2 week shut down in the summer, interns are encouraged to work at a dealership. I worked as a service advisor at an Olds dealer nearby. While working there, the service manager told me straight out that when someone comes in for service, the primary goal of an advisor is to get the person into the showroom to look at the new models.