New Boxster owner - my story, lessons learned.

[LoveBunny]

Your car is beautiful! Sorry you had to spend so much to get everything working right, but at least now you can just focus on enjoying it.

[dcporsche99]

Congrats and welcome to the forum! Glad to hear it's all taken care of.

[ccarlisl]

you guys aren't going to believe this... I must have the worst luck.

Yesterday I was on the highway and noticed the temp needle starting to rise so I pulled off. As I was slowing to a stop, I heard some awful noises coming from the engine bay area. It sounded sort of like metal on metal whirring or clanking or tapping. I shut down the engine and noticed the needle on the temp gauge had gotten to about the 3rd hash mark. Then I saw smoke coming from the passenger side vent. It smelled like coolant and looking underneath the car, I saw that and OIL spewing everywhere! What the hell happened? The car was running great and then all of the sudden... kablooey?

I'm just not sure what to do. I called the dealer and they said they would go pick it up and tow it in but I don't think this is related to the work they did and I have no warranty. Man, what a nightmare.. I just got this car, spent almost $6000 getting everything worked out and now this happens. Could it be the IMS failure I've read about? If it is, does Porsche do anything about it?

[Brucelee]

This sounds exacly like the dreaded IMS engine implosion. I hope I am wrong.

Keep you cool and go back to the bird who sold you this lemon.

[LoveBunny]

Do you know anything about the lemon laws where you live? I'd hope somehow you can get the dealer to help out with this.

[super66]

wow...sucks....I would definitely see if ou can get some form of recourse....altho I get a feeling there is going to be a buyer beware attitude coming from the dealer...

if it makes you feel better, my porsche dealer sucks at doing warranty work....

[LoveBunny]

I'd check on the lemon law itself, not just ask the dealer. My only experience with this is limited, but years ago I bought a used Miata from a dealer and discovered shortly after I bought it there was some undercarriage work that needed to be done. An attorney told me it was a hidden defect and that if the dealer wouldn't repair it I should take the car back and lock the keys in it on their lot. However, this is Louisiana and it's over ten years ago. But definitely worth checking into.

[slaminatl]

I just had a similar experience. Couple of days ago my driver side "comfort open / close" feature stopped working, ie the way the window goes up / down a fraction when you open the door. I call Porsche, they tell me it's either the regulator or the micro switch. If it's the latter, my certified Porsche warranty covers it, otherwise it's a $550 job. So I take into the dealership this morning, and while I'm there they remind it's coming up for a service, so I say ok, go ahead and do it. That's another $500. Then I get a call an hour later, to say that they've noticed 2 of my CV Boots are broken / leaking (I'm not a mechanic, so forgive me if I've got the terminology wrong). That'll be another $900, as guess what? My warranty doesn't cover those either. So in short, that's a total of about $2000 that I didn't think I'd be paying out until a couple of days ago. Kind of a bitter pill to swallow given, I've only done 6K in the car since I bought it, and it was supposed to have gone through Porsche's certification program....

[LoveBunny]

Ouch. I don't see how the warranty would cover one switch and not the other. That makes no sense. Have you tried taking it to an independent shop to have it looked at?

[slaminatl]

Originally Posted by LoveBunny

Ouch. I don't see how the warranty would cover one switch and not the other. That makes no sense. Have you tried taking it to an independent shop to have it looked at?

No idea why that's the case. The regulator is subject to normal wear and tear, which usually results in exclusion from the warranty. That coupled with the CV boots (I'm having all 4 replaced given the high cost of labor and the cars 40K mileage) have made me realise that maybe Porsche's certified warranty ain't that great. I did ask them to detail the car for nothing, given my displeasure at paying 2k out of the blue, to which they agreed. Hey, it's better than nothing!

[eqs]

Insofar as dealer prices go I've found that they are high. Try to find another dealer with better prices or an independent or two that specialize in Porsches. Finding another source or two is always a good option if you need another opinion, and this also helps to keep everyone honest and competitive.

Good independents can do a lot of the work for a lot less in some cases as the dealers for the most part follow their charted rates religiously. I probably will continue to go to the P-dealer until the factory warranty expires, then we'll see. If they're fair, I'll stay, but they start playing around, I'll go.

Anyways, sorry to hear about all the problems, but if it's any consolation, I had 2 PPIs done and a DME download, and warranty replacements were needed a month later anyways. Sometimes PPIs can be a false sense of security.

I would go back to the guy that sold you the car and if they have a good reputation, they will look at your situation and try to help you out in some way. As I've noted before, 2 dealers tried to sell me P-cars with flaws - full well knowing they had flaws - but they didn't tell me. I had to do my own sleuth-work to find out what was wrong.

So pressure the guys first that sold you the car, then the dealer charging you those higher than anticipated costs. Only you can look out for #1.

Good luck

[23109VC]

I read this thread and it makes me worried about buying a used boxster.

some of you guys got hit with some pretty big bills on your boxster.

are these expenses normal? on a 60-75k mile car - is it "normal" to get nailed with 6000 in bills overa year period?

if that's "normal" i honestly think i might pass on a boxster and go for a newer less "prestigious" car, like an s2k. the boxster is my first choice, but i'm on a budget and don't wnat to be nickel and dimed with repairs. i'm only 35...maybe i shoudl wait for a porsche until my kids are out of the house and i actually get to keep all my money for myself! :ah:

or are these "horror stories" and not the norm?