All's not well with Porsche (1 Viewer)

[Scott L]

You'd think spending about $200 grand on a brand spanking new GT2 would carry outstanding performance AND service. Seems this guy is having problems with both:

Recent Thread | Original Thread

The reason I purchased the GT2 is because, at that time, it was advertised as THE hottest street legal car Porsche had ever built. A large drawing factor was that this car was equipped with the new Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB). All the advertisements I read stated that the brakes would never wear out, would last the life of the car, would never “fade”, that they weighed less, stopped faster, etc.

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After returning from the Glen in August we took the car to Brandywine Porsche to get the rotors replaced – assuming that warranty or common sense would apply here – (having only 1700 miles on the vehicle from new) – but the service manager said that since I had taken it to the track it would not be covered. They then proposed that I get the 2 (not four) front rotors and pads replaced at a cost of $17,940.00 (and I have the quote).

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Porsche sells a car by promoting its lap times at the Nürburgring, its 0-100 km/h and its 0-200 km/h times and then turns around and claims that the warranty is valid only if driven within the speed limit.

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This is amazing I have a GT 2 that Porsche will only warranty if I drive within the limit. Meanwhile Dodge encourages me to use my viper on the track and has warrantied everything I have broke at the track. This is going to get real ugly when I try to get my deposit back on my 200 mph Carrera GT that they want me to drive under 65 MPH.

Guess I won't be buying a Porsche after all. Ehh who am I kidding?

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I like to think I'm a less "gaudy" person and prefer the styling of the 911turbo to the GT2 supercoupe. Of course with my current job I'll be lucky to be able to RENT either car.

 

[Jay H]

Since when would any brakes be expected to last the life of the car or are they saying the brakes will last an ungodly amount of miles that nobody is likely to go. Seriously, how would they beat the basic law of friction? Brakes made out of ceramic, chocolate pudding, or silica will wear out sooner or later.. Perhaps ceramic has better heat distribution than say silica but it will wear out.

Do they really advertise the brakes as lasting forever???

Jay

 

[Seth_L]

They initially did Jay.

Porsche is simply doing what every other car maker does. Trying to increase profitability by reducing warranty expenses. I've got some great storied about Nissan of my own. My favorite is probably when they denied that my car even had the item I was complaining about being defective.

 

[Todd Hochard]

They then proposed that I get the 2 (not four) front rotors and pads replaced at a cost of $17,940.00 (and I have the quote).

[chris rock]Good LAWWD! For 42 cent, will ya lemme sniff da brake dust?[/chris rock]

That's insane. Of course, I wouldn't ever consider owning a vehicle with that sort of maintenance cost.

 

[Steve_Tk]

Well, if he can afford to buy a $200K dollar car then he can afford the maintainance. Of course on my budget that price seems outrageous. But I have a good friend that is literally a multimillionaire and those things are a drop in the bucket to him.

For me, I buy DVDs all the time, don't even think twice. But I have a couple friends that when they see how many DVDs I have and my TV they go crazy because they can't imagine how much I've actually spent.

It's all relative. If I were to win the $50M dollar lottery I would be driving this car. I would have to spend around $3500 a day for the next 40 years to spend it all. After you buy a multimillion dollar house a few other things you would find that you have a lot left over.

 

[Danny Tse]

They then proposed that I get the 2 (not four) front rotors and pads replaced at a cost of $17,940.00

Wow! Just think....for the cost of replacing all four rotors, you can get a new 350Z

 

[Mike Voigt]

Danny,

Ya know, taking a vehicle to a track AFAIK normally voids ANY warranty. There's a reason just about every car ad we see on TV has a disclaimer...

Mike

 

[Jay H]

Ehhhh, I'd rather have a Lotus Exige or the new Elise anyway, bet you'd get more eye raisers in the Lotus than in a GT2, plus I love lightweight rockets anyway...

Jay

 

[Seth_L]

Danny,

Ya know, taking a vehicle to a track AFAIK normally voids ANY warranty. There's a reason just about every car ad we see on TV has a disclaimer...

Mike

Except driving on the track in the US is no different than the Autobahn in Europe.

 

[Todd Hochard]

Except driving on the track in the US is no different than the Autobahn in Europe.

Having done both, I can assure you that the experiences are quite different. You don't have the constant full-throttle blasts, followed by hard braking associated with the track. Contrary to popular belief, Germans don't drive the Autobahn like this. I noted most of these "fast" cars cruising comfortably at 200-230kph. And, unlike the typical American driver, it appears that the majority of German drivers are quite adept at anticipating conditions (e.g. I see that this truck 1/2 mile ahead may pull into my lane, so I'll ease off the gas now). It was quite a refreshing change from driving here, for sure.

Todd

 

[Philip Hamm]

Ya know, taking a vehicle to a track AFAIK normally voids ANY warranty.

Yup. It's the same with sportbikes. It's exceptional that Dodge has recognized the warrantee on his Viper.

 

[brentl]

"Perhaps ceramic has better heat distribution than say silica"

I wonder!

Brent

 

[Matt Gordon]

I noted most of these "fast" cars cruising comfortably at 200-230kph

If my math is right (and that's a BIG "if"), 215 KPH is still about 129 MPH. Uh, yeah, I'd call that "fast." Certainly a lot faster than I drive.


I really enjoyed driving the Autobahn in Germany, and found the drivers over there to be quite courteous and precise in their movements.

 

[Todd Hochard]

If my math is right (and that's a BIG "if"), 215 KPH is still about 129 MPH. Uh, yeah, I'd call that "fast." Certainly a lot faster than I drive.

My point was that even though this certainly is "fast" by American standards, it's not really pushing the vehicle (one of that type) that hard. It's certainly not going to over-stress the engine/drivetrain or braking systems.
I had a Mercedes C180, supercharged 1.8l, 6 speed manual car, and I could cruise that at 180kph (110mph) comfortably and still get nearly 40mpg.

 

[Lee L]

Well, I guess the warrantee of this rental 911 is toast then.

http://www.dolch.net/Europe2002/Belg...HinBelgium.jpg

Not my pic, I found it here

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

I recently changed the front rotors and pads on my 1989 Buick, and total cost, $41.25.

lol.



Vince

 

[Ian Wilson]

I drive a Lotus Elise with MMC brakes (aluminum and Silicon carbide matrix), similar idea to the Porsche system very light weight and very hard wearing. However I've melted two discs on the track because they can't take the punishment they get on the track. They are fine for 'spirited' driving on the road.

Jay H, the disc's can last a very very long time if the brakes use adherent friction rather than abrasive. The difference being that adherent friction is when a layer of the pad material is laid down on the disc surface the material on both surfaces is now the same and continually rejoins and breaks apart as the brakes are applied (MMC's work this way). Read all about it here clicky

If you're going to track a car like the GT-2 (or any car) then it pays to speak to the dealer to find out what needs upgrading for track use. Brakes that work well on the street and on track don't exist only compromises i.e. good track pads tend to work well at high temps which you'll never see on the street and visa-versa.

 

[david stark]

All the advertisements I read stated that the brakes would never wear out, would last the life of the car, would never “fade”, that they weighed less, stopped faster, etc.

maybe he should have read some independent reviews or gone out and tried them for him self rather than reading all the porsche adverts.

 

[Edwin-S]

18 grand for a routine brake job, and just the front ones at that? Even if I was a multimillionaire I would still think the price for a brake job was ridiculous. Pay a few of those and before long you are just a lousy millionaire.