I've actually never posted in a single forum in my life, but I've recently had an experience which I felt needed to be shared - edven if nothing further comes from it, if it raises a bit of awareness, then that'll be good enough.
I'm just an average bloke, who worked hard and saved, and was extremely proud to walk into Porsche Portsmouth (UK) and buy a Porsche Approved-Used 718 Cayman (Base Spec, 2.0l 4-cyl, manual) in August 2022. I'd done my research, bought a lovely and clean 2019 model, with just over 15,000 miles on the clock for about £45,000.
I thought going down the Approved Used route would mean I would certainly have a few years of trouble free motoring. Porsche tout an extensive multi-point inspection as part of their approved used scheme, which thereafter is still covered by a comprehensive 2 year warranty and assistance programme, and generally only appl;ies to cars which have alwasy had a full Porsche main dealer service history from new.
After around 10 months of ownership, a warning light came up on the dash, saying 'Engine Control Fault. Contact Dealer. Driving Permitted'. I rang my local dealership, who advised the best course of action was to call Porsche Assist, who would come out and diagnose it; if needed, they'd organise transport to a dealership too. At this point, I wasn't at all worried, as I knew I had my approved-used warranty.
The Porsche Assist technician advised it was something to do with the DPF/GPF. At this point, I hasten to add, I'd only covered 1500 miles since purchasing the car. All my journeys were around 50-75 miles each time, and usually driving a fairly 'spirited'.
It was taken to Porsche Cambridge, who advised the GPF was full of ash, and the complete catalytic converter had to be replaced. I was then told, this was a 'fair wear and tear item', and I had to foot the bill.
A reminder - I purchased the car for £45,000, and had covered 1500 miles. I was now being asked to pay a further £6,538 for a new catalytic converter and fitting.
Needless to say, I was so upset, and completely furious. I knew that I had absolutely not filled up a GPF in 1500 miles of use; and bearing in mind that, I wanted to know why the dealership's 100+ point inspection hadn't flagged it as being nearly full of ash and rectified it prior to me purchasing the car.
I went back to the original dealership and raised my concerns, who agreed this wasn't fair. I was told to raise a case with Porsche UK Customer Interaction Centre (PCIC), to get it escalated.
I did just that, and raised a case. Without boring anyone with unnecessary back and forth; what ensued was 7 weeks of arguments. That required 42 separate telephone calls to get sorted. PCIC returned barely any of them, both dealerships were very good to be fair, but their powers are limited.
Throughout all of this:
Technicians at my local dealership confirmed it was not my fault, and this should be processed by Porsche as a Warranty claim. That claim was denied by Porsche UK.
Technicians at the original dealership also confirmed it was not my fault, and should be processed by Porsche as a Warranty claim. That claim was denied by Porsche UK.
Porsche Care UK also agreed it was likely not my fault, and tried to negotiate with the warranty administrators. That claim was denied by Porsche UK.
The end result was a contribution from both dealers, and a 'goodwill' contribution from Porsche Care. I had to pay the balance.
So my warning to prospective owners is this - the approved used scheme is basically a marketed fabrication - there's a lot of exclusions it seems. I did not expect tyres or brake pads to be covered. I did expect major exhaust components to be covered. This was never communicated to me at the time of purchase. Bearing in mind the cost of the part alone, it should be made crystal clear.
I'm back to enjoying my 718 as I should have been, but I have lost all confidence in the brand, and their service. I have submitted an official complaint to Porsche, and additionally the Financial Conduct Authority and the Motor Ombudsman - they are evidently mis-selling the warranty product, which just isn't fair. I've never done this with anything I've ever bought in 31 years of being alive, but I was so upset by all of it, and I am not willing to let it slide.
So if you're thinking of buying approved used, get a technician to go through all of that inspection report with you line-by-line; being 'that customer' in the dealership may make you feel a little demanding, but it may just serve to protect you.
I hope none of you ever have the experience I have - and happy and safe driving to all of you.
Approved Used 718 Cayman - A minor warranty horror story
in 982 / 718
Posted
I've actually never posted in a single forum in my life, but I've recently had an experience which I felt needed to be shared - edven if nothing further comes from it, if it raises a bit of awareness, then that'll be good enough.
I'm just an average bloke, who worked hard and saved, and was extremely proud to walk into Porsche Portsmouth (UK) and buy a Porsche Approved-Used 718 Cayman (Base Spec, 2.0l 4-cyl, manual) in August 2022. I'd done my research, bought a lovely and clean 2019 model, with just over 15,000 miles on the clock for about £45,000.
I thought going down the Approved Used route would mean I would certainly have a few years of trouble free motoring. Porsche tout an extensive multi-point inspection as part of their approved used scheme, which thereafter is still covered by a comprehensive 2 year warranty and assistance programme, and generally only appl;ies to cars which have alwasy had a full Porsche main dealer service history from new.
After around 10 months of ownership, a warning light came up on the dash, saying 'Engine Control Fault. Contact Dealer. Driving Permitted'. I rang my local dealership, who advised the best course of action was to call Porsche Assist, who would come out and diagnose it; if needed, they'd organise transport to a dealership too.
At this point, I wasn't at all worried, as I knew I had my approved-used warranty.
The Porsche Assist technician advised it was something to do with the DPF/GPF. At this point, I hasten to add, I'd only covered 1500 miles since purchasing the car. All my journeys were around 50-75 miles each time, and usually driving a fairly 'spirited'.
It was taken to Porsche Cambridge, who advised the GPF was full of ash, and the complete catalytic converter had to be replaced. I was then told, this was a 'fair wear and tear item', and I had to foot the bill.
A reminder - I purchased the car for £45,000, and had covered 1500 miles. I was now being asked to pay a further £6,538 for a new catalytic converter and fitting.
Needless to say, I was so upset, and completely furious. I knew that I had absolutely not filled up a GPF in 1500 miles of use; and bearing in mind that, I wanted to know why the dealership's 100+ point inspection hadn't flagged it as being nearly full of ash and rectified it prior to me purchasing the car.
I went back to the original dealership and raised my concerns, who agreed this wasn't fair. I was told to raise a case with Porsche UK Customer Interaction Centre (PCIC), to get it escalated.
I did just that, and raised a case. Without boring anyone with unnecessary back and forth; what ensued was 7 weeks of arguments. That required 42 separate telephone calls to get sorted. PCIC returned barely any of them, both dealerships were very good to be fair, but their powers are limited.
Throughout all of this:
The end result was a contribution from both dealers, and a 'goodwill' contribution from Porsche Care. I had to pay the balance.
So my warning to prospective owners is this - the approved used scheme is basically a marketed fabrication - there's a lot of exclusions it seems. I did not expect tyres or brake pads to be covered. I did expect major exhaust components to be covered. This was never communicated to me at the time of purchase. Bearing in mind the cost of the part alone, it should be made crystal clear.
I'm back to enjoying my 718 as I should have been, but I have lost all confidence in the brand, and their service. I have submitted an official complaint to Porsche, and additionally the Financial Conduct Authority and the Motor Ombudsman - they are evidently mis-selling the warranty product, which just isn't fair.
I've never done this with anything I've ever bought in 31 years of being alive, but I was so upset by all of it, and I am not willing to let it slide.
So if you're thinking of buying approved used, get a technician to go through all of that inspection report with you line-by-line; being 'that customer' in the dealership may make you feel a little demanding, but it may just serve to protect you.
I hope none of you ever have the experience I have - and happy and safe driving to all of you.