Re: Thanks. Sent him a PM

Finally, after over a month of being in the garage due to weather, got the car out today with the top down today. A nice surprise in mid Feb in the Philly area for sure. A few observations compared to my two previous 986 cars. First, the 987 feels a bit bigger, more stable and slightly more refined. I love the car so far and was very surprised at how quiet is is driving with the top up, it almost passes for a hardtop or regular coupe. Car is fast and it does so very calmly and without making the driver aware of the speeds, I can see how you can get speeding tickets in this car without driving. I like the 18" wheels and the ride is nice and firm, I did not put it in sport mode, that will have to wait till tomorrow. The stereo is pretty weak but it would take a lot of stereo to over power the wind at highway speeds.

I do have a question...when I am above 45-50mph, top down, I notice a very constant and annoying whistle. It's not mechanical but more like the side mirrors maybe? Any thoughts, it sounds to be wind related.

I like the car, a lot, and can see using it a lot more now that I got it out. I won't abuse the car in salt covered roads but this car will not be a garage queen anymore.

--JK

the 05 models had an issue with the side mirrors that produced the whistle at speed and was-- IIRC--fixed under a TSB early on.
Check with longislander1 on this--he has an 05S also.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2011 05:29PM by SeaNile. (view changes)

Also, check the front hood to see if it is below the bumper. Your latch may have to be lowered. One way to test this is to get some blue painter's tape, and tape the seam all away around the front hood. If the whistle stops, then you know the latch as to be lowered. If it is still there, then as Miken said, it could be the mirror. The painter's tape is the best because it should not leave any gummy residue.

I do have the whistle, but it's never seemed enough of an issue to have it fixed and it never came up among the TSBs done by the dealer at the one-year mark. I like the silicon caulk idea, which I PMed to SeaNile as a possible fix.

This raises some questions:
1. Are dealers supposed to automatically look up TSBs on these cars and then do the fixes? Or is the owner required to ask for them? I had several items corrected automatically by the dealer at the one-year mark and I also asked to have them fix the typical rattling at 2100 rpm when cold (apparently another TSB item), which they did by replacing a "modified control piston and seal in the oil pump cover." I've since switched dealers, but the new place has never raised or done any TSB-related fixes voluntarily, including the mirrors.
2. Are TSB-related fixes still eligible for free repairs after warranty, or do you have to pay? (If there's a charge, I'll be off to Home Depot for some clear caulk.)

Thanks.

SeaNile, in addition to the engine rattling mentioned above, plus the windstop rattling mentioned in my PM, the dealer also installed caps on the engine carrier stud, installed washers on the exhaust system bracket clamps, replaced the front air grills and installed new system software on my nav unit. These were all done at no charge and most were not requested by me, so I assume they came from TSBs that popped up. Hope this is helpful.

Thanks for the info. I really wonder what the dealer will do since I did not buy the car from them. So far so good on the 80 miles on the car so far. Just the whistle and when it checks the oil in the beginning of the start up cycle is says it is low. Other than that the car has been fun. One thing, and a completely unfair comparison is this 987 S is so tame and "soft" coming from my Ferrari 360. Guess I didn't realize how over the top an Fcar really is. This Boxster S is a pleasure to drive, quiet at all speeds and I can use it as a fair weather DD.

The dealer should volunteer to check your serial number to see what open TSB's or Recalls there are on your vehicle. This is true no matter where you bought the car or if it's still under warranty. The dealer gets paid from the manufacturer for doing the work, and it helps to build customer good will. It's also used by dealers to distract you from the obscenely high prices they charge for everything else...

"Yeah, they charged me $300 for an oil change, but they fixed my mirrors, added stud caps and adjusted my Johnson rod at no additional cost..."

If the dealer doesn't check for TSB's/Recalls on their own, ask them to do it.

Check out this link to Edmunds.com for an interesting list of TSB's on the 2005 Boxster S.

[www.edmunds.com]

KtS - Will I find a Swiss Miss in Little Switzerland?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2011 11:34AM by Kevin the Slow in NYC. (view changes)

They wanted to use clear silicon, but I had them use black as it blended better in the seam against Guards Red.

KtS - For those with a long memory, Will there be bacon on the cheese burgers in Little Switzerland this time?

On my 05 S, built in 4/05, the hi-pitched whistle was there on the drive home from the dealer. It took several visits before they figured out that the seam between the two half's of the mirror cover was to blame. This info was used in helping to establish the TBS fix for the mirror whistle.

The fix took just a few minutes and the whistle has never returned. It might be worth having the dealer check for any open TBS issues, there were a few of them unique to the early builds.

The Sport Mode is lots of fun at speed, it plants the car even firmer than you feel in the regular mode. Test it while driving fast, you know "65mph" , you will notice a difference.

If you have the BOSE system, you can adjust the settings to compensate for the wind noise, I don"t know if that was a feature on cars without BOSE.

Good luck and enjoy your new car,

KiS - Hoping they have big beers in Little Switzerland!

I'll cal the dealer on Tuesday and see if they offer a fix. If not I will probably caulk the inner 1/3 of the seam on the mirror. That seems to be a quick and easy fix from what I've read.

So the whistle from the side view mirrors is a well known documented issue on the 05 Boxster cars. Seems like it is due to the seam in the mirror which can be caulked or the mirror can be removed and fixed from within. Again, a well known issue usually fixed by the dealer (while under warranty) for no charge. I drop off my 05 S last night and speak to the service manager this am. He says he is not aware of any issue with the whistle and since the car is out of warranty they will need to charge me for the diagnostic and repair of this. I was pretty clear when speaking to him of how this is a well knows issue, etc and should be fixed. He basically said since the previous owner never complained about the whistle it's too late and they now will charge me for the repair.

I'm about 80% sure I am going to tell them to forget about it and I will do it myself (even though I have no idea how to remove the mirrors). This is Porsche # 5 for me and not once have I been thrilled with the service I have received on thiese cars.....Is it me or should they fix this whistle issue for no charge???

Sounds like a plan; any other dealers available in your area?

Based on his comments, you might want to consider taking the car to another dealer when service is required--he didn't sound very customer oriented.

Last, if there is another Porsche dealer in the area, discuss the issue with them over the phone to make sure you know how they treat old TSB's on cars out of warranty. Best of luck with it.

I thought since this whistle was such as well known issue the dealers were fixing this as it is a known design flaw.

Lets see if I heard you correctly...

The car is out of warranty so I presume the dealer can't claim against PCNA for reimbursement.

You bought it used (prior owner mentioned).

It is your 5th P-car.

Did you buy this/any from this dealer? All regularly serviced at this dealer? PPI this car at this dealer?

I'm trying to understand the ongoing relationship you have established with this dealer to make you expect he will spend enough money to pay a mechanic to fix a problem complex enough that it will take some significant time and not charge you presumably in hopes of enjoying a continuing profitable relationship with you.

I've had service on my long out of warranty Boxster twice for free from dealers. #1 was a seatbelt issue they failed to fix right the first time and was within 90 days of the first repair attempt. #2 was a lubricate the shift mechanism which took 2 minutes and wasn't worth writing up. I felt #1 was correctly handled based on their prior failure (and that it was the 4th attempt to fix on this car, all at dealers and 3 at this dealership). I expected to pay for #2 and was very pleasantly surprised..

I find this funny. The dealer call today after a brief road test and they confirmed the whistle. Ironic how they immediately knew the fix, to take the mirror off and lay a bead of silicone on the joint which will eliminate the whistle (which is what I told them the fix was after asking the question on here and other Pcar sites). Best part...the dealer broke the glass mirror and needed to order a replacement. I'm OK with the $130 spent to fixit and it was well worth the chuckle when they told me the fix and how they broke the mirror.

Don't you know that Porsche doesn't have ANY design flaws?

It's too bad you paid $130. All you really have to do is put masking tape above and below the gap, slap in a little clear caulk from Home Depot, let it dry, pull the tape and you're good to go.

These Porsche dealers are cheap as can be. They want to suck every dollar out of you and could care less about building some owner loyalty. If they have service profit margins that are too tight to do this kind of work (which is hard to imagine with their $350 oil changes), then they shouldn't be selling luxury cars. God, my Subaru service manager bends over backwards to take care of me. With Porsche, the customer gets to bend over in the other direction. Pathetic, as usual.

With all due respect, I know you are very unhappy with Porsche, but it is unfair to lump all dealers together. Without regard to make, the quality of dealers varies dramatically - as do their service departments. No-one will claim that Porsche dealers are cheap, but neither are most premium make dealers. My experience has been very favorable - the service writer always greets me by name and has a loaner waiting for me if the service requires more than an hour or so (they even provide a Hertz rental when they are out of their own loaners) . The service is very comparable to the Lexus dealer I also deal with and much better than the GMC dealer I sometimes use. I have not seen a $350 oil change around here. My dealer in Atlanta charges $180 - high - but nowhere near $350.

My experience has been like yours. I don't use the dealership for every part or service need, but when I have they've been superb, from picking my car up at my office and leaving me a loaner to the quality of the work done. While Porsche parts can be blindingly high, the dealer has always shown some latitude, even to the point of matching prices with a well known internet tire website (that I will begin to use again since it benefits this site). This despite the fact that I didn’t buy the car there. In fact, they’re aware that I looked at cars on their lot and decided to buy elsewhere.

No one's generalizing here. I look at my own experiences and SeaNile's story, read too many nasty online accounts and it's fair to conclude that more than one Porsche dealer probably stinks when it comes to service. (My delivering dealer, after years of sales and service horror stories, still gets an F from the Better Business Bureau.) Others have had good experiences and that's great. It's too bad there aren't more of them at Porsche's stratospheric parts and labor prices. And, yes, my dealer charges $350 for an oil change. One time, I was able to go there for a Saturday clinic and get a $175 half-price special. To do that, however, I had to bring the car back a second time for a state inspection and other minor maintenance. Now that's convenience, don't you think? Two trips to get a fairly priced oil change -- a process that takes an hour (in at 8am, out at 9am) and $27 at my Subaru dealer. And while it's the quality of service that matters, the Subaru guys throw in a hearty greeting by name, not the stone-faced reactions of the automatons at the Porsche dealer.

From the Porsche web site: "It is our goal to exceed your customer care expectations." Hey, SeaNile, do you feel your expectations were exceeded?

Take the Porsche to the Subaru dealer!

I have heard both good and bad about various dealers of all makes - it really comes down to ownership and the attitude the owners take toward customer satisfaction and hiring. Some of the dealers in our region are really fantastic, and others are lousy.

I think part of the underlying problem (and I am very aware of this as a business owner myself) is that is is really hard these days to hire anyone who takes pride in their work. Pretty easy to find people who complain about not getting paid enough, or that they want more benefits, but try finding someone who will stay late on their own time to fix something they screwed up, or show some initiative in fixing a customer's problem. That's your issue - and good owners do whatever they can to retain the good people and fire the lousy ones as soon as they can.

So, like anything, shop around and find a dealer who cares about customer satisfaction, and who hires people who care about their work - it's usually pretty easy to tell: Is the workplace clean? Are the mechanics generally clean and sharp? Are the tools well organized? Do they greet you in a friendly manner? Do they own up when they have done something wrong?

And there is an interesting point in here about customer loyalty - if you had a dealer whose service department you really liked, would you pay a little more for a car from that dealer because you trust him? If not, then there is little economic incentive for the dealer to comp you service to build your loyalty, since you will take your business elsewhere for a lower price. If the answer is yes, then he is losing out on a great customer. I, for one, will pay more if I feel good about the person I am doing business with because I know the hassles of dealing with the "low cost provider."

1998 986 Turbo-Look Cab
172,000 Miles
Dilithium Crystal Supercharger

Good comments. I like your solution. Wish I could get the Porsche dealer to hire the Subaru service manager. Seriously, I bought a second Subaru at the same dealer a few months later and I paid a slightly higher price to do so. The service is that good. The cars are, too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2011 07:32PM by longislander1. (view changes)

It sure sounded to me like a blanket, generalized indictment of all Porsche dealers. You did not say "some" Porsche dealers. I just wanted to add a little balance since I have read a lot of posts over the last couple of years where folks have been happy with their dealer.

Sounds like your understanding of the English language and the term "generalization" is the same as mine.

BTW, just for fun google "Subaru dealership" and "awful service".

I'm going to take a look at the 38 mentions of "Subaru dealership" and "awful service" after I wade through the 362,000 mentions for "Porsche" and "engine failure."

I hesitate to tell you then about the article I was reading in the barbershop today that mentioned 2 broken halfshafts, a replacement car, the engine problems and the lousy service reputation of the brand you cite as the one Porsche should be following.

C&D Page 100 April issue.

Comment based on one article in a reputable publication

Will that leave you any time to go through the 379,000 results for "Subaru" + "engine failure"?

In the latest Motor Trend article on the Subaru/Toyota sports car. Page 64+ of the May 2011 issue

dghii
2000 Boxster S 6speed 112k miles