RWPinNC

I'm at a decision point on a '14 Boxster S. Hard to find with manual and X73 in a color I want. The problem is that both door panels have the well-known warping. The selling dealer wants to have a local guy "fix" them, and he is going to repair them in the shop doing the PPI. Doesn't sound too confidence inspiring to me in terms of longevity. I don't think the guy likely knows the problem. I know about the Pedro's Garage solution and have confidence in that. Unless people have experience with other non-Pedro repairs, I'm going to offer to take the car as is with some credit, probably $1000-1200. That way I'll know they were done right. Any counsel or observations welcomed.

Viper pilot

I think your short changing yourself. I'd want $3-5K discount for warped door panels. Ask your neighbor Porsche dealer what they charge to replace them.

jeffm

No way any seller would discount the price $3-5k for the warped door panels. My 981 Boxster had this issue, but only with the driver side door. I purchased a perfect used one on eBay for $150...easy fix.

That being said, $400-500 off would be more reasonable, unless your just getting an already killer deal on the car. This can be fixed DIY or the Pedro solution. I think it would be a difficult even for a $1000 off, unless the seller is desperate to get rid of the car.....but it never hurts to ask!

Good luck, let us know the outcome.

Marine Blue

I would tell the seller that you want to be certain the repair is done right and reference the Pedro’s garage solution and the associated cost. Then make our offer. Otherwise ask if the shop doing the repair for this guy will provide warranty for the work in case it comes back.

RWPinNC

Thanks for the comments. It gets a bit complicated. Car is priced reasonably in the market. It's an S with manual with a good color combo. The car was represented as very nice with 16000 miles. PPI uncovered the door panels and a couple of other minor flaws. Maybe it's a principle, but I agreed to pay their ask, pending a PPI. A cheap repair from an unknown shop is not appropriate to the car. We shall see. I'll update.

RWPinNC

Actually a good suggestion. Problem is that the car is 5 hours away and their repair guy was going to do the repair at the shop doing the PPI. I didn't feel very confident of this.

Dr.Bill

I'd want it repaired by Porsche with new Porsche parts.
You agreed to pay their price pending PPI. You didn't agree to accept any faults uncovered. That's why the inspection was done. You now have zero obligation to buy at their price.

RWPinNC

At this point, I have no deposit or commitment in the car. We had an aggreement pending PPI results. We identified an issue and are trying to reach a resolution. If this were a dealer, it would be a no-brainer.

Brad Stinson

confused... in your first post you said dealer, and in your last post you said “if this were a dealer..”. which one is it? Personally I’d offer to take the car as is for $1000 off. That should cover your cost/time take them off and send them to pedros garage on your schedule where you know it’ll be done right. I’ve seen way to many mechanics make something like this worse. If you otherwise love this car, you’ll have forgotten about all this in a few weeks. And you don’t have to have any down time right now. Heck, my car had warped panels when I bought it and I didn’t even notice it for 3 weeks due to tinted windows. Get it, enjoy it and next time you take a business trip or vacation, time it so your car is down during that time.

RWPinNC

I've been responding on a tablet and my answers have been too short perhaps. Brad, the seller in this case is an independent dealer. When I said if this were a dealer, I meant a Porsche dealer, that I'm thinking probably would not have put the car on their lot without correcting obvious faults. I have actually made the offer you suggested and am waiting for a response this morning. The selling company did not do a good job of assessing the car up front, it's taken a PPI and my comments to make them aware of the minor issues with the car.

I think those of us who haunt Bring A Trailer are spoiled now by the level of detail typically provided and the opportunity to make observations. A good trend.

Thanks for all responses. Waiting now for resolution.

Yabo

If the interior is a common color, probably not a big deal. With my more rare interior (Agate/Pebble), there was basically no chance to find an ebay set. New panels are about 2000 each. Hopefully the repair works out. I was able to get CPO warranty to cover mine, luckily.

RWPinNC

The interior on this one is Agate/Amber Orange, so rare like yours. One of the reasons why I liked the car.

Resolution achieved! Buying car with $1,000 reduction to cover Pedro's Garage door panel fix. Picking up tomorrow.

2014 Boxster S
Agate Gray with Agate/Amber Orange interior
6-speed (a requirement)
PTV
X74 sport suspension
Bi-xenon, directional lights
Bose infotainment
Rear parking assist
Seat heat and ventilation
14-way seats
16,000 miles, two owners, all service at Porsche dealers, no overrevs above range 1
New Continental Extreme Contact Sports being installed today

$45,900

PRNDL

Be aware, there is no "fix" short of replacing with new. Sometimes gluing will minimize a particularly bad problem but the way that the door panel tops are engineered makes it impossible to completely reverse this effect. I've had my separated and warped soft-touch outer part glued to the green plastic under structure with urethane adhesive (like what is used to bond windshields) but the warped soft-touch material just pulls the plastic up. A new panel costs $1100, to $2000 per side and Porsche lists 2 hours in their book for repair time. Mechanical "fixes" are to be avoided as that will interfere with the release of the side airbag.

jeffm

Congrats!!