blackcat

TL: DR What could cause a genuine, brand new Porsche front bumper cover to warp?

Still TL:

Had an accident two months ago (my fault, nothing hurt but my car, my insurance rates and my pride ).

The damage to the front end was substantial - almost 12k$, (probably inflated due to the weak dollar) - and the repairs
took a while waiting for parts to arrive from Germany.

They finally "finished" the work. Less than a three days went by before the cover was warped noticeably near the driver's side headlight, where it meets the hood and the left fender (sorry, no clear pics, just video - it's about a 3 or 4" depression, maybe a quarter of an inch deep).

Took it back to the shop to yell at them about some other things (gory details available if you insist) and to get the warp/dent fixed... now the body shop is giving me some story about how the plastic is warping because of the heat (it's a black '96 C2 coupe). They tried to fix it with a heat gun (and who knows what else) but you can still see that it's warped.

Got the insurance company involved again, but their noob insurance estimator seems to be buying the body shop's line that it was the weather - I personally have a hard time believing that pretty mild weather (SF Bay) could possibly cause heavy duty front bumper cover from Porsche to warp, especially in just one corner of the bumper cover.

Sunset Porsche said they've sold two of the same covers this year and haven't heard of any issues - I'm calling some more places to see if any other suppliers have run into this.

Thoughts as to the possible cause? Something still bent with the frame? Sheet metal alignment issues? Defective part? A whole day sitting in the sun in a parking lot in Cupertino? (that last one is brutal, I know)

Any suggestions for next steps? I'm thinking of taking it to another shop, having them basically do a front end PPI to to see if they can find any unrepaired damage / messed up alignment, etc.

My wrench recommended these guys, too - 'oh yeah, they have a lot of experience w/ Porsches'..

AOW162435

I call horse**** on that explanation.

Any more details?


Andreas

Arena993

This is by far one of the biggest BS stories I have ever heard. If indeed this were the case it would be well known that black 993's have warping bumper issues due to heat. As a matter of fact any 993 with a dark color should have the problem as well. That dealership is trying to feed you a huge line of Sh&*. DON'T LET THM GET AWAY WITH THIS.

Mike

Texas993

I will witness that my former black 993 lived in Scottsdale for 2+ years with no issues.

Stealth 993

I would go & find another shop & have them look at it. You will have to prove it to the insurance that it's messed up. They may have just installed it wrong.

My Black C4S is from AZ, no warping.

TMc993

Heat story= Bull****

Three possible causes:

(1) Bad installation of good parts..

(2) Something to which the cover is attached is still warped/bent from the accident.

(3) Something the cover is attached to was improperly installed during repair and the cover won't fit properly.

In any case, they should fix it.

Terry

95FL993CAB

The only warping you will see is at high speeds
The rest of the story is pure BS!

ppashley

+1 either a bad fix of the underlying issue, or a bad install.

Sorry to hear of this hassle. But it can get sorted.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Phil

Amfab

This is like saying the paint came off because it was raining.
Please read the following in Sam Kineson voice:
Hello body shop and insurance company?! IT's A CAR! It is used outside. . .during the day even.
Um, you see, you can kinda tell Porsche meant to have the cars used in the daytime because they went through all that trouble to include a switch TO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF!

If body panels started warping on every black Porsche every time the sun came out they wouldn't be making black ones or they would, at the very least, advise you not to drive in direct sunlight.

Hang on a sec . . .

:::thumbing through the owners manual:::

Oh wait, here it is: "Care must be taken to avoid driving darker colored vehicles during daylight hours between the latitudes of 30°N and 30°S, especially during summer months (these months may vary depending upon relation to the equator) as body panel deformation may occur-NOT! "

I can't believe what people try to pull to get out of shoddy work. . . worse actually, I can't believe the things people–like the insurance agency–accept as excuses for shoddy work.

blackcat

Called the insurance company yesterday to see what the estimator reported - his latest update was that he couldn't see anything wrong

The bodyshop admitted their attempted fix with the heat gun didn't work, so there's definitely something fishy going on. Either the bodyshop quickly sanded and repainted it before he got there on Wednesday, or that the estimator is blind, incompetent or paid off - maybe all three.

They haven't called me since the estimator dropped by (Wednesday morning, it's Friday now) so I'm going to drop by unannounced. I'll let you know what happens...

AOW162435

Bastards. The lot of 'em.

Hopefully the bodyshop owner does not read Rennlist....

Good luck.


Andreas

blackcat

Sorry for the delay in updating, still getting some evidence together - took it to a mechanic for a mini PPI, and he found a few things...

So, a few q's for the Rennlisters w/ turbo bumpers (mit bumperettes or mitout):

OEM or 3rd party?
Molded from polyurethane or some other kind of plastic, or fiberglass?
Does the access hole in the cover for your tow hook/eye line up directly with the threaded hole in the bumper or is it offcenter?
What width gaps do you have between the fender and the hood, and the cover and the fender (or hood)?

Any warping due to summer, getting it wet, looking at it sideways?

Many thanks
Pete

black ice

Sorry to hear about your pain, my car just got the back end fixed and paint is being shot tomorrow and it's stressful. But I know my car is in good hands.

Is it at all possible these yahoos somehow glassed up the old bumper cover? Do you know from your adjuster's final report whether they had to replace the actual bumper or the shocks underneath the cover?

Dave

blackcat

Thanks Dave - good luck with yours! The damage was done to the lower part of the front, it missed the bumper but trashed the bumper cover beyond repair. I think if they had glassed it over it wouldn't have warped lol

The adjuster's report lists the cover but not the shocks or the bumper - I'd expect both would have had to been replaced. The adjuster had been back to look it over once they got the front end opened up so he would have seen any damage (you'd think)...

Stealth 993

It's a poly bumper or plastic, it's flexible
Yes, it lines right up with the cover
Can't really comment on the gaps, but there even & the rubber piece fits nice inside it.