Mootz

BEWARE of the Porsche warranty! Here's my experience:

I currently I own a 2019 Panamera GTS (purchased new) and bought the Porsche Platinum Vehicle Protection plan thinking, "what can be better than a protection plan from Porsche themselves?".

BIG, BIG mistake!

Claim #1: Engine oil separator. They wanted to cover the separator, but not the connected plumbing. The dealer's service manager had to negotiate a "good will" replacement. They ultimately covered it all, but it was a hassle and the car was held up in the shop until they finally approved the repair.

Claim #2: The rear camera started fogging up when it would rain. The service department said a seal on the camera had failed and the camera would need replacing.
Porsche denied the claim saying they don't cover water damage even though it was the seal that failed and caused the damage. After multiple attempts by the service writer, the service manager, the finance manger that sold me the plan, and numerous calls by me they refused to cover the repair. Quoted $1,400 to fix.

Claim #3: The mechanism broke on lid for the center console storage compartment, not allowing it to open or close. Porsche once again denied the claim stating they do not cover "trim". The trim is fine, it's the mechanism that is broken. Claim denied. Quoted $963 to fix.

I previously owned a 2011 Panamera S (also purchased new) and bought the Fidelity Platinum Warranty. It was excellent. They covered everything--including some very expensive suspension work. No hassles.

I later learned through one of the service writers that the "Porsche" warranty is a third party warranty and is only endorsed by Porsche. I wish this had been disclosed to me before I made the purchased.

I should have stuck with Fidelity or some other reputable third party.

E39Nutz

“Claim #3: The mechanism broke on lid for the center console storage compartment, not allowing it to open or close. Porsche once again denied the claim stating they do not cover "trim". The trim is fine, it's the mechanism that is broken. Claim denied. Quoted $963 to fix.”

Are you referring to the little ashtray cubby? That thing, according to others, is a frequent broken item. Just buy a new cubby and install it yourself. It is not very difficult to remove the center console trim. I had a writeup to do the Euro cupholders. The first half of the instructions is what you need to get to the cubby.

Mootz

Thanks for the response. Yes, is was the actuator spring for the lid for the ashtray cubby. I already made the repair. The little plastic post that the spring anchors to had failed and snapped off. It's a poor design--the post is surprisingly too small and thin as it was only plastic. I can see why others are having this problem. I simply replaced the stud with an aluminum one that should be permanent, and hooked the spring back on. Cost: 7¢ and about an hour and a half in the driveway. (Only a fraction of the time that I spent trying to get Porsche to make the repair under warranty! haha)

E39Nutz

Good to know, thanks.

Bodyinthemarsh

Thanks for the info and timely post. I have a 2018 Panamera Turbo ST where the CPO expires in a few months. How much did Porsche want for the coverage?

Mootz

120mo//100K mile Porsche Platinum plan, $100 deductible was $8,648.00. Shop around. Some dealerships wanted nearly 2K more for the same plan

sac02

For claim #2, HYPOTHETICALLY... someone could access the camera wire harness and "accidentally" connect reverse polarity, then take it to the dealer and say, "I have no clue what happened, it just stopped working. Warranty please."

I mean, doing something like that would be dishonest... almost as dishonest as denying legitimate claims against an $8600 warranty...

coulter

Good to know.

I found this to be a case with a different car when I bought an extended factory warranty. I ASSumed it was just like the original warranty and largely a "no questions asked" repair when something broke. NOPE. They would pull up the fine print and slither out of fixing it. Like I had a 3rd row that stopped working. I thought "no problem" I'm covered. It was like the only claim I had. They denied it. I haven't bought an extended car warranty since. I largely "self-insure" now.

I had a friend that bought a 3rd party warranty through his dealer for an Acura. Engine went out, common problem. Warranty would only replace it with a salvage "junkyard" engine. And it took over a month. Just not worth it, he said he would have preferred to just have gone out of pocket so he could move on.

To me, the real problem with warranties like is the hassle factor. I'd rather just repair on my own dime and take my lumps than argue with someone about whether or not they will choose to fix it. Overall, I have definitely saved a lot of money over a lifetime self-insuring.

Mas0n

Unfortunately, I agree. Any warranty I've ever purchased and needed has been a nightmare (I have yet to try a Fidelity warranty that folks seem to speak highly about). It doesn't really add any peace of mind when the automatic response to any claim is an attempt to deny. It seems that is just industry standard now and part of the process. Even if a claim is warranted, the expectation is that you will have to fight for it over several emails, hours on hold, and non-sensical arguments with call center staff based on a different continent. It certainly drops the value of the warranty. Old man rant over...

alex911s

what a hassle.. I have older cars so have never used the Porsche warranty they offer...I did used CPO for 2 PDLS replacement on my 981 Cayman S no issues there but other than that
same as you great experience with fidelity and we have a seller here weve been using for awhile Michael Jourdan from Mossy Motors.. i believe Fidelity covers 2011 or newer now...

coulter

I honestly assumed the positive things I heard about Fidelity 3rd party warranties here was just paid shills. But what are people's experiences with it? How much are policies for a Panamera?
My track record with these sorts of things are bad but I'm all ears if someone has a good provider.

I love this car, and if there's a way to keep it longer than I normally would with a warranty that offers some form of insurance, I'm interested. Skeptical, but interested.

Norge911

It sometimes depends on dealer. With one dealer in my area, never an issue.

I have windshield and tire insurance from dealer I purchased my car. I negotiated what I though was a fair price.
first tire, no issue
then hit a poorly repaired hole and damaged a rim. Very bent but would not fix until leak. Thankfully it leaked. Had to pay myself.
warranty covered new rim but not new tire. Service tech and I both agreed sidewall is likely compromised. It insurance would not cover new tire since not leaking.
then got a nail, car had to stay overnight with dealer because warranty company wanted evidence it was a new tire

so per OP, be diligent and read carefully what is covered and how dealer will help you

TheAv1ator

Theres a 59 page thread on the 991 sub section about the Fidelity platinum warranty. Lots of good experiences written there. Also the steingold broker has an online quote tool that you can plug numbers in to see how it’s looking for your particular car. People have posted receipts from covered work, so I think that should warrant off any skepticism.

The only catch is that it gets quite expensive as your mileage goes up. It’s dirt cheap on <10k mile cars, even if they’re years old.

Highline-Autos.com

Exactly, positive customer experiences are not the sign of paid spokes people.

djdonte

That sucks. They just sold you a third party warranty, at a significant mark up I'm sure. As for claim 1, I noticed a lot of aftermarket warranties excluded and hoses or crossover tubes except power steering and AC. This effectively gets them out of replacing most soft goods that will fail over time no matter what. I'm sure they have trim listed as an exclusion too. Between that and excluding air shocks I decided to go CPO.