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Headlight Cracking........Porsche washing off responsibility.......POOR

Hi

i’ve got the same issue on my 911 and awaiting Porsche feedback to see if they will cover it under goodwill. Looks like lights have responded to the hot weather we have had and crazy paving looks awful!

Really annoyed as it’s under warranty so it should cover this too IMO. Any feedback on how you guys have got on would be gratefully received!

Thank you

 
Just imagine the damage that will occur in the really hot countires such as the middle east I cannot understand why Porsche will not just address the issue and ensure their suppliers are providing stock fit for purpose.

 
From your pic I would say that you have good cause for complaint - totally unacceptable. Judging by other poster's comments it'll be interesting to see how Porsche (as usual!) try to wriggle out of it though.

Jeff

 
r1flyguy said:
Gents & ladies

ive only searches this thread due to my Macan now suffering the same issue.

The left headlight is a complete mess, the right one is heading that way.

https://flic.kr/p/2jrjh4G

my local OPC say the extended warranty doesn’t cover it as it’s a visual defect!!!

better photo & more info here...

http://www.boxa.net/forum/topic/88145-headlight-issues-wtf-anyone-have-experience-of-this/?tab=comments#comment-1186244
Tell them your Barrister friend begs to differ. (Even if you only discussed it with someone in your local!).

 
But Porsche will have tested the cars in Death Valley which is a tad hotter than the UK in July.

Supplier QC, Porsche QA, global consumer problem. Production parts should be better than prototypes.

Hasn't happened to my wife's Skoda Citigo and that cost £9000!

 
That's a real mess Gary - unacceptable treatment by your Dealership of course, but par for the course these days. Maybe you and others on here can get Porsche UK to take-up this matter with the original supplier?

If you're unable to get any satisfaction by whatever means from them perhaps the best you can do is let a detailer see if they can improve the finish and apply a UV coating for protection.

Jeff

 
Hi Gary

Had the same issue with my 911 recently and after a bit of to & fro, Porsche Chiswick came to my help. it wasn’t covered under the warranty shockingly and new replacements were £4.6K! Porsche Chiswick and Porsche paid the majority and I had to contribute £1040. I’m shocked that it wasn’t all covered but couldn’t bear the disfigured look so all sorted last week. Would have expected all to be covered but had to be grateful with what I got! Good Luck!!

 
We could do with an enterprising soul in the UK setting up to recondition these. I see there's a chap in the US already doing exactly that.

The ones on my Spyder aren't bad yet but fully expect them to be one day. I enquired about them at my OPC who said they'd never replaced 981 lamps under warranty....

 
r1flyguy said:
Gents & ladies

ive only searches this thread due to my Macan now suffering the same issue.

The left headlight is a complete mess, the right one is heading that way.

https://flic.kr/p/2jrjh4G

my local OPC say the extended warranty doesn’t cover it as it’s a visual defect!!!

better photo & more info here...

http://www.boxa.net/forum/topic/88145-headlight-issues-wtf-anyone-have-experience-of-this/?tab=comments#comment-1186244

Warranty doesn't come into it. If it's a defect that was inherent in the product at the moment it was sold new, the retailer has liability for it under the Sale of Goods Act / Consumer Rights Act. You are entitled by law to a "resonable level of durability". In my view, since a Porsche is an inherently cosmetic product, it should continue to look spot on for "a resonable time". A cosmetic defect affecting multiple vehicles early in their life, irrespective of tratement and maintenance is a latent defect that was inherent in the product on the day it was purchased. I don't know enough about the law to say whether anyone other than the first owner would have a case.

 
I own a 2014 981S bought from OPC for several years and kept up the extended warranty. With the car having little use since purchasing a Macan S last year, I want to sell it this spring but noticed the headlights started crazing in a bad way over the last few months. An internet search brought me to this thread.

My local OPC (Portsmouth, whom I bought the Macan from) want over £2,500 to replace the lights and said they are not covered under warranty. I need them sorted prior to sale and have contacted Porsche HQ customer complaints to see what they say since it's happened to both lights at the same time. Car only ever been hand washed with Autoglym products.

This must be a defect in the materials used in a batch of these lights?

[attachment=P5050002.jpg] [attachment=P5050001.jpg] [attachment=P5050007.jpg]

 
Sorry to see these Spherehopper. This is an extract from my Porsche Post article last year (September). It does seem that Porsche have effectively dismissed this as an issue. He did not want to be named but his car had lights disfigured like yours.

Another member’s 2016 GT4 had a peculiar problem with surface damage to both PDLS headlight units. It is a puzzle as no one could suggest what had caused it. Enquiries to the OPC and PCGB resulted in the only option of very costly replacement! Determined to find a more acceptable solution, some experimentation confirmed that the issue was with the coating on the headlights. The application of care and skill resulted in removal of the old coating with a rotary polisher and increasingly fine grades of paper (400 to 2000). They were then recoated with a new UV protective layer and a final polish. This has returned the headlights to their original condition. So, those of us with increasingly older, well used, cars can be less concerned about such deterioration and encouraged to have a go if necessary. It would be good to hear If any other members have experienced similar issues.

There are various kits on the market and, with care, good results can be achieved. Certainly worth the risk where replacement is the only alternative. Some bodyshops will also provide this service as an alternative to doing it yourself.

 
My 981 spyder was like that too. The OPC cut them back when I bought it but it can't totally be removed, you still see the delamination from certain angles even if "head on" it might look better.

My local OPC checked them at service and said the warranty wouldn't do anything with a lamp unless the beam pattern was affected such that it impacted MOT reqts. They had "never had a warranty claim on any 981". Interesting, given as the supplying OPC was very familiar with issue and had another 981 on their forecourt that was worse than mine....

My 981 has gone now, and TBH it has totally put me off owning another Porsche. That along with the door card problems points to a clear deterioration in quality and longevity standards. I owned 5 987 boxsters and none had such glaring material quality issues even when far older than the 981 (and much higher mileage too).

The component prices for the two lamps was insane.

Great car yet rather cheaply built!

 
PAul73 said:
It will just come back...
That's what concerns me. I have heard back from Porsche HQ but my plan is to have them replaced, keep the old ones and take Porsche to the small claims court to recover the cost of replacements if they don't offer them under warranty.

 

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