Q – My 2005 Carrera started running poorly on the freeway. I was cruising at about 80 when the car began running rough and the check engine light went on. When I got off on the next ramp it died and would not restart. I had it towed to the dealer and they charged $7,000 to dismantle it. Now they tell me that the intermediate shaft has failed and they want a ton of money to fix it!
The car has only 53,000 miles but it is two years out of warranty. I have never tracked the car nor did the prior owner. The car looks like new and I am baffled about what could have happened to it. Lee
A – I am sorry to say that your engine is probably toast. As your internet research will reveal, this all too common failure has nothing to do with you, the maintenance of the car or any other external cause. It is just a faulty part. So you are going to want to talk to someone higher up in Porsche to see what they will do for you. You have hope.
They will want to see the service history on the car to verify that the car was well maintained. They will also want to know who serviced the car. Simply taking the car to “Uncle Fred’s Quick Oil Change” or a place that calls itself a Porsche specialist won’t impress them. They are looking for a facility with experience and credentials; they are also impressed with genuine Porsche parts.
The last time I advised a client about the problem, Porsche stood up and took responsibility for the replacement engine but not the labor to install it. And they only allow a Porsche dealer to do the labor. The program involves a “plug and play” replacement or the entire engine assembly at a very attractive price (well I suppose “attractive” depends on your point of view).
So try to put a positive spin on this horrible experience. You will have a fabulous car with essentially a new engine. You get another factory warranty (which you will probably never need). The odds of another failure of this type are nil since Porsche replacement parts are always updated once a problem is detected. So other than the trauma and the money…“time will be your doctor and your pain will soon be gone”. – MC