Weird dealer behavior... Should I be worried about this?

Models Porsche Taycan
1

About a month ago, I bought a certified pre-owned Taycan from a Porsche dealer that’s about 300 miles away after I put in an inquiry on Porsche.com. The plan was to fly down and drive it back, but they found a chip in the back windshield, so they offered to deliver it for free. This happened in early October. I agreed, thinking it’s a certified pre-owned vehicle, so I can trust Porsche on the condition, even without seeing it. The salesperson took all the extra pictures I asked for and everything looked fine.

My financing and down payment were processed on the same day, and the listing was marked as sold on the Porsche website.

I asked the salesperson to ensure they install the thermal/acoustic tempered glass since it was listed as an upgrade. He told me the manager said it would be done. A week later, the salesperson told me they received regular glass instead of tempered, so it would take another week to get the right glass.

Another week passed, and the salesperson informed me that the tempered glass arrived cracked, so it would take another week. He gave me three options: have the car delivered and they would send someone to install the windshield at my place, let them keep the vehicle and do it there (they would pay for the aftermarket tint that was on the original windshield), or void the contract. He suggested I leave it with them.

I don’t really need the car right now, so I agreed to leave it, but this whole situation feels strange.

I saw another post mentioning that windshields need calibration if they are replaced, which got me wondering if this could even be done at my location. Do back windshields also need calibration?

Why would he give me the option to cancel the contract when I never indicated I was unhappy? I already received my welcome letter from my financial institution regarding the financing for the vehicle. I might have to make my first payment before the vehicle is even delivered.

Is it common for a windshield to arrive cracked? I would think Porsche would have a good system in place for handling fragile and expensive parts like this.

I’m trying to stay relaxed about this whole situation, but there’s this nagging feeling that something is off, like they might want me to back out of the deal. It does seem like a good deal, and I haven’t seen any other Taycans on Porsche.com with the same specifications and price nationwide.

2

What they’ve told you seems reasonable, even if it is a little annoying. They are giving you an option to back out to be fair, avoiding the wait for something that is taking longer than expected. It sounds like good customer service to me.

3

@Ridge
Ok, thanks, that makes me feel better and is what I was thinking too.

4

Milo said:
@Ridge
Ok, thanks, that makes me feel better and is what I was thinking too.

All auto glass is tempered, just so you know.

5

Zaire said:

Milo said:
@Ridge
Ok, thanks, that makes me feel better and is what I was thinking too.

All auto glass is tempered, just so you know.

The dealer mentioned it wasn’t acoustic or thermal tempered, so I repeated that. I thought there was a different type of tempered glass, but I’m not really an expert on that. Guess I should look it up.

6

@Milo
Got it. That’s a soundproofing glass. Good luck with the car!

7

Zaire said:
@Milo
Got it. That’s a soundproofing glass. Good luck with the car!

Thanks, I appreciate that. I found the Porsche newsroom article about the glass. Should have called it thermally and noise-insulated glass.

8

I work in auto parts and it’s common for parts to arrive broken, especially windshields. Delivery folks can be careless.

9

Sam said:
I work in auto parts and it’s common for parts to arrive broken, especially windshields. Delivery folks can be careless.

Thanks for the insight, that’s unfortunate for everyone involved.

10

Sam said:
I work in auto parts and it’s common for parts to arrive broken, especially windshields. Delivery folks can be careless.

I think when delivery guys see ‘fragile’ and ‘Porsche’ together, they instinctively toss it as hard and as far as possible.

11

They want you to be happy as a customer, so they offered you your money back as an option. The part issues are pretty standard. I had to wait seven weeks for my door handles because they sent the wrong ones multiple times. Offering a refund could be a legal requirement since they didn’t deliver the car in a set time. Personally, I would wait it out if that’s the car you want. Be ready for similar issues while owning the car. My car has been in the shop for over 80 days in two years, and it’s still sitting there with no return date.

12

@Ashwin
Oof, that’s rough. I’m definitely going to wait it out. I just hoped the community would reassure me that’s the right choice or point out anything I might be missing. Thanks for the response.

If you don’t mind me asking, why is your Taycan in the shop now?

13

@Milo
At first, my car had some minor issues, nothing too serious. But now I’ve had it lose acceleration while driving three times. The first time was terrifying on the freeway, an hour from home with my kids. Since then, I’ve tried to avoid the freeway, but it still happened on city streets. Luckily I’ve managed to get home each time to tow it. Now it’s back at the dealer. Luckily they had a loaner for me a few days after it was towed. Renting a car and taking Ubers is such a hassle. My nearest dealer is about 45 miles away, so it’s never easy. I recommend asking for service records and making sure all the recalls are completed before they deliver the car. If you see any major issues in the service records, it might be a good idea to rethink the deal. You can also check if there are any reports to the NHTSA with the VIN.

14

I had a similar situation with a cracked back glass repair, and everything you mentioned sounds reasonable. I would just wait it out.

15

Calibration is necessary for the windshield due to ACC and other equipment mounted on it. I don’t think that’s needed for the rear windshield. I can’t speak for Porsche, but for BMW, even Safelite can do the post-install calibration at your home. When I had my windshield replaced, it took a little longer and required the tech to drive the car, but calibrating wasn’t a big deal.

It’s a bummer this is taking so long, but nothing seems out of the ordinary from your perspective. They’ve been upfront about the problems, and Porsche doesn’t manage parts delivery, so if parts arrive broken, that’s not their fault.

16

@Eliot
Just to add, whenever you have the front windshield replaced, make sure the installer adjusts the wiper positions back to spec. It’s easy to do yourself, but still annoying when the installer should handle it.

17

Yes, glass can arrive cracked sometimes; it happened to me too. Your dealer seems to be proactive about the situation and is giving you options to fix it. One thing they could offer is to ensure the warranty lasts until you take delivery or perhaps include a prepaid service for the next interval. Dealers don’t usually do these installs themselves, but I’d prefer to keep it with the dealer so they can take responsibility for the issue.

18

If it’s just the glass that’s damaged, you’re lucky. Our CPO 4 CT had a cracked windshield after the CPO process. It added another week before they could replace it and send me the car. Not a huge deal, right?

The only reason I was annoyed is because they called me two hours before my scheduled delivery to inform me it would be delayed. In your case, at least they’re being honest about the wait and keeping you informed.

19

As long as they keep you informed about the process and maintain good communication, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’ve had a few cars with replacement glass and it’s pretty normal for the glass to arrive damaged. I think you made the right decision to wait it out.

20

I would take the dealer’s suggestions seriously and wait it out. In my experience, dealerships want to avoid bad press and generally do what it takes to satisfy customers. You’re on the right path.