How A Used Porsche’s $37,000 Dealer Repair Bill Shrunk To $3,000

Buying a luxury car second-hand can feel like gaming the system. Until it doesn’t. Behind the lure of a lower entry price often hides the harsh reality of eye-watering repair costs and inconsistent dealer experiences. In this story, we get a double dose of both.

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One owner bought a 2019 Porsche Cayenne S for $90,000, and right after his CPO warranty ended, the problems began. Those issues led to a $37,000 repair bill that was only reduced after a hard-fought battle.

The trouble started when Reddit user u/AdCritical9217 and his wife noticed the dreaded check engine light pop onto the dash of their Porsche Cayenne S. In October of 2024, just two months after their CPO warranty ran out, they took it into a dealer (we’ll call them Dealer #1) for what appeared to be a small coolant leak.

The dealer said it would replace the water pump, thermostat, and valve. The customer paid for the parts, and Porsche used goodwill credit to pay for the labor.

The $37,000 Quote a Year Later

One year later, the check engine light popped on again. By this time, the owner has moved away from Dealer #1. He takes the car into his new local dealer (Dealer #2) and ends up with a $37,000 quote for repairs, including $19,000 for two new turbos, another $8,800 for a new water pump (yes, again), and several maintenance items.

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Given the extreme cost associated with this repair, the owner asked the dealer to request a goodwill adjustment through Porsche Cars North America.

Allegedly, the dealer told the customer that PCNA denied this request, but when the latter contacted Porsche corporate himself, the automaker had no record of the request. That said, the customer then put in the request himself, and PCNA denied it, citing the CEO’s input as part of the decision. Notably, there should be a two-year warranty on parts like the water pump.

When the owner pointed this out, dealer 2 contacted dealer 1 and found out that they evidently never actually replaced the water pump.

“Dealership #2 GM and I went line-by-line through the invoice. But the parts list, the part that actually matters, only shows a thermostat housing, coolant pipe, rings, and vent line. No water pump part number,” he writes.

While all of this is going on, dealer 2 evidently went ahead and did around $3,150 worth of maintenance work on the car. The customer says he never agreed to the work and ultimately settled the deal for $1,100.

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In the background, Dealer #1 was reviewing all of this and decided to reach back out to make a deal. It agreed to replace just one turbo as only that was failing. Dealer #2 confirmed that the water pump wasn’t leaking after all. Apparently, the other $22k worth of work wasn’t all that vital either.

Lessons From the Warranty Maze

This owner was on the verge of selling this $90,000 SUV to Carvana for $23,000. Instead, they paid a total of $5,100, including towing, the turbo replacement, and the maintenance, and they’re back on the road. Here are the key takeaways that the owner had:

“Always keep warranty on these cars. Always get a second opinion, either from another Porsche dealership or an independent. PCNA was polite but ultimately not helpful; the executive office response basically said they sympathized but couldn’t assist. And most importantly: Porsche dealerships operate like franchises. Some follow the spirit of the brand, and some don’t.”

Those are good notes for anyone willing to get involved with a high-end used vehicle. Warranty coverage could’ve completely flipped the script here, so it would be a wise move to get it whenever possible.