A Question For All Current, Future or Thinking About Becoming a Macan EV Owner

[MacanT]

Personally, I feel that I have been given a faulty product. The car is not functioning to its normal level and Porsche should be doing more to rectify this problem for new customers. I wonder if the new 4s and base Macan have improved software with none of these issues.

 

[Fly4ever]

...I decided to postpone my 4S ordering until late Q1-early Q2 2025 (maybe a little later,it'll depend...) exactly for such reasons.I believe and hope the issues we're seeing over here most likely might be - I truly hope they actually are - just the minority ones and most new Macan EV owners enjoy their cars without any issues at all.However,because according to my plans I'll transfer to Porsche almost 150T € for my new car, I would like to eliminate as much as possible the possibility to get in my hands a defected - in any way - product,even if it's a Porsche.I had the notion that getting a car from such a brand name was like...WOW,it's a PORSCHE!!! Unfortunately this is not the case here,and not because of Porsche doing bad business or decided all of a sudden to proceed with another defected product making same mistake twice,having 2 out of 2 problematic EVs along with Taycan. It's because these cars are mainly depend on electronics and computer software/hardware so much for the very first time in vehicle history rather than on anything else.As it seems they weren't 110% ready to cope with such a challenge,that's also the reason why they aren't capable to nail it and consequently come up with a way to resolve it.

If I had loads of millions of € to play with, maybe I wouldn't care so much for such things... Probably I would pass the Macan to my wife and get my self a Bugatti...But this isn't the case here!

...When I first decided to get a newly designed EV Porsche car, I had a discussion with a friend who is for decades a Porsche lover and an absolute fan of it,owning several 911's along the years.His advice - if I wanted to stay away from any kind of troubles - was to wait definitely over a year,maybe even two before I order the car.I truly hope and believe I'll not have to wait that much...Time flies and we're not getting any younger!But that doesn't necessarily means I have to grow older with a problematic car even if it's a Porsche.

 

[SergeyIndy]

I feel bad for early adopters of the Macan EV and seeing this post of a Macan Turbo giving rotating set of critical errors is certainly unacceptable and should give anyone jumping on the first new train pause. This is a second EV product from Porsche, but it is built on a brand new platform and different software stack so it must be treated as a launch product bound to have issues when released at scale.

I was waiting for Taycan issues to subside before making a purchase decision with 2020 being a launch year with 2021 and 2022 much more stable, so I ended up with a 2023 and the issues seem to be not going away or even escalating with some 2025 refresh owners seeing same old problems from the earlier models.

For example, as soon as the temperatures beginning to drop, we are seeing Heater failures again with some going through several even though a revised version has been fitted. The latest at scale recall campaign appears to affect the majority of owners where the HV battery can catch on fire with monitoring software to be installed, limit charge to 80%, and then if the HV battery is determined to be at risk, each one has to be repaired or replaced taking weeks to complete.

However, it is hard to tell how many have had no issues beyond recalls vs. the rest who have had major issues that can happen to anyone at any time. For example, I reported the highest satisfaction scores to JD Powers since I have been in the happy group of owners.

 

[macanchan]

That's a real bummer. I've had issues with my turbo but not to that extent. I hope they can sort it out for you or give you your money back.

 

[Fly4ever]

...I wonder if some kind of conclusion could be established based on how many people in here are considering themselves satisfied with their purchase vs the ones facing problems of any kind forcing them to have second thoughts about their decision to get the car either as early adopters or even not getting it at all in the first place.

Obviously an issue may appear as minor and meaningless to someone might be even a deal breaker to someone else.But there are several issues already reported in here that apparently are quite serious for such an expensive car from such a well known brand like Porsche up to the point even a real Porsche maniac/fan/admirer or whatever, would start to have second thoughts.

Maybe it would be useful to make something like a poll where the already owners will simply state if they are happy with their car - with @Diego being most certainly one of them - or they encounter issues of such a nature of which if they knew prior purchasing the car, they were deciding against it or at least postpone their order.I'm aware there's already a list of the problems someone is facing with their car,however this could be much simpler and likely without someone having to report the nature of the problem and what was/would be the solution,if any.Just if 1:he's happy with the car as it meets his expectations, 2: started to think he might was wrong/hasty getting it, 3: he's already most certainly decided it was finally a bad decision being made and it would be better to get another car.

The statistic sample will be rather strong as there are many people in here from long ago and well before get their cars,unlike the ones who joined the community triggered by the fact they got a car with an issue or more,trying to find a solution or at least to know if also others have similar or other issues as well.In brief,the unlucky ones facing problems aren't only the new members here as there aren't few the ones joined much longer before get their cars and know about their issues.

...Let's see what we'll come up with...I'm very curious to know...!I believe results would be quite interesting

 

[GaryV]

I am happy that my post stimulated some really good perspectives and suggestions. I support Fly4ever's proposal for a simple poll that could provide an indicator of which way the wind is blowing.

A quick update on the progress, or lack thereof on resolution. The last week has consisted of a daily wash, rinse and repeat cycle. The "wash" cycle is the dealership driving the car to collect data (I am told they have recorded hundreds of faults). The "rinse" cycle is the transmission of the logs to Germany and of course the "repeat" cycle is the daily reporting that Germany hasn't identified the root cause(s) whether that be hardware or software. Betting odds are heavily in favor of software. Whatever is driving the faults, I am highly confident that there isn't an obvious solution and a fix within a reasonable timeframe is nowhere in sight.

Based on the thoughtful feedback received here, (thanks everyone), I suspect a discussion on canceling the sale and either pursuing an alternative or replacing the car is a week or two away.

 

[tmrqs]

Which of you (@Fly4ever or @GaryV) will start that thread/poll?

 

[GaryV]

I didn't intend on an additional post but literally moments after my recent post I received the following email from Porsche NA. This is the first response I have received from them from my initial report to Customer Support nearly 2 weeks ago. The "Dean" that is referenced in the email is the random Customer Support person who happened to answer my call. I have been pleading with my Dealership for more engagement / advocacy on the part of Porsche NA as it relates to dealing with Germany.

For anyone who has reached out to Porsche NA for help in the past, is this a typical response? Feels very patronizing to me without providing any real help. I admit I could be overly sensitive at this point given my level of frustration but I have been trying to pull every lever I can find.


Dear Mr. ,

Thank you for your response.

I wanted to take a moment to express how glad we are to assist you with the recent case regarding the rotating system alarms. Your concerns are important to us, and we appreciate your patience as we work through this together.

It's great to see that you're collaborating with Dean on this matter. He is truly knowledgeable and dedicated to resolving issues like yours, and I'm confident that you are in good hands. I encourage you to continue your work with him; together, I'm sure you will find a solution that meets your needs.

If there's anything else you need from us or if you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to support you every step of the way.

Should you need any further assistance, you may reply directly to this email or call 1-800-PORSCHE. We are available Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 9 PM, and Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM EST.


Mr. We value you as a member of our Porsche family and appreciate you taking the time to bring your frustration to our attention.

Kind regards,


Customer Support Specialist

Porsche Cars North America

One Porsche Drive

Atlanta, GA 30354

Phone: 1-800-PORSCHE (1-800-767-7243)

Email: [email protected]

 

[tmrqs]

The email doesn't strike me as patronizing - but also not super helpful either.
I'd reply asking to escalate this to a supervisor and be called back.

 

[PanameraFrank]

Agree with @tmrqs . I think the tone is nice, if anything, just someone that can't actually help. Ask to be escalated.

 

[GaryV]

Agree with @tmrqs . I think the tone is nice, if anything, just someone that can't actually help. Ask to be escalated.

On my call with Customer Support I was asked what action I was looking for and that was exactly what I requested. The letter was the only response I received. I also have the strong impression based on my dealership discussions that Porsche NA and Porsche Germany don’t collaborate or even speak to each other on these kinds of issues. I have been in search of a Customer advocate for two weeks now without success.

 

[Fly4ever]

Which of you (@Fly4ever or @GaryV) will start that thread/poll?

...I'm from the newbies here,only been around just a couple of months and I don't have a clue how to arrange a poll in a way similar to the one asking opinions about the badges,it was something like this I had in mind.Apart from this,during the weekend I'm leaving for 2 months to Germany & France with my wife and I have to prepare the car and the rest for the long journey.If organising such a poll in the forum is pretty simple,most likely I'll manage to do it prior our journey starts with someone's help obviously.If @GaryV would like also to start the poll I proposed I'm perfectly o.k. with that.Same counts for anyone else off course...!

Concerning the answer @GaryV got from Porsche I also believe he must escalate things so the issues reach all the way up to the top, definitely to the specific department in Germany where the car was constructed.The North America HQ replying to the requests certainly isn't capable to address and resolve such serious technical issues,at least not better than the main factory.Some things must reach at last at Porsche themselves,not only their representatives around the globe.

 

[tmrqs]

...I'm from the newbies here,only been around just a couple of months and I don't have a clue how to arrange a poll in a way similar to the one asking opinions about the badges,it was something like this I had in mind.

It’s actually very easy.

When you start a new thread, there’s an option at the bottom to include a poll:

When you open that section, you can then specify the question shown above the poll, enter the possible answers, if multiple answers are possible, etc.

I recommend not to put an end date to the poll so users can keep voting over time and changing their answers if need be.

Go for it!

 

[Fly4ever]

On my call with Customer Support I was asked what action I was looking for and that was exactly what I requested. The letter was the only response I received. I also have the strong impression based on my dealership discussions that Porsche NA and Porsche Germany don’t collaborate or even speak to each other on these kinds of issues. I have been in search of a Customer advocate for two weeks now without success.

...If they don't even speak on these kind of issues to each other then what kind of issues they consider as "appropriate" to start talking?A fire maybe?Or a car starting to have a mind of his own and acting crazy on some highway?Or maybe they absolutely need any casualties to start talking with each other?Therefore the Porsche HQ must have told all of it's representatives all over the world something like: "Don't bother me with minor issues,only if a car explodes or someone is killed you're allowed to contact me or at least about anything according to your estimation could lead to the above situation"!!!