An expected settlement in a class action suit against Porsche might prove an opportunity for retailers who cater to Porsche owners.
A US District Judge in late February indicated his court will approve a settlement providing some Porsche owners up to $7,500 for reimbursement for failed radios.
The suit claimed that a software update to Porsche vehicles with a satellite radio antenna and the PCM 3.0 or 3.1 system caused damage to the infotainment system. As a result, the radio would continuously reboot and the hard drive could be damaged.
Thousands of vehicles were affected including the Panamera, Cayenne, 911 Macan, Cayman and Boxster, model years 2010 through the present, said the class action suit led by plaintiffs Kent Bowen and Kathleen Darnell against Porsche Cars North America Inc.
Judge Mark Cohen of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia filed an order in February indicating the court will certify the settlement, again allowing a maximum payment reimbursement of up to $7,500 per vehicle.
Retailers who saw customers with this problem may want to contact the clients to notify them of the impending settlement so they can submit the invoice for any aftermarket work performed to fix the glitch and receive reimbursement. It’s a good will opportunity to reconnect with customers.
At least two car audio retailers said they saw a number of customers with either completely dead Porsche radios or systems that constantly rebooted, following a software update in recent years.
Josh Landau of JML Audio, St. Louis, MO said he’s worked on about six Porsches with the problem. In some cases the radio was completely dead and he replaced it with an aftermarket radio for about $6,000.
Hurley’s Auto Audio, Northern VA, also saw vehicles with the problem and alerted us to the impending settlement.
See more here.
Photo via Champion Porsche
