A Porsche 911 GT3 owner’s distressing experience is now gaining attention on social media. He had given his car to the Bengaluru dealership for servicing. The dealership staff crashed it during a road test. The crash happened in July, and the issue remains unresolved even after three months. Frustrated with the lack of progress and communication, the owner has taken to Instagram seeking accountability from the dealer and Porsche India.
The vehicle involved in this incident is a Porsche 911 GT3. It has an ex-showroom price of Rs 3.32 crores. The owner gave it to VST Motors, the Porsche dealer in Bengaluru for servicing, in July. According to the video shared by the owner, a service centre employee crashed the GT3 during a test drive.
The crash happened on July 23. At around 10:50 in the morning, the dark-metallic grey-coloured GT3 crashed into a cab near Katamnallur bridge in KR Pura. The Porsche was driven by Prasanna, a service centre staffer and the cab was driven by T Siddgowda. The sports car took significant damage in the incident. Its front sections of both vehicles were badly damaged. Thankfully, nobody was injured in the crash. .
According to a complaint filed by Siddgowda, the cab was heading toward Kempegowda International Airport with a passenger when the incident happened. He slowed down to take a right turn at a service road junction. The GT3 approached from the opposite direction and collided head-on with the cab. The cabbie accused the Porsche driver of rash and negligent driving.
Investigators suspect that Prasanna may have lost control of the high-performance sports car during the test drive. Another possibility is of him not being familiar enough with handling the GT3, which is much more aggressive than a regular 911. The exact cause of the accident reportedly remains unclear.
Unlike the regular 911 that is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged flat-6 petrol engine, the GT3 has a larger 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat-six engine that makes 502hp and 450Nm. The car has a strong focus on performance and can do the 0-100 kph sprint in just 3.4 seconds. The top speed is 311kph.
The GT3 getting damaged itself was heartbreaking. But the actual problem began when the dealer refused to take accountability. The owner is very unhappy with how the matter was handled by the dealer. He reportedly contacted the dealer seeking a resolution and accountability for the incident. He also wrote to Porsche India. The owner says that responses from both felt dismissive. He says that the dealer and the brand tried to brush it off as ‘human error’.
The video says that there has been no resolution or meaningful response even after months. Communication has reportedly stopped completely in recent weeks. This made the owner take the issue to Instagram. He said he had never expected owning a 911 GT3 to become a struggle this big. The reel seeks answers about the accident and the lack of progress since. And of course, a proper resolution to the issue.
A Porsche 911 GT3 is indeed an ultra-high value item. The damage in this case was caused by the dealer staffer. Ideally, the dealership should get the car fixed at its own expense or using its own insurance coverage. Making the customer do the repairs with his insurance claim, sounds unfair. Remaining silent will not solve the issue either. It will only reduce customer confidence in the brand and its products.
The terms and conditions that customers sign while accepting vehicles for service has a clause that says the dealer will not be responsible for damages caused when the vehicle is in its custody. These may help the dealer wiggle out if the customer takes the legal route.
Taking the legal route will ensure that this owner is served justice. It may, however, take months or years for the final ruling.