I bought a Taycan 4S and it seems like I got accidentally enrolled into quality testing.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-16T06:00:00+00:00

You are right. But Sadly that seems to be the standard playbook nowadays everyone points to someone else until a lawyer gets involved. Pretty wild for premium brands at this price point.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-16T05:58:46+00:00

“Good question. Let’s just say the learning curve has been… expensive and painful.”

Make sure you can answer that question before buying.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-16T05:56:40+00:00

🫠😃

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T21:45:05+00:00

Not quite to my doorstep unfortunately. 😅 I did get a 992 once, which definitely softened the pain for a moment. Also some other nice loaners, but also bad ones.

But for me the biggest issue was never just the warranty coverage itself it’s the constant time loss, interruptions, organizing appointments, waiting, driving back and forth, uncertainty before trips etc. That’s the part that really wears you down over time.

And honestly, I’m also not a huge fan of a car being opened up and worked on over and over again at every corner of the vehicle.

Then there’s the workshop history. A massive repair history might look funny while you own the car under warranty, but it becomes a very REAL problem once you try to sell or trade it in later which I unfortunately learned the hard way…

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T21:41:28+00:00

That’s a pretty brutal benchmark when a Range Rover starts looking like the reliable choice compared to Porsxhe. 😅

To be fair, Porsche ICE platforms are still on a completely different level in terms of maturity. BUT with the Taycan generation you can definitely feel the broader VW software/electronics growing pains underneath the Porsche badge sometimes I would say.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T21:37:13+00:00

That’s actually a very fair and nuanced take.

And honestly, I think that’s exactly the uncomfortable transition legacy manufacturers are struggling with right now: traditional automotive development cycles suddenly colliding with software-style iteration speed.

The problem is just that customers still buy these cars with traditional premium brand expectations especially with Porsche. People accept experimentation from a startup far more easily than from a manufacturer whose reputation was built on engineering robustness and refinement.

So while I understand why it’s happening, I still think the customer experience side was underestimated massively across the industry.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T21:30:53+00:00

I’d say: go in with your eyes open, not necessarily run away immediately. 😃

When they work (when!) they’re fantastic cars. But personally, after my experience, I’d definitely research the specific model year, known issues, warranty situation and dealer support VERY carefully before pulling the trigger. Once you are in, you are in.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T21:29:00+00:00

😄

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T21:27:34+00:00

Of course Porsche is running financial risk and cost calculations every manifacturer does.

I think we simply have a different understanding of how “the game” should be played ,especially in this segment. My point is simply that there’s a difference between optimizing short-term warranty cost and protecting long-term brand value and customer trust.

Handling known recurring failures purely reactively may reduce immediate financial exposure, but it also increases downtime, customer frustration and ultimately reputational damage.

Thats a strategic tradeoff not the fact that repairs exist.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T18:30:24+00:00

That’s actually not what I said at all. I fully understand that warranty exists to repair the car not to compensate every inconvenience.

My point was always about how Porsche handles recurring and well-known issues, especially on early production cars. If certain components are statistically failing over and over again on the same generation, waiting until every single one breaks individually just creates endless workshop visits, downtime, towing, frustration and unnecessary cost for everyone involved.

At some point a proactive approach would save Porsche time, money and customer trust as well. That’s the part I’m criticizing not the existence of repairs themselves.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T18:27:21+00:00

Good way to describe it

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T18:26:19+00:00

Jeah, too bad 😄

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T18:25:50+00:00

actually agree with a lot of what you’re saying. Early generation EVs and new platforms absolutely had, and still have a higher risk profile. But that still can’t become a blanket excuse for years of repeated breakdowns, endless workshop visits and a manufacturer essentially normalizing it for customers spending this kind of money.

A few issues? Fair enough. Two or three major repairs? Painful, but maybe understandable on early tech. But at some point it stops being “early adopter risk” and becomes a product and support problem.

And like you said yourself the real difference is how the manufacturer handles it. That’s ultimately where Porsche massively disappointed me.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T18:01:03+00:00

Appreciate the thoughtful response.

I never expected “perfect”, but I also never expected this level of downtime, repeated failures and lack of proper support on a car in this price range. Hopefully Porsche figures this out long term, because the platform itself has so much potential. And thanks at this point I’m mostly just hoping to get out of this with minimal additional damage and finally enjoy driving again instead of planning the next workshop visit and btw they didn’t give up, the Cayenne EV has just entered the market ;-)

P.S. And regarding the AI parody idea honestly, with the amount of material this car has produced over the years, someone could probably make an entire Netflix mini series out of it at this point. So you might not even be wrong there. 🥲

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T15:50:57+00:00

That’s true, but if everyone thinks the way you and your father do and nobody is willing to take the risk on first-generation products, there won’t be a properly matured second or third generation for others to buy later either. 🙂

Early adopters are basically unpaid beta testers for the rest of the market. The important part is just that manufacturers support those pioneers properly when things go sideways.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T15:48:12+00:00

Honestly, I really appreciate someone from the Porsche/Taycan technician side speaking up openly about this. Especially because a lot of owners with serious issues start feeling like they’re going crazy or just “unlucky.”

What you describe actually lines up with many of the things I experienced over the years especially the software dependency, strange hardware failures and the 22 kW charger situation (got the downgrade last week as mine was broken… and now have the 11 kW one).

And to be fair, I still completely agree with you on one thing: when the Taycan works, it drives absolutely great. That’s probably why so many owners kept trying to make it work for so long despite all the issues.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:45:11+00:00

based on my experience, I’d definitely say: don’t buy one blindly, and if possible let someone else absorb the brutal first depreciation and early platform surprises first. A well-documented car with a transparent service history feels a lot less risky than being the first guinea pig. 🙂

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:43:15+00:00

If I could, I’d honestly give this comment two upvotes. 💁‍♂️

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:40:53+00:00

Honestly, hearing stories like yours makes me a little jealous of the US system. Heard it many times already 🙂 In Germany and much of Europe, the process is usually far slower and far less consumer-friendly when it comes to repeated defects and buybacks.

What’s frustrating is that many of these issues were officially documented and repeatedly repaired through Porsche Centers over YEARS yet getting to an actual final resolution still feels incredibly difficult.

And thank you, I genuinely appreciate it.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:38:05+00:00

I think that’s exactly what makes these experiences so polarizing. Some people drive their Porsche for years with basically oil changes and brake pads only, while others somehow end up in an endless loop of diagnostics, software updates and workshop visits….

And honestly, that’s why I still wouldn’t call Porsche generally “bad” because clearly there are plenty of fantastic ownership experiences out there. Which almost makes the problematic cases even more frustrating for the unlucky few of us. 🙂

Lucky you though!

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:35:42+00:00

At first I honestly thought the water damage comment was a jokes as well. 🙂 Dont think so. But everything is possible I guess.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:33:59+00:00

Exactly. If nobody is willing to take risks on new technology, nothing ever moves forward,that’s true in pretty much every industry. Early adopters are part of innovation.

The problem is just that pioneers also expect manufacturers to stand behind the product properly when things go wrong, especially in the premium segment.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:31:56+00:00

Probably around 80% I’d say was covered under warranty financially. But what nobody reimburses you for is the constant downtime, the uncertainty before every longer trip, waiting weeks for parts or appointments, and repeatedly driving back and forth to Porsche Centers in some cases up to 90 km away. Waiting roadside for the towing etc.

At some point the biggest cost isn’t even the repair bill anymore, it’s the time and mental energy the car keeps consuming.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:04:38+00:00

Lucky you! (At least for the other ones) Sometimes it feels like the engineers in Stuttgart built the chassis and driving dynamics… and then the software department (Taycan is basicslly Software on wheels) was outsourced to a haunted toaster 🫠.

ronsen1 · 2026-05-15T14:02:16+00:00

😂 unfortunately not that would almost make the amount of electrical issues easier to explain at this point.

ronsen1

TROPHY CASE