Documenting Warranty/Goodwill Relevant Repairs in the Event of Visual or Acoustic Complaints With Pictures/Sound Files (14/16)

Model year: 

as of 1997 

Model Line: 

Valid for all model lines 

Subject: 

Documentation of a repair job in the PQIS line 

Information: 

Importance of documentation quality  .

When documenting a repair job, it is absolutely essential that affected or rejected components are documented using pictures and/or sound files.

The documentation therefore provides the basis for quality improvement measures and for any claims for recourse against the supplier.

To guarantee a well-founded quality analysis, repairs and customer complaints must be verifiable and fully documented for third parties in PQIS.

Repairs and customer complaints that are verifiable for third parties help to ensure that warranty and goodwill claims can be processed quickly.

Comprehensive documentation for the Porsche partner is essential for any legal proceedings.

When documenting complaints/repairs, it is important to differentiate between the coding used for the following process steps: 

• Customer complaint (the actual wording used by the customer is important here)
• Technical assessment (assessment performed by the Shop Foreman/Technical Expert)
• Cause (the cause identified by the technician)
• Corrective measure(s)

To ensure verifiability, it is important to specify not only the fault location (FES 5) and damage category (SA 4), but also any further information.

Attachments: 

Specifications for attachments (pictures, videos and sound files): 

Pictures, videos or sound files of the affected component must be attached in order to document visually or acoustically verifiable complaints so that the complaint is also verifiable for third parties:

• File attachments must preferably be attached in PQIS.
• The specifications for file size and accepted file formats must be observed.
• The file attachment must be labeled with the repair order number and a brief description of the attachment.

Visual Defect: 

Visually verifiable complaint: 

Definition 

A visually verifiable complaint can be explained as follows, e.g.:

• Clearly visible damage or function restrictions of components (e.g. loose or broken/cracked/porous components)
• Discoloration or flaking
• All visible leaks in air or fluid-carrying systems/components

Required documentation 

• Meaningful pictures of the damage/problem areas. It is not the number of pictures, rather the quality (verifiable damage/problem, sharpness, brightness, contrast) that is important.
• For extreme close-ups, an overview shot must be taken first.
• Particularly for pictures of a paint defect, the affected area on the picture must be marked (e.g. with an arrow or border).

Special documentation for leaks 

• Leaks on air-carrying components: 

The leak on the component must be identified using leak-locating spray or a soap solution and after applying pressure as required, must be documented by taking pictures or videos.

• Leak/condensation: 

In the event of complaints relating to misting/condensation with and without drops forming, pictures or videos must be taken both before and after drying the affected area in order to document any residues in the components.

• Leaks on fluid-carrying components  . These are differentiated as follows:

1. Leak without drops forming  ("sweating") on the components:

   No documentation required as this is not a defect in the warranty and goodwill context.

2. Leak with drops forming: 

   If the problem is immediately verifiable, a picture clearly showing the leak on the affected component with correct details of the problem in PQIS is sufficient.

   If the problem is not immediately verifiable, it must be made clearly visible using the following procedure and documented accordingly.

1. If the affected area is heavily soiled, take pictures before cleaning the area in order to document the additional work involved.
2. After cleaning the relevant area, spray it with talcum powder/Spotcheck.
3. It may be necessary to carry out a test drive or leave the engine running until the operating temperature of the components is reached. (The components must then be allowed to cool down as the leak might only occur after the components have cooled down)
4. Check and identify exactly where the leak starts or which component is responsible.
5. Once the leak is identified, the cause of the leak must be documented by taking more pictures.

Acoustic Defect: 

Acoustically verifiable complaint: 

Definition 

• The problem can be perceived acoustically (as a noise).
• For example, this may involve unusual noises:

1. from the drive train or
2. electronic/mechanical components.

Required documentation 

A sound file or FFT plot (when required) for acoustic complaints  so that the noise can also be assigned to the cause during quality analysis and quality assurance (Porsche AG).

Other Documentation: 

Video documentation: 

• Both for visual and acoustic defects, it may be necessary/helpful to show the problem/defect in a short video. For videos, there are also specifications relating to file size, file format and assignment (see above).
• The documentation must also contain a detailed description of the damage/damage circumstances (e.g. exact fault location, weather and road conditions, transmission range, driving speed and engine speed).

Documentation for paint damage: 

In the event of paint damage, clear picture documentation and the cost estimate from the paint shop, must also be attached to the quality line in PQIS.

Marking affected defects when returning components 

When returning defective/damaged parts (requested via barcode), the affected damaged area on the component itself must also be marked (e.g. using a wax crayon or chalk, water-resistant felt-tipped pen or adhesive tape) so that it is still clearly identified following transportation.

This allows optimal analysis of the cause of damage during quality analysis and quality assurance. Always make sure that damaged parts are packaged adequately (original packaging) during shipping.

Information 

=> PCNA reserves the right to reject warranty claims  if the instructions and information relating to required documentation are not observed  .

References: 

Basic information on processing warranty and goodwill claims  can be found in the Warranty Policies and Procedures, 

see => PPN (Porsche Partner Network)