Porsche Roadside Assistance Really Works
While enjoying my 997TT on a terrific driving trip with my wife in far Northern California, I had an unfortunate run-in with a rock in a remote mountainous area on Highway 36 (great Porsche driving road) near Chester, CA. This is what the left front looked like after meeting the rock 
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The rock cut through the tire right at the rim, gouged the rim, and damaged the suspension in the process. Amazingly, cell phone service was available. I called Porsche Roadside Assistance who sent out a flat bed and directed me to the Big O Tire store in Redding for repairs, some 100 miles away. The closest Porsche dealer was in Sacramento about four hours away, but I wanted to try to preserve our travel itinerary that included Eureka. The truck operator was extremely careful loading the car, took almost an hour. I hope to never have this feeling again 
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So we rode in the flatbed to Redding 
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The entire adventure from blowout to arrival in Redding took about five hours. After dropping us off, the driver headed back to Chester, about two and on-half hours away. Porsche Roadside Assistance was prompt, helpful, and paid all costs for the flatbed (200 mile round trip). The driver told me that Porsche (as well as other manufacturers) contract with companies who have created a network of towing services by contracting with induvidual garages and towing companies (like AAA does).
I had a new tire and rim shipped to Redding by overnight delivery where they were installed at Big O and the suspension was "straightened" so that the wheels could be alligned close to spec. You don't want to watch while someone works on your Porsche's suspension with a large pipe wrench and a three foot crow bar. After these repairs, the car drove and handled normally and we resumed the journey home (including driving beautiful Highway 299 along the Trinity River between Redding and Eureka--another great driving road), having lost only one day to that rock.
Once home, the damaged suspension parts were replaced (given the cost of Porsche parts and dealer labor rates, you can imagine what that cost!).
Despite the trauma of the damage to my Turbo, I was impressed by the service from Porsche Roadside Assistance and the durability of the car. I just don't want to do that again!
