‘$4,500 In Damages’: Man Buys Porsche GT3, But 20 Minutes Later One Simple Move Destroys It

A car dealer in Dallas, Texas, had a terrible experience just 20 minutes after buying his dream car. Alex Cortese, who works as a car consultant, bought a brand new Porsche 911 GT3 only to watch as a passenger accidentally broke the side window while getting out of the car.

The problem happened when one of Cortese’s friends used his elbow to push himself up on the passenger window as he got out. That simple move was enough to crack the glass, leaving Cortese shocked and upset with his new purchase.

In an Instagram video posted over the weekend, Cortese showed how much the accident would cost him. “One window. One elbow. $4,500 in damages,” he wrote. He explained that the lightweight glass used in newer Porsche cars breaks really easily. “Porsche started using a lightweight glass on their new cars that break extremely easily,” Cortese said in the caption. “Both my side window and front windshield cracked with zero impact, and it’s a non-warrantable item somehow.”

So, Why Does The Porsche GT3 Window Break So Easily?

The Porsche 911 GT3 is built completely for speed and performance. To keep the car as light as possible, Porsche uses carbon fiber material for the roof, front cover, bumpers, rear wing, suspension, and doors. The windows are made from very thin glass that keeps the weight down and makes the inside of the car sound better. While this helps the car go faster, it means the windows break much easier in normal use.

People who commented on Cortese’s Instagram video said this problem happens a lot. “I am a Porsche collision tech,” wrote one person. “I install these quarter glass on a regular basis and they break during the install on a regular basis. They are extremely easy to break.” Another viewer called the lightweight glass “a nightmare” and said “we had three 3RS windows break on us back to back.”

Just like viral product reviews that show unexpected problems with quality, this incident has gotten people talking online about expensive products that don’t meet basic standards. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a notice about this problem, but it says that “cracks caused by outside influence (e.g., impact) may not be claimed under warranty.” This is why Cortese has to pay so much to fix what looks like a small accident.

Some Porsche owners have asked if the weight savings from these lightweight parts really makes much difference when driving every day. “Most of these lightweight options don’t make much difference given the cost Porsche charges for them,” wrote one person. Most people seem to think that these lightweight options aren’t worth the high price.