QUOTE(Jim C @ Sep 18 2020, 11:55 AM)
Are the COA's not to be trusted? What's the explanation for the discrepancy?
What is your Karmann chassis # on the paint code plate?
This is the date that the body was completed. Then it could sit for a short while until final assembly. At that point it will get the Compliance decal with a build date. I find this date the best indication of final assembly completion. Usually, the date provided on a CoA is an invoice date or date of retail sale. Thus one can rarely use CoA or even Kardex dates as a completion date. The big issue here is there is a disconnect between manufacturing and sales departments. You want a manufacturing date, but you can only talk to the sales department, and they can only consult their records and not manufacturing records.
So, can you trust a PCNA CoA? The answer really is "sort of". Engine # & paint code will be correct. Interior? Well that depends on if they provide the code and a full description. The 1x codes are black leatherette, but 11 is black leatherette with basketweave seat inserts; so if it does not spell out the seat insert type, then the CoA is not accurate. Transmission? My data source says that no 914 had the transmission serial # recorded. Options? Again it would be best if the CoA had both code and a descent description. But dates, can only be used as a "no later than" date.
The pseudo-CoA Reports that I make up have as much detail as I can get, and some of that depends on the information that I can get from the owner.