How's your Service Dept? (My Rant included)

this is the first Porsche I've owned, but I've had plenty of cars before this, and the dealership where I get my service done seems to be extremely unprofessional in my opinion. the first time i took my car in for service, it was for the 2yr annual service, to flush the brake lines. I also had them re-mount and balance my driver's side front tire, and check on my "phantom passenger side window" issue. took them an entire day to do the work (dropped off at 8am, completed by 4pm) when i got the car, my service books/manuals were all spread out all over my passenger seat, and the paper they put under the driver's side to not mess up the carpet, was crushed up under right in front of the seat. other dealerships i've taken it too haven't done that, so it was surprising to me, and since it was raining that day, i didn't do anything about it. well i noticed that coming out of service, my radio no longer worked. It would power on, but no sound or anything. and now there was my knocking sound when turning left. called them, they said it would be a week before i can get a loaner car so i waited to bring it back in, in a week. take it back in, and do a ride out w/ the mechanic. he acknowledges the sound and says he'll have to investigate, there's no ETA. also, there's a flat fee of $125 to find the radio code if there's nothing else wrong w/ the car. they call me back around noon to tell me i have a broken "link spoiler" and that it has to be replaced. this is on the same side where the mounted and balanced my tire. they said it must have taken some kind of impact to get that way. i said i drive carefully and i hit no bumps. its a "he-said-she-said" situation and i'm left paying for a new part and labor. they also said they don't know what cause my radio to stop working, that there's no code for my model and all they had to do was reset it. so now my radio works. go to pick up my car, and once again, the paper is crushed up right in front of the driver's seat. and the car's in 1st gear. my fault for not paying attention to it, b/c the car jumped and i killed it, but why leave it in 1st gear on a flat surface w/ nothing behind me but a fence? so that's my rant, i think my Service Dept is pretty bad. I know Lexus and Mercedes are much better, heck so is Infiniti. Do you guys get the same treatment or am i asking for too much?

That sounds pretty unprofessional and careless. I just bought my first Porsche as well, and with it, I also expect a certain level of professionalism and attention to detail that maybe one would not find at a major manufacturer/busy dealership. That's part of the premium you paid for a high-end/luxury sports car. Even Toyota charges a premium for their Lexus vehicles, but you do get Lexus service. My first "service" was a walk-in to fix my sun visor (which I accidentally hit loose by folding the front seats forward) and it was a breeze. Took ~15 min and there was absolutely no hassle. My next service was also very easy. I, too, had the 2 year service and brake flush performed (this time I made an appt.) and it was finished almost an hour earlier than promised. I left my manual on the passenger seat, chatted with my service advisor before and after, and my book was stamped and ready to go when done. I even test drove a Panamera on my advisor's suggestion! Maybe you should look for a different dealership, or even a good indy to service your car next time. You and your car deserve a little respect and care; and it's not because you drive a Porsche or any expensive car. At work, I try to provide excellent service to all of my clients. At the very least, as a customer (unless you come off as arrogant or a jerk), you should receive great service, too. AK

I am very pleased with the service I've gotten from Gunter at Fletcher Jones Porsche in Fremont. I willing drive the extra 20 miles to avoid Livermore Porsche which is close by but could care less about providing good customer service let alone try to match the excellent service I get from Fletcher Jones.

I'm perfectly happy with Porsche of the Village in Cincinnati. I could have saved $3k on my 09 CS by going to another dealer but the service I get from this dealer is worth the extra. I have zero complaints. Hands down the best service department I have ever visited/used.

Not to excuse the mechanic's other actions, but I always made it a habit to leave my car in gear whenever it was parked, flat surface or not. It's just safer that way instead of relying entirely on the parking brake. Whenever I started the car up, I always made sure the clutch pedal was pushed down and I wiggled the gearshift lever to make sure it was in neutral. Lots of people do this, so it's not anything unusual.

Sorry to hear about your dealership experience. I've had absolutely no problems with Tischer. If I were you, I'd find another dealership to take your car. The broken 'link spoiler' sounds rather concerning. I had the same issue with the radio and they just reset it. I haven't had problems with it since. As for 1st gear, I was always told that it is a good habit to get into and so I've been doing it since the beginning of time (and that's a LONG time) even on flat surfaces. Good luck with the dealership. -Moto

Similar situation here. My local dealer was bad enough with Audi's that I never trusted them with my last Porsche. Same garage and personel. I solved the Audi problem by going BMW even though I was a bit upside down on the loan. Night and day difference in the worksmanship. Enough so when I was in the market to replace my last Porsche I REALLY wanted to like the M3 better. The Cayman was just too good. So now I have a delimna if there is ever a warranty issue. Do I take the risk and let them screw up the car and then charge me to fix it wrong? Drive the two or three hours to the next closest dealer? Or fix it myself or pay an independent? Sort of makes me sorry now the CS was that good.

Love the service at Carlsen Porsche in RWC Ca.

+1 for POTV.

yea, it's my fault for not wiggling the stick shift when i got in. i just don't put it in gear when i get home, so i never did think twice about it. i was already frustrated about the sheet, and had to get to dinner. this Porsche dealership is about 75 miles from my house. that's the only one in my area before the New Orleans dealership gets moved into the Infiniti dealership down here. it's really upsetting. i would go out and find an indy shop, but i still have a 4yr warranty intact on my '08 CS and don't really want to do anything that would void it.

I would have thought your warranty would have covered the radio issue. The dealership didn't charge me for it when it happened to me. If you hadn't taken the car to the dealership yet, I would have asked you to try disconnecting the battery to see if that solves the problem. As for the 'link spoiler', I would ask the see the service manager and express the fact that when you brought it in, you didn't have this issue but when you picked it up, you did. Your story reminds me of the time that the exhaust fell off of my Ford way back when. The dealership said I must have hit a bump or something and knocked the exhaust lose and it wouldn't be covered under warranty. I'm pretty sure this didn't happen as I was careful with the car and I would remember if something like that happened. Naturally, I believed him without even looking at it and had it fixed. Looking back, I would have calmly (especially if it's the only dealership in town) discussed the matter with the service manager (or higher up). Good luck!

It's good to see that a number of posters are satisfied. That means things seem to be improving in the service end of Porsche. However, I'm with you. Not long after I bought my first Porsche -- a 968 -- the dealer went out of business and I was forced to take it to another service department. Since I didn't buy the car there, I got no loaner. I can still remember sitting out in the broiling sun waiting for a taxi. It was a telling introduction to the company. Fast forward to my Boxster . The dealership from which I bought it turned out to be a nightmare. They lifted not a finger for me when my car was delayed in shipping and I had no information. I then read numerous horror stories on the web about their service department for the multiple brands that they offered, so I decided to go to another Porsche dealer (even though it had earlier blown me off after I showed up for an appointment for a test drive, checkbook in hand). That place was so disorganized that it took them four days to do three hours of service on my car (an oil change and little else). I can remember sitting in the service manager's office and looking out at the Dickensian workshop. One tech says, "Mr. so-and-so is here to pick up his 911 . Did you put in the new battery?" Other tech: "What battery?" And so it went. I've now found what I think is a pretty good dealership, but the service manager -- a real stand-up guy -- has left. You have to wonder if Porsche does something to drive them away. As you've made comparisons with other makes, I can make a comparison with my local Subaru dealer, where I get treated like royalty, they know my name and the cost of service ($32 oil change) bears some semblance to reality. The biggest gap in Porsche service, however, seems to be the company's unwillingness to acknowledge the IMS defect in the M96 engine and provide victims and other owners with sufficient compensation. But that's a discussion for another day. As others have said, you need to try other dealers or a good independent. Good luck.

Despite Porsche claims that their authorized dealers/service centers are wonderful and full of quality, it does not take a consumer long to realize that authorized Porsche dealers are no better or worse than any other dealer. Some are dishonest, liars, and plain incapable of basic auto care. What is worse is when the lack of accountability and denial of responsibility as the original poster experienced. Some Porsche service centers shine with sucess due to quality people that work there. The trouble remains, it boils down to the people that work there, which is going to be luck of the draw whenever a car is taken in. It would be nice if Porsche could stop declaring in the manuals how great Porsche service centers are and suggesting that not going to an authorized dealer may ruin warrenty-- because neither are true.

I don't know if they still do it, but back when I bought my Boxster , PCNA would take complaints to the corporate toll-free number and send them right back to the offending dealer without resolution, as if the manufacturer had no responsibility for the $60,000 car I was purchasing. The people staffing the call center were simply clerks assigned to re-route the calls. It was infuriating. The zone reps were essentially invisible, with no contact information offered. I wonder if things have gotten any better on that front.

Interestingly enough I just got a satisfaction survey on this subject from PCNA. Should be amusing.

Kaotic- I don't think going to an indy would void your warranty, esp. if you're doing basic services like oil changes, brake flush. From what other people have posted, it's important you keep all the documentation of your services. The only reason I went to a dealer is to establish a good relationship with a preferred dealer in case I may need a favor down the road. Also, I was able to call around and get a pretty decent deal on my service. I know in your case that may not be possible with the lack of competition. AK

well that was my thinking too. i've done my own oil changes and minor maintenance on my other cars. i feel extremely confident that i can change the oil and filters in my CS, but i just don't want to void a warranty. if it can be taken to an indy and i just keep the receipts, and that leaves my warranty intact, that's what i'll do for now on. i want to get my car straight before i call the Service Manager and politely describe my personal experience at his Service Department, and how i feel.

From what I've read, indie or self-maintenance should be fine. However, I wonder what happens if the car is just out of warranty and the engine fails. Does Porsche use the non-dealer maintenance as an excuse not to provide any compensation? I've heard of at least one case in Canada where Porsche refused to offer anything toward an engine replacement (at 33K miles, if I recall correctly) because the owner bought the car from a non-Porsche dealer. There's a bogus excuse if ever I've heard one. It would certainly be convenient for them to allege that the indie or the owner didn't do the maintenance properly and, thus, caused the engine to fail.

I guess it would be helpful if anyone who exclusively deals with independents can chime in and share their experience with PCNA past warranty. At least Kaotic has some time before his next service. While that may be a concern, I don't think I would be able to tolerate constant anxiety/headache with a dealership to warrant staying with them. In his case, since there's only like 1 dealership around, I may even switch to another brand once the warranty runs out. This is why I didn't buy a Lotus Exige (tho I wanted one really bad). Just not enough dealers around to provide service, let alone good service... As in Kaotic's case, I would also be extremely irritated if the dealer charged me money to diagnose/fix a problem that they caused during a routine service That for me would be enough to convert me to independents only. AK

Here is my logic and it could be faulty. If the dealer has lousy service and workmanship on regular routine stuff, what do you think your chances are on warranty stuff. If that is the 1 dealer around for hundreds of miles then I would take my chances and go to a Good indie and keep all records. If the dealer screws up like they just did and denies culpability, the warranty is not worth much. And you are just overpaying for somebody to continually screw up your precious car. I feel for you but cut your losses and preserve your car as well as your sanity.

well, i had to call my Service Dept to follow up, even though they told me they would contact me. they have the part in, so hopefully i can get it installed when i'm up there for a meeting. i love it when a company doesn't follow up.

Sorry to hear about your issues. The dealer here in Washington state is very professional, and the only complaints that I have are around my car being a fragile little flower and having stuff go wrong with it.....interestingly everything started to go wrong a month after the warranty ran out and they told me (very professionally) that the warranty is gone. I had expected them to honor the repair since it was so close to the expiration, but they didn't despite my letter to Porsche HQ. It's big business and I am coming to accept that Porsche is on the side of the dealer, the end customer is really not important to them. I would take the advice of some of the other posters and find a good independent....there's a strong chance that other Porsche owners in your area have had the same issues with the dealer and have also found more reliable and honest alternatives. I am at the point where going back to the M3 (my car before the 987) is becoming a really interesting possibility as my 987 seems to be a money pit that I am too scared to track in case the engine blows up on me! But I do love the look of the car and how it drives....it's like the girlfriend you wanna get rid of, but she's just so damn good in bed (when she doesn't have a 'headache') .

Reading this stuff can scare the heck out of someone looking to purchase . . . I've certain, in a few contacts, had some interesing first impressions of dealers. I guess (appropriate word) that at least we're lucky to have more than a dozen dealerships within a reasonable distance.

Sadly, the old idea that you got treated better if you spent more money is invalid. I understand that there are many folks on this forum that can easily afford to turn a blind eye to the ongoing costs of ownership...... however, I'd venture to think that the larger percentage expected to have a quality product that lasted longer and was more reliable BECAUSE it cost more. I can afford to have Porsche do the work on the car, but as I have mentioned in another thread, having worked hard for everything I have, it's impossible for me to justify paying the $250p/h dealer rate to do something like changing the oil on my car. I'm a tight Scottish bastard at heart....what can I say?

Not impressed with a certain dealerships treatment of customers from sales to service.Lets just say that they are located somewhere in the town of Rocklin California.Kinda arrogant and they do not do as promised.Instead they will tell you some story that backs up there ineptitude.My past experiences with them was acceptable, but most recently i,m left feeling that i will go elsewhere.......

ive yet to get the car in for needed service....i called the dealer in PA where i bought the car and got the answering machine for service [no call back as of yet 2 days] i wrote them an email...i get an email back from the Trenton NJ snob shop that they have me down for monday at 7:30 am....very strange

I find myself, at this stage, knowing pretty much what I want in terms of the car and shopping for the dealer. Yesterday a meeting at work concluded earlier than expected and I ended up with most the day open so I decided, seeing that all the dealers had received 2011 Caymans last week, to just spend the day visiting local dealers. What a wide range of experiences. I'm learning, as I mentioned in another thread . . .that you're really not shopping for a car . . . every dealer from Manhattan to Beverly Hills gets pretty much the same car . . it's the ownership experience I'm shopping for. I drive several hundreds miles to get my Ford trucks for work. I get a good deal but more importantly I get no bs. They know when I ask "how much?" that it's not the initiation of a 2 week to and fro price tango. In fact, anymore they know my drill. I tell them what I want, they know I want to see all the paperwork 3 days before I visit (I have a bad habit, as a contractor, of reading all that fine print) and all I ask is a fair price. I'm not interested in the best price anyone has ever gotten, just fair. I'm far more interested, and appreciate, the top quality service I get and how valued they make me feel as a customer. I too have learned that this experience doesn't correlate with the price of the car. My wife's cousin, in the last year, has purchased a Bently, Ferrari and has a Panamera Turbo as his "daily driver" and he has the same complaints I hear folks voicing about their Kia and Saturn. It's really interesting . . as I continue looking for a car. . .to read of these experiences from various owners.

Historically I had not been a big fans of dealer service dept but I have to say that Leith in Cary (ironically since the Leith MB Cary dealer wasn't very good and intentionally ripped me off....oh then offered a credit for over charging me....no more AMGs from there for me)...the service guys have worked hard at getting everything right on my 2009 Cayman and were very fair with my 2007CS which wasn't purchased there...my sense is that PNA is the real problem....I am amazed at the slow responses to problems given them by dealers...on interesting on was noticing some of the front edge door window rubber seems to be tearing....service guy when out and checked a few cars on the lot....100% had the same tears.....PNA told him that they had never heard of such an issue....YEAH RIGHT....but in any case I feel comfortable that the work will be done correctly...

These cars will start without the clutch engaged? I thought it was a US requirement for this to not be possible. Every car I have driven in the past won't start without the clutch engaged, so it has become such a habit, I can't imagine not doing it...... There isn't much of an excuse for poor service. What I have seen is that dealerships don't really like seeing service customers for the first time after 2years of ownership. I'm not saying it is right, but if the dealership and their service dept knows you, you usually get better treatment. The extra $20 to get the oil changed at the dealership can go a long way.....

it was engaged, but i have a habit of engaging it, starting it, and then letting off quickly w/o looking at the shifter. well now i look every time. this last time i came in for service, to get the "link spoiler" put in, they didn't even bother to put the sheet down and they still left it in first, left the window rolled down, and the e-brake was down. they didn't bother to wash my car, not that they have to, but it would be nice to since they do that for everyone else. i might have to go trade this baby in for an M3 , i love the car, but the service is horrible, i know BMW treats their customers well (friends have a few new 3-series and a 6-series).

I guess part of my calculation is the likelihood that the dealer is going to "fight" for my warranty needs as the car ages....from my experience you are better off if you don't cut off every $100 the dealer charges....to me the little things they can do....and if a problem occurs...the big things they can cover that vastly out weighs saving a few bucks on oil and filter....but to each their own

My experience with the local dealer (Barrier Porsche) was that they screwed me for the cost of a new PCM when the LCD screen died 25 days after the warranty ended. No flexibility, no sympathy...just give us your cash please. As far as I am concerned the dealers are only useful for free coffee when you sign the paperwork for your new car.....each to his own.