Originally posted August 9, 2010:
I bought my car out of state so I don't have a local dealer. The nearest Porsche dealer is in Tacoma and it's part of a large ownership (Larson Motors) that I have purchased a new car (MB) from in the last couple of years. So I figured I would get reasonably good service when I took it in for an oil change at 5800 miles and one year of service.
WRONG!!!
I wanted to wait for my car and they said about 1.5 hours for the oil service and about .5 for a recall regarding an update to the car's computer system.
After a 2.25 hour wait I inquired and was told "we're doing the recall now and Porsche's computer is running slow - so probably about 20 to 25 minutes more". Apparently the idea of running the recall WHILE doing the oil service was never even considered.
Another half hour later I ask again and they're "just buttoning things up" and it'll be ready after the 'test drive'. Say what? Test drive for an oil change? Oh, yeah, that's standard procedure.
After the three hour mark I see my car drive away. It's back in about 10 minutes and (having already settled up and gotten the book stamp) I go out to take it from the mechanic. I climb in, start it up, and the "service now" indicator function is STILL ON! Well over 3 hours and they "forgot" to reset the service warning.
Checking things out at home I discover that in the $239. charge is a line item for 9 quarts Mobil 1 0w-40. Now, I've read the manual. Capacity with filter change is listed as 1.98 gallons. So that's a shot glass short of 8 quarts, right? Where did they put the other quart? I didn't find it in either trunk and I KNOW it won't fit in the engine. Maybe every eighth oil service they take the extra oil and charge they guy for 9 quarts when they really didn't provide ANY! Pure profit!
Do I sound pissed? Sorry but at these service prices the least they can do is remember to set the f&*$@n' light and not rob me just because I drive a Porsche.
And, hey, keep the waiting customer informed. I had to make all the effort for status updates. I've had far cheaper cars serviced where "Customer Waiting" is stamped on the work order and that small consideration goes a long way toward ultimate customer satisfaction.
Fast Forward Two Days:
Driving into Seattle today was the first time really getting the engine up to full temp since the "service". As I'm almost there I notice what smells like hot/burning oil. About the same moment the red exclamation mark warning lights on the dash along with "Check Engine Oil Level".
I pull over the first chance I get and, sure enough, the oil reading is still 'Full' PLUS filled up on the little top rectangle which, I believe, is the indicator for "Now you've OVERFILLED it, idiot!"
Called the dealer service advisor and related what's happened. Pointed out that the bill was 9 quarts when the listed capacity is just under 8. He put me on hold so he could talk to the tech. A few minutes later he said that the capacity "really is about 8.5 quarts (Hell, what does the factory know?) and that a little overfill wasn't really a bad thing". Then he added that the tech had never heard of a "check engine oil level" warning before caused by TOO MUCH oil but he THOUGHT it was maybe possible. Remember, he's telling this to the guy sitting in the driver's seat, LOOKING AT the warning and SMELLING hot oil!!!
So they're in Tacoma and I'm 40 miles away in Seattle. Realistically, I wouldn't take it back to them to 'fix' the problem THEY created if I had been parked in their driveway.
After checking with a couple of 'furrin' car' repair shops who were much too busy to help me with my problem I resort to a quick lube joint to get the demon oil out.
It was actually pretty comical watching the pair of mechanics open the rear hatch, looking, going down into the pit, coming back up, opening the filler cap cover and still not finding a dipstick and then going back down into the pit (where I believe they smoked some ganja and said to each other "Man, I don't have a f&#$@n' clue either!")
I finally took mercy and explained the lack of a dipstick (OTHER than the DRIVER) in the machine and, in fact related my entire tale of the last 48 hours' woes. They responded by going back down into the pit, removing the plug and burning their fingers while allowing TWO quarts of precious Mobile 1 0w40 to escape.
I didn't know this at the time but filled in the blanks when I rechecked the oil level and found it to now be a full quart LOW.
In all fairness, though, they didn't charge me for the oil removal and phoned around to find a nearby shop that had the "European Car" flavor necessary and even put that on their bill.
Alas, they never offered to share their ganja with me...
For the record, the offending Porsche dealer is LARSON PORSCHE-AUDI in Tacoma, Washington. 'Nuf said.
Wow! Sounds like you've been through a lot. That's probably one of the reasons I try and do as much as possible myself. Just be happy it's over. Now you just need to find a shop for next time.
Good luck!
-Moto
Typical dealer, find a real good independent mechanic.
Only use the dealer for warranty work, schedule ahead and get a loaner car.
i feel your pain with the stupid dealerships. i hope they offer you something to ease the pain you've had w/ them.
Geez. Every time I hear stories like this I thank my lucky stars my dealer is terrific.
Reputation is everything. Why would this dealer not pull through for you when they made a goof so they could avoid the bad press? Everybody goofs now and then. Its okay. Nobody is perfect. Even dealers. Just own it and say hmm, that sounds fishy and we're sorry we've made this more difficult than it needed to be for you. Lets get you in here so we can solve it and make it right.
The hot oil you were smelling is most likely from a poor clean-up after the filter change process. For the 9A1 engines Porsche put the filter in a spot where oil is assured to get on engine parts, and cleaning up is mandatory.
There's no excuse for the nine quarts nonsense. I'd give Porsche, the car company, a call and let them know what happened. If you don't communicate the issue they won't know there's one to address. Overfilling is bad, and unless they let it drain for at least 30min they didn't even get a full eight quarts out, so the overfill was likely more than a quart. To quote the owners manual:
The problem with oil changes is that many shops don't take them seriously, and oil changes actually require some knowledge and skill to perform correctly. This is why I always do my own oil changes. The procedure is so "simple" I don't trust anyone else to get it right.
Maybe you would get better service from the dealer you bought from.
The first time I changed my oil, I put in 8 qts. and was a little low. 4 oz. more and the indicator was right on the money. I let it drain ~20 minutes. I changed oil again a couple weeks ago, put in 8.25 qts and was still low. Put in 4 more oz and still low. Out in the rest of the bottle for a total of 8.75 qt to fill. I had let the oil drain overnight because I thought I had an oil filter on the shelf and didn't.
I had been at the dealer a few days earlier getting strut bushings changed and they mentioned they put in 9 qts.
Possibly...but it's about 700 miles each way...
Cdubya:
That is a terrible story about a very bad service department; however $239 is cheap compared to the $414 I paid my dealer for an oil change w/filter. They did absolutely nothing else but charged me $414 including $25 to dispose of contaminated gloves.
I don't go there anymore!
hey Cdubya, sorry to hear about your issues with Larson. I know its about 25 miles further north, but for about the same price Barrier has done my 2 oil changes so far and never overfilled. I did not buy my car there, but they don't seem to mind and have shown that they value providing good service .
