New 996 owner - Looking for a shop in San Diego!

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That car was for sale for a while. seems like a cool car with a little cosmetics. As for service Black forest is good in San Diego or Performance independent. The paint shop that I use is Fender Mender in Encinitas. Prices for good auto body work can vary widely.

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Yeah, it was being marketed poorly. One craiglist ad (never renewed) and the actual owner was having a friend sell the car. At first I thought it was a scam since the title was not in his name. But I ended up meeting the REAL owner and getting the title notarized. I think the cosmetic issues also hurt the sale. It sure doesn't look like a 61k mile car right now, but it will look better with some love.

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I second Performance Independent. I had a new flywheel/clutch, IMS (single row pro), RMS, AOS replaced, and oil/filter change for a great price last summer. Dieter�s did the PPI and was not happy with their inspection process as they didn�t test drive the car (their excuse was because the car had no plates...the independent dealer selling the car drove it about 20 miles one way to the PPI and back so Dieter�s could have done a limited test drive IMO), check the operation of the convertible top (their excuse was because the hard top was on), or report the number of over revs.

Was this seller a guy named Alex by any chance? I had considered this car when I was looking. Got a little put off by the seller's responses to questions. Maybe I was being overly sensitive....

Another vote for Black Forest. They've been patient with this ham-fisted DIYer for years.

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I'm guessing that the car didn't have current registration and that was why they didn't want to test drive it. I don't know anything about cabs and removable hardtops but maybe the selling dealer was too cheap to pay the extra labor involved with removing and replacing the hardtop. I have never done business with Dieter's but they've been around since 1960 and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

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I hear you on the registration. Maybe they have a policy about that. I was surprised the car was driven that distance for the PPI and Dieter�s didn�t even try to take it around the block or had a parking lot to do something. I wish I was involved in the process more than I was but couldn�t due to circumstances. The PPI was done and paid for and I found out after the fact. Just like the hard top situation. It takes two people to take the hard top off. The 5 minutes it took me and my wife to learn how to take it off/on a place that specializes in Porsche PPI�s could have spent a fraction of that time to remove/install it? Operation of installing and removing the hardtop could have been part of the PPI since it came installed on the car. The hard top was not some aftermarket option. Yes, you have pointed out Dieter�s has been around for years and that is why I used them and paid over $350 to PPI my first Porsche purchase. Maybe it�s a one off but it�s my experience with Dieter�s. With all of that said the over revs situation wasn�t addressed. I bought a durametric after purchasing the car which told me the story. Regardless, I am fortunate so far to have a vehicle (2003 996 Cabriolet with 57k miles) that has worked mechanically flawless to date with most of the �usual suspects� I had addressed by Porsche Independent after purchasing the car.

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Good grief! What a headache. Glad it worked out for you in the end.

Those seats are pretty easy to spruce up. Get some leather cleaner spray and soft bristle brush. You would be shocked how much dirt is trapped in the leather. I like to use a steamer on all the seams too. I would then use something to hydrate the seats like leatherique on hot day. I like to use a product called obenhauf they both share the some key ingredient which is lanolin and its half the price. Just keep hydrating the seat in warm weather. The dried out parts will keep absorbing everything else will buff off. Just keep doing it until it stops absorbing. Then you can easily find dye kits on amazon and you mix them to match your color. It takes a little practice, but it is easy to do. My Gt3 sport seats were like cardboard when I got them. it took forever, but they feel like new now. If not diy, I like using Jim's upholstery in San Diego. The people who work their aren't exactly social creatures, is probably the nice way to put it. But their work is VERY good and VERY cheap. imho worth a look. I have had them do my 968 convertible top and redo several headliners and even redid the alcantara s4 interior on my audi.

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Well if that's all that is involved to remove the hardtop, then yes, I think they could have checked it. I also agree that the over revs should have been addressed. Just for the hell of it, I checked Dieter's website and apparently Dieter called it quits and sold the business last year. It might be that the new owner is more about the bottom line than customer service.

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I was not aware of that and thanks for pointing that out. Wonder if that happened before or after I had the vehicle PPI�d last JUN. Regardless, so far I am blessed that the car we purchased has been a great find. Good luck to all who use the information in this forum. I get to look for a new indy when we move to the Indianapolis area this summer so I will be starting a thread of this nature on my own soon.

http://volligautowerks.com/ Adam is super active in the PCA/AutoX/DE community and has grassroots built a following of fellow racers/enthusiasts. I'm not sure what his wait list is like these days, but that's who I trust above anyone else. Prices are competitive and the shop is beautiful.

I'm in San Diego (Carlsbad) and thinking about buying one as well. I'll be following this thread.