Stupid mechanic! (long)

[Alienz]

Last week I took my Boxster to a "certified" Porsche mechanic. They had the car from friday thru modaday (and still have it). I was supposed to get a call on Friday (as promised) with details about the problems ad the price. I never got it. Monday morning I got a call from them. The guy started interogating me, no joke! He started asking me questions about the history of the car, where I got it from and whether I left the top down once while it was raining. He didn't give me a straight answer for every question I had asked. Then he acuses me of holding back some important information that will help him fix the car! I told him "Are you kidding me?! I want the car fixed ASAP." Then he says "I really don't want to sound like a jerk but I just feel you are holding back some info that will make it easy for me to fix the car.

My friend is an amatuer mechanic and because I was in between classes this morning I had him call the shop and talk to them. They basically talked to him the same way they did to me: asking questions and trying to play the "blame game". This might sound stupid but the mechanic was trying to blame the fault on me. Which means that he can't fix the car but at the same time he doesn't want to admit it. So there was a little of an alteriation etween my firnd and the ower who at the end said that they can't fix the car and gaurantee it. My friend got a bit agitated because the mechanic was going in circles for 15 mins and didn't want to admit their incompidence. And that was the least part.

He wanted to charge me $480 for just diagnostics. Fine I'll pay. NOw he wouldn't take my credit card! He thinks that I'm going to dispute the purchase after I walk away with my credit card company.

Long story short, I have to pay him in cash after all. I don't mind but I just hate it becuase he is giving me a hard time on purpose. He took it way personal. He propebly got an F in the public relations courses he took ( or never have). After all, what does he know about customer satisfaction and the customer is always right. He is just another stupid mechanic (the owner that is).

[Larry Goldston]

Not sure if I read it right, but if it is a Porsche Dealer, certified mechanic, you are going to get to give them a grade after you get your car home. You can sock it to them, and they will have to reply by endorsement to PCNA thru the dealer principal. I wouldn't ever take my car back there again, and you could also file a complaint with BBB, but you will have the last say. remember you are burning your bridge behind you.

[Alienz]

He is not a Porsche dealer actually. But he says he is certified by them or something I'm not sure. I think he is Bosch certified, I don't know how this compares with the Porsche certification. I'm never going there again. Dealer only from now on. THe only reason I didn't go to the dealer in the first place was because the mechanic was away for a week for training. I just didn't want to wait that long and took my chances.

[mjbliemel]

What was the problem that you had the car in for? Just curious.

BTW, I would seek out a shop that works only on Porsches, you don't necessarily have to go the dealer route. I mean check with your local Porsche club and see who they recommend.

Where I live for example in San Diego, we have a great independent shop, nothing but Porsches in the shop and parking area. That is all they do. I have total confidence in them, the live, eat and breathe Porsches. So look up a shop in your area that works on the Porsches that people race, you are sure to find a good place if you go that route.

My '99 is used and I had some of this interrogation stuff from the dealer. Right after I bought it, there were a few things I wanted done, they "declined." Well, screw that, I wanted a few things checked out and fixed as necessary, I don't want bullshit. It's my money and my car, you do as I ask. Not going to any dealer shop again with this car. Besides that they were less than courteous.

[Alienz]

Some how water got in under the driver's seat and the Theft/Locking unit got fried. I don't know how the water got in there because few days earlier I check for something under my seat and didn't feel or see any water. I think it got in there when I took it to the car wash the other day. High pressure water must've seeped in there is my only guess. But I don't know from where.

[porsche986]

hey guys when you say dealer... do you mean PORSCHE as in the lin dealer or a garage that sold you the car. Its just every time i go into my porsche center the first thing they do is give me a cup of tea, i am first name terms , they bend over backwards now weather this is because they know i am sniffing for a 911 turbo i dont know, when i snapped my locking nut they removed my wheels and gave me a new set FREE!

I am gutted to hear about your boxster alienz, it sounds like there trying to screw you, maybe they put the water there... anyways i hope you get it sorted i understand how you feel when the price keeps going up and up!

good luck mate

[Alienz]

The first shop I took it to wasn't the dealer. I took it to the dealer today and the mechanic was very professional. I walked him the probblems I had with the car. He didn't give me crap like the other shop did, he simply said at the end "Jacob, we'll get you fixed." Which was what I wated to hear from the other preks. Porsche business is slow up here in upstate NY that's propebly why they are taking good care of me. All the cars I saw in the garage were Cayennes. mjbliemel, you lived in upstate NY, do you know of any good shops here other than the dealer?

[mjbliemel]

Lived there last in the early 1960s. No help there I guess. Hell I can't remember back that far!

[mjbliemel]

Yep, in my case it was a Porsche dealer that gave me the crappy treatment. They are not all created equal I guess. I was rather dismayed by their attitude, quite unexpected. Oh well, I have found what I need in a Porsche mechanic, so I am happy.

[porsche986]

i can only speak for myself but porsche are very nice, kind and always help. I get treated with respect. I wouldnt take my car anywhere apart from porsche. Some times i go for a small thing for my car like a set of mats or bulb and i am there for hours just chatting in the main reception area to the salesman. I find the service very good.

However porsche sell expensive cars and i have seen people walk in with work clothes on???? ..who is going to take you seroius. Its not right and i dont agree with it , but thats the way it is. Also i know alot of people who have a connection and they do get ratty if you take a car there on credit, lease ect...or fianance.. know i aint sure how porsche know this?? but they do.. they must do checks or something..

You see when i bought mine around 4 years ago i bought it new. I sold it around 6 month back and bought another boxster with less miles, same colour as i love the 2.5 version. They price i paid for mine is the same value as a 3.2 boxster with 54,000 miles in America, why is this.... Why are porsches so cheap in the US? is it the goverments playing with tax figures we will never know...
anyways its bang out of order as it doesnt matter how you own a boxster as long as you own one, I always pay in full as when i buy something i want to know its mine. I dont agree that people look down to others because they have a porsche on credit ect... but thats the way of the world. I aint saying you have yours on credit or lease, please dont think i am, i am just speaking in genral

what did porsche actually say to you?

oh by the way, i loaded your website up your boxster looks awsome, dude those wheels,... do you know how hard it is to find a set like that, are the chrome plated, i gave up i couldnt find them anywhere....

nice car anyways, very nice!

[Alienz]

America is a very big market for cars and we always get the biggest chunk. Just go to autotrader.com and search for Boxsters, you will find hundreds of listings. Here in the northeast sports cars lose some value due to the bad weather and snow.

[porsche986]

yer we have auto trader.co.uk also but our boxsters are still high in price we have lots of snow as we are not far from scotland. maybe your right about the US market it is huge!

[donv]

Well, those of you in the UK at least have had access to the Lotus Elise, well before us... which is now on the way to the US in the series 3 form. This could give our Boxsters a run for their money, in the fun to drive/sporting side at least...

[porsche986]

lol i take it your joking ????

the lotus elise HAHA! its a joke car, everytime we see a lotus elise go by we expect to see a girl. There cheap and nasty and have been known to flip. All lotus elise cars end up on the second hand market as when they go wrong they go wrong. They are a joke. They look nice if you havent got much cash.. but in my area we always laugh when they go by we laugh. Even the local garage have a big sign up saying LOTUS ELISE your either gay or a girl, LOTUS stands for ::


L = LOTS
O = OF
T = TROUBLE
U = USAULLY
S = SEROIUS

Don you dont want a lotus.... believe me its like mmmmm what can i compare it to, maybe a middle aged man who has been rejected for a boxster or 911. They go and get an elsise


looks great if your 8 lol not a real sports car more like a kit car

this is a 2004 model have you seen the state of it.... amagine what the others are like. what a load if rubbish!

:dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance:

[porsche986]

if you guys arnt use to this car then it will be a big hit as its very cheap... but in a few years ohhhhhhhhh boy!

the price i paid for my boxster i could have bought around 7 of them second hand and thats the god given truth.. i could have had my own little garage...

[Alienz]

Are they really that cheap ? I thought lotus was a high-line brand like ferrari or lambo. To me the car looks very nice from the outside. Is it a 4 cyl?

[Alienz]

I was just checking prices of the elise in the UK, wow! That's a lot of money for the horse power you know. The best triml is the elise 111 and has only 160hp.

http://www.lotusribblevalley.com/index.asp

[porsche986]

heres a few prices:

I have converted them into US money:

$6383 for top one year is 1999 done 31,960 miles
$13287 for next one year is 2001 done 23,000 miles
$13934 for next one year is also 2001 done 19,000 miles
$21000 for next one year is 2002 done 15,000 miles

cheap and chatty! when you close a door on a boxster you hear clunk! when you close the door on this you hear ting!

download a review from winmx called top gear lotus elsise joker.

[porsche986]

next one

[porsche986]

this one

[porsche986]

hehehe funny arnt they...

[porsche986]

Now we see true power, that will eat this little thing up for its lunch!

[porsche986]

wow . i know priavte garages try to avoid stocking lotus elise but the prices are a little wild... the car has been proven it flips to easy, its to light weight, lol amagine this in the ice.... the car is light but its not a pacth on the boxster

[Alienz]

it looks more like a toyota MR2

[Adam]

Alienz, the lotus that will be here has a 180hp motor from toyota. It has the same motor as the the celica GTS . The car is faster than a box s in a straight line and on the track and this is no secret. It can hit 0-60 in under 5 sec and it goes like a badass on the track. The car weighs only 1,950lbs so its not hard to see why it dominates the boxsters/s. The car will cost roughly 30k here in the states. Not a bad deal if you ask me, outperforms a brand new box S and it costs roughly 20k less. The drawback to the car is it is not real practical. No a/c, or power anything, and some other stuff. I can't remember, but I think it does have a tiny radio. It's more of a single purpose car than the boxster. AS far as being "girly," I just don't see it. The car has excellent performance, what's so girly about that? Looks wise, I'm not crazy about, but it doesn't look girly to me. A VW bug is a girly car P986, not the elise.

[porsche986]

adam i 100% disagree :D this is a girls car, its well known. Lotus elise is even advertised with a girl diving it. Watch the top gear review on a lotus elsise v boxster v honda s2 v audi tt

the boxste wins all

looks
price as for what you get for your money
handling
power
design
quality

[Alienz]

That's a nice spoiler on the GTR. But it doesn't beat this one :)

[porsche986]

holy crap! where did you find that pic... yep aliens lol thats the best yet :eek:

[Another S in S]

The problem I have with the new Lotus is that it's styling is like a cheap Japanese sports car from Toyota, like a next-generation MR-2. No matter the performance, like you said Adam, if the looks are less than satisfactory, then who cares about the performance.

Also a car that small and that light has got to be a deathtrap.

[porsche986]

well i was looking at a 996 today which hopefully i will have in the nest month as this is the 3rd time i have been in to see it. It quite expensive but i rekon i could get it without selling my boxster as the 996 isnt a softtop. Anyay they had a lotus elise in and i have never seen inside one, After posting on this forum i decided to go and have a look inside and WHAT A JOKE. all there is inside is a steering whell and thats it. its is so basic. Someone shouted its a go kart... LOL it was funny mmmmmmmmmm i guess you had to be there.. anyways i can see how it would look nice to a child but for someone who wants a car to enjoy this was not it.


also s and s funny you should say a deathtrap as they had to recall them as they were flipping at high speed. they are so light.

[Alienz]

what do you think will happen to that porsche when it hits 60 mph? Fly ? :D

[porsche986]

could do lol

thats nothing compared to what i seen today, how about a saxo with a 4 foot spoiler, two horns around a foot on each end higher still and a skull around 1 foot on the front. i must take a pic of this its so funny, the guy thinks he is great because everyone slows down to look, if only he knew hoe silly it looked. OH yer and he has what looks like huge triangle on the roof hehe:D

[Jeannot]

It's funny to see how the image of a car is different from country to country...and the fact that UK citizens bash it is not a good sign :-) I mean do you see Germans bashing Porsche ? uh? :-)