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Old 06-10-2010, 08:21 PM   #1
Yoadrian
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 72
Post 2 weeks of frustration ends, I hope...

Hi All,


I bought my 99 boxster 4 months ago. I'm new to Porsche's and I have no regrets about buying this car. That being said, it broke down 2 weeks ago for the first time and here goes-

The car started lunging in second gear after clearing an intersection. Seconds later, all lights are on in the dash panel and the engine stops. I make it over to the curb, try to start the car numerous times and the engine would not turn over.
All lights were functioning, but I couldn't get it to start.

Now, I did not line up a good mechanic when I bought the car- big mistake and I should have known better, but you live you learn.

So I googled tow truck services in Dunwoody- just outside Atlanta. I couldn't even understand what the first guy said when I called and ended up hanging up on him. Second shot I got a hold of a guy who said he had a shop 5 miles from my house and he specialized on high end cars, Porsches, Ferrari's, Lambo's and what not. He said he would send a flat bed and have the car towed to his shop for a diagnostic- $50 all said and done. I went with it.

Two days later I make it up to the shop and it looked real shady. The owner proceeds to tell me that I "need a new fuel pump and that a big electrical short fried the 'electrics'." $950 and I would be on my way. Now I have a good paying job, but no savings right now because I just moved into a house and put 2K into it last month on top of my rent at the other condo that I was leaving. I was down to $120 when the car broke down. I told the guy that I would come up with the money within a week and he was ok with that.

I ended up having to borrow the money to pay the guy a week ago. I asked to review the invoice and it had listed as follows:

New Fuel Pump
New Fuel Pump Relay
Labor
Fix Electrics

I asked the guy to explain what exactly "fixed electrics" means. I could barely understand him- it was almost like he was trying to be that way. Very stern and almost forceful in what he was saying. I pressed, but could not get details. At that point, I just wanted to get the car and be on my way. I paid him the $950 and went out to the car. It would not start- no power. I ran and got him as he was back on his way out of the shop. I had him meet me there when I got off of work at 8pm and he was eating dinner at the restaurant across the street.

He said that someone must have left a light on and he would charge the battery. Battery charged, I left the shop and I'm driving about 80mph on 285 and the same thing happens again, only this time I am doing 80 in the fast lane of a 6 lane highway- fun times. I barely make it past traffic and over to the shoulder. Right after I stop, the sky lets loose and lightning strikes all around... When it rains it pours, right.

I called the tow truck driver again and he said he "wasn't suprised" and came back out to get me. I got to know the driver the frist time he picked me up and he started to tell me stories of how bad this shop was and how shady the place is. I was pissed, but in a bind because I didn't have the money to take the car elsewhere, so it went back to the shop again. I called the owner the next morning and let him know that I wanted the car repaired and I was not spending another dime. He said he would repair it at no extra charge.

Day by day goes by and every time I call I get another story on what's going on and that it shold be ready tomorrow. Finally, I call yesterday and he says that he is bringng "specialists" in to "re-build the computer" because there was another "big short" and it damaged the computer. So he says I need to pay him another $150 for the work. I agreed- at this point I just wanted to get the car. Had to get rides to work for the past two weeks and it had been a struggle daily to make it in. I work 30 miles from my new home.

I went to the shop today. The guy keeps telling me that he "put $1,600 into the car in parts and he anywhere else would charge me $6,000 to do the same work!"

I asked him to draw up another invoice and he starts mumbling again about how much he put in to the car and l couldn't get another invoice out of him. I was really at the mercy of this fu*#er and was nervous that he was going to just start adding more charges on if I kept pressing him so I just paid the additional $150 and left.

The car seems to run as it did before now and it drove fine for the 40 mile trip home.

At this point, I want to get the car looked over to see if this guy did what he said he did. I am worried that he might have screwed somthing up because he was real shady. I doubt he even replaced the fuel pump with an OEM part as he promised he did.

I'm looking for recommendations for shops/mechanics in the Atlanta/North GA area. I need someone I can trust and who charges a reasonable rate. I just moved and am trying to still pay the mortgage on my condo so I can sell it and not lose it to foreclosure, so I don't have a lot of money to spend. I also am having to repay my loan within a month, so I am very limited as far as what I can do in the next month.


Any suggestions/referrals are welcome.


If you took the time to read this post- thanks!


Adrian

__________________
1999 Porsche Boxster
White with blue top/interior, 5 speed

I need more Cowbell!

Last edited by Yoadrian; 06-10-2010 at 08:48 PM.
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