Blown Engine

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by Brucelee

Contrast story.

I have a Lexus I bought used recently. I had some concerns and took it in for a diagnostic. The car is way out of warranty but I know the guys at the dealership and they serviced this car since it was new.

They spent a couple of hours on the car, told me it was finde gave me a Lexus loaner for the day. Got a nice free latte in their lounge, valet guys washed my car when they gave it back to me.

They charged me zero and thanked me for my business.

That is customer service and I am a customer for life because of it.

The Boxster is a car deserving of a better dealer network and manufacturer.

IMHO.

This is an excellent contrast to my continued bad experiences with Paul Miller Porsche here in NJ.

If I am not mistaken, the unusually good Lexus experience is one of the pillars of their business model. I love my Boxster and have been a Porsche fan for most of my life, but this sort of thing would prompt me to consider a Lexus when it is finally time to give up my Box.

[nickg]

Originally Posted by Dr. Kill

This is an excellent contrast to my continued bad experiences with Paul Miller Porsche here in NJ.

If I am not mistaken, the unusually good Lexus experience is one of the pillars of their business model. I love my Boxster and have been a Porsche fan for most of my life, but this sort of thing would prompt me to consider a Lexus when it is finally time to give up my Box.

yuppthey act as if they are doing me a favor when i go there...needless to say, they don't get my buisness at Miller either

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by nickg

yuppthey act as if they are doing me a favor when i go there...needless to say, they don't get my buisness at Miller either

Who do you use then? I have just gone to Powertech for everything so far, they are fantastic, but if it is a warrantee item, then I need to go to a dealer. Have you found a good one? I have heard rumors that the dealership in Newark is good. Of course, that would require going to Newark…

[nickg]

Originally Posted by Dr. Kill

Who do you use then? I have just gone to Powertech for everything so far, they are fantastic, but if it is a warrantee item, then I need to go to a dealer. Have you found a good one? I have heard rumors that the dealership in Newark is good. Of course, that would require going to Newark…

having been into porsches for a long time and seen Powertech's work over the years...I would NEVER go there...
I bring my car to Newton Motorsports, the service manager is nice and they don't kill me. When it is out of warranty I will likely use Haupt Strasse motors in Harriman NY (it is not too far from me or you really) He is a trained Porsche master tech, has a pst2 and is fair to deal with...you should call him, you would save a bunch from Powertech I suspect. (845)783-1425. (I had a bad experience with Powertech years ago...with my 914..and then again with my 77 911s..they swapped motors in my car...and then told me my motor was bad(it was fine and I had the serial number, when I got it back after they said it was bad...it was not the same motor.
That and they totally misrepresent cars they sell routinely...like the yellow 914 2.0 they just sold saying it was a low mile un molested car...never painted or modded..I saw that car run at lime rock..I knew the prior owner ...it had lots of work...including a new passenger quarter..but they said it was ALL original..yea to creative coach works spray booth....

The dealer where I live might as well have horns and a pitchfork. After my friend who has bought three brand new cars from them asked if they would help me with my radio code they just blew me off. If they see you in an older Porsche they don't even bother to greet you, all they want is to sell new cars. The parts counter is good and has good guys working it but for service they suck. When I had my 944 they did the belts and I got it back leaking like the Exxon Valdeez, they said it was my fault for not asking for the seal to be replaced during the job. I paid to have the car taken apart again and seal replaced and never went back. On another dealer visit, a mechanic was kind enough to show me a problem after I paid my service tab in cash. The owners wife pulled me aside and told me they pay their mechanic well and I'm not to use his time to gain knowledge about any home done repairs, talk about WTF ,they went out of business the next year, hahaha. I always use an independent shop and do what else I can myself. To this day I only have one key because I already know the dealer will bone me stupid if I ask him to program a second one, Porsche has too loose a grip on their dealer network and it shows, perhaps they should come out with a "limited edition" dealer.

[Dr. Kill]

Originally Posted by nickg

having been into porsches for a long time and seen Powertech's work over the years...I would NEVER go there...
I bring my car to Newton Motorsports, the service manager is nice and they don't kill me. When it is out of warranty I will likely use Haupt Strasse motors in Harriman NY (it is not too far from me or you really) He is a trained Porsche master tech, has a pst2 and is fair to deal with...you should call him, you would save a bunch from Powertech I suspect. (845)783-1425. (I had a bad experience with Powertech years ago...with my 914..and then again with my 77 911s..they swapped motors in my car...and then told me my motor was bad(it was fine and I had the serial number, when I got it back after they said it was bad...it was not the same motor.
That and they totally misrepresent cars they sell routinely...like the yellow 914 2.0 they just sold saying it was a low mile un molested car...never painted or modded..I saw that car run at lime rock..I knew the prior owner ...it had lots of work...including a new passenger quarter..but they said it was ALL original..yea to creative coach works spray booth....

wow, thanks for the information. That is the first bad thing I have heard about Powertech - a bit unsettling. I will check out Newton. It's only about 30 miles from me. Thanks!

[randijo]

I want to thank everyone for their advice and comments. I can now tell the rest of the story. This past Monday the service manager at Carousel Porsche called to let us know our Boxster was finally ready, with a new factory remanufactured engine. We went over the dealership to pick the car up, but when we arrived we found that there were several scratches on the otherwise flawless finsh of our beautiful Boxster. The service manager subsequently admitted that his mechanics had scratched up our car while pulling the engine. (Keep in mind this was the mechanic who Porsche was going to have rebuild our old engine before they finally agreed to give us a new one). After another two days at the body shop the paint finally was back to its original beauty. Today, after 18 days, we finally got to drive our Porsche home. I wouldn't recommend this dealership to anyone.

[Brucelee]

Originally Posted by randijo

I want to thank everyone for their advice and comments. I can now tell the rest of the story. This past Monday the service manager at Carousel Porsche called to let us know our Boxster was finally ready, with a new factory remanufactured engine. We went over the dealership to pick the car up, but when we arrived we found that there were several scratches on the otherwise flawless finsh of our beautiful Boxster. The service manager subsequently admitted that his mechanics had scratched up our car while pulling the engine. (Keep in mind this was the mechanic who Porsche was going to have rebuild our old engine before they finally agreed to give us a new one). After another two days at the body shop the paint finally was back to its original beauty. Today, after 18 days, we finally got to drive our Porsche home. I wouldn't recommend this dealership to anyone.

A sad ending to a sad story.

[tboyer]

Originally Posted by randijo

Today, after 18 days, we finally got to drive our Porsche home. I wouldn't recommend this dealership to anyone.

Tough because our original emotions for buying a Porsche were personal, I at least tend to get "attached" to my Boxster, so, when I have to give it up for service, I take to results of that service personally. Service departments move cars in and out like herding cattle, none of the cars look any different then the one before it. Get 'em in, get 'em out, it's a numbers game. I've had some bad experiences too, I've wanted to throw s**t across the counter for the "failed stink factor" advice and for the overpriced work performed. Interesting enough, I've reflected back after cooling off thinking that maybe I jumped to conclusions a bit too quickly. Hopefully you'll be able to look back and feel better that you got you car back as good (or better) than before. Good Luck!

[pbanders]

I have owned or currently own Porsche, BMW, Infiniti, Honda, Toyota, and Ford. Of those manufacturers, the only one who had exceptional customer service was Infiniti. I always got a free loaner car, which was a new Infiniti, every time I took the car in for service. I was always treated like I owned the most expensive model of Infiniti, when in fact, I owned the cheapest. The car's quality was fantastic - none of the continuous, niggling problems I've come to expect as normal from BMW and Porsche, and certainly, none of the major issues such as engine failures, tranny failures, and chassis problems.

Toyota's service is good, but it's more of an impersonal mill, with so many cars in for service, not unlike Ford. I've had reasonably good experiences at BMW and Porsche service, but they're closer to Ford and Toyota than to Infiniti. My BMW's quality of service went up dramatically, once my car was out of warranty and I started going to a local BMW shop that knows how to treat their customers.

Fact is, that despite these problems, we put up with it because at the end of the day, an Infiniti or a Toyota doesn't begin to offer the driving experience of a BMW or a Porsche. I've driven most of the "sporty" Infiniti's and Lexus's and IMO it's not what I want in a driver's car.