Is it rude or crazy?
 

I just wanted to get your chaps' veiw on watching a mechanic do work on your Porsche. No offense to the official Porsche mechanics, but I want to see what I'm paying for and I'm wanting to learn something in the process. Is it crazy/rude to ask to watch the surgery on the poor thing? Mind you, I've done all the work so far myself the last 3 yrs but major maintence is a knockin soon. :)

Dealerships wont let you in the back, ive tried. But everywhere is different...

Hi,

It's generally a liability and insurance issue. Some dealerships will bend the rules, others won't. You can't really blame them for that...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Beverly Hills Porsche actually had me sign a waiver form before they let me in the shop. Now everytime I go I can watch my car get worked on. Ask if your shop can do somethign similar

My independent mechanic says it typically drives him nuts to have customers breathing down his neck while he's working, bothering him by asking questions all the time.

However, I bought he and his wife dinner last year on his birthday (Pappadeaux) and now I'm invited to hang around and ask all the questions I like. In fact, he will often tell me to get under the car and see what he's doing if I'm not already under there.

Of course, we're in his residential garage and he doesn't have liability insurance for his moonlighting work for which he only accepts cash... but I learn a lot every time I have something repaired.

See if you can find a good shadetree mechanic and buy he and his wife dinner. That'll get you right under there with him :)

I don't find it rude at all. some dealerships let you in and some don't. some will let you in breifly atleast, which is fine by me. i too like the idea of watching the mechanic work on my car, see what's going down. i personally don't trust mechanic shops, i find that they can scam very easily.

I'm sure it bugs my mechanic.. so I leave him alone, but I trust him 100%, if it was a dealer than I may want to "audit" the repair.

I was in that shop once, I didn't leave with a sense that a fair deal could be brokered there for service or sales. Most mechanics don't like a parrot on their shoulders during repairs...

My dealer (Leith in Cary, NC) invited me into the shop, introduced the mech, and treated me like family. Mechanic was a great guy, former Marine with THEE biggest tool chest I've ever seen. But his goal is to work on Ford trucks here on the coast.

I helped him remove my hardtop, and he showed me how to get to the engine and taught me how to properly bleed brakes. Demo'd PIWIS for me and reset my door lock scheme. Service attitude was that once PIWIS is hooked up, they do anything you want.

All in all a great day, and I left happy! :)