Last weekend I purchased a 951 from a guy 8 hours away. The car needed a clutch which the owner was very up front about. I made him an offer based on his description of the car and my intuition of his character (both turned out to be accurate). He accepted and we worked out a deal where he would take the car in for a PPI and have the clutch replaced at my expense so I could fly down and pick it up. The owner recommended that his shop do the work and since they knew the car and had worked on it before. I agreed, this was two and a half weeks ago. The shop kept giving me the run around ("oh we're waiting on this part", "oh it will be done tomorrow we promise"). I arrived this past Friday eager to complete the deal. The owner picked me up and drove me to the shop so I could look at the car before we signed over the paperwork. The car was on a lift with the tranny and torque tube on the ground. I checked out the interior on a ladder and looked over the underside and body panels, all as described. I could not see the hood because it was propped up (with vise grips holding the bad hood shocks). To make a long story short, I stayed an extra day because they didn't have it done when they said they would. Saturday night came and the car was finally finished after some troubleshooting of the speed sensors, but not before I noticed the following things (which were rectified before I left):

- No Air Filter (The service manager and I fabricated a filter for a different car because they didnt' have the right one)
- Front air filter screws missing, replaced with 10mm bolts
- Snorkel to airbox screws and washers missing (patched with electrical tape for the time being)
- 7" front wheels on the rear and 8" rear wheels on the front
- Engine with freshly changed oil and filter was 3 quarts low


Now these problems I can almost live with; the mechanic was under the gun and it was almost two hours after they officially closed that night. The car shifts so smooth and runs excellent. But the problem I cannot live with is that the hood has a nice 3" portion where it was lightly dented, the paint pushed up and separated from the bare metal. I figured it was just a scratch or imperfection in the hood, the shop lighting was bad, I was in a hurry etc. etc. The mechanic pointed it out to me when I was commenting on the car, but gave no indication that he was responsible. Since the owner had left the day before I had no way of knowing if it was there before or not, but it was not in his initial description. I paid the shop and and made the 8 hour drive home without thinking too much of the "scratch".

Yesterday I was doing a full tune up and upon replacing the coil wire I noticed that to remove the plastic boot that covers it you must remove the power steering fluid reservoir. When I put the reservoir back on I noticed that it looked a little too elevated (but it fit perfectly). I slowly lowered the hood by hand and realized after looking at the scuffed hood insulation exactly what had happened at the shop. The mechanic had mounted the power steering reservoir on the wrong way and when he shut the hood it broke through the hood and damaged the paint. I called the owner yesterday and he verified that the damage was NOT on the car when he took it down to them. I know it is a long shot, but do I have any chance of getting them to fix the damage they did to the car? The owner is willing to back me up and I have extensively photographed the evidence. I will call the owner of the shop later today to talk to him. If anyone has experience or advice on either how to deal with the shop or how this should be repaired please advise. Sorry for the long post.

 

Let's put it this way. If the owner is willing to testify that he did not cause that damage and that it wasn't there when he dropped off the car and due to the fact that you found the cause of the problem, the shop should be held liable for the damages. Now, is the shop going to willing compensate you for those damages? Not likely. I would definately give them a call and inform them of what happened and try to work something out. More likely than not, they are going to tell you to shove it.

It would be really hard for you to get any kind of compensation for something like this because it's so hard to prove that the shop did it. The fact that the former owner is willing to side with you is a big help. If the shop refuses to pay up, you can always sue, but that isn't always the best option. You could file a complain with the BAR (Bureau of Automotive Repair) and try to get them to arbitrate it (has anyone every really gone this route? is it a viable option?).

Since the shop is in San Diego and you are in San Jose, it would be really hard to be a pest, which is actually the best way to get your money. Keep showing up, calling and bugging them. Eventually they'll get a restraining order, or you'll get your money .

I will say this... make a serious attempt to get them to fix it. Mail them photos, a letter (make a copy and send it to the BAR) explaining what occured and what you expect them to do and (if possible) get the previous owner to write a letter (signed, of course) stating that the damage was not present when he dropped off the car. Then take the car to 3 separate body shops to get written estimates of what it would cost. Make copies of those and mail them, too. In the end it will take a lot of work, but you just might get a check in the mail.

It's really hard to say...

- Jon

 

This is a perfect reason you want to pay with plastic. The credit card companies (I have had very good luck with VISA) will insert themselves as arbitrators and believe me, they have a lot more clout than you do. If you are a reasonable person with a reasonable complaint they will usually side with you.

So, if you didn't pay with plastic then you have to try and persuade the shop via normal means. Not an easy task if the shop owner wants to fight. The State Attorney General may be able to help for cheap. A letter from them can sometimes work wonders.

Oil was 3 quarts low, huh? Are you sure these guys are a Porsche shop? Sounds like they just dropped in 5 quarts of oil and moved on the next task of losing all your screws and air filter. Who tosses an air filter unless you are sure you have a replacement?

You might want to run your oil a little over filled. Like 1/2 quart. There are a few threads on this, updated oil pan baffle and spinning #2 rod bearing.

 

Thanks for the responses. I spoke with the service manager and explained the problem without accusing the technician. He said that he personally did a visual inspection on the vehicle when it entered the garage and didn't note the paint damage. He then said he'd speak to the tech to find out what happened and to fax over a body shop estimate. He was nice about it and said "we'll take care of you". I'll believe it when I see a check of course.

A well known Porsche, Mercedes and BMW body shop in San Jose (recommended by Devek, Partsheaven and others) who have worked on my 944 NA have quoted me $950 for a hood respray and around $1830 for a replacement and respray.

As far as the oil, they ran it for 1/2 a mile with 3 quarts low (on a test drive). Could any significant damage have ensued?

Thanks again

 

Sounds like he might be a decent guy. Make sure you stay on top of him, though. Don't let him forget to take care of you. A lot of Service Managers will make all kinds of problems and then suddenly develop a bout of forgetfulness. At least the ball is rolling... most of the time you don't even get that far.

- Jon

 

Just curious...

... where is this shop in San Diego? - so we can give keep our distance.

 

Who knows if any damage occured without looking inside ... I would guess not if they didn't drive it hard and make turns to slosh the oil over and starve the bearings. It was only 1/2 mile.

I know this isn't much of an answer to give you comfort. Garrity could give you a better guess.

 

The shop is in Vista, and no they are not a Porsche specialty shop. I highly doubt they have seen or will see many Porsches. They are called "AutoCare America". I believe they also have a branch in Carlsbad. In all fairness the management is nice, but their work just fell apart at the end which is unexcusable. Ironically they have a plaque boasting of exceptional service for over 50 years from an accredited automotive institution. I'm going to definitely stay on top of this one.

 

Perhaps the SFR Pizza Run gang should stop by on our tour and harrass them....

 

There had been a hood on that members-only parts clearance last week for something like $400. You can always settle off of a "book price estimate" and provide your own parts to narrow the gap. <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

 

This will go for a little less than 400.00:

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1815235608" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1815235608</a>