928 breakdown in Bakersfield
07-21-2020, 11:30 PM
#1
928 breakdown in Bakersfield
I was driving up from Los Angeles to Yosemite last Friday in my 1988 928 S4. I rarely have the opportunity to drive ole Rusty so I thought this would be a great opportunity.
Cruising along Route 99 thru Bakersfield at 80mph, the car lost fuel to motor (0 RPMS when I hit the gas pedal). The car sputtered to a stop as I was able to pull off onto the shoulder. I let the car sit for a few minutes and it started back up. I limped off the freeway with the car starting and stalling every minute or so. My first thought was oh my goodness! Who can possibly fix this in the middle of nowhere? I called Porsche of Bakersfield...closed for Covid 19 cleaning. Then, Porsche of Fresno; I told them the year and model and got the "maybe we can look at it on Monday." As a last resort, which should have been my first, was to call Precision Motorwerks, the regular caretakers of the car.
Greg Brown walked me through a few electrical relay switches to move around but to no avail, the car continued to start and sputter to a stall. I told Greg my family was waiting for me in Yosemite and really didn't want to spend the weekend in Bakersfield arranging a flatbed ride for the car back to Precision Motorwerks in Orange, CA. Greg said "give me a minute, let me talk to Kyle." Five minutes later, Kyle called me and said he would meet me in Bakersfield to fix the car. "Okay" I said, "that is wonderful news.", but what I was really thinking was this is going to be one expensive trip to Yosemite!
Kyle left Orange at 7:00 and arrived at the Vagabond Inn parking lot in Bakersfield at 9:30pm with all the tools, parts, patients and skill to get me back on the road. He and Greg diagnosed it to be the fuel pump (must have been my very descriptive explanation of what was happening). He emptied the fuel tank, jacked the car up and went to work. Two hours or so later, I had a new fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel tank strainer installed. I drove it 10 or so miles and the car drove perfectly. I couldn't have thanked Kyle enough times; bought him some gatorade, offered him a fresh shirt (which he declined) and then offered to pay. He said "call next week and we'll settle up."
My trip continued at 4:30am the next morning, Kyle's number on speed dial just in case. The car drove perfectly the rest of the weekend...110 degrees, all systems performed as they should.
Needless to say the story of the weekend was how Kyle's empathy and service went above and beyond anything I have ever experienced. Because of Kyle, I was able to join my family and experience Yosemite at 25% its normal capacity. Absolutely perfect.
Today, I visited Kyle & Co to settle my tab. $650 all in (parts only...no labor charge). Totally blown away. Never have I experienced such service without having to pay through the nose for it. Greg said "I was upset your car failed and we were going to make it right." Well, they now have a customer for life (like I am ever going to take the car anywhere else) and a new biggest fan. They do things right and stand behind their work. Two things we 928 owners desperately need.
Dean DiMascio
Palos Verdes, CA
Cruising along Route 99 thru Bakersfield at 80mph, the car lost fuel to motor (0 RPMS when I hit the gas pedal). The car sputtered to a stop as I was able to pull off onto the shoulder. I let the car sit for a few minutes and it started back up. I limped off the freeway with the car starting and stalling every minute or so. My first thought was oh my goodness! Who can possibly fix this in the middle of nowhere? I called Porsche of Bakersfield...closed for Covid 19 cleaning. Then, Porsche of Fresno; I told them the year and model and got the "maybe we can look at it on Monday." As a last resort, which should have been my first, was to call Precision Motorwerks, the regular caretakers of the car.
Greg Brown walked me through a few electrical relay switches to move around but to no avail, the car continued to start and sputter to a stall. I told Greg my family was waiting for me in Yosemite and really didn't want to spend the weekend in Bakersfield arranging a flatbed ride for the car back to Precision Motorwerks in Orange, CA. Greg said "give me a minute, let me talk to Kyle." Five minutes later, Kyle called me and said he would meet me in Bakersfield to fix the car. "Okay" I said, "that is wonderful news.", but what I was really thinking was this is going to be one expensive trip to Yosemite!
Kyle left Orange at 7:00 and arrived at the Vagabond Inn parking lot in Bakersfield at 9:30pm with all the tools, parts, patients and skill to get me back on the road. He and Greg diagnosed it to be the fuel pump (must have been my very descriptive explanation of what was happening). He emptied the fuel tank, jacked the car up and went to work. Two hours or so later, I had a new fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel tank strainer installed. I drove it 10 or so miles and the car drove perfectly. I couldn't have thanked Kyle enough times; bought him some gatorade, offered him a fresh shirt (which he declined) and then offered to pay. He said "call next week and we'll settle up."
My trip continued at 4:30am the next morning, Kyle's number on speed dial just in case. The car drove perfectly the rest of the weekend...110 degrees, all systems performed as they should.
Needless to say the story of the weekend was how Kyle's empathy and service went above and beyond anything I have ever experienced. Because of Kyle, I was able to join my family and experience Yosemite at 25% its normal capacity. Absolutely perfect.
Today, I visited Kyle & Co to settle my tab. $650 all in (parts only...no labor charge). Totally blown away. Never have I experienced such service without having to pay through the nose for it. Greg said "I was upset your car failed and we were going to make it right." Well, they now have a customer for life (like I am ever going to take the car anywhere else) and a new biggest fan. They do things right and stand behind their work. Two things we 928 owners desperately need.
Dean DiMascio
Palos Verdes, CA
The following 22 users liked this post by PVCollector:
19psi (07-22-2020),
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AirtekHVAC (07-22-2020),
Arnoud (07-22-2020),
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and 17 others liked this post.
07-22-2020, 01:26 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
Wow! Great story. Great shop! You guys are fortunate out there.
The following users liked this post:
JamesTKirk (07-23-2020)
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planeshift1 (07-24-2020)
07-22-2020, 11:03 AM
#6
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Really AMAZING in this day and age. I guess the guys that work on the old cars have old-school values and ideas about customer service as well. Well done guys !
07-22-2020, 11:47 AM
#7
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
This makes me want to move my family west. And I don't even own a 928.
Yet.
Yet.
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JamesTKirk (07-23-2020)
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07-24-2020, 02:50 PM
#10
Chronic Tool Dropper
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Yet another example of why wee need to support our 928 supporters all the time. As a single incident, driving to Bakersfield to change a fuel pump, on a summer day, isn't going to be a moneymaker. Greg and the team there need to get nominations for sainthood. Meanwhile, businesses like this need regular customers and services to pay the bills between the sainthood episodes on the road.
Let's do everything we can to keep our sponsors alive, especially with many businesses struggling with CVD pandemic. Vote with your wallets, please.
Let's do everything we can to keep our sponsors alive, especially with many businesses struggling with CVD pandemic. Vote with your wallets, please.
The following 2 users liked this post by dr bob:
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07-24-2020, 05:44 PM
#11
Rennlist Member
Team GB:
07-24-2020, 06:21 PM
#13
I was driving up from Los Angeles to Yosemite last Friday in my 1988 928 S4. I rarely have the opportunity to drive ole Rusty so I thought this would be a great opportunity.
Cruising along Route 99 thru Bakersfield at 80mph, the car lost fuel to motor (0 RPMS when I hit the gas pedal). The car sputtered to a stop as I was able to pull off onto the shoulder. I let the car sit for a few minutes and it started back up. I limped off the freeway with the car starting and stalling every minute or so. My first thought was oh my goodness! Who can possibly fix this in the middle of nowhere? I called Porsche of Bakersfield...closed for Covid 19 cleaning. Then, Porsche of Fresno; I told them the year and model and got the "maybe we can look at it on Monday." As a last resort, which should have been my first, was to call Precision Motorwerks, the regular caretakers of the car.
Greg Brown walked me through a few electrical relay switches to move around but to no avail, the car continued to start and sputter to a stall. I told Greg my family was waiting for me in Yosemite and really didn't want to spend the weekend in Bakersfield arranging a flatbed ride for the car back to Precision Motorwerks in Orange, CA. Greg said "give me a minute, let me talk to Kyle." Five minutes later, Kyle called me and said he would meet me in Bakersfield to fix the car. "Okay" I said, "that is wonderful news.", but what I was really thinking was this is going to be one expensive trip to Yosemite!
Kyle left Orange at 7:00 and arrived at the Vagabond Inn parking lot in Bakersfield at 9:30pm with all the tools, parts, patients and skill to get me back on the road. He and Greg diagnosed it to be the fuel pump (must have been my very descriptive explanation of what was happening). He emptied the fuel tank, jacked the car up and went to work. Two hours or so later, I had a new fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel tank strainer installed. I drove it 10 or so miles and the car drove perfectly. I couldn't have thanked Kyle enough times; bought him some gatorade, offered him a fresh shirt (which he declined) and then offered to pay. He said "call next week and we'll settle up."
My trip continued at 4:30am the next morning, Kyle's number on speed dial just in case. The car drove perfectly the rest of the weekend...110 degrees, all systems performed as they should.
Needless to say the story of the weekend was how Kyle's empathy and service went above and beyond anything I have ever experienced. Because of Kyle, I was able to join my family and experience Yosemite at 25% its normal capacity. Absolutely perfect.
Today, I visited Kyle & Co to settle my tab. $650 all in (parts only...no labor charge). Totally blown away. Never have I experienced such service without having to pay through the nose for it. Greg said "I was upset your car failed and we were going to make it right." Well, they now have a customer for life (like I am ever going to take the car anywhere else) and a new biggest fan. They do things right and stand behind their work. Two things we 928 owners desperately need.
Dean DiMascio
Palos Verdes, CA
Cruising along Route 99 thru Bakersfield at 80mph, the car lost fuel to motor (0 RPMS when I hit the gas pedal). The car sputtered to a stop as I was able to pull off onto the shoulder. I let the car sit for a few minutes and it started back up. I limped off the freeway with the car starting and stalling every minute or so. My first thought was oh my goodness! Who can possibly fix this in the middle of nowhere? I called Porsche of Bakersfield...closed for Covid 19 cleaning. Then, Porsche of Fresno; I told them the year and model and got the "maybe we can look at it on Monday." As a last resort, which should have been my first, was to call Precision Motorwerks, the regular caretakers of the car.
Greg Brown walked me through a few electrical relay switches to move around but to no avail, the car continued to start and sputter to a stall. I told Greg my family was waiting for me in Yosemite and really didn't want to spend the weekend in Bakersfield arranging a flatbed ride for the car back to Precision Motorwerks in Orange, CA. Greg said "give me a minute, let me talk to Kyle." Five minutes later, Kyle called me and said he would meet me in Bakersfield to fix the car. "Okay" I said, "that is wonderful news.", but what I was really thinking was this is going to be one expensive trip to Yosemite!
Kyle left Orange at 7:00 and arrived at the Vagabond Inn parking lot in Bakersfield at 9:30pm with all the tools, parts, patients and skill to get me back on the road. He and Greg diagnosed it to be the fuel pump (must have been my very descriptive explanation of what was happening). He emptied the fuel tank, jacked the car up and went to work. Two hours or so later, I had a new fuel pump, fuel filter and fuel tank strainer installed. I drove it 10 or so miles and the car drove perfectly. I couldn't have thanked Kyle enough times; bought him some gatorade, offered him a fresh shirt (which he declined) and then offered to pay. He said "call next week and we'll settle up."
My trip continued at 4:30am the next morning, Kyle's number on speed dial just in case. The car drove perfectly the rest of the weekend...110 degrees, all systems performed as they should.
Needless to say the story of the weekend was how Kyle's empathy and service went above and beyond anything I have ever experienced. Because of Kyle, I was able to join my family and experience Yosemite at 25% its normal capacity. Absolutely perfect.
Today, I visited Kyle & Co to settle my tab. $650 all in (parts only...no labor charge). Totally blown away. Never have I experienced such service without having to pay through the nose for it. Greg said "I was upset your car failed and we were going to make it right." Well, they now have a customer for life (like I am ever going to take the car anywhere else) and a new biggest fan. They do things right and stand behind their work. Two things we 928 owners desperately need.
Dean DiMascio
Palos Verdes, CA
07-24-2020, 07:39 PM
#14
Former Vendor
I frequently remind the guys in my shop, especially my son (Kyle), that we are in the "service" business.
So many people, today, have forgotten this and want to think that they are doing you a favor to do work for you.
Kyle jumped right up and volunteered to go to Bakersfield (about a 2.5 hour trip) to replace the fuel pump. His girlfriend was supposed to go away for the weekend and he had nothing pressing to do. For him, I think it was an adventure to go out and use his talents, without "dad" looking over his shoulder. (I'm very, very involved in the work, in my shop....and frequently go "see" what the guys are doing...and how they are doing it......I can be a tough road for some mechanics, but that is the way it is.) We tossed in just about any/every part that would make a 928 quit going down the freeway (sounded like a bad pump, but really wasn't 100% certain), any tool Kyle might need, fuel cans to drain the fuel (in case Kyle decided to replace the 32 year old fuel tank strainer), floor jack, jack stands (not harbor freight, BTW), flashlights, etc.
Off he went.
The reality of being broken down in Bakersfield is that no dealer is going to have a "two year only" 928 fuel pump on their shelf, much less a fuel tank strainer.....that car would probably still be stuck....in Fresno. (Bakersfield Porsche was closed for Covid cleaning.)
Made me really proud that Kyle gets it!
So many people, today, have forgotten this and want to think that they are doing you a favor to do work for you.
Kyle jumped right up and volunteered to go to Bakersfield (about a 2.5 hour trip) to replace the fuel pump. His girlfriend was supposed to go away for the weekend and he had nothing pressing to do. For him, I think it was an adventure to go out and use his talents, without "dad" looking over his shoulder. (I'm very, very involved in the work, in my shop....and frequently go "see" what the guys are doing...and how they are doing it......I can be a tough road for some mechanics, but that is the way it is.) We tossed in just about any/every part that would make a 928 quit going down the freeway (sounded like a bad pump, but really wasn't 100% certain), any tool Kyle might need, fuel cans to drain the fuel (in case Kyle decided to replace the 32 year old fuel tank strainer), floor jack, jack stands (not harbor freight, BTW), flashlights, etc.
Off he went.
The reality of being broken down in Bakersfield is that no dealer is going to have a "two year only" 928 fuel pump on their shelf, much less a fuel tank strainer.....that car would probably still be stuck....in Fresno. (Bakersfield Porsche was closed for Covid cleaning.)
Made me really proud that Kyle gets it!
07-24-2020, 07:49 PM
#15
Burning Brakes
What an incredible story and experience. It is rare to have that kind of service and pride. Truly a valued shop and expert in this 928 community.