Mike Buck

My father took his car into a local service shop he has used for many many years last Friday. This isn't the place we use for heavy-duty Porsche repair, but they are extremely close and all he wanted was an oil change (for which he supplies the oil and filter). I also asked him to have the shop pressure test the coolant system because we both thought it was leaking. Allegedly, during a drive to get the system warm a shop tech ran the car into a fire hydrant and did a number on it. Can't one just let the car warm by idling and not risk driving it? Shop insurance will cover it and we’ll try to buy it back if totaled. My father is only mildly upset because this was his “beater” car. If someone smashed his 968 or 928, he’d be irate!

The vulture in me is already drooling over the spares I now have. Mmmm . . . spare Turbo S trans

Brady’s Auto Care in Crofton, Maryland, is the offending shop

More pictures here
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/mibuck/blue_951S/

CPTdooberhead

omg, that beautiful car...I love that color too. I would sue the living **** out of that shop

Epic2112

And by the looks of the windsheild there was a passenger. How many people are needed to warm up a car, this was indeed a joyride. I would be screaming and cursing.

Epic2112

and probably throwing punches.

Charlotte944

If this were my car I'd end up owning the shop, and the first guy I canned would be the driver.

There is NO reason this car had to be driven to get it warmed up.

SUE their pants off!

jerome951

Hey Mike,
Sorry to hear about that. And I just saw the car a few months ago...

The airbags and windshield alone will probably cause the car to be totalled. If not, the bent rails near the headlight actuators certainly will.

At least the rims are all right. You need more wheels anyway...

Sounds like a great opportunity to make a track car out of it... ;-) From the picture most of the unibody looks OK except for in front of the engine.

M@rk951

I would kill those ediots. If anyone ever did that to my car....ugh i dont wanna even think of what i would do. Sry to hear and i hope everything works out

PorscheDoc

I always note my mileage when i drop off my car to get it serviced, and it is amazing how many miles get put on it for things that don't require the car being driven.

Jake951

Maybe yes, maybe no. The airbags in this car deployed. When the passenger side bag comes out of the dash, part of the dash explodes directly into the windshield with enough force to break the glass. A friend who crashed his 951 on the track (by himself) had this happen.

In any case, the idiocy on the part of the shop is totally inexcusable.

SamGrant951

Oh my!! That is horrible, what did they have to say??? I would seriously go ballistic if someone did that to my car.

pete944

That really give me the ******* because it looks like my car.
I would have the shop replace the car with one with the same options and in the same condition as yours when it was brought in. I would not want it repaired after that kind of damage. Actually they should give you a blank check to go car shopping with.
They are 100% at fault and you should not let them off the hook.

I'll add this to my 101 reasons to do my own work.

Eyal 951

1st of all, if 951 airbags deploy at 30+ (or was it 35 mph) like all newer airbags, thats quite a small amount of damage for that speed, which really impresses me about the car.
Now, I've worked at a dealership, and I've gone with the techs on test drives, and some of them drive the **** out of the cars, let me tell you, its fun getting sidwways in a GT3, on a freeway on ramp... but I'd be irrate if I were the owner... one of many reasons I quite that ****y job... that paid well... anyone hiring? lol (no, I'm just between jobs, have some leads) I just couldnt work in that complete unprofessional and un classy environment... Hmm, first time venting about that on rennlist, it feels good...
~Eyal

theedge

Dont go easy on that shop. Get them for everything you can.

Test drives are understandable, even needed for some stuff. Warming the car up, no.

Bret 944

I thought most airbags were setup where they only deployed if the seatbelt was clicked on ? Are 951 airbags not like that ? Cause if they are, sure thing that there was a passenger.

Sorry about your dads car man...that really sucks

Mike Buck

I think the seatbelt sensor is newer technology than used in the 951's. Also, the car doesn't need to be going 30mph either. My mother had a parking lot incident at very low speeds that set off both airbags in her Subaru SVX not too long ago. If you hit a fixed object at the right angle they'll go.

I'm not sure what the outcome of this will be, but I think we're waiting to see the first offer. If his insurance tries to low-ball with a check for NADA value there might be a problem. I don't buy the "drive to warm up" argument one bit!