Porsche North Houston Raising the Bar For Service
09-28-2017, 10:49 AM
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Porsche North Houston Raising the Bar For Service
We spend alot of time on this Board discussing negative experiences with vendors and dealers, I thought I'd share something positive.
I bought a '71 911T from Porsche North Houston. The car had been restored and was at their California dealership. A few months after owning the car, I noticed that it was leaking oil pretty heavily from the side of the engine. I called my salesman, Gerald Tito, who immediately sent someone to pick up the car. A few days later, Billy Bennett (one of the top guys there) calls me and says that they pulled the engine and took it apart and discovered that the engine had damage to a couple of the cylinders and it looked like had been badly damaged before and repaired improperly. He said the block was not fixable. Before I could speak, Billy said, don't worry, we're handling this. He said, the only issue is he wanted to get me an engine block in the same sequence as the original. They'd located a '72 engine but he told me if I gave him time, he could get one that was original to the car. And he found one a couple of weeks later. There is zero way, PNH could have known about the damage to the engine unless taken apart. And it would have been pretty easy for PNH to say, hey, you bought the car several months ago, it's an old car, it's your problem. They didn't. Never even occurred to them. $25k in repairs later (all paid for by PNH), my car is back good as new. Came back on a truck, delivered to my driveway. I was speechless. I didn't pay a dime. Needless to say, I'm a customer for life.
We all know they get some of the best GT cars and have an amazing new space (their service area and second floor lounge is second to none). I've also found them to be fair on allocations. You buy cars from them, they try to get you an allocation. I think that if you want a GT3, start buying cars from them and they'll get you one.
But I think for them the allocation is the first step in a what they hope will be a lasting relationship. And it's what happens after you drive off the lot or you buy your dream 993 that matters. I've called Billy and Gerald before on a 993 turbo (still on my bucket list) and they've been honest about the market and candid about what cars they'd be interested in buying back later when I moved on to something else.
They even helped me purchase a GT4 from a RL'r - negotiated for me, got the car to the dealer, inspected it, and made the entire transaction seamless. And when I was on the hunt, steered me away from a couple of cars they thought were abused.
I became sort of a frequent visitor to the dealer when I was checking on the progress of my 911T. Mike, the shop foreman, would explain what they were doing to the car, how it worked, and why they were doing it. I got to look behind the curtain when they bought GT3s, 964s, 993s, and other desirable cars. One thing that amazed me how Mike and Billy would work together to try address ANY issue with a car before it hit the showroom - often spending 10k or more fixing a car so it would be right for their customer. I even saw them send a silver 993 tt that I was considering back to the seller because they took the bottom pans of the car off and it had salt damage. The car looked awesome, but didn't meet the standards there.
Billy and Gerald even called me after the recent flooding to make sure I was okay.
Photos of 911T attached and rebuilt engine. And that's one of my kids hanging from lift! Imagine he and his brother running around the showroom a couple of times a month!
I bought a '71 911T from Porsche North Houston. The car had been restored and was at their California dealership. A few months after owning the car, I noticed that it was leaking oil pretty heavily from the side of the engine. I called my salesman, Gerald Tito, who immediately sent someone to pick up the car. A few days later, Billy Bennett (one of the top guys there) calls me and says that they pulled the engine and took it apart and discovered that the engine had damage to a couple of the cylinders and it looked like had been badly damaged before and repaired improperly. He said the block was not fixable. Before I could speak, Billy said, don't worry, we're handling this. He said, the only issue is he wanted to get me an engine block in the same sequence as the original. They'd located a '72 engine but he told me if I gave him time, he could get one that was original to the car. And he found one a couple of weeks later. There is zero way, PNH could have known about the damage to the engine unless taken apart. And it would have been pretty easy for PNH to say, hey, you bought the car several months ago, it's an old car, it's your problem. They didn't. Never even occurred to them. $25k in repairs later (all paid for by PNH), my car is back good as new. Came back on a truck, delivered to my driveway. I was speechless. I didn't pay a dime. Needless to say, I'm a customer for life.
We all know they get some of the best GT cars and have an amazing new space (their service area and second floor lounge is second to none). I've also found them to be fair on allocations. You buy cars from them, they try to get you an allocation. I think that if you want a GT3, start buying cars from them and they'll get you one.
But I think for them the allocation is the first step in a what they hope will be a lasting relationship. And it's what happens after you drive off the lot or you buy your dream 993 that matters. I've called Billy and Gerald before on a 993 turbo (still on my bucket list) and they've been honest about the market and candid about what cars they'd be interested in buying back later when I moved on to something else.
They even helped me purchase a GT4 from a RL'r - negotiated for me, got the car to the dealer, inspected it, and made the entire transaction seamless. And when I was on the hunt, steered me away from a couple of cars they thought were abused.
I became sort of a frequent visitor to the dealer when I was checking on the progress of my 911T. Mike, the shop foreman, would explain what they were doing to the car, how it worked, and why they were doing it. I got to look behind the curtain when they bought GT3s, 964s, 993s, and other desirable cars. One thing that amazed me how Mike and Billy would work together to try address ANY issue with a car before it hit the showroom - often spending 10k or more fixing a car so it would be right for their customer. I even saw them send a silver 993 tt that I was considering back to the seller because they took the bottom pans of the car off and it had salt damage. The car looked awesome, but didn't meet the standards there.
Billy and Gerald even called me after the recent flooding to make sure I was okay.
Photos of 911T attached and rebuilt engine. And that's one of my kids hanging from lift! Imagine he and his brother running around the showroom a couple of times a month!
09-28-2017, 11:00 AM
#2
Awesome story and pics. I've read it here before - it's all about relationships.
I want it when you are done.
I want it when you are done.
09-28-2017, 11:07 AM
#3
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Good story. Glad for you.
What does this part mean?:
"They'd located a '72 engine but he told me if I gave him time, he could get one that was original to the car."
How can a different engine be original to the car? Do you mean a similar '71 engine, not a '72 engine?
What does this part mean?:
"They'd located a '72 engine but he told me if I gave him time, he could get one that was original to the car."
How can a different engine be original to the car? Do you mean a similar '71 engine, not a '72 engine?
09-28-2017, 12:44 PM
#6
Three Wheelin'
Wow, that is an amazing experience! You've a very lucky individual to receive that kind of treatment from a dealer. My guess is they dont treat all their customers like that because they're not VIPs like you are. 
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09-28-2017, 01:16 PM
#9
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Of course! Yellow Speedster on the lift at Porsche North Houston and you can see the new service area. Imagine those two boys taking photos, peppering sales staff with questions, eating all the snacks and drinking all the sodas. PNH could also stand for Patience North Houston.
09-28-2017, 01:58 PM
#11
Instructor
Great story! This dealership has an outstanding reputation and for good reason.
I bought my new 991.2 C2S from Gerald back in June after being referred to him by a friend and great PNH customer. The transaction was excellent! I've been considering going back for a Macan S to replace my 4Runner.
So far, I haven't needed any service but this story sure does ease my mind about what to expect when I do.
I bought my new 991.2 C2S from Gerald back in June after being referred to him by a friend and great PNH customer. The transaction was excellent! I've been considering going back for a Macan S to replace my 4Runner.
So far, I haven't needed any service but this story sure does ease my mind about what to expect when I do.
09-28-2017, 03:16 PM
#14
Instructor
Great story! This dealership has an outstanding reputation and for good reason.
I bought my new 991.2 C2S from Gerald back in June after being referred to him by a friend and great PNH customer. The transaction was excellent! I've been considering going back for a Macan S to replace my 4Runner.
So far, I haven't needed any service but this story sure does ease my mind about what to expect when I do.
I bought my new 991.2 C2S from Gerald back in June after being referred to him by a friend and great PNH customer. The transaction was excellent! I've been considering going back for a Macan S to replace my 4Runner.
So far, I haven't needed any service but this story sure does ease my mind about what to expect when I do.
It's my first P-car after 9 new BMWs and a bunch of other cars over the years. I just made a list the other night and in 22 years of driving (I'm 38), this is vehicle #19. My BMWs included three M3s, the most recent being a 2015 that I traded for the 911, and I really never knew what I was missing. I loved the BMWs while I had them, especially the Ms, but the 911 is really on a whole different level.
09-28-2017, 04:39 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
What amazed me about that car is that is has so much torque. Huge difference from 991.1. I agree on the 911 as a special car. And every model has something unique and different. I really like my 991.2. Mine is a pretty base car - just PTS, sport pkg, and the bose. Otherwise, no options. Love it.