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There is only one dealer in my large PNW city and the wait times to get an appointment have gotten out of hand. The earliest appointment I could get was a month from now to diagnose a problem with a change over valve.
Anyone else experiencing increased wait times? Is this the new normal?
I'm also interested in positive or constructive feedback on this dealer. I've had mixed interactions.
Did you also request a loaner car for your appointment? I've seen that push my appointment wait times out about that far in the SF Bay Area when I also need a loaner. Either way, I agree, it's less than ideal.
Seems a pretty long time to me. I bought my 911 at Porsche Bellevue and have had the car for two and a half years and I feel like over that time they have become a little understaffed. Also the first couple of time I got a loaner it was a Cayenne. Last time it was some Enterprise econobox. I really would like to know if Autonation Porsche dealerships, which the Porsche dealer is, are worse than other Porsche dealerships. I really have no idea.
Seems a pretty long time to me. I bought my 911 at Porsche Bellevue and have had the car for two and a half years and I feel like over that time they have become a little understaffed. Also the first couple of time I got a loaner it was a Cayenne. Last time it was some Enterprise econobox. I really would like to know if Autonation Porsche dealerships, which the Porsche dealer is, are worse than other Porsche dealerships. I really have no idea.
They are, no doubt!
We had a nightmare with Autonation! They screwed up our brake install (on a used 991 purchase), gave us the car with a nearly-dead battery that had to be reprogrammed and with spoiler trim not attached. The car was sold a car with a 30-day warranty and when I talked to the GM about the $1600 in expenses, he basically said "screw you. My job is to minimize costs".
Avoid Autonation like the plague. They represent everything that is wrong with monopolistic practices. Adam Smith is turning in his grave.
I never wait a month. Sometimes a week if I need a loaner but my dealer is very accommodating to its customers. There are other dealers in the area so competition does keep everyone sharp. A month is unreasonable but if it's the only dealer and a busy one you will have to wait.
Recent experience for me was two days for an appt, two weeks for appt with loaner. Mine is a reasonably small dealer with no other within 100 miles. If dealerships have techs that specialize in 911's maybe they are short in 911 techs or 911 workload is heavy. One months sounds crazy long.
You may think I’m kidding, I’m not, tell them you will give them all ‘10s’ on your survey. Everyone’s pay is dependent on that.
tip your service advisor $50+,and ask him to split with The Tech who worked on your car
show up around the Holidays with ‘a little something’
dont ask for a loaner car for an oil change, tell them your willing to wait, that’s really just a ‘for the good of the community thing’
you are now not just another number /customer
i bet if you go into a recent Group 1/Auto Nation etc acquisition you will see an influx of young inexperienced staff members. These groups pay ‘all the money’ when they acquire a store, the only way to justify the aqusition costs is to make the store more profitable. Raising revenues and lowering costs, those young inexperienced people are cheaper, if your ‘old guys’ are still there i promise you their pay plan has been changed.
these stores that are large group owned have been commoditized, the building is still really nice, the factory mandates the facility stays modernized and compliant, however the way the store is run is not much different than any Toyota store they run.
the good employees of a dealership used to be able to make a good living, technicians making 35-50% of the labor rate, Salesman making $500+ per car, not where the business is now
ask where the employees park, go walk the employee lot, you might be unpleasantly surprised
yes there are exceptions,
anyway, tip a guy, make a friend, you might be surprised
Very true and I have experienced very little wait time in the past by developing a rapport with a Service Advisor, and loaners when others don't get them. But wait times at the area dealers here is not more than a week or two, depending on the job, parts, etc.
I'm all for showing good will and being kind with a token of appreciation, but tipping cash to get to the front of the line seems like the wrong precedent.
The photo shared earlier is why its hard to get appointments. Slammed with Macan's and Cayennes. In the good old days when there was just sports cars it was much faster to get into service.
It's usually about three weeks or more out in Austin TX but the dealership currently is at an older location with only so many service spots. And once you get it to them on appointment day it often sits for a few days before they can get to it. At least the new owners are providing Porsche loaners instead of Subarus like the prior owner.
Fortunately the new owners have taken the initiative to spend $40 million on an all-new facility at a better location that will include a lot more service bays. Hopefully that will help. We'll see in a couple of years.
We had a nightmare with Autonation! They screwed up our brake install (on a used 991 purchase), gave us the car with a nearly-dead battery that had to be reprogrammed and with spoiler trim not attached. The car was sold a car with a 30-day warranty and when I talked to the GM about the $1600 in expenses, he basically said "screw you. My job is to minimize costs".
Avoid Autonation like the plague. They represent everything that is wrong with monopolistic practices. Adam Smith is turning in his grave.
I am a champion for free markets and entrepreneurial ownership, but something is wrong with the current model of holding companies and ownership too far removed from the actual business entity, including the working staff and customers. Just like separating the mortgage writers from investors, this will not end well.
12-13-2018, 12:36 AM
Wait Time for Dealer Appointment
