Wellardmac

...yup, whoever did that knows that they did it and didn't own up to it.

VGM911

Paintwork discovered on a car can negatively impact its value....especially when a potential buyer can't ascertain the extent of the original damage. In this case, taking pictures of the damaged area and getting a copy of the bill could provide comforting documentation to a discriminating potential buyer who uses a paint meter.

In this case, I don't think the seller would experience a $5,000 to $6,000 impairment in selling price.

newport996

You know the same thing happened to my 2003 Range Rover..it was at the dealer for service and my wife went to pick it up...they pulled it up and gave it to her, she noticed a huge dent in the rear quater panel....she said thats not our car, they said yes it is, and she said we dont have adent in our car....then she looked at the plates and yup, it was our car....they gave us the GM's Rover for the 2 weeks they had it for repair...we took a few road trips and drove the hell out of that car....it was absolutely perfectly repaired....they THINK a porter did it and didnt say anything for fear of losing their job.....

911fiend

Man I would drop that dealership in a heartbeat. But before I did I'd send a letter/e-mail to the General Manager telling him what happened, and that I'm not coming back, and that every other P-owner I know isn't going there either. You're guaranteed to get a call from him if the letter is strong enough, and then you can really lay into him and how his people are shady half-*** punks (or whatever you want to say). Also, I'm pretty sure the paintless dent guy won't be able to fix it entirely because it's close to the edge like everyone is saying. I had a similar issue before. Sorry but this type of stuff really pisses me off. They should be licking your feet right now to keep your business and they're not. I say f**k em and milk them for all you can. Even threaten the GM with legal action due to the impact on your car's value this has done. Good luck bro!

What's the name of the dealership btw? So folks in the area can stay away...

gota911

Thanks guys for all of the replies and the commiseration! Yeah, it really sucks! I have just completed the first draft of my letter the GM at Hendrick Porsche about the lack of communication to the customer and careless way they treat the cars. You guys may remember that they replaced my RMS and never told me about it. I found out about that by reading the invoice.

itorque

Sorry for the dent. Just make sure they know you are the most **** SOB customer they have ever had and that you want to inspect and approve EVERY stage of the repair (inspect the tear down, inspect the dent removal, inspect the block sanding, inspect the paint between coats (you get the point). Tell them If the final result is not perfect you will make them redo it. they will do it right just to get rid of you. DONT just give it to them and wait until it gets returned and then inspect. Make yourself the biggest pain in the butt and you will get a better repair.

Mfletch

Tim, sorry about your dent. I had a similar crease in the center of the door on my wife's SL. The paintless dent guy worked miracles....that stuff is really an art. Good luck with your repair.

fast1

If the repair is done perfectly, there won't be any loss in value since the pictures prove that the initial damage was only cosmetic.

porschedog

It sucks that he guy who did it almost certainly had to know he did it. Worse, the Service Manager tells you he didn't see it. Right....

CT03911

Gotta911 I feel for you. I would be livid. I too think paintless removal will not work. The edge and the crease are tough. It can't hurt to go that route first though.
I have a freind that goes to Hendrick and many of his associates at work too. They all sound pleased. I think at any big shop stuff like this can happen. I wouldn't be surprised if some other customer did it. Usually the parking is rediculously close and someone swinging their door could do it easy.
They definately have caused you a lot of trouble and I would have some concern on resale too but not a huge amount. It is minor, it is from a dealer and it will be fixed by a dealer, could be worse. Lots of pics and documnet everything in writing.
Good luck, I really feel bad for you. Sorry it happened.

gota911

Thanks for the kind words. It is very frustrating to see true customer service become diminished as the years pass. Too much squeezing of man power to reduce labor costs in order to maximize profits. At some point, those reductions begin to erode the volume of business because of the poor customer service.

I have also noticed that Henderick Porsche is no longer listed as a Premier Dealership on the Porsche web site. They did have this distinction in 2006. I wonder why they lost that designation?

DFC

Total bummer, I feel for ya. I winced when I saw the pics. Good body guys can work miracles, but do not settle for less than perfection. Good Luck!

lanny

Tim- I am a manager at a dealership and I can tell you that most of the lot damage that happens does not get reported to anyone of authority for obvious reasons. I would bet that the service manager didnt know about this. The good news is that normally the damage is to our cars and not a customers and normally when we are overstocked. There is an amazing amount of traffic some days at dealerships and I can tell you that this happens very often. A good pdr tech can work miracles and you have every right to get the car fixed to your satisfaction. I hope this has a happy ending and they keep you as a customer, Rick Hendrick owned part of my stores at one time and is a fantastic guy however this will never get to him of course. Good luck!

VGM911

We've all heard about paintless dent repair, but I have no idea how it's done. Can anyone explain the process for me? Thanks!

cdodkin

You get a range of specialist tools



Designed to allow a skilled craftsman to work on the dent from inside the panel.

Couple that with some neat dent suction tools that can suck a dent out of a panel



And some very neat tube lamps & mirrors that allow the technician to look down the panel to ensure it's smooth







It's amazing to see what a skilled pro can do.