groovzilla

Update:
Another interesting turn in the PPI saga. I emailed the owner/seller of the car this morning asking if the shop refunded his credit card the $600 to release the car. (Again the PPI the shop sent me included a basic PPI with some photos of nonworking parking light, a broken hood release ****, a scratch on glove box - also included the Bore Scope Photos and the Leak down test numbers.)

......In the email reply I just received from seller, it turns out the shop gave the complete PPI results to the seller of the car when he paid the $600??
Such an odd twist. Also now the owner is pissed at me and said he will try and get the $600 out of me?

I simply told the seller in my emailed reply that he is sounding just as deceptive as the shop. I explained to him that I assume he worked something out with the shop to get copies of the PPI for prospective buyers and that he paid the $600 to release car as well as the complete copies of the PPI.
.....I told seller I'm now out of the loop and good luck selling his car with the PPI he paid for.

Case closed.

texass4

Sounds like an odd situation, no doubt, but if I were the seller I would have done the exact same thing. And I don’t think it’s shady at all.

For right or wrong (zero judgment) this just seems like one of those deals that derailed early on, and none of the back and forth was going to salvage it. Just the way it goes sometimes. If I’m the seller, and I see that this is the road we’re headed down, I’m just writing off the cost of getting my car back in my possession and moving along with life. Just take the medicine and put it behind me. But, since I did have to pay, I may as well get some sort of benefit of the bargain, so what’s wrong with taking the PPI results home?

Sucks that you had a bad experience. Sounds like a lot of miscommunication and some laziness from the shop. Lots of other cars out there. Maybe you’ll have better luck next time.

Tom R.

I wouldn't worry about naming the shop here. I dont think they will be around in a month with our without your glowing (as in radioactive) review.

I am going to take a wild assed guess as to what you walked into.

The shop has been going to shyt for a while and the senior tech left for a reason, taking his tools with him. the manager you spoke to was not on vacation, but took a few days off to set himself up at a different place. His cell phone was disconnected because he told the owner he quit after giving the owner the same respect he got recently as evidenced by the shyt show in the shop, and then his phone was cut off.

My wife was on the phone with a former co worker last night. The school they "worked" at has gone to shyt. She landed a job where my wife currently is, and starts Monday. Yesterday afternoon she told the boss she determined the headaches she has been getting are from them, and she wont be back Monday. Now more than half the professional staff has left since the end of last year, and this woman is a boomer who intentionally didnt give the notice because of how they treated the staff.

Seller paying $600 for a PPI that says I need a light bulb is making lemonade out of lemons.

texass4

Yep. Unfortuate, but not an unlikely scenario.

groovzilla

I had long talk with seller on phone who has been extremely easy to work prior to PPI issues and seems like a good guy. Seller explained the shop GAVE him the PPI to prove they did the work and they told him I was impossible to work with and demanding.
Seller paid $500 (not $600) to get the car released.
I didn't feel comfortable having the seller 100% financially responsible for this mess so I split the bill with him and just sent the seller $250 via Paypal to put this to rest. I will move forward with my reviews on all possible web forums and Yelp/etc.
These unprofessional asswipes need to be outed.

The shop is Goose Automotive in San Antonio TX. I don't recommend this shop for obvious reasons

BillB128

I think that since you were the one who initiated the PPI, that you should have paid the entire $500.00 for the failed PPI.
The owner brought the car to the shop at your request and, in turn ended up being caught up in a lot of drama that was none of his making.
The fact that he received a copy of your PPI is inconsequential, and is a very small bone for all that he endured.
Just my two cents.

BHMav8r

What a fustercluck they created.

Having stayed at Motel 6 last night, I think I could come up with a defense for all four parties.

There are definitely legal issues here, non of which are worth the effort, or cost to pursue.

Perhaps a sit down with the dealership owner would be the place to start. They stand to loose the most.

groovzilla

Interesting point. I disagree and believe owner of car should have at least waited 2 days until Service Manager got back from his trip and to the shop.
The fact that he received the 1st part of PPI which has value and will contribute to the selling of his car is an important part of the equation.
Every shop I have ever dealt with over past 38 years on a PPI has NEVER given results of PPI to the seller of the car. It is a large No-No.
Unless of course the seller pays for the PPI.

groovzilla

Yep real sh:tfest.
Seller-Owner of car is now happy so all good there.
....Only other shop that can do Bore Scope Insp is in Austin 1.5 hrs away from seller.
This is ultimately Porsche's fault for building an egine with small % of scoring.

sburke91

Just find a car with a FSI motor or at least a quality rebuild that has LN Nickies. While will result in a longer journey, it's the way to go with a 997.1, and have no worries. I've seen a couple of FSI cars pop up on BAT and sell for what I consider silly good deals given what was spent on them.

BillB128

Put yourself in the seller's shoes..... Would you want to leave your pride and joy at a sketchy shop while there is potential bad blood from the PPI that went sideways? I certainly would not.
I'd want my car back in my own garage so I could show it to other potential buyers, not being held hostage and out of my sight and control.

Again, my point of view, it is a "but for" situation. Your PPI request set the sh%t wagon rolling, so your responsibility to rectify things. Just explaining where I'm coming from. No reply necessary.

workhurts

So you told the seller he was being deceptive and has gained value from the PPI results to give to other potential buyers? The same results you said were worthless and blurry with leak down results that were incomprehensible?

Definitely a crappy situation and glad it’s resolved. Paying the seller $250 to offset his cost over something he had no control over I guess is a decent gesture.

Who signed the work authorization? That’s the person that’s ultimately responsible for payment.

Wayne Smith

I'm not seeing that the seller got any value out of what is basically a worthless PPI. Likewise, I fully agree with the points previously made about why the seller should not have left his car in the shop. The seller wasn't the one who requested a PPI. The seller did take time to deliver the car to the shop and arrange transportation home and then arrange transportation back to the shop. I don't see the seller as being anything other than responsible, unless somehow he's in cahoots with the shop, which, for a couple hundred dollars, I find highly unlikely.

It's easy for me to say that I'd never agree to a PPI for my car, since I don't intend to ever sell it. With over 160K miles on it I'd prefer to hand it down to a friend if the time ever comes when I can no longer drive. I hate the selling process anyway. But if I did sell I'd show UOAs and service records and walk away from any buyer who didn't accept that.

For any seller willing to go through what this seller did, my hat is off to you.

Der Mechaniker

No way, no how would I have left my car in that shop for a single millisecond longer than I needed to . In fact , I would be chastising myself to my dying day for agreeing to the PPI in the first place (especially as it did not seem to be prepaid ??? )
Come back in 2 days to find they'd accidentally dropped another car on it or something ?
Good lesson for us all- no matter what the prospective purchaser tells you, go with your gut ! ( no offense to the OP)

texass4

Same and same. I tried to say this earlier but I feel like it bears repeating as something to keep in mind for all of us if/when we are sellers. We dissect the purchase process from the buyer's perspective a great deal on here but not so much the seller. Pay attention to your buyer, don't say "yes" to anything that makes you uncomfortable or is too much of a burden - for you. This goes for leaving it at a shop as above pending the outcome of an odd scenario, letting the car go before the lien has been released, unusual payment or delivery arrangements that don't sound normal (even if you can't quite articulate why), etc etc. It's your car after all, and there will be another buyer. Take your time and make sure the deal makes sense.

As for the situation above, no, there is no legal issue. This was just a complicated long-distance sale that spun out of control very fast. Plenty of mutual miscommunication to spread around.

Groove: I think it's fair to say that you are far more exacting in your requirements for PPI that many, perhaps most, buyers. It's also goes without saying that buying remotely from halfway across the country is quite complex on its own. Doing so remotely via phone/email with those elevated standards compounds that even further. Some have disagreed with me in the past on this, but I am still of the opinion that the whole bore score issue is just not as much of a concern to some some as it is to the Rennlist crowd. There are two well-respected indys near me with a nationwide reputation for quality who see it that way (i.e. a comparatively small percentage of cars that will develop fatal engine damage) and don't necessarily get too concerned. Whatever side of that opinion you fall on is irrelevant: the point is that if it is that important to you, it may be necessary to be diligent, yet patient, and understand that not all PPI shops are going to dig as deep or share your surgical detail needs without (potentially) some extra effort on your part.

I've resolved to never buy again, especially for a car as old as a 997, without getting on a place and being present through the inspection. Drive it, smell it, talk to the shop during/after the PPI. Have a taco and beer with the owner. Make a friend. If it works out, the extra cost is largely irrelevant to the overall transaction. If it doesn't, you get some good mexican food and a short experience in San Antonio. Not a bad deal.