First (and last) experience with Hendrick Southpoint Porsche in Durham
05-06-2016, 11:14 AM
#1
Pro
Thread Starter
First (and last) experience with Hendrick Southpoint Porsche in Durham
Folks,
after reading on this forum the very positive experience someone in the Triangle area had with the new Southpoint Porsche dealership, I decided to give it a try for the TPMS issue that has been plaguing my 2006 C4S car for some time.
Appointment was taken and there I go for my first Porsche dealer visit in more than 5 years of owning a 997.1 (I do everything myself but the inception of electronics on these cars makes it harder and harder to maintain them).
I am received by one of the shop managers (let's call him Clay T.) to whom I explain my dilemma with the TPMS system. They take my car in the shop and connect it to their PIWIS system. The nice thing about their shop is the glass wall that allows you to watch what is going on in the shop, while waiting.
The technical expert takes my car for a ride, probably in an attempt to force the TPMS unit to learn the sensors, after resetting it. He comes back after a short while and comes to talk to me. He explains what he found and we explore a couple of options to fix the issue. Apparently, this was the first year and both the 997.1 and Carrera GT have the same very unreliable behavior with TPMS. He indicates me that suppressing the TPMS is not easy and that you basically have to change the country setting of the car (probably a legal stuff that mandates American cars to have TPMS). He also indicates that they have had a lot of success with the WURTH sensors which are a lot less expensive than the original Porsche Beru sensors.
Overall, I am very pleased with the mechanics and his honesty and knowledge. There was no bull****ting or arrogance from his part. I did not get his name, but he is a tall and very slim fellow with glasses.
While they pulled the car out of the shop and back to the waiting area, I go back to the service manager, who between two yawns indicates that he will charge me an hour of maintenance (It had been 35 minutes since I arrived) at $145 plus taxes. The mechanics returns in the office with the price of the Wurth sensors and I decide to get 4 of them. He comes back a few minutes later with their serial number written on each box and indicates that he can program the TPMS with the corresponding numbers if we know which sensor goes to which wheel. I thank him for doing this extra work for me, as the learning process can take up to 50-60 miles on these old systems.
Of course, the Service manager does not offer any discounts on the parts (even though he noticed my PCA sticker on the car) and charges me as much as he can. I watch this with interest and ponder why this young lad (he is obviously less than 30 years old), yawning like crazy and obviously bored by his job, has been given such position and responsibilities. I also watch with amazement how he does not care about creating a faithful and returning customer by discounting the parts, charging the real duration of the procedure or even waving it (which would be the perfect thing to do to convince me to come back to his place).
What can I say? I could have argued about the length of the maintenance. I could have begged for the PCA discount for the parts. I did not.
I can only say one thing: I will not go back there and will keep shopping at Leith Cary Autopark for my parts, where my two favorite parts managers are giving me very generous discounts and I will continue to do things myself, as much as possible.
I am also happy that I convinced a friend to recently buy a brand new BMW 428i Gran Coupe from Leith, instead of returning to Hendrick Performance where he had bought his first BMW. He got a terrific deal at Leith and is very happy.
Yves
after reading on this forum the very positive experience someone in the Triangle area had with the new Southpoint Porsche dealership, I decided to give it a try for the TPMS issue that has been plaguing my 2006 C4S car for some time.
Appointment was taken and there I go for my first Porsche dealer visit in more than 5 years of owning a 997.1 (I do everything myself but the inception of electronics on these cars makes it harder and harder to maintain them).
I am received by one of the shop managers (let's call him Clay T.) to whom I explain my dilemma with the TPMS system. They take my car in the shop and connect it to their PIWIS system. The nice thing about their shop is the glass wall that allows you to watch what is going on in the shop, while waiting.
The technical expert takes my car for a ride, probably in an attempt to force the TPMS unit to learn the sensors, after resetting it. He comes back after a short while and comes to talk to me. He explains what he found and we explore a couple of options to fix the issue. Apparently, this was the first year and both the 997.1 and Carrera GT have the same very unreliable behavior with TPMS. He indicates me that suppressing the TPMS is not easy and that you basically have to change the country setting of the car (probably a legal stuff that mandates American cars to have TPMS). He also indicates that they have had a lot of success with the WURTH sensors which are a lot less expensive than the original Porsche Beru sensors.
Overall, I am very pleased with the mechanics and his honesty and knowledge. There was no bull****ting or arrogance from his part. I did not get his name, but he is a tall and very slim fellow with glasses.
While they pulled the car out of the shop and back to the waiting area, I go back to the service manager, who between two yawns indicates that he will charge me an hour of maintenance (It had been 35 minutes since I arrived) at $145 plus taxes. The mechanics returns in the office with the price of the Wurth sensors and I decide to get 4 of them. He comes back a few minutes later with their serial number written on each box and indicates that he can program the TPMS with the corresponding numbers if we know which sensor goes to which wheel. I thank him for doing this extra work for me, as the learning process can take up to 50-60 miles on these old systems.
Of course, the Service manager does not offer any discounts on the parts (even though he noticed my PCA sticker on the car) and charges me as much as he can. I watch this with interest and ponder why this young lad (he is obviously less than 30 years old), yawning like crazy and obviously bored by his job, has been given such position and responsibilities. I also watch with amazement how he does not care about creating a faithful and returning customer by discounting the parts, charging the real duration of the procedure or even waving it (which would be the perfect thing to do to convince me to come back to his place).
What can I say? I could have argued about the length of the maintenance. I could have begged for the PCA discount for the parts. I did not.
I can only say one thing: I will not go back there and will keep shopping at Leith Cary Autopark for my parts, where my two favorite parts managers are giving me very generous discounts and I will continue to do things myself, as much as possible.
I am also happy that I convinced a friend to recently buy a brand new BMW 428i Gran Coupe from Leith, instead of returning to Hendrick Performance where he had bought his first BMW. He got a terrific deal at Leith and is very happy.
Yves
Last edited by yvesvidal; 05-06-2016 at 12:16 PM.
05-06-2016, 12:22 PM
#2
This really doesn't sound all that bad. The tech saved you money and the dealership has a 1 hour minimum charge and they don't offer PCA discounts.
What were your expectations?
What were your expectations?
05-06-2016, 12:39 PM
#3
They do offer PCA discounts. I'm surprised. I have had a few dealings with them, though all warranty issues so I have not had to pull out the wallet yet.
On one of my issues when they presented me the bill it already had the PCA discount. I had to remind them this was pre-negotiated and covered by CPO requirements and paid for by the dealership where I purchased the car.
Otherwise they have been pretty good. On another note, I have dealt with Hendrick Acura for many years and have had good service, though can not say the same for Leith Acura and Honda. I guess YMMV.
On one of my issues when they presented me the bill it already had the PCA discount. I had to remind them this was pre-negotiated and covered by CPO requirements and paid for by the dealership where I purchased the car.
Otherwise they have been pretty good. On another note, I have dealt with Hendrick Acura for many years and have had good service, though can not say the same for Leith Acura and Honda. I guess YMMV.
05-06-2016, 01:56 PM
#5
Three Wheelin'
Did they refuse PCA discount or just not offer it? I generally have to ask to make sure I get the discount - I don't depend on them looking at the decal on my windshield.
05-06-2016, 02:19 PM
#6
8th Gear
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Im sorry but this seems like such a nominal thing to go on and start bashing a dealership. They fixed your car for a hours labor and the guy yawning made you angry? Think you made out pretty good with a relatively small bill and got your car fixed. Think your expectations were off. just saying
05-06-2016, 02:28 PM
#7
Rennlist Member
Lighten up Yves.
PS I had the same issue on my '06, I had Leith deactivate TPMS. It's a pain when switching vehicles. '07 was the first year it was mandated by the Feds.
PS I had the same issue on my '06, I had Leith deactivate TPMS. It's a pain when switching vehicles. '07 was the first year it was mandated by the Feds.
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05-06-2016, 02:50 PM
#10
Yep, did this on my 997S. I'm not surprised the Porsche dealership wouldn't do this, though the bit about "having to change the country" was a little weird.
05-06-2016, 02:53 PM
#11
Race Car
That's nothing - Porsche of Arlington stole 400 dollars from me with a "re-aligning the back seat" charge during the 40,000 mile major service - I didn't fight it like I should of (I had just signed a contract to do some work in Baghdad and had a plane to catch).
That same day they also attempted to defraud me of $6,000 dollars by falsely claiming my hydraulic lifters were failing (this was in 2012). I declined.
Porsche of Arlington, Virginia - biggest scumbags i've ever dealt with in my life.
That same day they also attempted to defraud me of $6,000 dollars by falsely claiming my hydraulic lifters were failing (this was in 2012). I declined.
Porsche of Arlington, Virginia - biggest scumbags i've ever dealt with in my life.
05-06-2016, 02:55 PM
#12
Pro
Thread Starter
The car was never fixed and I left with the same lights on my dashboard as I came with. Just a little bit lighter on the wallet side.
I will now install myself, the four sensors that I bought from them, and hope that the issue clears itself.
And yes, when you are in public relations, representing a high-end German automaker, a little bit of presentation and proper behavior does not hurt.
I know, I am asking for a lot.... ;-)
Finally, I think it is important that we share our "dealers stories" on this forum to prevent future abuses to other potential customers. There is strength in the forums as we all know for technical expertise, recommendations and buying places.
Yves
05-10-2016, 05:14 PM
#13
Drifting
Well, I feel personally responsible for your bad experience because I have been singing Southpointe's praises since I first went there a couple of years ago. I have spoken to Clay on several occasions (I don't believe that he is the service manager--I believe that Theresa Kramer is) and have found him to be very friendly.
I am sorry you didn't like what happened there but honestly, it doesn't sound terribly bad to me--especially considering the fact that they recommended cheaper TPMS than the Porsche brand and gave you advice that obviously cost the dealer some profit.
Also, diagnosis (and most other jobs at any car dealership) aren't charged by the minute, they are charged by the book rate, no matter how long they take. Many shops charge a diagnostic fee of at least one hour if they take your car in and look at it. The time the tech takes to look at your car is time away from another paying job. Before I walked away in disgust and started a thread complaining about the store, I would have definitely gone to the service manager to talk about why I was angry.
At any rate, again, I am sorry you felt that way after going in there. I would recommend that you give Theresa a call if you feel like they treated you unfairly.
I'll withhold my Leith-bashing for now. While I have tons of stories I can tell about several of their stores (including the Porsche store), their Mercedes store has been reasonably good to us recently.
I am sorry you didn't like what happened there but honestly, it doesn't sound terribly bad to me--especially considering the fact that they recommended cheaper TPMS than the Porsche brand and gave you advice that obviously cost the dealer some profit.
Also, diagnosis (and most other jobs at any car dealership) aren't charged by the minute, they are charged by the book rate, no matter how long they take. Many shops charge a diagnostic fee of at least one hour if they take your car in and look at it. The time the tech takes to look at your car is time away from another paying job. Before I walked away in disgust and started a thread complaining about the store, I would have definitely gone to the service manager to talk about why I was angry.
At any rate, again, I am sorry you felt that way after going in there. I would recommend that you give Theresa a call if you feel like they treated you unfairly.
I'll withhold my Leith-bashing for now. While I have tons of stories I can tell about several of their stores (including the Porsche store), their Mercedes store has been reasonably good to us recently.
05-10-2016, 09:14 PM
#14
Three Wheelin'
Sometimes little things just get to a person. Vent away if it makes you feel better; I have been guilty myself. Could be that only the service manager can approve any discount and that person was not there. Thing is, sometimes you have to ask. When I have taken my car to the dealership I always ask, offhand, if there is a special or if I can get a small discount (for driving three times as far as my local dealership, which I would not use b/c I won't reward an uppity/condescending attitude). Typically they give me 10 percent. I would not be offended if they didn't. If a dealership isn't shy about $150/hr labor (based on book time) and online retail +20 or so percent for parts, then I don't feel like a cheapskate for asking about a discount.
