When is it my right for a LOANER?
04-26-2004, 02:17 PM
#16
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Originally posted by George from MD
My Porsche dealer won't provide loaners (even on appointments) as I didn't buy the car from them.
My BMW dealer will and does so gladly-no questions asked. On the 2001 X5 I didn't buy from them and even on a 98 528 (which I didn't buy from them either) long out of warranty.
Guess which dealer I will visit first when I'm shopping for a new SUV?
Porsche, and quite a few Porsche dealers it seems, have a lot to learn when it comes to service. Around here (the Gaithersburg MD area) the local VW dealer trumps them. Hands down.
My Porsche dealer won't provide loaners (even on appointments) as I didn't buy the car from them.
My BMW dealer will and does so gladly-no questions asked. On the 2001 X5 I didn't buy from them and even on a 98 528 (which I didn't buy from them either) long out of warranty.
Guess which dealer I will visit first when I'm shopping for a new SUV?
Porsche, and quite a few Porsche dealers it seems, have a lot to learn when it comes to service. Around here (the Gaithersburg MD area) the local VW dealer trumps them. Hands down.
Went over the Porsche dealer and was treated like a king.
Strange how different people have different opinions on dealers based on their experiences
.
04-26-2004, 02:37 PM
#17
The Rockville VW dealer is Congressional. The Porsche dealer is Rockville Porsche- formerly Manhattan. The latter treated me very well early on- on both the Audi and Porsche sides. I bought a number of cars there and was very happy with them.
But I think their service and sales departments took a serious nose-dive after they were purchased by Sonic Automotive. They lost the best service manager and one of the best mechanics I ever met. Their sister dealership (BMW of Fairfax) was also purchased by Sonic and took a similar nose-dive in the sales department but maintained a very good service department- thanks in large part to BMW's insistence from what I heard.
Ironically (or just to show how things change) I now take the BMW's to VOB- which used to have a terrible reputation but which I now swear by.
Sonic, to my knowledge, is based out of Charlotte NC and is one of the "mega-dealerships" owning many dealers of various makes in the South and East. They specialize in growth by buying established dealerships and have a reputation for ruthlessly cutting costs and installing their own management.
The dealer, IMO, can make a good car bad or a bad car good. Porsche has some good ones in this area (Arlington, Tischer) and some that aren't so good (Rockville and- much worse based on my experience and what I've heard- HBL). Porsche does not, from what I have seen, seem to take nearly as active an interest in their dealers or their practices as BMW does.
But I think their service and sales departments took a serious nose-dive after they were purchased by Sonic Automotive. They lost the best service manager and one of the best mechanics I ever met. Their sister dealership (BMW of Fairfax) was also purchased by Sonic and took a similar nose-dive in the sales department but maintained a very good service department- thanks in large part to BMW's insistence from what I heard.
Ironically (or just to show how things change) I now take the BMW's to VOB- which used to have a terrible reputation but which I now swear by.
Sonic, to my knowledge, is based out of Charlotte NC and is one of the "mega-dealerships" owning many dealers of various makes in the South and East. They specialize in growth by buying established dealerships and have a reputation for ruthlessly cutting costs and installing their own management.
The dealer, IMO, can make a good car bad or a bad car good. Porsche has some good ones in this area (Arlington, Tischer) and some that aren't so good (Rockville and- much worse based on my experience and what I've heard- HBL). Porsche does not, from what I have seen, seem to take nearly as active an interest in their dealers or their practices as BMW does.
04-29-2004, 02:40 AM
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Dear MagicDracula:
At my first service visit, the dealer said (via telephone) they would provide a Porsche loaner. Sounds great. However, the loaner actually turned out to be an itsy-bitsy Chevrolet from an off-site rental agency. With my second service visit, I went to a different dealer (30 minutes away in the next town) and they provided a free Mercedes SUV for 2 days. However, when it came time to pay the service bill, this dealer charged over $200 for an oil change and another $130 to rotate the tires. Watch out for those "free" loaners.
At my first service visit, the dealer said (via telephone) they would provide a Porsche loaner. Sounds great. However, the loaner actually turned out to be an itsy-bitsy Chevrolet from an off-site rental agency. With my second service visit, I went to a different dealer (30 minutes away in the next town) and they provided a free Mercedes SUV for 2 days. However, when it came time to pay the service bill, this dealer charged over $200 for an oil change and another $130 to rotate the tires. Watch out for those "free" loaners.
