At risk of offending some of the members here in the local forum I am still going ahead with this post. I just can't hold it back. I am only doing this in an effort to improve the forum content since this issue has me questioning the validity of the feedback and true performance of some of the highly praised service providers and vendors I read about here.

I see many complimentary comments on SCB and all the wonderful things they do. I realize they are a sponsor here and I'm just a newbie to this particular forum so take my comments as you will.

I know they have a relatively fancy retail shop, sell some quality parts and have many of the right tools but in my experience it's all for show and there is a total lack of competency in their ability to use them. I've had them perform work for me in the past, just once, and it was absolutely brutal in so many ways I won't detail here as I don't care to rehash the whole disaster, but a new result of it has just come to my attention this week so I felt the need to vent and potentially save even just one pcar owner from experiencing their wrath. After my initial terrible experience, it was all confirmed when I realized one of my employees had a brother who once worked there. At that point I should have expected more to come.

What set this post off is the very least of what happened in my dealings with them, but while changing wheels for some winters this week on a car I just recently sold to a neighbour the extreme tire wear and other damage uncovered was a real surprise and the obvious result of a poor alignment and amateur suspension install given the limited use the car has had since they worked on it. Tires are disposable so he'll just buy another set, fix what is needed and then move on but be warned that you are putting your vehicle at risk when dealing with this shop. If you expect things to be done right and use SCB be prepared to be utterly disappointed.

It appears many of you have had your good experiences with them, I just won't ever consider them again. Seeing their banner here is just a constant reminder for me. I expect professional service and it seems to be hard to find around the GTA so I continue to accumulate the tools and knowledge to do as much as reasonably possible myself.

If in any way it is any consolation, Ilker did try to right the original situation and I respect him for that. I just hope he makes the changes necessary to improve his shop to the level they advertise it to be.

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble. And surprised to hear negative comments about SCB. One time after I had Suspention work done (not at SCB) I took the car to get a 4 wheel alignment. Was alignment performed at SCB? Btw, were you satisfied the way Ilker handled the first situation?

 

Granted they are a new shop and new employees the growing pains plus relations ships get stressed when people promise to have what it takes and can't perform, employers or employees thats I am talking about.

I have never used them myself but from just common sense from driving a relatively under powered car like a 2002 C4S. I would burn through rears like every season. 8k at most and thats with Porsche stock alignment. I drove aggressively but had I had more power would have worn them away much more quickly.
From your post I have no idea how the car was treated or what type of car this applied to so I don't know if anything I would say has any bearing but the shops I have gone to for the 2 alignments I have had done (very few done on my car in an ownership of +10 years) would replace any set of tires if they felt is was a result of poor work towards alignment. Plus alignment issues are pretty easy to prove with the proper paper work and wear patterns across the tires.

 

I'm equally as surprised to see all the praise. Maybe it was just a rare occurence and I was the unfortunate victim but I wouldn't take my chances with them a second time. They did do the alignment.

I'm no stranger to rear tire wear and short lifetimes on lowered and high hp rwd cars and wouldn't attribute the wear encountered as regular use under this particular scenario.

As stated, Ilker did handle my initial discontent well and I commend him for that but it doesn't change the quality of workmanship in the shop which was my primary purpose for using them. Unfortunately, I didn't fully understand the extent of things until now and have a slightly disgruntled neighbor/purchaser with further unexpected expense. He has been tempted to approach them but I advised against it given my prior experience. It is sometimes better to move on rather than risk things getting worse using the same source.

 

Your neighbour/purchaser sounds like my wife during the first year of Porsche ownership. We've owned car for years never having to replace tires but quickly found out the rubber on these are why performance cars can perform so well, rubber don't last long and it will cost you to maintain it.

 

If this was just about worn tires I wouldn't even bother posting. That in itself would be amateur. As stated above, I know what to expect from tires on cars like these. At first I told him the same until I investigated further. This was just a new result on top of some prior seriously incompetent work and it got me going again. I'd rather not disclose the lengthy list of amateur mistakes and damage incurred in the process of a simple suspension install and alignment, you may not even believe some of it because it was that bad. I'm just issuing what I consider is a fair warning about the competency of the mechanics in the shop and the level of care given to the cars. I assume we're all enthusiasts and expect to have our cars returned with the work professionally completed and without other damage.

 

I know Ilker but have not used his shop.
It is a relatively new shop but I believe they have talented and experienced mechanics. Perhaps something went wrong with the work he did, and that is not right or expected. That can happen at almost any shop. Perhaps there is even a failure. I think that you should give him a chance to deal with what you believe was recently revealed. You have the freedom to share your experience. But if you are going to post it on a forum you should give him the chance to correct the issue.
I hope things work out for your neighbor and he can enjoy his new Porsche!

 

OK, since I can see the credibility of the criticism I have posted is in question I will provide a short list of things that should sufficiently describe their shortfalls in professional work. We've covered the alignment but to add to the list from my original encounter, a significantly damaged body panel after thorough circle checks of the vehicle on drop off and no disclosure of the damage on pickup although it was clear later they were aware of it, insufficiently torqued hardware (contributing to tire wear), stripped hardware, allen keys broken off in sway bar links and then cut off and left there, incorrectly installed camber plates, inconsistent compression & rebound settings on all four corners after setting them myself before installation, damaged leather surfaces on the steering wheel, one broken plastic interior piece that was crazy glued together (I bet you don't believe it but it's true), suspension adjustment tools not returned until requested....need I go on?

This wasn't a Porsche and maybe that was the problem. Glad I didn't take my Porsche there.

Ilker provided a full refund for services provided at my request. I don't want anything further from SCB and given the above wouldn't bring the vehicle back for them to 'fix' it.

 

Good shops are hard to come by as you have to trust other people to take care of your car, but then again anybody can make a mistake but the difference between a good shop and a bad one is that the good shop will go out of it's way to keep you as a happy returning customer whereas the bad shop will not admit that they screwed up and just leave things at that while hoping that you don't realize their bad work ...

We are fortunate enough to have WeTune in Montreal where you can be assured that your car will not undergo half assed maintenance !
There is nothing wrong with sharing your experiences regarding unsatisfactory service as it will save others from making the same mistake !

Just sayin ...

Cheers !
Phil

 

What time frame was the original work done? I had my alignment done around late April time frame and did not encounter any issues, my tires are wearing quite evenly at the end of the season with slightly reduced rear toe-in, the wear on the steering wheel is likely from the centering device they use to lock the steering wheel against the seat during alignment.

FWIW I also heard second-hand info recently that some of the technicians have been replaced, don't know the circumstances, but also heard from the same person that SCB has someone new who is very experienced and particular about his work.

 

Doobee,

Thanks for your post. I think feedback, good or bad, is important for pcar owners and shops alike. Mistakes happen, it's the shop owner's actions or lack of action that sets them apart.

This way we can be aware of the potential risk and make an informed choice.

 

Good morning all,
I specifically remember this occurrence and we did everything possible to make up for the things that wrong. Including letting the tech go...
Bad things happen and we try to have an impeccable record. We are just human and the team here at SCB cares very much about each and every car...
I cannot stop people to voice their opinion about us - good or bad.
We will continue serve the P-car community as good as possible.
Happy Motoring,
Ilker Starck
President / CEO
SportsCarBoutique

 

Ilker, I'm glad you jumped in to provide an update. If you have made the changes stated above in response to the situation then hopefully the service at SCB has improved since I was there last. Given your post and the positive feedback and support for SCB I encountered here you must have moved forward. I can't fault you personally and can see you are a respectable businessman who is trying to provide the best service possible.

 

Folks,

I think this thread is done. Complaint noted, shop did the right thing, issued a full refund and got rid of the technician responsible. I'll close it now.

Regards,