Several weeks ago I went in to Brumos to get an airbag light cleared; the service writer was courteous, got the job done fast and provided a marvelous service wash. I was happy so I decided to go back when time came around for my 20,000 service. I was also having issues with my power windows sticking, horns not working, and alignment. But when I called to set an appointment, the service writer I had previously used was on vacation so I had a different one. I did request a loaner, which they say they provide to people who buy cars from them and PCA-Crown members and waited about a week for an appointment to open up when they could provide me a car to drive. They don't provide a PCA discount like other dealers, but I was already aware of that.

Now as many have done on this forum, I changed the oil, air filter, and charcoal particle filter early myself. Not just to save money but also because many here, including myself, feel that 20,000 is too long to wait before addressing these items. After reading many threads on the club about people doing this and then going in and paying anywhere from $35 to $125 to get the rest of the inspections done and the code cleared, I went in expecting an easy experience... but when I told the service writer my intentions, he immediately said he would be happy to do the inspections without the oil change and filter changes but he could not clear the code unless I had receipts from another dealership or shop indicating the work had been done or he could call a shop to confirm. Clearly this was not possible because I did the work myself, but luckily I had my laptop with pdf's of the receipts of all the parts from Suncoast. I showed him the receipts and he said, "ok, but you don't have any receipts showing the parts were actually installed." I was starting to get annoyed... why the heck would I buy an oil filter kit, drain plug, and charcoal filter if I wasn't going to install the parts??? After some arguing I told him just look at the filter and drain plug, clearly they had been recently replaced! Finally he said, alright we will check it out, and the rest of the inspection would take 2 and a half hours (at $109/hour) for a grand total of $305 after shop fees and tax. Keep in mind... this inspection simply includes visually checking hoses and radiators, fluid levels, tire pressure, and a Piwis read-out... it doesn't include part costs for any fluids that need topping up, no wiper blades, nothing but a visual check-over. Since I had already driven an hour and half to get to the dealership and the inspection was needed, I advised them to go ahead and do it. But basically I learned, Brumos Porsche is not a self service friendly dealer... but wait, there is more.

The other stuff was all going to be handled by warranty, except for alignment. I had gotten an alignment a few weeks ago at my shop, but it still seemed a little off to me, so I asked if they could just check it out and see if I needed another alignment. The service writer informed to check the alignment it would 2.5 more hours of labor... I asked him how much they charge for alignments... 4.5 hours of labor!!! That's $550 for an alignment after tax and shop fees! That's egregious even by Porsche dealership standards... so I told him to forget about the alignment.

So then I ask about the loaner I had requested, he said he had set up a rental car for me through Enterprise because they were out of loaners... not a big deal that happens. But to add to the frustration, I get stuck with an absolutely FILTHY Pontiac Grand Prix... but really this is not in their control and I was happy to have a car to drive, so I didn't mind this... but what I did mind was the condition of my Cayman when I picked it up.

I picked the car up after the service department closed, because they called me to tell me it was done 5 minutes before! I got there and received my keys from the sales department and went to inspect my car. First thing I noticed was they had not given me a service wash or vacuum that I am accustomed to not only with them but at every other dealer I've been to. The second thing I noticed was a new scratch inside on the ash tray cover, but pretty minor. Nobody to complain to... the service department was closed. So I drove home and during the drive noticed tire pressure in the front driver side tire was low, again, tire pressure is something they are supposed to check during the 20k inspection. When I got home, I noticed the driver side clear side marker was just hanging off! I looked over the service write up sheet, and saw they had removed and reinstalled the wheel well liner when fixing the horns... so clearly they had unclipped the side marker and failed to properly reinstall it. I fixed this on my own, so not a huge deal but still poor job on the tech's part.

I filled the tire back up to spec that evening, and in the morning it had dropped about 2lbs. I began to get worried and took the car for a drive... sure enough, the tire was slowly losing air. I pulled off, and inspected the tire and went to fill it up again so I could drive it to the dealer (I was about 15 minutes away). As I put the hose on to refill the tire, I noticed the valve stem was so loose it was turning in my hand! I hand tightened it as well as I could and filled the tire back up to spec, and it was holding air fine. I stopped by the dealer, and told him how I had found the valve stem loose. He told me they simply check the pressure and wouldn't mess with the stem, I should take it up with the tire shop. But even if the stem got loose on its own, they should still have noticed it during the inspection when they checked tire pressures...it was blatantly loose.

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- Suneet

Wow, what a horrible experience especially for those of us that care about the condition of our cars.

Makes me dread taking the car in for the 1-yr service check in a few months. Do you plan on going back to complain or is it time for another dealer for warrenty service?

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Pete
2008 Meteor Grey CS, PASM, Chrono, Sport Seats, Sport Shifter, Sport steering wheel, Xenon, Fire Extinguisher, Auto Climate and clear bra!
2007 Blue Slate Infiniti G35s 6-speed

Big thumbs down. I just hope you have another dealer that you can use in the future.

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Current Cars:

2008 Orange - Limited Edition Boxster S
2004 Atlas Grey - Boxster S

Well at those prices I have a hard time believing the song and dance they tried to give me about not becoming a sponsor because they didn't have any funds. If they were a sponsor they'd be getting a phone call from me right now and a fix would be forthcoming, but unfortunately I have no leverage with this dealer and cannot assist. I will keep this episode in my files for future reference should they come calling.

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K-Man S

I used to get service at Reeves in Tampa because my brother lived there and I visited him often and always had a good experience... from now on I will probably be heading there for service. But I probably will be moving away from Florida in less than a year so I will have a new dealer regardless, and hopefully curvier roads.

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- Suneet

That is a ridiculous fee for the alignment. I had my car aligned about a month ago when I put the RE-01R's on and it was $250 total for mounting and balancing the tires plus a complete alignment. This was by a Porsche master tech. too, not some wanker. Sheesh, very frustrating how some people don't give a d*mn about the quality of work they perform.

Ludicrous.

I am heavily involved with customer service for a motorcycle company and this sounds a great deal like some of the stories I hear. Some dealerships simply don't seem to get it.

The customer service experience, and the cost is but one component, can make or break a dealer in the eyes of a customer and, in our instant information smaller world, the eyes of a host of others.

I used to go to some of our dealers, unannounced and anonymously, just to walk in and see how I was treated. It is, I confess an idea I stole from Robert Townsend in his "Up The Organization" book from the chapter called "Call Yourself Up". I want to know how a customer feels when they arrive at one of my dealerships TRYING to give me money. I submit that more often than not price is less a concern than the experience.

This morning I had the opportunity to take my wife's car to a local MB dealer. I just went to have something looked at, neat, simple, no big deal. I'd been waiting only a few minutes when the writer advised me that they'd found a nail in one tire. Wait . . it gets better. The tire is no longer made by Continental so it required fitting a matched set and replacing one with about 2,000 miles.

My point is that the guy was very professional. The service was fabulous, the hospitality is off the charts (I confess to finding reasons to go there and work from time to time just because the constant daily parade of food is great) and the entire experience is wonderful. Spending the money was secondary, eclipsed by the excellence of the service experience.

Contrast that with the dealership I sat in for a day the prior Saturday while I was unloading $1500+ to have work done on my car. Not a terrible experience but I felt more like a "waiting customer" than a "valued customer". I'm not asking to have someone kiss my ***, I do want excellent service and to be treated as though my business is valued.

Dealers, like the folks who stir dust on this mothership, all seem to set the tone for the entire relationship simply by the way they treat customers. I've given a passionate lecture to some of the folks I've had doing customer service before and maintain that "Customer Service is useless, Customer Loyalty is priceless". I want to build a relationship in which a customer wouldn't dream of going anywhere else.

Gads. . . I'm lecturing. See how stirred up I get?

Suneet,

You know from my "caster,camber" thread that my car is in the Porsche shop in Asheville as we speak getting an alignment. I have no idea what they charge per hour or how many hours they will take. All I know is the service guy quoted me $125 for the alignment.....with no ifs ands or buts....

On other items you listed....it really irritates me when you take a car in immediately after the work is done and they shrug their shoulders and claim they didn't do it. I know there are slims out there that try to get free services....and dishonest people in general. But I can tell you that you do not come across in that manner. I would never perceive you to be on the cheap or having ulterior motives....in other words, the guy should have been apologetic or even acknowledged that their inspection would have caught those things (lens and valve stem). Makes you want to come across the desk and say hey....what the hell am I paying for if your inspection is not INSPECTING? It also makes you wonder if they don't just charge you for an inspection that never really occurred.

I for one wish we could email this thread to the GM at Brunos just so they can clearly see that in the internet age, words travels fast. And we all know one negative reputation will kill you, especially with the speed of the internet! Obviously you are the kind of guy who would have also spread kudos about them if your service was superior.

Why oh why don't they just honor the existing customers who will bring them new ones? Much less costly than advertising in some magazine! This is precisely why I wrote off BMW's!

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Kevin

I appreciate your input Courtney and Kevin... I was in the dealership business, on the sales end; and our mantra was be especially courteous to the service customers because that's where the profit really is for the dealership and that's where long term relationships are formed... the best sales prospects are happy customers from the service department. Honestly; Brumos is one of the pricier dealerships here and I knew that going in; I expected to pay around $500 out the door for an alignment and inspection; I went with their inspection because it was necessary for the car at the time, but I've never come across an alignment that takes 4 and a half hours to complete. I like to go to places where I've had good experiences, which is initially why I went there. I have another dealer about an hour south of me that I don't go to because of a horrible service experience with my last Cayman and horrible sales experience with my current Cayman. I'm not much of a complainer, in fact I didn't even mention the side marker to them the next morning because it was so easy to just clip back... but I'm well aware of the impact of customer satisfaction surveys in the auto business and I will speak my mind through that. As a whole their service department has few complaints, so it's possible it was just an isolated incident.

One trend I've really noticed on this forum in lots of posts reporting prices is that North Carolina has some great prices on Porsche service. Next time I'm in Asheville, I may get an alignment

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- Suneet