Should I prepare my car in any way prior to service by a Porsche expert?

[H.G.P.]

Dumb thought......I'd hate to show up and after being on a waiting list, get turned away. Dumb thought, but I've basically NEVER had anyone in the Porsche community service my car in nearly three years.

Will for instance having a modified bellcrank, fuel pump mounted in my smuggler's box, universal ingition switch, or Por-15 in some areas look obvious, make me look off? Might be in for a dose of bigtime humility...........

Should I prepare my car in any way?

[Victor]

Um no, but maybe bring some personal lubricant.

[ed martin]

Remove all items of value, such as jewelry, cash etc. from glove box and passenger area.

[Randy Webb]

No, just stuff it full of dollar bills so you can pay the labor charge....

[Schrup]

Ready for that $250 oil change? Hopefully they'll wash & vacuum it for you so I wouldn't clean it. In what area do you live? I'm sure you can get good recommendations from some of your local Pelican heads. Do your wallet a favor & cancell the dealer appointment, ask for some help on the board to find a good local shop. Dealerships typically are geared toward the newer cars & thier pricing reflects that.

[ed martin]

But seriously... As a courtesy you may want to pressure wash the back and underside. And take special care to remove any unsightly and embarassing road kill that typically lurks in the underside of wheel wells fenders and such.

[Victor]

Also, ask for a courtesy car. They factor these sorts of things into thier margins.

[HarryD]

Are you going to an independent shop? I hope so. Just let them know about any unique features. I am sure they have seen worse than yours.

[stuartj]

You are about to discover what a versatile product Mobil1 really is. Remember to say "thank you"

stuart 87 carrera (nearly sold....)

[jpachard]

I appreciate it when a customer brings me a car free of clutter(I do rollcages). Less items inside make the work easier. It's also nice to have good access to the battery terminals since many repairs require one to disconnect the battery.

Cheers, James

[fireant911]

I realize that every Porsche professional shop is different. The only preparation I do prior to taking my car in for any service was to make a detailed list of the purpose of this visit (I realize that I am not a true veteran here since my car has only been in twice). Included in this list are the actions I have performed in attempting to correct the issue at hand - I start preparing this list days in advance so the actual history is included. The owner of the Porsche shop I use takes the time to talk with me about each item/action prior to me leaving the car with him. The work order he then gives to his German mechanic contains the the relevant information from my list. I think that it is very important that any changes to the car, whether visible or hidden deeply in the recesses of the engine, should be provided to the mechanic at the time of delivery (in hard copy format - due to the fact that they see many cars during the day and it will certainly aid in remembering). The 'service' you are alluding to can be intrepreted on several levels - oil change (which will not require much background history) to adjusting the fuel mixture due to a miss at 4,200-4,500 rpm and so far I have performed the following actions... and my car has the following modifications...

[ubiquity0]

If you're going to a dealer better add a radiator quick, otherwise you might get frowned upon.

[Superman]

Simply do not take a 69 E to a dealer. No way no how. You've been warned. Assuming you're taking her to an independent shop....

Clean the car. Get the clutter out and wash/vacuum, etc. This speeds up the work they will do, and also makes them respect the vehicle just a tad bit more. And finally.....

Put a half-case of Heineken in the trunk. Works like a charm.

[john walker's workshop]

my main gripe is a car full of trash. McD wrappers, snot rags, etc. grrrrr.

[Zeke]

You guys are funny. Roadkill, snot rags, radiator, leave money, take lube.........ROFLMAO. I went a dealer for a smog, that's about it 'cuase I can't do that one at home. Surprisingly, it was a good experience.

[MotoSook]

Originally posted by Superman
Simply do not take a 69 E to a dealer. No way no how. You've been warned.

Yep...don't do it...

I serviced a car recently that was serviced by a dealer...

The owner later discovered that the oil tank had been overfilled. The owner took the car back and they "fixed" the problem.

Well, I don't know if they fixed it, because we later discovered that the oil tank plug appeared to have not been removed (this was just a month or so ago that the car was at the dealer so the lack of movement on the plug was obvious). Our guess is that the tech who is use to working on non-air-cooled cars, never drained the oil tank! The mofo probably didn't even know about it! No wonder the car was over-filled! There were other problems with the car besides the oil overfilling...

Don't take an air-cooled 911 to a dealer...PLEASE!

You and the future owners will be better off. Find a local shop such as JW's and clean your car out of crap, then take it in. I don't drive my car daily, but there is usually nothing in it besides the insurance card and registration. That's the way I would deliver the car to anyone. It's easier on the service person and it'll guarantee that your personal belongings doesn't go missing or get stepped on or get greasy.

[dhoward]

Kinda like cleaning the house before the maid comes?
Pressure wash the underside?
Polish all of the bolt heads.
Place little yellow post-it notes on everything you want them to look at.
Provide a small box of wet-naps for clean up later....
Don't want Hans and Clause to feel mistreated.

[svandamme]

don't do it

i made that mistake as well, they basically had a field day

they didn't do jack, except writing down 3 sloppy A4's full of things that weren't right with my car...

ok , there was rust, but most of the items on the list where bogus

- missing sunvisor
- missing seatbelt caps
- interior light switch in right door missing
-interior light not working

al sorts of stuff, of which most of it , i knew of , or couldn't care less

the dude basically found it necessary to laugh with me ... saying he'de never touch a rustbucket targa... he did it once and sold it to somebody to get ridd of it...not what you'de expect to hear from a Porsche dealer

anyway, the rust was there, but was nowhere in terrible amounts...


dealers want waterpumpers, that's what their snotnoze mechanics are trained at... they usually don't have the knowledge to handle earlies properly, or they just don't feel like it since they have plenty of work doign easy (but lucrative) maintenance jobs for lease vehicles

[H.G.P.]

Originally posted by HarryD
Are you going to an independent shop? I hope so. Just let them know about any unique features. I am sure they have seen worse than yours.

Yes, it's scheduled to go to an indepedent shop. From what I understand, they only do Porsches, and do tech inspections for the PCA chapter. Also, the owner is suppose to specialize in racing prep.

Here's the work requested: CV boots( all four), two main leaks one beneath the pressure switch by the lower part of the engine front (beneath the oil cooler somewhat), and a tranny leak, also a brake bleeding and brake check. I have also requested a tech inspection. The front carpet is out so they'll have easy access to the battery. (I wish I could actually help out while they work)

[KNS]

If you must take it to a dealer make sure it is very clean inside and out. If they put a nick in the paint, it will be more obvious before and after and also shows that you care about the condition of your car. If they wash your dirty car, that just gives the shag boy an opportunity to drop his sponge on the ground, pick it up and continue what he was doing.