Use different mechanics or just 1

[shaunmbenson]

Hey gang

Just curious if you stick with same mechanic or move it around a bit.

When I lived in LA years ago I used just one - Otto's Venice, who always did great by me - and then a few years later, in a non-Porsche drought, I wished I'd tried out more of the excellent shops around LA.

Since getting back into the vintage Porsche game in Toronto, I've worked with Auguste LeCourt, Jay Lloyds, Brent Hunter, Franz at Auto Select, and when in LA - Marty Mehterian and TRE.

The benefit is that every guy seems to catch something the others didn't. BTW - I recommend EVERY ONE of these places - but each has their own set of eyes, focus, and expertise.
The drawback is I don't necessarily get that long slow determined caretaking between me, the car, and a single guy. Plus someone can take it personally and then be dicks if you do go back around, at which point some trust is lost.

Thoughts?

[Dmitry at Pelican Parts]

All great points that you brought up - I fully agree that it's better to have multiple eyes on something, some will catch something that another one didn't. Flip side is that loyalty factor - I love the idea of finding a great mechanic and developing that rapport with them. Kind of a catch 22 IMO.


-Dmitry

[Canada Kev]

Valid points, all. Perhaps if one was very transparent with the shops up front, explaining all the reasons why and your thoughts on the issue, I think the people would understand. They're likely all enthusiasts already and would likely relate to what you're saying. I imagine any that think you're trying to hold something over their head might get offended, so it would be important to be clear about your intentions. It's all about relationships, after all.

[LakeCleElum]

Kinda like a wife and many girlfriends.......Just not gonna work in the long run.....Find a good one and stick with it.....If they learn you go elsewhere, I don't think you will have a 100% loyal mechanic....

[Canada Kev]

Hmmm, interesting... Do you really think a reputable, professional shop would do a lesser job because you 'cheated' and took your car to a different mechanic? I'd imagine most would have thicker skin than that and wouldn't get emotional about it. Most shops live and die by their reputation and the good ones have all the business they can handle without your car in there that day.

I do all the maintenance and repairs on my 911. It hasn't seen the inside of a shop for five or six years when it was at Gamroth's place (thanks Scott and Steve) to refurbish my suspension. For my daily driver appliance, I don't have the luxury of it being off the road while I muck about with more major problems. For mission critical work, it goes to a shop. And I use the same one almost every time. But if something came up of importance and he couldn't get to it as quickly as I needed, I would take it to my back up mechanic.

However, I do like to have a relationship with my mechanic where perhaps he will squeeze me in for something with little notice, and is thankful when I randomly show up with a box of beer. But really, my car is in there so seldom that the percentage of his workload that comes from me is so small that it hardly registers on the overall picture.

[shaunmbenson]

kevin - you'd think they'd all be pros. I've had a talented mechanic take things personally and while I don't think he would purposely screw up a service I think that care that I hope and pay for may be a little diminished.
LakeCleEllum - that's kind of why I ask - cause I have found that yet at the same time in my professional life I would never hold it against someone to hire me as needed and then the other guy when it makes most sense for the client.

[ted]

The last thing I want to do is deal with many shops.
Find one honest well trained mechanic and stick with him.
I have no interest in trying every mechanic in my area.

When the bad shops fail its just too big of a PITA.
I'd rather find out which ones are bad in advance and never try them.

[93nav]

Other than the loyalty thing, it you use multiple shops, if there is a problem, they are not all going to know what was done, what was checked, and if it is something they caused, or caused by a different shop.

[dicklague]

Originally Posted by ted

The last thing I want to do is deal with many shops.
Find one honest well trained mechanic and stick with him.
I have no interest in trying every mechanic in my area.

When the bad shops fail its just too big of a PITA.
I'd rather find out which ones are bad in advance and never try them.

I could not agree more. I trust my shop....TRE and they always deal at the top level for me......I don't want to move around....I did my shopping a long time ago.

With my Saabs I use Walter Wong and love him.

[RSTarga]

Once you find the right one, stick with him. Ive used the same shop for over 30 years.

[michael lang]

This is an interesting subject as being a service provider I am biased on this subject. I'm not going to tell you guys that people that visit my shop infrequently or shop us for certain things get treated badly or don't receive the level of service that the manufacturer expects us to give because they do not. Let's be real about this, if you are a shop or a dealership service dept and you had two different customers in your shop, one of which was completely loyal and one only interested in the lowest price of a repair, who is likely to have the better service experience. The reality from the shop standpoint is, the loyalty that customer A gives, comes back to them in better overall service which ultimately becomes a better value for whatever money they spend.
That's not to say that it's okay to throw caution to the wind and go into the shop blind about the repair or the price. I think it is extremely important that a customer be educated about such things and I am totally open minded about price comparisons. I also believe that part of it is essential to keep shops honest with one another and helps to maintain a trust factor between the shop and the customer. I've also have seen time & time again people spend so much more money & time going from shop to shop.
So in the long run, I believe a customer's loyalty really does pay off.

[shaunmbenson]

All of you - thanks and I appreciate the perspective.

As part of what you said Michael - I've never gone to different shops for anything related to price. I'm not a rich man but I don't even ask the price for anything less than major work because I know, by talking to the mechanic and their reputation beforehand, that they will charge me fairly.

For me it's about exploring all the Porsche world has to offer, including the skills and personalities of the different guys.

I watch a vid on BBI and want to go there next time I'm in LA and then watch a Benton vid and want to go there as well.

That said, and the reason I asked, is because part of me deep down knows what most of you are mentioning -- that the better play, in the long run, for the car and for my own piece of mind - is to land on the guy who I trust and enjoy most overall.

And for me the enjoyment is key -- when I used to go to Otto's Venice we'd chat for ages, and he would eventually order me parts and supervise me doing basic work on my own etc etc. And since we were track guys together all the tuning went towards exactly how we both knew I needed the car to perform.
I haven't found that since and miss it! Yeah I just got off track but sometimes a special thing comes along and then goes away. Maybe that's why I'm roaming - to try and find that again