[Grady Clay]

Many DIY owners say to themselves “If I can do this on my own car and enjoy it, why not get paid for something I like?”
Many mechanics envision being shop owners and make less money.
Many shop owners get so involved they can’t see the forest for the trees. Some would become great Factory Dealers if they could.
Too many Dealers could just as well sell Pontiacs as Porsches, totally missing the point. There are notable exceptions; Stoddard, VP, Brumos, and more.
Even PAG has swayed from the fold slightly, out of financial necessity. It is one of very few semi-private automakers left in the world (and the best.)




Size; everyone learned “economy of scale” in 10th grade.
A one-man shop is constantly behind. There are things that have to be done that interrupt the work; talking to customers, ordering parts, taking the money to the bank so today’s checks clear, etc.
The Toyota dealer we use is so large they have divided the service into eight+ teams, each with a service writer, three top mechanics, six+ helpers, a shag who moves the cars around, and a parts runner between the parts dept and the crew. We take our Toyotas there because they are efficient. I would guess they see over 100 cars per day. The closer 2-man Toyota shop can’t find their way out of an open paper bag.

Where is the balance?

There is some clearly defined “division of labor” that a good shop needs:

The communication with customers must be accurate and timely. A customer should always be able to talk to a real person promptly to find out the status of the work, make an appointment, or add something they forgot. Mechanics need to be working on your car, not waiting on parts or dealing with customers all day. A good “service writer/owner/manager/mechanic/diagnostician” is one critical link.

The parts department should have all the necessary usual parts and an efficient system to get the required parts. There should be proper inventory system. One of the largest drains of money in a poorly organized shop is parts not charged out. A parts department should not be cafeteria style. A parts department needs at least one full-time person. Preferably two so there is coverage during lunch and late in the afternoon. A good parts system is another critical link.

Good mechanics are well supported. That means clean, well lit, uncluttered, properly equipped work areas. Access to all the specialized tools and technical information. When there is an unusual problem there is back-up help. An example might be; if an exhaust stud breaks, the equipment and support is there to help fix it. A good shop doesn’t leave a mechanic hanging. Skilled, experienced, dedicated, honest, and well supported mechanics are the key link.

The customer parts counter is a large source of revenue and a great place for customers to “hang out.” For the cost of giving an exploded diagram print-out and some torque specs, DIY customers will find good reason to spend more. There is advantage in both directions for good “while you are there” advice.

There should be a system for technical information and specialized tools. No one can work on these cars without proper tools, fuel injection, electrical, dimensions, torque specs, part numbers, and technical information.

The bookkeeping and money handling should be proper and supervised. Many small shops don’t realize there is a problem until too late and find they owe withholding taxes. If you find you are solicited for cash at a discount – pay attention. Credit cards charge the shop a fee, so there are legitimate reasons.

Cleanliness is absolutely necessary from a technical standpoint. Additionally no one likes to patronize or work in a dirty environment. This requires an employee or a service to keep everything clean. A regular repaint on the floor with very light gray (just shy of white) is useful. Good lighting is essential.

We have all heard the admonition in real property, “location, location, location.” I think this is absolutely true for a Dealer. For the “Ideal Shop” the location can be somewhat less prominent. The critical issue is that it must be convenient for the customers. It also should be easily found by a customer’s spouse, law partner, staff, friend, etc. Everyone with a nice Porsche is concerned about its security.


OK guys, let’s hear more opinions.


Jim & Mark, I agree with most everything you posted. However, I think it is possible for there to be Dealers who can provide great service and Porsche character. The problem is that is not the norm.
Porsche has always been tied to VW somewhat. VW, DB (now DC), and others have been a huge source of engineering revenue for PAG. There were the VW-Porsche dealers with semi-independent regional importers and Porsche of America involved, the Porsche-Audi era with VoA as the importer (an unpleasant time for Porsche), and now PCNA (thanks in part to CS) that is a good solution. The issue is how to get PCNA dealers to behave as enthusiastic Porsche dealers and not Pontiac wannabees.

Milt, both Andial and Garretson Enterprises were somewhat modeled after Rennenhaus. When Dieter, Alvin, and Arnold left Vasek, he was pi$$ed. It shouldn’t have been any surprise, Arnold Wagner and I had talked about it for several years. When Bruce, Jerry and Bob started GE that just formalized what they had been doing for many years.

Joe, there is such a thing as becoming too specialized. We have all heard the expression “Too much repetition makes jack a dull boy.” Yes, I like a mechanic who is extremely familer with my car and the like. I also want one who sees the whole range of Porsche technology. The fun part of this Forum is members apply 997 technology to their ’72 911.
I agree with Joe, having a stash of used parts is very valuable – both for cost and efficiency where applicable.

Randy noticed an important indicator. How long have customer’s cars been at the shop? Most service and minor repair can be done within a day. Some unusual repairs might take a week. If you find Porsches in the shop for a month or more, it should only be for a serious rebuild.
Randy also hit on another big issue. If your car is in for some rebuild, how are your parts handled? Are they piled in some cardboard boxes and stashed in a corner with other stuff or they properly cleaned, inspected, organized, and kept separate?

nostalgic hit on a good indicator: They like what they do; TRE is a lover of the art of Porsche. Porsche is about fun – period. If you want to own and drive the best – Porsche. If you want to mechanic on the best – Porsche. If you want to deal with the best owners – Porsche.

Paul, what you are seeing is “over-quote.” Very common and very desirable from everyone’s standpoint. When you take your car in and the job is not absolutely clear, a good shop will quote you at the high end of the possibilities and tell you so. The others will tell you they can do it for $100 when they know perfectly well it might be $1500.

Ronlin, correct, an ideal shop and an ideal customer have a great relationship. The shop always gets paid and the customer is happy with the work.

Jim is right on. If you find a shop that will “do it on the cheap”, find another shop. While good shops can do a “quick fix” for a regular customer, a shop with the reputation for “doing it right” (even if it is expensive) is what you want.

Everyone on this Forum has taken your porsche to a shop. What is your ideal shop like?

Best,
Grady


Corrected some spelling, sorry.