[aslet]

Well, when I got my 968, the shifter boot was real worn. It also had the SS shift pattern insert (some people like this, I don't). So I wanted to get a new boot (just in black) and 6 speed shift pattern (also in black, like the OEM). I could not find the insert anywhere. If you get this from Porsche, you have to get the whole knob and boot for over $200. This is why I decided to get the knob, boot, and 6 speed pattern from Alan Gun Leather. I sent him an email and he got back to me fast and the whole thing was around $130.



This is when it went downhill. I ordered it the end of Oct. A few weeks later I emailed to see if it was shipped, no reply. I called and left a message, no reply. I called about a week later and got him, he was out but said he had shipped a batch of 968 shifters out and he thought that mine shipped. Ok, so I wait, and wait. Now about a week ago I still had no shifter, so I emailed him again. To my question of if the item had shipped, he said yes and if I wanted to trade it for something. I reply no, I just hadn't gotten it (this was on Thursday night). On Monday he replies that it had been sent back to him and he sent it out again. I end up getting it.



I just went to install and look it over (here is the actual product review). I am disappointed with the quality of it. For a company that does leather work, not even the basics appear to be good. The stitching is not even along the seam and the seam is not straight on the back of it. Where the leather is folded at the top, under the insert, there are lot of creases (I have installed a shifter boot for my 944 and I was able to get it much better). Also the shift pattern is not flush with the top of the shifter. It visibly sticks up and there is a little gouge on the edge, so it isn't a perfect circle.



After all the wait and annoyance to get this I am not impressed. I had only heard good things and maybe some people wouldn't mind, but I think a product should be made well.



*Note* I am not writing this to trash the company. Like I said, I have heard many good things about them. This is my experience and opinion only! If you have had good or bad experiences with them, please add your thoughts.

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[flash]

this is very helpful - it is exactly what i was looking for - i don't want any chance of it not being factory perfect - i'll just order a new one monday, and not take any chances - it's only a little over $200

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[bombfactory]

I've been advised not to publicly post anything negative regarding my experience with AGLA. What I will say, however, is that my recent shift boot project with AGLA went on for SEVEN MONTHS, with many unanswered emails, many unanswered phone calls, and many dubious excuses along the way. In the end, I did not get what I had asked for - and I had even sent drawings for him to follow! My suggestion: before any of you decide to do business with AGLA, do a search on RL first. Wish I had...

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[94SilverCab]

Bombfactory,



I sent you a PM to ask you who advised you not to post regarding AGLA. I'm certain that direction did not come from owners of this site.



(Edit, I stand corrected, Bob did suggest to Bombfactory (Austin) to not go into the gory details of his experience to protect Austin from potentially libelous remarks. Not to protect a vendor who has clearly left some extremely unsatisfied customers)



I did a search on the internet for Alan Gun Leather and there are some really unhappy customers out there. This business has managed to make unhappy customers out of a slew of enthusiasts.



I have had no personal dealings with AGLA, and I'm sure they must have some satisfied cutomers, but based on the information I have read from a number of sources I would be extremely cautious about doing business with this company.



JMHO,



Jay

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[Darryl]

Good information to know...I've actually been a AGLA fan but perhaps there is something going on with Alan and his business. I have purchased two shifter boots from him. I do remember the first one (Marine Blue) taking a little while as he claimed to be out of stock, but it arrived fairly quickly after restocking and I installed with no issues. He communicated with me regularly during the waiting period. The second purchase, a Classic Grey one, also took a little while and doesn't seem to fit as nice at the top which resulted in some ridges. I'll live with it since I don't plan on entering any Concours events anytime soon with the Coupe and will probably end up going Alcantara, but now that I'm reading this thread, perhaps there is reason to look for alternative suppliers/sources.



- Darryl

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[flash]

yeah - i didn't want rampant trashing of a vendor without first hand experience (there is enough of that on RL, and we don't want ot in any way resemble that mess)



i knew the deal was getting ugly, but i asked that bombfactory wait until it was concluded to render an opinion



now that the deal is concluded, he should feel free to relate his experience unedited



that's what this area is all about - as long as it's first hand, and honest, and can be easily supported by fact, it's all good, and the vendor deserves the review he gets, good or bad

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[rxter]

Are the OEM shifter covers available in anything other than black?

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[aslet]

I would think you can still get other color shofters from Porsche. You would have to call a dealer and confirm, unless anyone here knows.



I also agree that trashing a company based on anger is NEVER good. This is why I wanted to post only what happened. I am going to keep the shifter too. It is better then what I had in there and it is good enough that I don't think anyone, other than myself, would ever even think twice about it. The only reason I picked up some of the flaws are from handling it before and during the install.



Would I deal with this company again? Simply I would have to say no. Do I understand that people are happy with products from him and it may still be a better alternative to the $200+ Porsche replacment? Yes



Read what people say and make up your own mind. In the end it is only your decision...







P.S. OMG, Flash said something I said was useful! /blush

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[flash]

lol - funny - seriously though, it was very useful - i am ordering my new OEM shift knob and boot tomorrow

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[biotechee]

As bombfactory mentioned, do a search on RL. Particularly the 993 section.



Grab your favorite beverage and snack, sit back and enjoy the reading about AGLA.

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[Cloud9...68]

Slightly off topic, but not too much: I have my original shift knob sitting in my closet, but its shift pattern insert is missing. Are they available separately from Porsche, or is there a suitable alternative? With the apparent incurability of the buzz from my aftermarket knob, I'm thinking of putting the stock knob back. Thanks.

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[egebhard]

I know Classic Gray is still available from Porsche.

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[aslet]

You can only get the original insert when you buy the whole knob. You can get one of the aftermarket ones if you like how they look. There is either stainless steel or black with white pattern.

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[Cloud9...68]

Hmmm... Maybe I'll see if any of the salvage yards have any inserts.

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[bombfactory]

Hi guys - I agree with Flash. I'll leave the negativity on this topic for elsewhere on the internet. I think there is already plenty of first-hand information out there to enable anyone to make an informed decision about where (or where not) to take their custom leather work business, and that's really my aim here, to raise awareness of that. To be fair, I have seen plenty of posts by entirely satisfied AGLA customers - certainly when buying an 'off the shelf' product, the odds of a successful vendor/customer transaction are high. I wanted something different, tho not at all difficult - or so I thought.



Despite my overall experience, I will definitely be using what I got from Alan - this was grafting a 968 boot to a 997 knob btw. It looks great and the price was very reasonable - he even gave me a 15% discount for the long delay. I just wish the whole process had gone a lot quicker and a lot smoother. And yes, I've been way more polite here than what I really feel like writing.



-Austin

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[Cloud9...68]

I hate to say this, but once you experience the buzz with the 997 knob, you may find that you want to go back to the original knob... Good luck.

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[bombfactory]

You're probably right! I've been reading about the terminal buzz with anything other than the stock knob, unfortunately not until AFTER I had purchased the 997 knob and sent it to AGLA for destruction -- oops, I mean modification.



Flash - here's an idea - what about wrapping the shaft underneath the 997 knob with a layer or two of dynamat? What do you think? Is there room? Been tried before? I just bought 10 square feet for my upcoming speaker replacement project...



-Austin

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[flash]

dynamat is too dense - it needs to be a compressible rubber or something like that - that's exactly why the OEM knob has those accordion shaped isolators



if my new knob comes with an insert, i'll a have spare

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[Cloud9...68]

And if your 997 knob is anything like my GT3 knob, there's won't be enough space between it and the shaft to stuff much of any kind of isolating material. The stock knob has a large space into which fits the accordion isolating rubber piece Flash is describing. It appears that the degree of buzz varies somewhat between different types of shift knobs, but it's present with anything other than the stock knob. Mine sounds like a vacuum leak. Very annoying, but I just turn up the stereo, drive with the sunroof off, or preferably both.

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[flash]

i ordered my new one yesterday - about $250 to get here (had to bring it in from germany, where they only had 6) - should be here in about a week

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