[sbdrivingdotcom]

I'm not going to continue to belabor this thread hereafter but, at the risk of sounding repetitive, Henry is one of the best Porsche mechanics around. As I said before he used to own a 968 and judging by production numbers and the age of the vehicle there are probably not many mechanics around who can say that.



I've waited two weeks for an appointment for service and I know from personal experience many good shops have 2-3 week waits. For Sean to have his problem diagnosed within one day by an expert, whose prediction was correct by the way, is exceptional. Instead of complaining that they couldn't be bothered, the attitude should be that they did their work in a timely manner and diagnosed the problem efficiently. Apparently this isn't good enough for you guys. This is Santa Barbara, not Los Angeles. We know each other around here, see each other at the grocery store, hang out at Porsche Club events and have mutual friends. They spent quite a bit of time with me discussing my vehicle and several of the vehicles in their shop the last I was there (944 turbo, Turbo 3.6, C2s).



Let's look at this from the perspective of the mechanic. They have automobiles in there whose owners have waited for appointments. Sean calls, indicating that his 968 is not operating and would they please diagnose. They oblige only to have Sean say in hindsight he doesn't want to spend the money to fix it, rather he wants to do it himself. If I were the mechanic, and I put others on the back burner to address an issue for someone who broke down and then that person wanted to pick up the car, I'd wonder why the owner didn't just take the vehicle home to begin with. I'm not saying Schneider didn't make money on the diagnosis but they were getting to your car quicker than most mechanics might be able to. That is, unless you're speaking about a mechanic who doesn't know 968s well or who isn't as competent as Henry is. Schneider has a waiting list because they are the best. Jerry Seinfeld has brought his Porsches there as have many other celebrities.



Public relations issues aside, Henry and Joe are outstanding mechanics. If you want someone to treat you well then I guess you'll have show some understanding and compassion. They did for a guy who broke down and they have for me. No one is perfect at all things, but I'll take an excellent mechanic over another guy who doesn't know my car but says all the "right" things. Do you want someone who does their job well and efficiently or not? Go ahead and have the last word...

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[flash]

ok - this is spinning way past where i had intended - i am not slagging the shop - i am not saying anything about the quality of the work - i have never seen it - i also am not saying anything about henry's abilities



further, i am not laying blame on ayone - certainly sean could probably have handled this better - i think i would have towed it home too - he did what he thought was best, and it didn't work out like he planned - i don't think anybody is upset, nor do i think they should be



often confused by people, is the difference between the quality of a mechanic, and the quality of a shop - they are not synonymous - having a good mechanic is not what makes a good shop - there are a lot of good mechanics out there that work in shops that do not do business well - far too often a good mechanic opens a shop of his own, but has no idea how to run a business, and consequently stumbles



i am only saying that i was singularly underwhelmed by the public relations portion of the shop, and the condition and cleanliness of the shop - i look for not only a qualified mechanic, but also a very clean shop, and people who are interested in how their customers feel - i look for interaction and willingness to talk to the customer - i look for a shop where my car will come out cleaner than it went in - i go nuts over hand smudges and such



that shop may well turn out good work - i have no idea - i only know how i felt when i got there, and what i saw - it didn't give me warm fuzzy



there is no "last word" involved here - i hope i have made my thoughts clear now though, and removed any personal feelings out of it - this is strictly limited to the depiction, from my point of view, of a one-time observation

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[S_Cal968]

SB,

As Bob mentioned the quality of the work wasn't questioned, but rather the customer service is lacking. I know all to well their perspective - I used to work as a mech.

And, I understand that you're a little bias because you're buddies with them and that's fine. However, people talk and if he wants to continue to get new business he should treat everyone the same buddies or not. I was very patient when I picked up my t/axle.

I noticed you didn't you say anything about my experience{?}. There was no excuse for what happen. Schneider took Henry, [the only mech that could build my t/axle], off to a convention for 2 weeks and didn't say a word to me{?!}. I'm sure they knew the trip was coming up.

Lastly, the folks in SB don't have much choice, it's either the dealer or Schneiders, [I know I used to live in SB]. If you've had a good experience with this shop, good for you, but don't assume everyone gets the same treatment...

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[bob blackwell]

The rubber seals on the pistons can fail with age and allow the liquid to flow past the piston & seal with internal leaks around the seal yet nothing leaking outside. good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[flash]

once he gets it put back together, he'll know whether or not he also has a hydraulic issue - not a bad idea to change it all anyway though - it's definitely old enough, and at 14 years old, is now almost twice its life expectancy

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