Glasgow PorscheMain Dealer attitudes - I'm a Pork newbie...
Discussion
I'm curious - and a newcomer to Porsche ownership and the whole Porsche "thing" after many happy years with Lotus... I've had my first brush with a Main Dealer and am feeling a bit grumpy. But maybe it's just me (that's what they told me anyways), so I'm interested in hearing views from this esteemed group with a bit more perspective.
Bought a very clean 18k miles, 2009 Targa 4 (off PH Classifieds) from a Lexus dealer in North England 2 weeks ago. Transaction was flawless...
Apart from the fact that they told me they couldn't reset the "service due" dashpod tell-tale after they had done the 2nd service on the car themselves. They said I should take it into my local Porsche dealership (that would be Glasgow) and they could sort it out for me - Lexus would pay me back any out-of-pocket expense resulting. I drove off happy...
So - I call Porsche Glasgow today and they flatly refuse to do it. "Looking after my interests", he said - they can't verify if the service was done to Porsche standards etc. The nice chap at Lexus called them and told them they had followed the correct procedures, but still they have refused. I complained to the Dealership manager - when asked if he would be happy to see a new potential customer walk away grumpy he said "he wouldn't have done anything different..."
So, I'm going to go to an independent.
2 Questions:
Is this "snotty" behaviour, or am I being unreasonable..?
Is this typical of Porsche Main Dealers..?
Thank you..!
Bought a very clean 18k miles, 2009 Targa 4 (off PH Classifieds) from a Lexus dealer in North England 2 weeks ago. Transaction was flawless...
Apart from the fact that they told me they couldn't reset the "service due" dashpod tell-tale after they had done the 2nd service on the car themselves. They said I should take it into my local Porsche dealership (that would be Glasgow) and they could sort it out for me - Lexus would pay me back any out-of-pocket expense resulting. I drove off happy...
So - I call Porsche Glasgow today and they flatly refuse to do it. "Looking after my interests", he said - they can't verify if the service was done to Porsche standards etc. The nice chap at Lexus called them and told them they had followed the correct procedures, but still they have refused. I complained to the Dealership manager - when asked if he would be happy to see a new potential customer walk away grumpy he said "he wouldn't have done anything different..."
So, I'm going to go to an independent.
2 Questions:
Is this "snotty" behaviour, or am I being unreasonable..?
Is this typical of Porsche Main Dealers..?
Thank you..!
Odd one this one. If the Lexus dealer had carried out the service in accordance with Porsche standards, using the correct diagnostic equipment, then the tell tale light would surely be off?
Asking your OPC to effectively switch off the tell tale having not carried out the service work is surely a bit too much. What if there was a catastrophic component failure and the OPC were on record by having effectively endorsed the service work by extinguishing the warning light?
Sorry, but I am with the OPC on this one. I would take the car straight back to the nice Lexus folks and have them endorse their own work.
HTH
Asking your OPC to effectively switch off the tell tale having not carried out the service work is surely a bit too much. What if there was a catastrophic component failure and the OPC were on record by having effectively endorsed the service work by extinguishing the warning light?
Sorry, but I am with the OPC on this one. I would take the car straight back to the nice Lexus folks and have them endorse their own work.
HTH
A 2009, 18,000 mile car should not have had its second service?
It should have had a service at 20,000 or 2 years - in this case 2011, and then another after a further 20,000 miles or 2 years - in this case 2013.
If it's service light has come up then surely it's a 2008 car?
There will be a way of switching it off without recourse to a dealer - I did it on an Audi allroad 2.7t that I serviced myself by pressing and holding the odometer button in a sequence I found on an Audi owners website. Otherwise anyone with a Porsche diagnostic kit could do it - it'll probably cost half an hours labour.
It should have had a service at 20,000 or 2 years - in this case 2011, and then another after a further 20,000 miles or 2 years - in this case 2013.
If it's service light has come up then surely it's a 2008 car?
There will be a way of switching it off without recourse to a dealer - I did it on an Audi allroad 2.7t that I serviced myself by pressing and holding the odometer button in a sequence I found on an Audi owners website. Otherwise anyone with a Porsche diagnostic kit could do it - it'll probably cost half an hours labour.
SFO said:
David Hype said:
Sorry, but I am with the OPC on this one. I would take the car straight back to the nice Lexus folks and have them endorse their own work.
+1Furthermore, it's probably not helped any future resale possibilities by having it serviced by a non-OPC/ Porsche specialist. The Lexus dealer won't have checked/ fixed a leaking RMS or checked for over-revving/ recalls/ stored faults using Porsche diagnostic computers?
I have to agree with the other posters. It's not reasonable to get one Dealer to do the service and then expect another Dealer to re-set the service light!
They have no way of knowing what work was done and to what standard, regardless of what they were told on the phone by the Lexus Dealer.
If you step back and put yourself in their position, I think that you will see why they said no.
Tim
They have no way of knowing what work was done and to what standard, regardless of what they were told on the phone by the Lexus Dealer.
If you step back and put yourself in their position, I think that you will see why they said no.
Tim
Sorry chaps, I have to agree with the OP, he didn't ask anyone at Porsche to endorse a service, carried out by them, or anyone else. He asked them to put a light out...
I am sure he already knew he would need to pay a 'labour charge' to have someone press the buttons/plug the laptop in.
I imagine that Lexus service all cars prior to leaving the dealership, and in this case the car could (and probably was) serviced early for the first service. I mean a January 2009 car would be due in six or seven weeks.
My take on it would be that the directive 'may' come from head office/Germany, to try and keep people going to the main dealer. That said it appears from a quick search on a 'very well known' search engine, some dealers will do it.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Link at the top of the page has a list of specialists that will be able to do it. That said, where are you OP? I am originally from Airdrie, now live in Aberdeen, so I know a few places that may be able to help you out.
I realise I am probably being over-helpful!
I am sure he already knew he would need to pay a 'labour charge' to have someone press the buttons/plug the laptop in.
I imagine that Lexus service all cars prior to leaving the dealership, and in this case the car could (and probably was) serviced early for the first service. I mean a January 2009 car would be due in six or seven weeks.
My take on it would be that the directive 'may' come from head office/Germany, to try and keep people going to the main dealer. That said it appears from a quick search on a 'very well known' search engine, some dealers will do it.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Link at the top of the page has a list of specialists that will be able to do it. That said, where are you OP? I am originally from Airdrie, now live in Aberdeen, so I know a few places that may be able to help you out.
I realise I am probably being over-helpful!
Old Trout said:
...surely by putting the light out, the OPC is endorsing the service...
I don't read it like that - they're just turning a light off. They could even write that on the invoice to say so, or say that they would need to do some checks before doing so which would cost £x.They should be trying to help you solve your problem, not brushing you off - as the OP says, he's off to an independent now and will likely never buy from that OPC. Shortsighted bad service.
Old Trout said:
...surely by putting the light out, the OPC is endorsing the service...
Its not just a case of putting the light out, they would need to reset the service indicator. I would hope that an OPC would NEVER do this unless they had serviced it.Are we suggesting that OPCs should just plug in and reset these things willy nilly for a few quid?
Perhaps they could correct mileages too, you know, for when your local garage has fitted a new speedo?
Was the first service by an OPC?
Did the Lexus garage stamp the book?
Sadly you have bought an expensive car which for resale is sensitive to history - I think the general consensus is that non OPC servicing is not an issue as long as you use a reputable indy. A lexus dealer is not a reputable indy so rightly or wrongly the car has a stigma.
Although it may sound like nonsense getting the car reserviced by a good indy - Stup is probably your closest - SP Autobahn - may be the most financially sound approach in the long term.
The learning point being to insist on a OPC service or a reputable indy if you are negotiating on a car that needs a service.
Did the Lexus garage stamp the book?
Sadly you have bought an expensive car which for resale is sensitive to history - I think the general consensus is that non OPC servicing is not an issue as long as you use a reputable indy. A lexus dealer is not a reputable indy so rightly or wrongly the car has a stigma.
Although it may sound like nonsense getting the car reserviced by a good indy - Stup is probably your closest - SP Autobahn - may be the most financially sound approach in the long term.
The learning point being to insist on a OPC service or a reputable indy if you are negotiating on a car that needs a service.
Interesting... on a number of levels
The Lexus dealer has stamped the book. I'm "just" asking for a light to be turned off.
I have several businesses and am acutely aware that a new and willing customer is a pot of gold. So I don't make them grumpy (to the point that they won't buy from me...) on my first 3 interactions. This post is essentially about customer service and basic capitalism - willing man offers me money, I do what I can to help him with that. I gave them the chance to do the service again (declined...) or to offer me some sort of "audit" of the Lexus work (again declined...)
Fascinated to learn that the Lexus stamp somehow "taints" my car...
The impliacation of many posts here (and the man at Glasgow Porsche) is that Lexus mechanics are shifty and not to be trusted. That seems a bit barmy / paranoid / arrogant to me.
Interestingly, the North England Lexus dealer says that his local Porsche Centre do this for him regularly. Which is why he suggested this course of action. he's as surprised as i am, but not clearly the majority of PH Porsche posters...
Cheers
The Lexus dealer has stamped the book. I'm "just" asking for a light to be turned off.
I have several businesses and am acutely aware that a new and willing customer is a pot of gold. So I don't make them grumpy (to the point that they won't buy from me...) on my first 3 interactions. This post is essentially about customer service and basic capitalism - willing man offers me money, I do what I can to help him with that. I gave them the chance to do the service again (declined...) or to offer me some sort of "audit" of the Lexus work (again declined...)
Fascinated to learn that the Lexus stamp somehow "taints" my car...
The impliacation of many posts here (and the man at Glasgow Porsche) is that Lexus mechanics are shifty and not to be trusted. That seems a bit barmy / paranoid / arrogant to me.Interestingly, the North England Lexus dealer says that his local Porsche Centre do this for him regularly. Which is why he suggested this course of action. he's as surprised as i am, but not clearly the majority of PH Porsche posters...
Cheers
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