I have a couple of comments here since I didn’t get flamed out of the room.

1. Ben – I will try Hoehn. Pioneer USED to be the best service in San Diego, but something has changed. They seem to have a nonchalant attitude these days – ‘We will get it done eventually’. This is now the third time that I have had to wait 45 minutes or more while the service tech ‘fills out the paper work’, or ‘washes the car’, or ‘whatever’. Also, the construction at the Pioneer facility has made it virtually unusable. When I went to pick up the car for this last round of fixes, there was not a single parking space in the facility. Street parking is not allowed. You walk into an emergency exit to get to the service desk. They did have about 40 of those SUV-tanks sitting around. This is clearly where the priority of Porsche is now. This will get worse when the Porsche limos start appearing. I know this seems petty, but I think it is reasonable for a Porsche service facility to provide temporary parking. I shouldn’t have to fight for that.
2. Related to service – If somebody from JD Powers calls to ask you about you service experience: THIS IS NOT ANONYMOUS! Your name is associated with your response. Porsche takes this very seriously and associates your feedback numbers to your service advisor. Bonuses are awarded accordingly. If you do not answer ‘10’ on every question, that service advisor is called onto the carpet. Since the service advisor knows exactly who docked him, he can (and does) retaliate. In my case this same guy that took 9 months to figure out how to order a broken seat cover and left me waiting for 45 minutes is the same guy who moved the world to get my clutch fixed in 3 days for a trip to Laguna Seca. As annoyed as I am, and the performance of the service department here was maginal at best, I am not in a position to complain. And won’t. That is why I am complaining here. Also, I am insecure and emotionally retarded. Whining about my $135k car gives me an odd sort of validation. I have no idea why the idiots in Porsche management consider these non-anonymous reviews worthwhile. The mere fact that it is not anonymous ruins the entire process. You don’t need a Wharton MBA to figure that out.
3. I wasn’t impressed with the lecture I got the last time because I had put Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires on the car. But the ‘N rating nonsense is for a different thread.
4. Apparently the $2.50 is assessed to every service order – even though, in my case, nothing hazardous was disposed of. For some reason, this galls me. Most businesses call this ‘overhead’ and don’t add it as a line item. If I did this my customers would S***. What else will they start randomly adding to the bills? Paper costs? Computer cost? Electricity

 

okay, now you gotta spit out what they said about the tires

 

EASY NOW FELLAS... ITS MOST LIKELY AN OVERSITE OF THE SERVICE WRITER. THE BILLING AND INVOICING SYSTEMS HAVE THAT PROGRAMMED INTO THEM AND UNLESS THE WRITER GOES IN AN DELETES IT.. YOU GET BILLED...

YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR WRITER CAUSE HE IS THE ONE WHO HAS CONTROL!!!!!!!

 

Mike, I used Pioneer for an annual service and a warranty fix. My experiences were very poor. It took three visits to fix something that was extremely simple. Actually each of the last two visits was to fix something else they f-ed up while attempting to fix the first! Never did they call to tell me it was ready. Nor did they ever both to call me to advise that a part necessary for warranty repair had arrived (after several months of no call, I had Hoehn fix it - part was in stock even). Pioneer is much more convenient for both of us - geograhically speaking. However, when I have to go three times (wait 45 min as you said each time it isn't really ready) to have a single SIMPLE thing fixed, it's just not convenient. Also, it left me wondering just what else they weren't being thorough with. Furthermore, their participation in PCA is a facade in that they are one of the least mod friendly dealers with which I've thus far worked. They refused master cylinder warranty service for a friend of mine because he had blue fluid which meant the car just had to be tracked (pleeease). I'm familiar with many similar stories. Conversely, the last two annuals (and one non-warranty) service have been at Hoehn (deal with Mike), and I really just can't say enough good things about them. I've had several more services at Hoehn over twice the amount of time and they've had more chances to f up, but haven't, than Pioneer, which did.

On the sales end, they are never competitive. "We pride ourselves on service vs. price". Uh, ok I think we've discussed THAT here today. On top of that, they are constantly trying to SELL me something they have but KNOW is not what I want. I don't buy things from people who SELL them to me - ever. I found the sales experience at Hoehn to be both competitive pricing wise and as low pressure as you could ever imagine. In all the times I've been to that place, I don't think they've ever tried to sell me a car though I have happily bought one so far from them. Rather, it's just a bunch of P-car enthusiasts who enjoy doing what they're doing, and have yet to ever ask me for a sale.

Now I know the folks at Pioneer often read these boards so hopefully they can see this for it is supposed to be - CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM which "can" lead to more sales through satified customers. Or, they can get pissed off about it and call me an a-hole and continue to see biz flock North. I've always "10"d Hoehn across the board on both sales and service and did Pioneer the favor of not filling it out since I know they lose $ from Porsche on negative ones. Yes, I did take the service mgr aside one day and share my experience with him just in case Pioneer was actually interested in improving to a somewhat satisfactory level. Nothing changed so I did the only thing I could - I walked. If this was a city with only one P-car dealer in it, I wouldn't own a 996 cab, TT Cayenne, and have a CGT on order. Rather, I'd be driving something else which is exactly how I got here from BMW after 15 loyal years upon moving to a one dealer town whose service was completely unsatisfactory.

 

9:25 in the am feeling like **** and hunger over. Thanks for making me laugh

 

You should inform them about the overchage for harzardous waste. Someday some poor lawyer will file class action against it.

Car should be prepped and ready for you. You should let them know that this is not appropriate.

Go to a new place next time but do file a complaint. If they don't do anything, they aren't worth going to anyways.