There are quite a few people in the Northeast
Region that I have already met. If so, you probably know me as an
easy-going, happy person that is always smiling. I recently went
through a troubling experience with a performance parts supply shop that
brought my blood to the boiling point and my future expectations into clear
view. Now, I have had some very positive experiences over the
years ordering items from magazine ads and parts discounters, so by no
means does this experience represent any desire to discourage the relationships
you may have.
About two months ago, I dropped my car
off to the "aftermarket" shop that does all of the routine and performance
work to my car. At that time, I had established a fairly large list
of preventative maintenance and safety related projects to be accomplished
for the upcoming driving season. Upon disassembly of the vehicle,
and in search of an oil leak(or two), a seriously compromised rear main
seal was discovered. In the 968, access to the seal must be accomplished
with the removal of the clutch and related assembly, taking approximately
10 hours to complete the job. Obviously, having to remove the clutch
from a car with 112K miles would provide an opportunity for inspection
and replacement as the cost of the parts are proportionately moderate to
the labor costs involved. Since this car is primarily used in performance
driving, I was certainly going to replace the original clutch no matter
what the inspection revealed and like always, I would try and replace the
factory unit with one that could possibly enhance the performance of the
vehicle.
As you may know, 968's are fairly rare
and performance parts are in short supply. These cars were equipped
with dual mass flywheels that are very heavy, so the obvious solution would
be to replace the whole assembly with a single mass flywheel and performance
clutch disk. Since no one at my shop had done this modification on
a 968 before and because the answer to the "can it be done" question was
not readily available, I decided to get involved in the research process.
I found out quickly that the answer was "yes, it can be done" and "yes,
it will cost you lots of money" and like other things, the more people
you call, the more options you have, and the more confused things become.
I am a big proponent of using factory Porsche performance parts, so I finally
opted to go with a set up that was originally factory equipment on the
968 Turbo S. Very expensive indeed at $2,800 but given the VERY limited
amount of performance modifications for this car, a do-able option.
The only problem with this, the parts had do be brought in from Germany.
I ordered the package from a frequent
advertiser in many Porsche publications such as Panorama and Excellence.
I was told at the time of ordering that it was "special order" and un-returnable.
I was also told, it would take approximately 7-14 days and that seven was
the norm but it could take up to two weeks. Fair enough. After
one week, no delivery, so I called for an update and was told "nothing
yet", I asked for a tracking number but I was told the overseas shipping
company did not have that service available. When the two-week mark
had hit, I called again, the same answer, and "wait a couple more
days". I also called a few times in between where I had left messages
with a call back number and never received a return call. Getting
a little impatient with the level of service I had been receiving, I started
to explore other options before I cancelled the order but there were no
viable options.
After about three weeks, I got a credit
card statement and low and behold, they had charged the parts to my credit
card already. I contacted them once again having very little patience,
left yet another message and stating my desire to cancel the order if I
could not get a "fix" on the location of the parts. This time, I
got a message stating that the parts had NOT left Germany yet! In
disbelief and mad, I called to cancel the order. When I did, I was
told that the person who had left the message was misinformed and that
the parts were sent with guaranteed delivery in five days. They were
to hit the U.S.A on Tuesday and be overnighted directly to my shop for
arrival on Wednesday. At about 4:00 on Wed., I called the shop and
no delivery (what a surprise). I called the supplier yet again and
was told they made a mistake in New York and the parts were sent directly
to them in California. They would overnight them to my shop for Thursday.
And guess what? On Thursday there was no delivery. Irate, I contacted
them at about 6:00 P.M. on Thursday evening trying to get some answers.
The person I spoke with guaranteed me a call back within a couple of hours
but I was forced to give her my work number and voice mail because I could
not be available later that evening. On Friday morning I arrived
at work to see my voice mail light shinning bright. Alas, an answer?
No, the woman on the message states that the package is not there, cannot
get any information on its whereabouts and "it could get there today or
next year". I call back again to cancel the order. Once again I get
the salesman on the phone, who by the way is the OWNER of the company.
I state my frustration with the situation and state my desire to cancel
immediately. He said that was fine but, there would be a ten percent
RESTOCKING FEE! In amazement of this statement(yes, he has trouble
with hearing now) I stated my case and discerned any notion of that occurring.
How in tar nation could can you charge someone to restock an item that
was never delivered in the first place?
The morale of the story here: Don't
expect "Porsche like" quality in suppliers just because they sell Porsche
parts and never buy anything from someone who would paint there car like
a Zebra.
I now have a trusty new and original stock
clutch in my car that was right off the shelf from a local dealership at
a $2,100 savings. It may not rev as quickly but at least I know where
it is. |
