Porsche expands service network worldwide - 100 Porsche Classic Center

[67er911S]

Porsche expands service network for sports car classics worldwide ... 100 Porsche Centres become Porsche Classic Partners



Stuttgart, 19 September, 2014

More than 70 per cent of all Porsche vehicles ever built are still on the road today all over the world: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG is expanding its international dealer and service network to around 100 Porsche Classic Partners for the optimal support and overhaul of classic cars. Porsche customers and potential customers can expect the complete range of services of Porsche Classic there. Among other things, this includes the supply of around 52,000 original spare parts, repair and maintenance work as well as complete and partial restorations. In doing so, Porsche has integrated the care and retention of value of modern classic and vintage cars in an innovative service concept, closely linking Porsche tradition and Porsche innovation.

The Porsche Centre in Vélizy, France, was the first certified Porsche Classic Partner worldwide. Succeeding it were the German centres in "5 Seen" near Munich, Hofheim and Berlin-Potsdam and as well as the Bangkok Porsche Centre in Thailand. More Porsche Classic Partners are coming into being in Japan, the U.S., South Africa, Australia, Colombia, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and other countries.

The Porsche Classic Partners locally provide competent contact persons who combine service and consultancy with know-how for customers owning historical Porsche vehicles. To this end, Porsche Classic has developed a special training concept for the employees, enabling Porsche to guarantee a uniformly high standard of quality at all classic car support points. In addition, the Porsche Classic Partners are setting up a separate area with classic exhibition vehicles, up-to-date spare parts as well as technical literature directly in the showroom of the Porsche Partner.

You can find additional information on the Porsche Classic Partners, the latest Classic news and Classic events at: www.porsche.de/classic-partner.

[Milou]

It's great the factory shows strong interest in their heritage. Unfortunately, they have problems finding qualified people. Speaking of the Classic Porsche Centre in Velizy, I visited the site and it was most impressive, but when I gave them my 1966 912 to be fixed for a problem with the starter, it took two months, the radio and the blinkers didn't work anymore and they couldn't match the door locks with the ignition key...etc....I took the car back and returned to my local garage in Geneva where the quality of their work is just vastly superior.

Many clients will trust blindly the Porsche classic centers because it's the factory, and perhaps they have improved since, but so far I haven't seen anything impressive. The knowledge seems to remain superior in independent shops.

[Hesselr]

Similar here in the Netherlands. I wouldn't go there with my car. The staff, eventhough trained on classic, are more geared towards the modern range with a more replacing rather than repairing attitude.

I think Porsche AG is pushing this top down through the importers an dealerships, but the local dealers are not as excited about this new opportunity for them.

[WCB4]

While bringing back a lot of new older parts, Porsche still can't get the right part in the right box with the right part number. I have been trying to get a matching set of rear quarter panels. For three months. Started off ordering a set of RS quarters, told when ordering that both side were in stock. After waiting for 2 weeks no right quarter was available, no idea when it would come back in stock. Pissed I then ordered a set of standard quarters for a coupe. A week later went to pick up looked in the boxes. Part numbers were right but in the right side box was a targa panel. so now I have 2 left side coupe quarters, one standard and one RS and a targa right. Porsche has checked all the right side standard coupe quarters in stock turns out that they all contain targa quarters. In the mean time there has been about a 20% increase in parts pricing. Standard Quarters went from $1,500 to $1,900 with RS's now at $2,900 or the $8,900 RS lightweight which is avilable. While the guys a the local Porsche are great at trying to help, they are trying to work with the PET10 which takes extra work with the early short VIN numbers. Porsche Parts Anyalists seem slow and seem not to really give a shit about the early cars and the parts.

Porsche can try and tell me they care about the early cars(yes it is nice that they are bringing back of the older parts) but with out the customer service it's all a bunch of bull to me. I worked at a Honda bike dealership as a parts manager for 15 years, had a problem Honda got it straightened out with in 24hours. Porsche is all by email and takes almost a week for a reply and it's a well we will see. We'll get back with you, in about another week,
I'am ranting but I have been trying to get a right side quarter for about 2 months at this point its almost got me stalled on my project. Need the quarters to get the door , rocker and fender gaps right for final fit and welding. Porsche is almost a joke at this point, take my car into a dealership for a service or repairs. Not gonna happen. Better care and service from an Independent shop and hope ya don't need any factory parts.

It's early on a Friday morning and I feel better for now. Wonder where I will be welding on my car this weekend. Oh not the rear end, no parts. Guess I'll have to redo some of the repairs done at the previous shop in the northeast.

[steve shea]

I recently asked at local Porsche/Audi/VW complex, just in case I had a problem, if they were a Bosch service center? More explicitly if they could work on MFI. They politely sent me to an independent shop.

[911T1971]

But then why are they doing this ? Working on SC, 3.2, 964 and 993 ? And on some early 911/912 but with "wrong" parts/detail, little knowledge (on MFI's) and for a client/owner who cares/knows little. Is that the business model ?
Who is the target customer and which are their target models, according to them.

[Hesselr]

Marketing. Hugely important to show the history of your brand and thus include the classic range. Under Wiedeking, classic was non existing and now they have to make up for that. Also, Porsche drivers are loyal and research showed that drivers of new porsches are also buying a classic now and classic owners might turn into potential customers for new cars.

Also, the whole classic market is up and there is money to be made in restorations.....

[Richardnew]

I had to quit buying parts form my local Porsche dealer. He would always quote me a price that was lower than Stoddard. He claimed he was giving me 20% off. Then when the part would arrive the price suddenly jumped to about 10% above Stoddard. I'm not about to let them work on my long hood.

Have they ever gotten the dash right?

Can they even get to COA correct?

Richard Newton
Historic Racing Images

[gtBen]

Who is the target customer and which are their target models, according to them.

Porsche Classic News in january 2014 was:

New in the Porsche Classic range: the Porsche Boxster, Type 986 and the Porsche 911, Type 996

Bengt

[RSTarga]

I don't know how they are going to handle this. These days all they do is exchange bad parts for new. Most mechanics have never seen a set of points let alone MFI.