Re: Resolved - Re: Dealer vs Indie argue over axle boots -- whose word is right?

Hi all... have a he said/she said issue here and am feeling a bit overwhelmed at trying to decipher this and would love to get a third opinion.
Car: 2003 Boxster S, based in NYC

The situation
Oct 2010 (55k miles) - Was at a dealer and they said I had torn axle boots on both sides
I understand that this is somewhat common with our cars
They quoted me $2400 replace, $1800 rebuild
Didn't drive much rest of the year and stored for the winter.

April 2011 - Went to Independent mechanic and they said something to the effect of "It's normally $785 each for the axle, but I have a [story here] and I can hook you up and we can use these at $550 each. So $1100 for the axles + $400 labor." So I said go ahead and they repaired for $1500. Note: I don't remember what [story here] was... but I swear it was something to the effect of we have one someone didnt need, or aftermarket part, or getting a sale on it, etc.

April 2012 (62k miles) - Went to the dealer and they said that my axle boots were torn again. The quote from the Porsche mechanic was something to the effect of "the parts were not genuine OEM and the clamp was not on sufficiently to hold the boots on... etc" They again quote me in the ~$2500 range if need to do a full replace.

Today - Brought back to the Indie to say WTF, and he is claiming the part is the correct part for the car. He says the part failed -- "which never happens" -- and thinks that there is something else that is causing them to separate. He says they called Porsche, and a year later they can't do anything for something that happened a year ago. Disputes claim about the clamp, saying it was already part of the entire replacement axle.

So my thinking is, if the dealer originally wanted to charge me $1800 for parts, and the Indie was going to charge me $1600 for parts (basically the same), and all of a sudden they give me a deal for $1100, then there MUST have been something subpar with this, no? And if they installed a subpar part and it failed within a year, then they should hook me up? Dealers can be evil and want more business, but they don't have THAT much incentive to lie, right?

Would love someone else's take, as it is difficult for me to argue effectively when we're talking mechanical issues I'm not clear on.

Thanks!
Jim

It is quite possible that there was a miscommunication between the tech at the dealer and the service manager. Also note that their recommendations are often based on the presumption that you would rather pay more money than have to come back.

To the extent possible, I would find out what the facts are with respect to:
A) What parts are on the car?
What parts were claimed to be put on the car by the indy?
C) What parts did the dealer claim were wrong?
D) What are the parts that belong on your car?

If A, D are different or A, B are different, confront the indy
If A, C are different, confront the dealer

My question: specifically which parts did they replace?

IMO you don't need to replace the entire axle if the boot is torn and the cost of the replacement boot should be relatively low.

Thanks for the feedback. I called the service manager today and he seemed to reiterate exactly what was said the day I was in there, but you're right that there could have been a miscommunication at that point. It's such a strange dynamic because at the dealer, they are *incredibly* polite and patient and professional and seem to have their act together. Meanwhile at the Indie, it's a father-son / good cop-bad cop team -- the dad is a long-time, no BS car guy with a bit of an attitude that tells it like it is and you have his attention for 30 seconds and that's it, while the son doesn't know quite as much on the tech side and is busy handling all the PR and customer service issues that invariably arise.

And yes, they're going in there tomorrow to see if there is any damage from stuff getting into the boot. If not, a new boot kit is under $10 online.

Thanks again and happy to hear other opinions please or anyone that has experienced this.

It's rare that I get really good news from a mechanic, but turns out the axle boots they used WERE non-OEM and supposedly "better." The Indie called the manufacturer, got the whole story, and they agreed to ship them two brand new OEM axles and install them for free.

That is very rare, indeed!

It should make BRBS that much more enjoyable!

Regards, Maurice.

Well... they still made a pretty big dent in my wallet with several other items that needed to be done, but yes, at least this part was a nice ending. Looking forward to getting it all behind me before BRBS -- at least permagrin is always free.