Carlsen Porsche
9 reviews
San Bruno, CA
"These guys are great! They're actually extending their shop next door and will soon have a dyno. Very friendly folks that will help you with…" read more »
11 Reviews for Carlsen Porsche
Not too bad an experience here. Take my C4s here for warrantee issues. I use an independant for regular service and non-warrantee issues. I have the tiptronic option, the transmission started to make some strange noise so I brought it in. Turns out a seal to the front differental went bad (10k miles) they replaced the whole transmisson at no cost to me. It only took a week. the loaner, nice 996. I know how complex these cars are and believe me I was amazed they got it all back together. That was major work, the car is AWD and a euro spec import. that was almost 3k miles ago and not a squeek anywhere.
Top notch mechanics here.
3 stars for the cost of any service to be performed.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
I was refer to their service center from a porsche club memeber when I first got my car. I have been to Carlsen Porsche ever since for schedule maintenances as well as diagnostic for problems like CEL. Their service is excellent and their price is actually reasonable for my 996. In fact its actually comparable to my friend's service cost on his 350Z.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Cool (1)
Wow...I guess I'm the lone dissenter here! These guys are the WORST. Burn me once shame on you....burn me twice SHAME ON ME! I will NEVER bring my 911 back here for servicing. They look for every opportunity to overcharge, bill you twice and pad your bill! Come on .....$450 bucks to check my "check engine" light....WTF. NEVER AGAIN.....
People thought this was:
Useful (4)
Cool (1)
I had one of the best car experiences that I've ever had here. Found the staff to be pleasant, knowledgeable, and totally relaxed about everything. They showed us the different cars, let us drive some of them and then applied zero pressure to buy, which was great because it was our first trip into the dealer. The only negative thing about this location is that they're right on the border of Menlo Park and Redwood City, but their tax revenue goes to Redwood City so the Menlo Park police are out to ticket any porsche drivers they can. They literally sit at the end of the street and wait, and who doesn't like to test the speed on the porsche that they're test-driving? Just beware, but otherwise it's a great place to go.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (2)
Cool (1)
Their service department is GREAT, they understand their clientle and know how to service them.
These guys take "time is money" to another level. I drove in, checked in with service dept (Beto), he processed my paper work, gave me a FREE car rental, and I was out in less than 15 minutes!!! Maybe they think/know that fast car drivers are impatient people, want things done right and fast??? :) Got my car back the next day. They get the job done without a lot of chit chat and kiss ass.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
Compared to Other Dealers
After hearing the astronomical price for services for a Porsche, I was prepared to pay an arm and a leg for the annual service (oil change, inspection, etc...) so I called around to find the best prices. I found that Carlsen had one of the better prices ($290). I thought about the Fremont Porsche (formerly Claridge Porsche now Fletcher Jones Porsche) from their free Saturday carwash commercials but it was out of my way from work. Also, I didn't want to deal with Oakland Porsche because of my previous experience (they just ignore you) and Rector in Burlingame (same reason as Oakland) even though they were closer to where I live. I also heard that it's the same with Stevens Creek. So I made an appointment at Carlsen, which was quick an easy and was able to get an appointment within a couple days.
Problem with my 996
I also had a problem with the horn not working (seems like something that happens a lot with the 993 and 996) and they said that they will look into it. A plus with the dealership is that their service drop off that is next to the service adviser's office. It has glass doors and windows so he saw me come in and was able to greet me as soon as I got out of my car. I told him that i was late for my appointment, but he was nice and understandable. I came in at 930am and my appointment was at 900am.
Price
My adviser took down some information about my 996, was upfront with the price ($290 plus $75 for each half hour to look into the horn) and explained the details of the service. I guess it wasn't too bad since I was getting quote of upwards to $500. But still very expensive compared to the $20 oil changes at Walmart. Still, walmart doesn't give you a rental or a carwash, so maybe it might be worth it?
The work
I got a call a couple of hours later with the diagnosis. Broken low-tone horn that will cost $500 to replace (mostly labor) and the oh so infamous worn horn sensor that was randomly honking the horn (making turns or braking hard) that would take another $220. It also turns out that the worn our sensor probably burned the fuse and possibly the low-tone horn and that's the reason why it hasn't work in months. Again, he was straight forward of the work done and gave me a choice on what to do. I chose the cheap route, which was to do nothing, but keep the new fuse which was a couple of dollars. All told, it was about $295 dollars. No charge for the diagnosis, saving me the $75 every 30 minutes they used to find the problem. Expensive, yes, still not relative to other exotic cars.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this dealer for service to anyone. The people were very nice and friendly, especially the service advisers. And if their service is any indication of their sales, then I would recommend their sales department as well. Only 4 stars because I think they could have done the little things better and exceed my expecations. Opening the door as I got out of the car or offering me a drink as I sat down to sign papers or giving me a loaner Porsche instead of a Mustang rental (okay, maybe i'm asking for too much on that last one, no way can I afford a newer model Porsche, still it would have been nice). But overall, it was a great delear experience and would recommend to anyone.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
Shame on me. I brought my car here because my steering was developing a groan. They said it was my steering rack. I was very busy and distracted and told them to go ahead and do it to the tune of $2500 (which is probably at least $1000 more than a good independent would charge). Maybe this repair was needed, maybe not. I'll never know, but upon looking thru the previous owner's service records, a steering rack job was done 15k miles earlier. So I'm suspicious.
The worst thing about it was that my car, which I had detailed at Carlsen the month before, was covered with some sort of compound that made it look like the paint was damaged. I brought it to their attention immediately. They first tried to say "are you sure it wasn't there when you brought it in?" Total BS. I got a little more aggressive and they agreed to have their detail guy take care of it. Well, most of it is gone, but there is still some noticeable spottting. My bet is that either (1) some chemical got into their washer system and dried on my car or (2) some neighboring car spewed liquid onto mine.
And let's not forget that their labor rates are out of this world.
they definitely have an excellent customer service!!! the parts dept. was very reliable, which you can always get the part(s) you ordered on time and the manager gave a good advise as well. unfortunately, the parts dept.closes early (they close @ 5:30pm) that one weekday, i was too late to pick up a part.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
This review is coming in 2 perspectives. First being service experience, second being purchase experience.
I used to go to Steven's Creek because it was close to me. I've overheard that during the Silicon Valley tech boom there were so many people flocking there that getting customers was not a problem. So I guess they must have a lion's share of business from those times. When I brought my car here the first time it seemed like I had to walk around and find somebody to help me. Service was alright but it always seemed like I was just another number in the scheme of things. When I contemplated buying a new vehicle I both sent an email through the website and went to the dealrship. Never got an answer via email and when I was at the dealership I was completely ignored.
I go to Carlsen and it's like night and day. Service department there is wonderful. They made sure I was in the loop with everything they did and went out of their way to make sure I was happy. Any questions I had (that were even outside of the realm of service) were promptly answered. If you tell them ahead of time when you scheduled service, they also provide you with a loaner or rent you a car if no loaners are available. How's that for service? Service advisors Beto Bravo and Brian Haske know how to take care of people...
My purchasing experiences have been equally as pleasant. In fact I would rate this as one of the best purchasing experiences I've ever had. Going from being ignored at one place to an attentive, knowledgeable, customer oriented sales organization (especially Mike Bradley) was refreshing to see. It was also nice to see that there was zero pressure applied here. I spec'd and test drove a car but told them I wasn't making a decision any time soon. So I was simply told "when you're ready you're ready". I waited a full year and when I went back things picked up as if no time had passed. When I received the car Mike took the time to go over everything I needed to know about the car and made sure to answer any additional questions I may have had.
One minor drawback about Carlsen is they don't have a smog dyno. So every once in a while I return to Stevens Creek. In their defense it seems like their service is a bit more attentive now and hopefully they are working to be at Carlsen's level.
Loyalty is a big key with me and if you treat me right I don't mind going out of my way or paying a little more for the right service. Carlsen is a very customer oriented organization and I couldn't recommend them more highly. Whether you need service or you're pondering a purchase, see Beto, Brian or Mike. You won't be dissapointed.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I took my car in for service here a few times. Their work is above average, but the big benefit of going to Carlsen is that they are one of a few Bay Area Porsche mechanics that actually give you a loaner car.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
The service guys here (sp. Brian Haske) are great. They will listen to your problems and get them fixed. I had a rattle and they told me upfront it might take a few visits since it usually is hard to figure, but each time they were courteous and did eventually fix it up.
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Hot and New
- Sibby's Cupcakery
194 reviews
San Mateo, CA
- Sky High Sports
118 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- Evvia Estiatorio
263 reviews
Palo Alto, CA
- QQ Noodle
89 reviews
Fremont, CA
- Rumi
32 reviews
San Carlos, CA