Are Modern Porsches The Death Of The Independent Shop?
Do you still use an independent shop, or do you take your Porsche to a dealership?
I’m vacationing in Seattle this weekend and earlier today walked past this spectacular independent German car repair facility. It has long been a dream of mine to own an indie Porsche repair and restoration specialist shop in a big city, ideally San Francisco. How much longer will this dream be a viable business? Is the dream already dead?
It’s become something of a rarity to find an independent shop worthy of note these days. Something tells me that this trend will continue to develop as people move to more complicated and more modern automobiles. What are the chances that this shop would be interested in working on a new Panamera Turbo S e-Hybrid, and what are the chances that they’d even have the necessary specialty equipment needed to get that job done? How long will a complex and technically advanced car like that even last once the original owner has passed it on and it’s in the hands of a second or third owner, no longer covered by a factory warranty?
Is it possible that we’ll soon transition to a dealer-only structure for car repair? Porsche has even recently been expanding into the vintage car repair and restoration business. I don’t think their intent is to push independent shops out of business, as Porsche Classic likely won’t be taking on the kind of quantities that would do such a thing, but it sure will be difficult for the high level restoration shops to compete with a “factory authorized” restoration and the cache that such a thing brings along with it.
Obviously this transition will take time and all independent shops won’t be killed by the switch. Some shops will adapt and move with the times, learning how to repair battery arrays and electric assist motors, but certainly some of the shops that make their daily bread working on 10-15 year old beaters will be affected. Do you currently take your Porsche to an independent mechanic, or are you a dealer-only kind of person? Comment below and let us know what you think the future holds.