880 Smog

vincent

September 27, 2011 at 10:29 PM

Joe and the crew at PORBOYS are magical Porsche Wizards with golden tools guided by the hand of  the Germanic version of Zeus.I Took my 1974 targa to Joe with what i assumed was an intermittent ignition problem (I made this assumption from trolling around for answers in porsche forums and advise from "other" german auto mechanics)   Joe troubleshooted (troubleshot? whatever) the issue i described to him and he discovered it was a fuel delivery issue as well as the car needing new points and the timing adjusted.  The best part is that Joe described and explained to me what each component he had replaced or adjusted to get my car running the best it can. after a couple of weeks i notice the car was running a little rough. Called joe and he said bring it by anytime. So when I brought it back to him, he explained that after mucking around with the fuel delivery system like they did all that it needed was a little dialing in. a five minute fuel/air adjustment and BANG the Motherf#$ker was running like butter. the service wasn't cheap, but no where did i feel like i was getting raked over the coals, especially with the results i got after their work...I mean, you are never going to find a shop specializing in old Porsches that isn't break your a$$, that is just the way it is going to go when you have 30 + year old car you want to keep in good condition... I've taken my car to two other Porsche specialist in the past 5 years and no one has gotten close to getting the car to run like the way it is right now. That's what's happenin, son.

STEPHEN N.

August 17, 2010 at 06:50 PM

After servicing my Volkswagen at Porboys I discovered that this is not a typical automotive shop. They provided exceptional automotive service by answering my questions and informing me of the necessary repairs.I am confident that they are knowledgeable about my car and considerate of my budget concerns. They dropped me off at BART (which is nearby), were very quick and had my car ready to pick up later that same day.Give them a call, it's worth it.

Tina

October 28, 2008 at 03:38 PM

Joe and Robert did a wonderful job on my 1991 Volvo wagon.  Timing belt needed replacing, as well as a mileage service.  Bought the vehicle off craigslist, so the maintenance history was not entirely clear.  As a result, Joe and Robert basically gave me a "clean slate" to work with for future maintenance. The "must have's" and "things to think about doing in the future" were clearly defined.  I don't feel like I paid for any unnecessary repairs, etc. Very pleased, and I will be going back.

David C.

October 15, 2007 at 01:23 PM

I came to Porboys after Big-O tires in Alameda couldn't fix my front end vibration (which starts at 70mph) with a tire balance, rotation, and full alignment. After the diagnosis, Joe stated that I needed a new steering dampener and an idler arm rebuild.   He mentioned a few other things that I needed, but I just had him fix the main stuff he originally said that needed to be fixed/replaced.   Ok, now keep in mind that I came to him to fix my front end vibration, not to work on my steering system.  I'm basically just taking his word for it that I needed those things.  He's the expert, right? They did the work, test drove it before and after.  He said it "felt better than before", but that I still needed some work to be done.  Feels better?  I think not. I paid the labor and parts (a little over $450) and drove off.  When I got on the freeway later that night, I discovered that the problem was just as bad as it was before. I'm not saying they didn't do the work, in fact, Joe is a really nice guy, and full of good car advice and knowledge, his cat is pretty cool too.  However, I feel that he and his shop didn't go the extra mile to make sure that I, his customer, was satisfied.  No offers of extra work to be done, no partial refunds, nothing like that.  To be honest, I feel a little cheated.  I came to him with a problem, he found what he thought was the problem, fixed it, and I paid for it, only to find out that my problem still exists. As someone who provides excellent computer service/expertise to personal and professional clients, I have a very simple policy: "If you aren't satisfied with my work, you don't pay". I've always satisfied my customers, and they have always paid.  I go above and beyond to make sure that people are happy before I am done working on their computers... I guess I just can't expect that level of service when I'm on the receiving end. Joe is a nice guy, and I'm sure Porboys is a fine shop, but I will not be going back.

SCOTT L.

April 29, 2007 at 09:22 AM

I concur!  Joe did a fantastic job fixing my Mercedes.  He found the root cause of many problems with my car and fixed them.  The price was reasonable and even though I would have liked to have my car back sooner, I appreciate the fact that he didn't want to rush the job instead of doing it properly. Way better service than from the Dealer.  Thanks Joe! PS - Mr T is a cool cat