according to Heckmann & Thiemann, a 914 isn't a VW OR a Porsche Options

[davesprinkle]

So I've got a rattle from the right front strut. I stop in at an independent service shop in Portland -- Heckmann Thiemann VW Porsche Audi. 2 911s, one early, one late, are in the lot. Up on the lift is a VW van.

I pull up in the 914 and walk into the office. Three guys are there, none of them speak. After a few seconds, I ask if they would be able to tighten the cap on the strut. Simple job, should take less than 15 minutes.

One guy mumbles something about trying to reduce their workload; they're really busy. So I say, OK, when can you work it in?

Then I find the real reason -- "We don't work on 914s."

"Really?", I say, "that 914 front end is identical to that 911 over there." "And the engine is the same as the one in the van, only with Porsche cams and ports."

"Yeah, well, we've never worked on 914s and we're not going to start now."

So there you have it -- not a real Porsche, not a real VW. Bizarre.

[dlestep]

...in '89, I had my 73 914 worked on in Seattle, when I lived there. The mechanic was very friendly and knowledgeable of 914s, offering advice and pointed out questionable issues that I should take care of immediately, and some to put off, but not ignore. I learned from him, which is a relationship I have enjoyed from certain automotive repair places scattered over the US, in places like, San Berdo, Sandy Eggo, Chula Vista, Victorville, Upland, Sacramento, San Jose, Stockton, Bakersfield, Denver, Louisville, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Miami.
...the trick is to qualify them for your requirements. EACH HAS THEIR OWN EXPERTISE. I aim my work or requirements at their abilities. Not any one business, except for three, two on the west coast and one on the east coast, that I have found, have full honors, and can truely perform all things.

...The only thing I haven't learned to do myself is transmissions. To me, they are a box of parts that go 'round 'n 'round. I can close my eyes and envision all the parts of my 911 and 914. The one black zone in my mind's eye are the transmissions.
...The same holds true to most mechanics when they look at 914s. They are daunting, apart from the norm, and most of the mechanics, over their careers have seen very few and from a distance.
The 911 guys, want to keep their, holier than thou, status by stating that they don't work on 914s, implying that they are not Porsches, and so they only work on Porsches, when in fact, they have no clue and don't want to expose their ignorance.
Most truly don't know and the good ones will state that they have never worked on them, and then we enjoy a gear-head discussion on the similarities and differences, and then they want to look at it on a lift.
...all in all, I have been able to weed out the grunge with work bays that look like my garage, and actually find, good mechanics. They are mostly my age and a few are half my age, but all, that I have found, that are good, are motor-heads, love to share information, are aspiring engineers and creative, not just 9-5 wrenchers.

[ghuff]

...in '89, I had my 73 914 worked on in Seattle, when I lived there. The mechanic was very friendly and knowledgeable of 914s, offering advice and pointed out questionable issues that I should take care of immediately, and some to put off, but not ignore. I learned from him, which is a relationship I have enjoyed from certain automotive repair places scattered over the US, in places like, San Berdo, Sandy Eggo, Chula Vista, Victorville, Upland, Sacramento, San Jose, Stockton, Bakersfield, Denver, Louisville, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, and Miami.
...the trick is to qualify them for your requirements. EACH HAS THEIR OWN EXPERTISE. I aim my work or requirements at their abilities. Not any one business, except for three, two on the west coast and one on the east coast, that I have found, have full honors, and can truely perform all things.

...The only thing I haven't learned to do myself is transmissions. To me, they are a box of parts that go 'round 'n 'round. I can close my eyes and envision all the parts of my 911 and 914. The one black zone in my mind's eye are the transmissions.
...The same holds true to most mechanics when they look at 914s. They are daunting, apart from the norm, and most of the mechanics, over their careers have seen very few and from a distance.
The 911 guys, want to keep their, holier than thou, status by stating that they don't work on 914s, implying that they are not Porsches, and so they only work on Porsches, when in fact, they have no clue and don't want to expose their ignorance.
Most truly don't know and the good ones will state that they have never worked on them, and then we enjoy a gear-head discussion on the similarities and differences, and then they want to look at it on a lift.
...all in all, I have been able to weed out the grunge with work bays that look like my garage, and actually find, good mechanics. They are mostly my age and a few are half my age, but all, that I have found, that are good, are motor-heads, love to share information, are aspiring engineers and creative, not just 9-5 wrenchers.

You are describing a very rare mechanic indeed.

So rare the lack of them is what caused me to do everything myself.