Best Porsche bodyshop in San Diego?

[craigs911]

Just crashed my 2004 911 Turbo Cab today that I just bought last week in nearly new condition. I had taken the car out for the first time to the back country roads around Palamar mountain to open it up but ended up just cruising at or under the speed limit due to heavy traffic of mostly bikers racing up and down the roads. As I came down the mountain around a blind hairpin turn there was a motorcyclist coming my direction in my lane passing another biker. A split second later he crashed into my left front ripping the entire fender off together with my radiator, side mirror, etc. He flew over my car, his bike bounced off my car into the biker he was passing who also went flying off his bike by me. His bike went over the side of the mountain and both the guys landed in the road going at least 40 mph. Fortunately, and amazingly, no major injuries but my car was towed.

I have driven Porsches almost daily for years with never so much as a scratch or door ding and now this happens with a new (to me) Turbo! Absolutely amazing how much damage a small 250 cc crotch-rocket bike can do to a car.

One really weird thing was the roll bars deployed but the airbags did not even though the car was never off camber much less close to rolling.

I now need to get it to a body-shop in San Diego, I hear Amatos is good, are there others anyone would recommend? Are there really "Porsche certified" body shops or is that just something the shops make up for marketing purposes? I know that Porsches are basically totalled if the frame is bent but is there anything else I need to be aware of specific to Porsches?

[JB987]

Hey Craig,

Sorry to hear that gorgeous car is already needing attention.
I have had some work done on my Mercedes at Philip Thearles Autowerks in Santee.
We just had a tech session there and his shop does exceptionally good work.

He has worked on a few members cars and I am sure there are others here who will vouch for the quality of his work.

JB

[craigs911]

Thanks JB,
I will check them out. I also just checked the Porsche website and apparently the only "porsche certified" body shop in San Diego is Amatos so I am leaning towards them since there is going be extensive mechanical repair needed to the suspension, coolant system etc.
Craig

[Kim Crosser]

I have also had quite a bit of body work done at West Coast Specialties in Mira Mesa. They have always done excellent work for me, and they used to be where Pioneer (now Porsche of San Diego) would send their body work. I have also heard good things about Amato's and Phil Thearle's. You probably will have good results from any of these.

[Aavitt]

Hi Craig,
Mike and I are so sorry to hear about your accident. We also have to recommend Phil Thearle's Autowerks. We have had alot of work done there.Always been extremely happy with the work. Phil Thearle is a perfectionist and his shop is Top Notch. He stands behind his work. He has the celette machine, several of them, and has his own 997 C4S as well. I think you should definitely talk to him.
Angela and Mike Avitt
Car #425 Car #452

[pecivil]

Craig,
here is a current review of Amato's. My 996 got backed into in a parking lot. The read fender was pushed in, and I went to Amato's as they were Porsche certified. I have to say there were incredibly professional, courteous, and diligent. They fixed the car the right way by repairing the metal work, and ended up respraying quite a bit of the side to blend everything. I learned yellow is the hardest color to blend on the planet.
I also didn't notice my quarter panel had already been painted, and was just slightly not matching the rest of the car. Perry saw it immediately and made sure the insurance paid for all the paint blending that was required. They discovered a bit of bondo on the quarter panel as well.

At any rate, the car came out looking perfect. The fender is fixed, and the paint blending is perfect! She looks better than she did before the hit. I know your hit was much worse, but I would trust them to fix any Porsche. When I took the car in, they had quite an array of broken porsches in various states of repair, including a Panamera that looked like it was hit the the same bike that hit you. Same damage to the front corner. So they definitely do see alot of Pcars.

I did the Palomar run yesterday in my 996. Those bikes are getting more and more dangerous and risky. I saw several very dangerous passes made around semi blind corners, and probably was 10 inches from getting tagged by a guy fully leaned over, knee down, straddling the center line. I am pretty careful to stay as far against the right as I can to avoid these idiots, but I am thinking Palomar may just have become too popular and the sport bike guys too foolhardy to drive up there. it is a fun road, but not worth a crashed Porsche from some motoGP wannabee who does not understand proper restraint for street driving.

They were all over mesa grande too.

[craigs911]

Thanks everybody for your info on the body shops but I think it may be a moot point, the insurance adjuster told me today that by the description of the damage I gave her, the car is probably totalled It still needs to be inspected carefully by them to make sure, and I won't know for several more days.

I'm divided on what I want to happen here. The practical, money part of me wants to just get a payout for the totaled car since I will never be able to sell it for what it's worth with a major accident on the Carfax--- I know I would never look at a crashed Porsche for sale no matter how perfect it was repaired. On the other hand, the Porsche nut in me is devastated over the destruction of a nearly perfect, beautiful car. Sort of like dating a supermodel for a couple of weeks, falling in love then having her disappear! (Don't tell my wife I wrote that )

Pecivil: Your description of Palomar yesterday is exactly what I experienced, it looked like they had a club race going up there with tents, tables etc. in one of the overlook areas. These guys were nuts, 5 min. after I slowed down and drove even more defensively than usual to avoid killing somebody, I was nailed by one of them. Fortunately, he and the other biker he hit were not seriously injured, but I hope it changed his life for the better.

Check out the photos of my car before and after on the 996 Turbo forum on Rennlist.

[pecivil]

Craig,
Where on rennlist did you put the pics?

I saw the tables set up too! It is like a club race, that is a perfect description. Whats funny is on the way up the CHP was out in force, in Ramona, Santa Isabel, but past there nada.

The CHP could be printing money up on the mountain. You would have 20 reckless driving tickets per hour.

Now I know I am officially old, wishing the CHP to actually go to a great driving road and write tickets.

[craigs911]

Monte,
The photos are on the 996 Turbo forum on Rennlist, I titled it something like, "Crashed my new (to me) Turbo yesterday."

I was thinking the same thing about the CHP on the mountain, I think the only one I have ever have seen there was the one that came to the scene half an hour after I crashed. They probably concentrate on State highways and this must have been county or something. I guess that is partly what makes it such a great driving road--you just have to be there when the bikers are not!

Craig