Performance Independent Porsche Repair of San Diego

I found this gem through Unilocal and decided to check it out based on the good reviews. Having experience as a mechanic myself. I found this place to be even better in real life. I’ve stopped in multiple times now since my initial visit. Mark is very approachable and knowledgeable about Porsches and is always willing to help whether it’s a question, a part or a quick service. No matter how busy he is he always takes the time to answer your questions or render assistance. Alex is also very helpful and It’s great to see this father and son team always under the hood of a Porsche turning wrenches getting things done.
The pricing is great and very fair, the technical knowledge and the service by Mark, Alex and the other mechanic is superb. They are my ONLY go to Porsche repair shop for multiple reasons and the only folks I trust with my 911! I highly recommend these guys hands down. I tell you my experiences with them are always superb and it’s to the point that they are on my Christmas list. It’s hard to find that kind of honest, helpful and knowledgeable mechanics who have turned their passion into their job. Keep up the great work! Performance Independent definitely performs above and beyond the rest. Don’t waste your time or money with anyone else.

I was referred to mark from the machine shop in National city that I had testing my heads! Mark was super helpful and easy to deal with. Even though he’s probably booked for weeks or months in advance he went out of his way to help me and the amount he charged for his time was super reasonable! I was super impressed and thankful for his assistance in my motor rebuild project!!!
Thanks Mark!!!

Awesome service and pricing. Needed 40 000 mile service… plugs, oil, and filters.
Fast easy drop off. No endless paperwork and waiting around like the dealer. Car was ready same day as promised. Fast and easy pickup. Again with no waiting.
And the pricing was ¹⁄₃ of other places. Wonderful no nonsense experience.

This repair shop is the best! I could tell they knew what they are doing and what they were talking about. So nice and helpful this is the only place that I will go to do any thing with my car!

Went here based off good reviews and they are as good as the reviews say. It’s a place where a bunch of Porsche guys work on cars. I get the feeling they turned their passion into their job. Mark and Alex took care of me. I came in because my power steering pump was making noises. They were too busy to work on my car at the time, so they put in some powersteering fluid (it was low) and the noises went away. We scheduled an appointment and Mark said that if the noise came back before our appointment to come back so he could refill it. He didn’t charge me for the oil! I came back and he worked on my car and gave me a very good price. They will be my mechanic for as long as I own my car.

Mark is one of the most honest players in a business that is not known for it. I brought in my 911 with a pathetic recollection of what I needed. He patiently looked through my service records and found that I did not need anything. He cleared my check engine light (which came on simply b/​c the car had been garaged so long), and sent me on my way. I cannot imagine that happening in any other garage. Thanks Mark! See you when the car REALLY needs something.

I have had my 1972 911 Targa serviced here for 20 years!!! Mark has ALWAYS given me great service, and best of all, saves me money on repairs because he is willing to install used parts if I request it, or at least find me the least expensive alternative if there are no good used parts available… you will be glad you came here for service because Mark will NEVER tell you that you need repairs that are not important for your vehicle service or longevity…

Bit of an eccentric shop, but well-​run by real car guys who understand the finer points of maintenance, without trying to gouge you (or otherwise force a 2^nd mortgage in the name of an oil change). Some of the best rates in town on German cars, but with the benefit of quality service and the use of the correct parts and quality fluids. There are several discount choices in the area, but you’ll find that they’re using subpar oils and fluids, and using Chinese made knock-​off parts from one of the many local «discount European» parts houses. I would highly recommend this slightly weather-​beaten shop (that would be putting it nicely) — It’s the work that goes into your machine, not solely the appearance of the waiting area or how much a shop smooches your butt. Good shop, good guys.

I brought my car for service here. Mark was ill-​disposed and his son Alexander took over the reins. He and his mechanics were professional, thorough, unfailingly polite, and went out of their way to service my newly acquired Porsche 997.2. They remained poised in the face of unforeseen emergencies that eventful morning. Though short-​staffed and with Mark absent from the helm, they labored the best part of a day to get my car road-​worthy. Alexander proved a match to his father’s professional skills and temperament. I cannot say enough about this Porsche garage and its mechanics. They are wedded to delivering excellent service. And in this age of «I want it done yesterday» they deliver, accommodating client needs with unfailing performance. This is not a garage for Porsche owners easily impressed by bling and bazzaz — for that you will need to look elsewhere. But for value for money and if you are looking for mechanics with a heart and soul who breathe Porsche and who are driven by customer satisfaction, you cannot do any better than here. I am heartbroken that I will not be able to use them as often as I would like, as I commute extensively to and from Central Valley.
Mustafah Dhada, FRAS, D. Phil (Oxon)
Professor of History
PS — Incidentally, Mark has nurtured, mentored and taught quite a few mechanics in the area including Mr. Lee heading the Mirage Garage off Miramar Road.

I just bought a 2007 Cayman S and hated the exhaust tips. I ordered a set of aftermarket tips and Mark quoted me $ 75 – 100. When I went to pick it up, he said it was a tougher job than he initially thought, but stuck with the original quote of $ 100. Seems like a standup guy and I will be sure to take my Cayman in a few thousand miles to get serviced.

My conscience has got the better of me, and I needed to write a review for Mark and Performance Independent Porsche.
I have been burned by the other well known Porsche shops in town and I needed some work doing to my 2000 996. I was dreading going back to the other guys and getting shafted so I looked around a bit harder and came up with these guys thanks to Unilocal and the existing reviews. I am so glad I did: Mark is so honest and helpful and was ecstatic when he fixed my Porsche’s problem at a very very fair price. I also asked if he should do some other work pre-​emptively «as the car is here anyway» and he flatly told me «nothing more needs doing» — he wouldn’t take the bait on any more work. For that, they have earned my profound gratitude and I will never go anywhere else again. For as long as I have my old Porsche, these guys have a customer.

Second great experience with this shop. Took the 99 Boxster 2.5L in for major maintenance and soon after it showed all the signs of a Mass Air Flow sensor gone bad. Had to be towed back in. Mark swapped out a new Bosch part (OEM supplier) and it still threw codes and ran rough. The book requires you go though a tedious process of checking all wires/​connections and vacuum hoses next. Mark did all of it with no improvement. He also checked the fuel pump flows. All in all he spent a few days of his time running all this down and as a last gasp decided to swap the just put in new sensor for another one he had delivered by his supplier which showed the first new sensor was bad. With a second new sensor the car immediately resolved all issues and ran perfectly.
The commendable part of the story is that Mark charged me $ 0 labor and only charged for the part which was for a price lower than the best on the Internet. I asked him to charge something for his time and he refused. You just don’t find that kind of person any longer, regrettably.
I’m a customer for life. Thank you again.
Larry

Mark is the most amazing Porsche mechanic out there. This is the og Porsche repair shop. We take all of our Porsches to Mark and refer all of our customers as well. This is by far the best Porsche repair shop in San Diego

I took my ’03 Boxster to Mark’s shop because I just lost all my engine oil in my garage after I parked it in there. It was a mess and I’m afraid this is going to cost me a lot of money. But I have nothing to worry now because I just found the right place and the right person to talk to when it comes to my Porsche Boxster. Mark is truly a man of his word. He gave me all the right advice and the decisions was all mine. I am glad I took my car to his shop the first time. My car is running beautiful! Thanks Mark! See you on my next oil change.

If you are looking to have your Porsche fixed the right way the first time and not given the round around for the price that no other Porsche dealership service or high end Porsche shops will ever dare quote you, then this is the place for you. Mark, the owner, breathes Porsche abd knows his engine in and out. His shop is not airconditioned, but «air cooled» like some of the cars he works on. But the quality of his work surpass that of other shops that charge you for your body, not just an arm or a leg. The only downside is getting an appointment. I have two Porsches, a boxster and a 914, and no one touches then but Mark.

This place is the mechanic you hope to find. Mark, the owner, knows everything Porsche. He also has a conscience and a pleasant disposition.
Both times I’ve gone, I was expecting to (and willing to) pay more than I did. First up was an oil change and trouble shooting a check engine light on my 2009 Boxster S. He could have done the repair, but suggested I have the dealer fix it under an environmental loop-​hole. Saved me hundreds.
Then it came time for my brakes. I needed all new pads and rotors. Dealer quoted me $ 1900. Mark quoted me $ 1300. I dropped the car off, but was unable to return before closing time. He simply left my car out for me to pick up after hours and told me to JUST COME PAY WHEN YOU CAN. What?!
I called the next day to pay, and he told me the charges were $ 1089! He went on to say he gave me a military discount. This was unbelievable to me. I know around what the parts cost him, and on top of doing it all in ONE DAY, he barely made any money on this repair.
You won’t find a more reasonable honest Porsche repair facility.
Thanks Mark!

I”ve been taking my 1978 Porsche 911 Targa to Mark at Performance for over 10 years. These guys are the hidden gem of Porsche Repair Shops in San Diego. Never mind Ed C’s description of the shop. This is a real Porsche shop. Not some high priced, fancy painted, lab coat wearing yuppy dealer. These guys know Porsche better than the higher priced shops and they ALWAYS save me money. Whether it’s a simple oil change, to hard to find replacement parts, there is NO ONE I trust to work on my car than Mark at Performance. TIP: Make an appointment, cause these guys are busy. These guys get down and greasy and the shop reflects that. If you are as serious about your car running perfectly without any recurring issues, this is your shop.

In 2011, I bought a used Porsche Boxster. It is my first foreign car, so I learned the hard way: TAKE IT TO A PORSCHE SPECIALIST.
After getting my oil changed by a non-​Porsche auto shop D’Mar in OB, a few days later the check engine light illuminated. I took it back to D’Mar, but they couldn’t figure it out, so they just started guessing. «Your spark plugs could need to be replaced?» Sure, replace them. ‘Check Engine’ light came back on. «May need to change your air filter?» Okay, go ahead. Then my engine belt and water pump shaft snapped, power steering went out while driving, AND the ‘Check Engine’ light came back on. «Let’s replace your water pump, gasket and belt and pay for your towing, flush out your coolant, replace with new?» Okay, now I’m taking it somewhere else. Since they couldn’t figure it out and after bending me over for $ 1060 I paid in repairs, they called Dieter’s downtown. (D’Mar had been consulting them throughout the repairs.)
Dieter’s wanted to run about another $ 1000 worth of diagnostic tests on it, not guaranteeing they would be able to find or fix the problem (the $ 1000 did not include any repairs)… Umm, are you serious?
I already had my rear window replaced by «BoBo the Clown in overalls» at Scott’s Porsche Repair in Chula Vista and after that unauthorized hackjob, I was NOT going to take it there. By the look of it, BoBo here drove it across the border and had a Local repair it for a fraction of what Scott’s actually charged me. (I borrowed «BoBo the Clown in overalls» from a review I read for Scott’s Porsche Repair AFTER they replaced the window. Even though I was furious, I started dying laughing because the nickname fits their mechanic’s description to a T!)
I stumbled across Performance Independent Porsche here on Unilocal.Ed C’s review made me a little nervous at first («Gut check: What kind of a Porsche owner are you?») but after reading the rest of his review and all of the others, I began to feel a bit more at ease. And I was desperate. San Diego has about three repair places total other than the Miramar dealer who work on Porsches, so I figured what the hell, here we go again.
So I took it to Performance Independent Porsche. Ed C was right… The shop is definitely a little dingy, but after talking to Mark (the owner and mechanic), I felt more confident that he could find the problem. He is so knowledgeable about Everything Porsche and has so much experience, he must have been born with a German mechanic’s brain.
Mark removed three quarts of oil and replaced the oil separator for $ 80 (Dieter’s wanted to charge me $ 105 to «check» the oil separator, which did NOT include replacing it… What a rip!) and guess what… After Mark’s repairs, NO MORE ‘CHECK ENGINE’ LIGHT!!! And it hasn’t come on since.
Mark does all the work himself with the help of 1 or 2 others, and honestly, I wouldn’t take my car anywhere else. He’s fair, solves the problem at hand, doesn’t take more than a day or two to do just about anything, will not perform unnecessary work or overcharge you [*uh-​hmm* DIETERS! *uh-​hmm*], and he didn’t even charge me for the leather he replaced on my stick-​shift after my Boxer puppy chewed it up. Great guy, great mechanic.
Save yourself the agony of going anywhere else.

I own a 1997 993 Porsche and took it to Mark and he did an outstanding job on the transmission, clutch and differential (OS Giken).One day I busted an alternator belt and he found a short cut I have never seen before to get a new one right on lickedy split. These guys love Porsche, you can tell by the way they can work on em right away and treat the car like a car, a fine piece of machinery, but when it comes to pounding out the problem they hold nothing back. It’s amazing how much experience and know how these guys have. The price of the work they do is far below any of those high brow places that I shall not mention out of respect.
It may take a little while to get your car out of the shop as they can get really busy but it is sure worth the wait for your wallet and getting it done right the first time

This is the best Porsche shop I have ever worked with. Mark took care of my wife’s 99 911 in one day. He is very friendly and has the best prices in town. I you have a Porsche and you need work done take it to him.