Tracking success
As the U.S. auto industry sputters along like an out-of-tune engine, more emphasis has been placed on car maintenance.
Ron Pyle, president of the American Automotive Service Association, said the facilities that have gained the most in these harsh economic times are those that are comparable service-wise with the dealerships and offer some type of specialized services, “anything that sets them apart is going to matter.”
While the Farnbacher Loles service dealership was founded five years ago in Danbury, it brings years of experience and prestige via its support of its Porsche racing team. Last year it won the 2008 Best of Danbury Award in the Auto Repair category by the U.S. Local Business Association.
The company was started by Greg Loles, a Porsche enthusiast and Spencer Cox, a garage owner and Porsche enthusiast from Norwalk. Farnbacher is the German-based Porsche race team.
The Farnbacher Loles business has four divisions consisting of street performance, racing, club sport and auto body repair.
“He was doing track events with his own car and was really getting into it, so he decided to start a race team and service facility,” said Garbow, marketing director at Farnbacher Loles. “We found a location and built this great place.”
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The Farnbacher Loles facility is next to the Danbury Airport. Garbow said the racing services was moved to Georgia a few years ago, but will be moved back to Danbury this year.
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Garbow said the cross-town facility will be handling Audi, Volkswagen and eventually BMWs.
In addition to the new Danbury facility, Farnbacher Loles has opened a body shop in downtown Danbury.
“Essentially by utilizing pro racing, which we do at the highest level, we are able to ensure the car owner they are receiving the best services for their money,” Garbow said. “You don”™t want to take your Porsche to just anybody. Our staff includes master level mechanics who are up on the latest technology and have the same diagnostic equipment the dealer has; without the dealer price.”
The Farnbacher Loles Race team competes in North America”™s two premier sports car racing series. In NASCAR”™s Grand-Am Rolex series, the team has just won their second GT Class Championship in the past three years. In the American Le Mans Series, they started the season on the pole at the legendary Twelve Hours of Sebring and went on to take third in the GT2 Class Driver”™s Championship in one of only two factory-supported Porsche 911 GT3 RSR race cars in North America.
“The people who are into these cars are very loyal to the Porsche name and are usually very knowledgeable,” Loles said. “When they see us campaign the cars successfully, it”™s really important to them.”
“What the racing does for us is gives us a national credibility,” said Garbow. “We”™re very good at what we do.”
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“We are a dealership alternative,” Cox said. “A lot of people used to say that I don”™t have a choice I”™ve got to go to the dealers. We”™re a different animal; we”™re independent but we”™ve got as much or more resources than a dealership has.”
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The facility is one of two racing groups supported by Porsche in America.
“Because of that, our guys have that much more expertise than your normal shop or a dealership for that matter,” said Garbow.
Farnbacher Loles has a staff member, Jeff Adams, devoted to older model Porsches in which air-cooled engines were used.
“We”™ve got a really great following from the tri-state area,” said Brian Holinko, Porsche service manager at Farnbacher Loles. “Our basic services work comes from northern New Jersey up to Massachusetts. We”™re primarily a Porsche shop, but have expanded into the Audi, VW business because that”™s a natural offshoot; a lot of people who own Porsches also own Audis as well. It”™s a lot of shared technology.”
Garbow said the service load at Farnbacher Loles has been consistent, but the turnover rate for new models has been noticeably less.
“People who used to get a car every year are now maintaining, updating and servicing the same car longer,” Garbow said. “For us the racing side of the business is a business; and the trickledown of that is that we can use the same equipment we use on the race cars for our service business.”
According to Cox, Farnbacher Loles will be adding a BMW segment as soon as they find the right personnel to run that division.
“We want someone who knows every little nuance of the cars,” he said.