It’s a Guy Thing
Dennis Arriola Master technician at Porsche of Bakersfield
By Kevin McCloskey
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Q: How did you begin your career with Porsche? I was always into cars as a kid. From model cars, to bikes, motorcycles and through auto shop in high school, I was always taking things apart to see how they worked and reassembling them. Columbus Porsche Audi Subaru hired me as a trainee, right out of high school and convinced me to become a certified technician for Porsche. I’ve been with the Bakersfield Porsche dealership, now owned by Family Motors, ever since.
Q: What does it take to become a Gold level certi-
fied Porsche technician? Technicians begin by becoming Automotive Service Excellence certified, followed by training at Porsche Cars of North America (PCNA) with nine additional certifications tests. These nine tests have to be retaken and passed every four years, along with one week or more of in-class training at PCNA every year to keep up with the new models and technology, and monthly online tests to maintain Gold level certification.
Q: What’s your favorite part about the job? The challenge and satisfaction that comes from fixing a 136
Bakersfield Life
November 2012
Photo by Jessica Frey
akersfield native Dennis Arriola began his career as a Gold level Porsche master technician four days after graduating from Foothill High School in 1979. What he thought was going to be a summer job before college quickly turned into a full-time position followed by training and education at Porsche Cars of North America and Gold certification by 1983. Of 867 Porsche techs in the United States, only 196 of them are Gold certified. It is a tough club to get into and Bakersfield is lucky to have someone of Arriola’s expertise and experience. When he’s not under the hood or test driving a high-performance German vehicle, this husband and father of three can be found coaching his daughter’s fast-pitch softball team, The Bakersfield Babes.
problem for the customer is very rewarding. And at the dealership, when new models come in, I’m the first one who gets to test drive them and check out all the new features.
Q: What are some of the most common, prevent-
able problems for Porsche owners? Dead batteries and tires. The batteries die because the owners don’t drive them enough, as most Porsche owners don’t use them as their everyday vehicle. And Porsches are designed for soft, high-speed tires that don’t last as long as the average tire. This misconception can lead to overuse and blowouts.
Q: Does the dealership still get business from
Porsche’s single greatest product placement deal in “Risky Business?” It just came up yesterday, in fact. Porsche stopped making the 928 (model from the movie) in 1994, but people still talk about that model. It was built in 1978, and I saw one my first day on the job. It looked like a car from the future, definitely ahead of its time. And the movie line still holds true today: “Porsche. There is no substitute.”