Porsche Palm Springs is home to three Gold Certified Porsche Technicians.
Porsche’s worldwide Certified Porsche Technician program offers technicians regular training on brand new, late model and vintage Porsche vehicles. The technicians’ knowledge is then certified through successive levels of qualification education and testing: Bronze, then Silver, and finally Gold.
As technicians move up the various levels, they first participate in Porsche training courses and then take theory exams to ensure understanding.
After achieving Bronze Certification, for instance, the technicians graduate to much more complex practical exams, working on training vehicles. These hands-on exams take several hours and simulate real world conditions.
To become a Porsche Gold Certified Technician , a Porsche technician is given a certain amount of time in which to accurately diagnose and repair multiple issues in a test vehicle.
This entire process can take years.
We had the opportunity to sit down and talk to one of our Gold Certified Porsche Technicians, Michael Schultz, and ask him about his work at Porsche Palm Springs.
Q. Tell us how you became interested in this work and ended up at Porsche Palm Springs?
A. I’ve always had an interest in taking things apart and learning how they worked. I found an interest in the automotive field when I learned to drive and got my first car. After high school, my father suggested attending the Universal Technical Institute in Rancho Cucamonga in order to make a career in the automotive repair field. After completing automotive technology training in 2005, I was offered my first position as a lube technician at an Infiniti Dealership in Thousand Oaks, CA. I quickly moved through the ranks, and after eight years of training and testing, I became Infiniti Master Certified. With all that time in the industry I started looking for a new challenge and ladder to climb and I found that at Porsche Rancho Mirage, now known as Porsche Palm Springs – one of the finest Porsche dealers anywhere.
Q. What are your professional duties at this dealership and what kind of services do you offer?
A. At Porsche Palm Springs I service and maintain every modern Porsche vehicle from entry level Macans to super and hyper cars such as Carrera GT’s and 918 Spyders. I have achieved Gold Level certification and enjoy expanding my knowledge of the brand. I’m more drawn to and enjoy the exclusivity of the sportier GT models and super cars.
Q. What is special about working here?
A. Porsche Palm Springs is a Gen 5 building, the first of its kind currently in the world. The unique design and layout provide an exceptional work experience and environment. I am one of only three Gold Level technicians here, and only one of two techs certified to service the 918 Spyder and Carrera GT. Probably the most involved and exciting job I have done at Porsche Palm Springs is replacing the rear main seal on a 918 Spyder. That job includes literally splitting the car in half to remove the engine and transmission. The level of detail and precision required is like nothing else I’ve ever done. Every piece of that vehicle is made of carbon fiber, so extreme care must be given to insure nothing is broken or damaged during the process. All exterior body panels were removed, including doors, to access the impressive yet delicate carbon body and framework. Special tools had to be rented from Porsche for the job, since this is so rarely done. Once the rear of the vehicle is separated from the front, then the engine and transmission can be removed from the cradle. From there the transmission with high voltage components was separated from the engine to gain access to the rear main seal. The whole job was very exciting, rewarding – and satisfying once it was all put back together and running as designed. That was definitely the highlight of my career up to that point.
Q. What was it like to become Gold Level certified?
A. It took me about six years to earn my Gold level certification. The process entailed eight core instructor led classes, countless hours of online training, and online and in-person testing. In 2018, I got the opportunity to travel to Atlanta to train and become certified to service 918 Spyder and Carrera GT’s. I’m also hybrid certified which is a Gold Level requirement
Q. How is life in the desert outside of work?
A. I’ve worked in the Palm Springs area for six years. I live in nearby Yucca Valley. I like just about anything outdoors and enjoy the open spaces that the desert provides. Some of my interests and hobbies include hiking, off-roading and adventuring with the family. I also enjoy building and flying large scale radio-controlled aircraft. I’ve been married for 12 years and have 2 boys ages 3 and 7.
Q. Anything else you’d like to add?
A. I love that I get to come to work every day to service and maintain these amazing machines. They are very rewarding and sometimes difficult to work on. But they are like nothing else.
Don’t forget to schedule your Porsche service with Porsche Palm Springs today.
