[JAM_22]

I'm looking to buy a Fisker and I know Pats Garage is an authorized repair shop. The car I am looking at was serviced by a local McLaren dealership. Any thoughts? Any specific questions I should be asking besides the software update? I do know some of the batteries have been serviced and replaced.

Thank you.

 

[smggsm]

search in the form there is lot of info, the high mileage the better
But the major issues with the car are RDM ,motors soft splines and batteries modules,coupler.
Rdm 6K/ 2 motors 5K EACH + LABOUR ( they usually don't all fail at same time )
HV BATTERY each modules 3k ,,coupler 3k..
Early vin so high chances rdm will fail ( if not updated by fisker motors with green dot or better rework with hard splines ) , from mine and members experience RDM see it Failed @5k 10k 20k 25k ,I saw it vin 16xx and low vin,,

 

[OceanK]

I agree with smggsm and you will find more than you care to know about by searching every corner of this forum.
I am in the Bay Area and I bought a car that was originally sold and serviced by the McLaren Palo Alto dealer (formerly Silicon Valley Fisker I guess). I bought my car from a private party back in January 2015. I love my car and it has been running just fine.
Search for this forum and you will find more references and comments about Fisker Silicon Valley. I plan on taking my car to Pats garage soon because he is the official CSP in the Bay Area. If Pat's garage was not here, I would most likely use the Mc Laren dealer because the previous owner has a documented service history with them and he recommended them to me.
Feel free to PM me if you need more info.

 

[WATTGAS]

@JAM_22 - at a minimum, you should have Pat's Garage hook up the Fisker to their Prodis scan tool (if they have one) and do a complete assessment of the car before you buy it.

Given that @FiskerPhilly will soon be offering Certified Pre Owned (CPO) Karmas, you should consider those as well:

http://www.fiskerbuzz.com/forums/23-fisker-cars/23841-updated-list-karmas-available.html

Not only will they have been checked and serviced thoroughly, including replacement of key components, they will come with a 2-year factory bumper-to-bumper warranty. I also saw recently that another dealer is now listing CPO Karmas on Cars.com, but I didn't check to see if that dealer is a CSP dealer. I would assume they are, but didn't confirm.

Definitely take your time to ensure you find the right one.

Good luck!

 

[JAM_22]

Thank you for all of the suggestions. Much appreciated.

 

[Ira]

I'm looking to buy a Fisker and I know Pats Garage is an authorized repair shop. The car I am looking at was serviced by a local McLaren dealership. Any thoughts? Any specific questions I should be asking besides the software update? I do know some of the batteries have been serviced and replaced.

Thank you.

Last I heard (several months ago) there was a very knowledgeable Fisker tech at McLaren. So if you go to McLaren, make sure you have access to that tech.

With regard to Pat's Garage, I just came back from a "meet and greet" visit where I received a warm welcome from Pat and his staff. As a courtesy, they did a health check on my Karma while I was getting a tour and Pat was telling me about his history with A123 and Fisker. They had nine Karmas at the garage.

Pat is a proud owner of a Karma himself, and I was super impressed with his shop, and his depth of knowledge and his commitment to the marque.

For me, having Pat's Garage servicing the Bay Area has raised the enjoyment of Fisker ownership to an entirely new level.

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[JAM_22]

@Ira - Thanks for the comments. I have spoken to Pat twice in the last two days and he has been very helpful in my pursuit to join the Fisker club and has eased my concern about the reliability of the car (if that is possible).

I also want to give a huge thank you to Patrick for talking with me about his experience. I owe you a coffee or an adult beverage.

Last, but not least, thank you to the person that referred me to You Tube. Too many videos to count. But, very helpful and encouraging.

I find this forum to be a great resource and I look forward to being an owner one day.

The VIN on the car I am looking at is in the 1200 range and was recently serviced for a battery issue, but did not have the software updated. Kind of odd, but Pat (Pat's Garage) did not seem to be concerned since it is covered by the warranty.

 

[JCMorrill]

For me, having Pat's Garage servicing the Bay Area has raised the enjoyment of Fisker ownership to an entirely new level.

I feel the same way having Corey Hom's Vault here in Scottsdale!

 

[P90XMC2]

@JAM_22 have you seen my pm from yesterday?

 

[JAM_22]

Any idea the cost to replace a key? The car I am buying only has one key.

 

[JCMorrill]

That was the way mine came. Don't understand why this seems to be so prevalent. It's around $300 for a new fob -- and it won't have the physical laser cut key to open the door if your battery fails. And, then ... it will most likely be a colossal pain for your CSP to even make it program to the car. Sometimes (more often that it should), the VCM has to be taken out of the car, sent to Karma with the key fobs, and they program it and send it back for your CSP to reinstall. It's a small nightmare. Wait until you are ready to be without the car a while before you ask to have this (what should be a simple thing) fixed. I got lucky and a Fisker (now Karma) tech with an engineering laptop came to town and was able to program my new fob to the car without having to ship the VCM away. But, that was where I was headed.

 

[JAM_22]

Ok, thanks. I guess I'll ask for a discount.

 

[EV Driver]

Couldn't you get around the non laser cut key by changing the passenger door lock cylinder and programming two keys? What good is a single key with a single physical key if the car is dead? You still cannot get in. I would ask for that.

 

[JAM_22]

Well, we will figure out the issues if they are not able to find the key. With that said, I am the proud owner of a Fisker and I'll post a picture of the car tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to being an active member of this site.

Fun car to drive and my 16 year old son loved the looks we received as we were driving home.

 

[JCMorrill]

First, Jam22 -- Congratulations. You're going to love the car and love the experience of "explaining how cool it is" to people every day! I wish you lots & lots of happy miles.

And, I don't want to be too much of a pessimist. They ought to buy you a 2nd fob (as the dealer that sold me mine did). Nobody should sell you a car with 1 key. But, just be ready if they can't get it to program easily at your shop. It's not their fault. It's something close to a 50/50 prospect that a new key will not program easy (here I should let @Harleyguy & @FiskerPhilly chime in). I lived with one key for a couple of months. And, now I have 2 fobs but only one an actual laser key. Yes, I could get the lock replaced and get 2 new keys. But, what I do is mostly drive with the fob only unless I'm going some distance and keep the one with the key safe at home so that I don't risk losing it. I've had the car almost a year now, and I'm comfortable with my situation. And, I absolutely love my Karma! I don't hold a grudge against it, but instead the dealership that couldn't manage to keep track of keys. Outside of the cash register, it seems like the keys are the next most important thing that they ought to know how to manage!

 

[FiskerPhilly]

@JCMorrill the key and lock cylinder set is cheap and a simple replacement just pull the door panel and a clip holds the lock cylinder in the door, disconnect the link rod and done...5 minutes lol.
In regards to keys, we've since discovered some tricks to getting them to go through programming, albeit still a pain in the a$$. It's now a rare occasion we have to do a VCM swap. And now I keep a VCM in stock with 2 key fobs mated to it in the event this situation occurs, we swap in the preprogrammed VCM and get the customer on the road with no down time and send theirs out afterwards to Karma for programming

 

[JCMorrill]

Wow. I can't remember the last time I was this happy to be corrected. That's fantastic!!

It was such craziness for a couple of months to get mine programmed just back in Jan-Apr of this year. So, I'm very glad to hear it that this is not a big problem any longer. Since he's a new ower, I'm very glad you're setting the record straight for Jam22 and anybody else who might take the plunge to buy a Karma! Thanks for responding so quick! I knew you guys would be the source to trust.

 

[JAM_22]

Thanks guys, the guy is looking for it and will pay for a replacement, if needed. I'm working with a great seller and he feels bad about not having the 2nd key. As soon as the rain subsides here in sunny California, I'll head out on the road for another spin.

 

[JCMorrill]

Yeah. Read the latest 6-8 posts in this thread:

Fan on while charging ..is it normal?

For a recent discussion on the devils of Karma in the rain. I like to just keep mine clean and out of it when possible. While waiting for the 45 seconds for the car to go to sleep before plugging in, I just walk around with a duster or detail spray and a microfiber cloth.