Almost 10 yrs old, time to go independent servicing?
Discussion
My 2 yr OPC warranty will be due for renewal in October this yr along with a service and I'm thinking of going the independent servicing route as I have a couple of great options close by. I've used the warranty once for both engine mounts and a solenoid issue and these were the latest PADM mount design so hoping will fix the issue once and for all.
Its a 981 GT4 2016, so 10 next year and it seems bonkers paying OPC service and warranty rates, my calcs are:
OPC:
Service 1300 quid
Warranty for 2 years 2k
Front brakes from Porsche 3k
vs
independent Porsche service for 700 quid......I'm doing less then 4k a year...am I mad or is this a sensible time to move away from OPC...anyone done this and regretted it?
Its a 981 GT4 2016, so 10 next year and it seems bonkers paying OPC service and warranty rates, my calcs are:
OPC:
Service 1300 quid
Warranty for 2 years 2k
Front brakes from Porsche 3k
vs
independent Porsche service for 700 quid......I'm doing less then 4k a year...am I mad or is this a sensible time to move away from OPC...anyone done this and regretted it?
You could, and mix and match as long as you use Porsche parts rather than OE spec.
So have the indy fit new brakes, clutch etc.
But service at OPC.
Or - and I have done this - haggle with the service dept and get them to try and price match (they won't, but they often get surprisingly close when challenged).
So have the indy fit new brakes, clutch etc.
But service at OPC.
Or - and I have done this - haggle with the service dept and get them to try and price match (they won't, but they often get surprisingly close when challenged).
scrounger73 said:
Porsche extended warranty stipulates ALL work done on the vehicle must be carried out by an 'authorised Porsche Centre or Porsche Service Centre'.
Didn't know this. Had my brakes done by local indy over the years when in warranty and never had an issue - but I didn't volunteer the information and the dealer never asked.scrounger73 said:
Porsche extended warranty stipulates ALL work done on the vehicle must be carried out by an 'authorised Porsche Centre or Porsche Service Centre'.
No it does not. But what it does say is that if a fault on the car is deemed a consequence of work carried out by anyone other than an official Porsche Centre, then cover may be denied.In other words, if you have someone else fit brake pads (or do them yourself), they're not going to refuse a claim on the infotainment.
In practice, if you use Porsche parts and fit them correctly, the odds of having a problem are close to zero. Provided the parts on the car are the right parts fitted correctly, there is no straight forward method to determine who fitted them.
Personally, I would still get the basic servicing done at Porsche to prevent them blaming a major mechanical failure on third-party servicing. Whatever the rights and wrongs of a given claim, if Porsche says no, you face a very uneven fight as an individual versus a big corporate. So, don'[t give them an excuse to deny a claim.
Then get everything else done that isn't covered by warranty at an indy using official parts.
Same dilemma on the wife's Cayman. She's made it clear that she's never selling and it's 10 years old in October. Warranty runs out at the same time and brakes will probably need doing in the spring. As it only does around 3k miles a year I think we're going to bite the bullet on go indy as we've got a very good one near us and if anything does go pop put it down to experience.
f6box said:
Personally, I would still get the basic servicing done at Porsche to prevent them blaming a major mechanical failure on third-party servicing. Whatever the rights and wrongs of a given claim, if Porsche says no, you face a very uneven fight as an individual versus a big corporate. So, don'[t give them an excuse to deny a claim.
Then get everything else done that isn't covered by warranty at an indy using official parts.
Agree. Then get everything else done that isn't covered by warranty at an indy using official parts.
f6box said:
No it does not. But what it does say is that if a fault on the car is deemed a consequence of work carried out by anyone other than an official Porsche Centre, then cover may be denied.
In other words, if you have someone else fit brake pads (or do them yourself), they're not going to refuse a claim on the infotainment.
In practice, if you use Porsche parts and fit them correctly, the odds of having a problem are close to zero. Provided the parts on the car are the right parts fitted correctly, there is no straight forward method to determine who fitted them.
Personally, I would still get the basic servicing done at Porsche to prevent them blaming a major mechanical failure on third-party servicing. Whatever the rights and wrongs of a given claim, if Porsche says no, you face a very uneven fight as an individual versus a big corporate. So, don'[t give them an excuse to deny a claim.
Then get everything else done that isn't covered by warranty at an indy using official parts.
From the warranty Ts & Cs In other words, if you have someone else fit brake pads (or do them yourself), they're not going to refuse a claim on the infotainment.
In practice, if you use Porsche parts and fit them correctly, the odds of having a problem are close to zero. Provided the parts on the car are the right parts fitted correctly, there is no straight forward method to determine who fitted them.
Personally, I would still get the basic servicing done at Porsche to prevent them blaming a major mechanical failure on third-party servicing. Whatever the rights and wrongs of a given claim, if Porsche says no, you face a very uneven fight as an individual versus a big corporate. So, don'[t give them an excuse to deny a claim.
Then get everything else done that isn't covered by warranty at an indy using official parts.
'A claim made under Your Policy for the repair or replacement of a defective system or component shall be invalid to the extent that the defect results from any of the following:
Service, repair, or maintenance has previously been performed on the Vehicle by you or a third party who is not an authorised Porsche Centre/Porsche Service Centre'
I agree that if your have your condensers replaced by an indie and the PCM fails then you have a claim but I'd tread carefully when having anything major done.
Two parts to this :-
1) Can you tolerate a major loss i.e. engine / gearbox problem costing well in excess of £20,000 even if the probability is low? If the answer is no, then continue to take out the extended warranty.
2) If you decide to keep the warranty, then check the fine print in the warranty - it doesn't take long - and satisfy yourself (or not) that you can have the car serviced at an independent without invalidating your warranty. There is some mis-information earlier in this thread
https://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/p...
1) Can you tolerate a major loss i.e. engine / gearbox problem costing well in excess of £20,000 even if the probability is low? If the answer is no, then continue to take out the extended warranty.
2) If you decide to keep the warranty, then check the fine print in the warranty - it doesn't take long - and satisfy yourself (or not) that you can have the car serviced at an independent without invalidating your warranty. There is some mis-information earlier in this thread
https://www.porsche.com/uk/accessoriesandservice/p...
I’d go indie. Put the £2k warranty cost aside and use it if needed.
My 911 is so old it’s not an issue, so it’s been indie for 20 years. Can’t imagine letting it near an OPC. Almost certainly saved enough in that time to cover the full engine rebuild it’s had.
My 458 was 10 years old when I bought it. It had a full Ferrari service history. But I am happy with my indie and the £130+ an hour I save for a wonderful service.
It could bite me but probably won’t meanwhile I am saving a fortune for a service that I am happy with.
My 911 is so old it’s not an issue, so it’s been indie for 20 years. Can’t imagine letting it near an OPC. Almost certainly saved enough in that time to cover the full engine rebuild it’s had.
My 458 was 10 years old when I bought it. It had a full Ferrari service history. But I am happy with my indie and the £130+ an hour I save for a wonderful service.
It could bite me but probably won’t meanwhile I am saving a fortune for a service that I am happy with.
NDA said:
Were you to sell the car, would a main Porsche dealer service stamp be more helpful than an independent?
I am new to Porsche ownership so don't have a strong view on this, but would imagine main dealer servicing might help swing a sale.
I don’t think it matters to most potential buyers with older cars.I am new to Porsche ownership so don't have a strong view on this, but would imagine main dealer servicing might help swing a sale.
Personally I wouldn’t let my car go anywhere near an OPC.
Annual warranty has gone up since I had mine! The GT4 is warranty priced as a standard Boxster/Cayman and I was paying less than £600pa for it 2yrs back.
In your position and if I still had mine at 10yrs I'd look for a good Indy and 'self warranty'.
In terms of the PADM there's a fix incoming by swapping out the PCB controller and fitting a new one to the existing mount for what is likley to be a tenth of the price of a new unit, and is long overdue.
In your position and if I still had mine at 10yrs I'd look for a good Indy and 'self warranty'.
In terms of the PADM there's a fix incoming by swapping out the PCB controller and fitting a new one to the existing mount for what is likley to be a tenth of the price of a new unit, and is long overdue.
scrounger73 said:
Porsche extended warranty stipulates ALL work done on the vehicle must be carried out by an 'authorised Porsche Centre or Porsche Service Centre'.
Thats to extend the warranty further. I sent Porsche UK an email back when I had my 981 S, It had 2 year warranty, I had a family friend service it who ran a Porsche specialist, all the parts came from Porsche Silverstone (he used to work there), Porsche UK said the current warranty would remain valid as long as genuine parts were used.
However the warranty could not be extended unless the car had another service from APC/PSC.
On the OP, if it’s a longterm keeper I would go indie, in fact that is what I am doing with my 718s although I can do most of the work myself so have a headstart.
Armitage.Shanks said:
In terms of the PADM there's a fix incoming by swapping out the PCB controller and fitting a new one to the existing mount for what is likley to be a tenth of the price of a new unit, and is long overdue.
Off the OP, sorry, do you have any further information on this? Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff