718 GTS 4.0 - Minor Service & Brake Fluid

[CardiffTam]

I guess a few of us are nearing the time for our first service. I have emailed two OPC's (owned by different dealers) near to me and they have quoted £879 and £931. Has anyone obtained any costs yet and if so do you mind sharing.

[J66JBo]

Is that really what they charge for a minor and a brake fluid change?? That’s extortionate.

[av185]

Same cost as GT3 first service.

Try chipping them on price but you really haven't much option other than an official Porsche OPC to keep your warranty and residual value on the car intact.

[JayK12]

But the warranty will stay intact even if it is serviced outside of Porsche, as long as its done to the Porsche schedule.

Those service prices are a joke btw.

[Twinfan]

Sounds about right, same price as the GT4. It is what it is, unfortunately if you want to use an OPC which for a first service I would as av185 says.

[peter777s]

Ask them for a quote excluding the cost of the oil and supply your own

[av185]

JayK12 said:

But the warranty will stay intact even if it is serviced outside of Porsche, as long as its done to the Porsche schedule.

Those service prices are a joke btw.

Been discussed many times before theoretically it will stay intact but there is far greater wiggle room if a warranty claim arises furthermore depending on the indie theres no guarantee correct parts or oil is used further clouding the issue. Ok theres good and bad OPCs and Indies but we aren't talking about a 10 year old Porsche here this one is under warranty.

Furthermore you have the obvious adverse affect on future residuals through non OPC servicing many wouldn't touch a non OPC serviced contemporary Porsche including myself so its not really worth it or the hassle to save a few hundred quid.

Negotiation on the OPC servicing cost is the best policy imo.

[Charlie_1]

av185 said:

Been discussed many times before theoretically it will stay intact but there is far greater wiggle room if a warranty claim arises furthermore depending on the indie theres no guarantee correct parts or oil is used further clouding the issue. Ok theres good and bad OPCs and Indies but we aren't talking about a 10 year old Porsche here this one is under warranty.

Furthermore you have the obvious adverse affect on future residuals through non OPC servicing many wouldn't touch a non OPC serviced contemporary Porsche including myself so its not really worth it or the hassle to save a few hundred quid.

Negotiation on the OPC servicing cost is the best policy imo.

this plus the fact that you/we have bought an expensive thing but want to quibble about the running costs , puzzles me really , at very least some investigation in to them prior to purchase might have been an idea

[Boy0]

Thanks for the replies. Just to round this off I have booked the car into my local OPC who are doing the minor service and brake fluid for £880 and providing a loan car. I would rather stay in the Porsche network for this service for the reasons highlighted in some of the posts in this thread.

[JayK12]

av185 said:

JayK12 said:

But the warranty will stay intact even if it is serviced outside of Porsche, as long as its done to the Porsche schedule.

Those service prices are a joke btw.

Been discussed many times before theoretically it will stay intact but there is far greater wiggle room if a warranty claim arises furthermore depending on the indie theres no guarantee correct parts or oil is used further clouding the issue. Ok theres good and bad OPCs and Indies but we aren't talking about a 10 year old Porsche here this one is under warranty.

Furthermore you have the obvious adverse affect on future residuals through non OPC servicing many wouldn't touch a non OPC serviced contemporary Porsche including myself so its not really worth it or the hassle to save a few hundred quid.

Negotiation on the OPC servicing cost is the best policy imo.

Just going from experience, I've done it with previous Porsches and claimed of the warranty no problem.

[Freakuk]

Supply your own oil will probably save £100, just confirm with the OPC.

Personally if I was in the market for a GT4 I'd want full OPC service history, or a decent difference in purchase price for a non OPC maintained car.

[gordon1955]

Charlie_1 said:

his plus the fact that you/we have bought an expensive thing but want to quibble about the running costs , puzzles me really , at very least some investigation in to them prior to purchase might have been an idea

I bet your st doesn’t stink either, OPC prey on people like you, absolutely rip off prices

[Mick Dastardly]

I’ve got a BGTS on order. After I pick it up, unless there’s a warranty issue it’ll go nowhere near any OPC, but it will be looked after at very reasonable cost and with care and skill by my excellent Indy.

OPCs are great when you’re giving them your money to buy a car, but afterwards? Nah.

[Charlie_1]

gordon1955 said:

Charlie_1 said:

his plus the fact that you/we have bought an expensive thing but want to quibble about the running costs , puzzles me really , at very least some investigation in to them prior to purchase might have been an idea

I bet your st doesn’t stink either, OPC prey on people like you, absolutely rip off prices

Oh dear you seem to have your panties in a bunch to be clear yes Im surprised that spending that much money on car people don't do a bit of research its not hard ,OPC prey on me ? Im more than well aware there are options with regard to servicing but the few hundred I might save will almost certainly get chipped off the cars value so it isnt worth it

[rosino]

That price is ridiculous. They are taking the p1ss because they know they can. I bet you a decent Indy would do a much better job at spotting anything wrong than an OPC ever would anyways.

That said for the sake of a few 100s I guess the default choice of the OPC will win but i still find it idiotic, money is not the issue, just the principle of them overcharging for the sake of it. Especially as my experience with many of them has been less than stellar.

As soon as the issue is non standard they lose it.

[Twinfan]

At the risk of stating the obvious there are both good and bad OPCs and Indys, and I think the constant bashing of OPCs is a little unfair.

The OPC labour rates are what jack the prices up, and they're roughly double an Indy. However, most Indy's don't provide brand new courtesy cars or are required to buy multiple full diagnostic computer systems with the associated infrastructure from Porsche AG for all their technicians. An OPC has everything they need to get to the bottom of the problem and fix it as quickly as possible along with a direct line into the mothership. Routine servicing itself obviously doesn't require any of this, but if they spot something wrong it might. So OPCs are not charging high prices "for the sake of it" - they have to spend a LOT of money to maintain their official OPC status so of course it unfortunately means higher prices than an independent workshop.

There's also the relationship aspect, like it or not. If you buy a car and use non-OPCs for servicing don't be surprised if you enquire about that nice shiny new product coming down the line and are told an allocation is unlikely to be forthcoming...

[Boy0]

Some interesting views in this thread. For the sake of clarity, I wish to use an OPC for the first service as it gives me peace of mind as my Cayman is still within the warranty period. I have an excellent indie who looks after my 987.1 Boxster and who I may well use for the Cayman's major service in two years time. Secondly, this is not my first new Porsche and I was fully aware of servicing costs. I put the post up as I am interested what other people have been quoted for their first service. Lastly, I agree fully with Twinfan's last post.

[jay2000]

Why not ring around different OPC to get a fair price? If it is 100 miles away, that gives you an excuse to give it a brisk run.

[LiamH66]

Like Twinfan, I use a local indy as well as an OPC, depending on what is needed and with which car. The OPC is great for collecting a car and returning it clean and as I would hope. Having the OPC record of anything that might be related to a future warranty claim, or for that matter, work done on recall that needs another look at further down the line, has meant that all "service record" work gets done by the OPC.

The OPC is certainly not cheap, but for me they offer great service, peace of mind, and therefore from my perspective good value. They have been remarkably honest with me, even when it has put them out of pocket for remedial work that they could easily have said was not down to their error. I use both, but for all those reasons I comfortably accept that I pay a premium for the OPC. They, in turn, pay a premium for technician training, standard of premises and equipment, etc.

Given the low depreciation of the cars compared to so many other marques, I think the servicing costs are a pretty small price to pay. Still every 2 years with the newer 6-cyl cars I presume? With my 981 GT4, OPC was still a no-brainer for the 6 year service. Will reconsider for the 8 year service, but it would take some persuasion to have a stamp in the book that wasn't official Porsche.

Liam

[981SPYGANG]

Twinfan said:

At the risk of stating the obvious there are both good and bad OPCs and Indys, and I think the constant bashing of OPCs is a little unfair.

The OPC labour rates are what jack the prices up, and they're roughly double an Indy. However, most Indy's don't provide brand new courtesy cars or are required to buy multiple full diagnostic computer systems with the associated infrastructure from Porsche AG for all their technicians. An OPC has everything they need to get to the bottom of the problem and fix it as quickly as possible along with a direct line into the mothership. Routine servicing itself obviously doesn't require any of this, but if they spot something wrong it might. So OPCs are not charging high prices "for the sake of it" - they have to spend a LOT of money to maintain their official OPC status so of course it unfortunately means higher prices than an independent workshop.

There's also the relationship aspect, like it or not. If you buy a car and use non-OPCs for servicing don't be surprised if you enquire about that nice shiny new product coming down the line and are told an allocation is unlikely to be forthcoming...

Wise words