Major Service - Cayman S

[Actus Reus]

My 08 Cayman S is due it's first major service in about a month's time, so I've emailed a couple of local OPCs to see what their current menu looks like - I was expecting around £800 or maybe £900, but OPC East London have come back (in fairness within half an hour of the enquiry):

Major Service £610
Emission Control Service £40
Brake Fluid Change £150
Replace Spark Plugs £150
Check Drive Belt £55
Replace Tyre Sealant £43

Grand Total £1048 inc parts, labour and VAT.

So - is that reasonable? I know I could use an Indie, and PSR are literally two miles from home, but that would invalidate my warranty, wouldn't it?

I'm waiting for other prices to come in, and I know I can try shaving some cash off, but thought I'd ask here in case anybody else has experience of doing this, or any other tips.

[Soovy]

Sounds pretty good to me.

You could shave off £80 by buying your own Mobil 1

[Actus Reus]

Yeah, I recall reading about the Mobil 1 purchase - I'm a member at Costco so might do that.

Silverstone OPC got back in touch seconds later - 18 quid cheaper, but would be convenient as they can do the work whilst I'm at the Experience Centre for a few hours... IIRC Silverstone OPC have a fairly solid reputation?

[SFO]

EL have quoted you standard prices ...

[Actus Reus]

So it's starting to seem - can people normally give these a haircut, or is that as good as it gets?

As I said, I'd rather use an Indie, but think I'm hamstrung on this one. *mutters about cost of servicing first car in 1996, IMS and the Nazis*

[993AL]

It depends when you took the extended warranty out, the latest warranty allows you to use an indie as long as genuine Porsche parts are used.

If you're sticking with OPC for servicing, use the £1048 as your starting point to negotiate the price down with other OPC's.

[Trev450]

Depending on your mileage, be prepared for the old "your discs and pads are in need of replacement sir". I would also recommend having the aux drive belt changed instead of 'inspected'.

[nickfrog]

My indy charges £50 to change the belt. It's a cheap part and very quick job, the biggest hassle seems to be removing the Bose shelf.

£50 for the brake fluid change too, 2 guys, 15 minutes tops.

Wrightune would charge £600 inc VAT for that lot.

But obviously you need to be sure about warranty implications.

Edited by nickfrog on Monday 14th November 17:03

[mrdemon]

I paid £800 for that lot.

you can get that price down loads imo, that's all RRP and a bit silly

£150 brake fluid change !!!!
£43 tyre sealent !!!!
£55 belt check !!!!!

and what is a "Emission Control Service £40"

that all must be part of the £600 service

[ChipsAndCheese]

Worth noting that some OPCs don't charge for the drive belt check. Both Cambridge and Leicester said to me that as they are already poking around there they do it free of charge.

You might be able to haggle that bit off the service cost at other OPCs. Certainly worth a try as I think it is ridiculous that they charge that amount just for checking it.

[thegoose]

Actus Reus said:

Major Service £610
Emission Control Service £40
Brake Fluid Change £150
Replace Spark Plugs £150
Check Drive Belt £55
Replace Tyre Sealant £43

Grand Total £1048 inc parts, labour and VAT.

Those prices reflect the cost of the individual jobs, whereas doing them all at once saves loads of time - looking at the drive belt when you're in there anyway takes seconds (as opposed to having to remove engine cover etc especially), likewise spark plugs are easier when the engine has been accessed anyway, and brake fluid change is much quicker with the wheels off (such as they'll be for the service). I would think there's £100-£200 genuine saving to be made just from the reduced time of the jobs being done simultaneously, and you could then bargain for a bit more from an OPC keen to get the job. I would think the tyre sealant will last a bit longer too.

Edited by thegoose on Tuesday 15th November 01:20

[Durzel]

I've previously had 10% discount at my local OPC just by asking for it (can't remember whether it's just off parts or labour but either way it's a saving for next to no effort).

Email a few different OPCs and play them off against eachother.

[khushy]

pretend your a PCGB member and ask for your royalty-status-discount - that should shave about 10% off the parts and they NEVER check your membership!

khushy

[Zp]

Do southern OPC's load their costs slightly due to where they are? (i.e London)

If you don't mind a day out try someone further north, like Leicester?

[Actus Reus]

Thanks for the advice all - especially those that mailed me 'off forum'. Sadly a day out isn't on the cards as I'm just too busy. I'm going to play a few OPCs off against each other and see what I can do - I'll report back once I've settled on one. So far Silverstone and East London are near enough identical, and Hatfield want to speak on the phone, so will call me tomorrow.

Thanks again guys.

[spyderman8]

So long as you give them enough notice, Silverstone will give you a loaner for free, so it won't matter how long they take to do the service - the longer the better, perhaps!

[pete.g]

I paid £620 all in for the 4 year major service (done at 26k miles), brake fluid and spark plugs in July 2010.

The menu price for the work was over £900, they quoted after 1 phone call and a polite enquiry.

On the itemised bill the brake fluid is listed as £15 plus vat, the spark plugs as £97.83 plus vat for plugs and fitting.

The biggest costs were £225 plus vat for labour and £117 plus vat for Mobil 1.

[Rotty]

I normally ask for 20-25% off of the menu pricing, OPC always agreed straight away, maybe I should as for more

[juansolo]

Playing them off against an Indy, I got the local OPC down to £500 for a major inc MOT. They came down remarkably easily...

[cpufreak]

Reading will come and pick up your car, service and drop it back.

They'll be reasonable too.

I dont know why people in the south take their cars to other dealerships tbh.