Service coming - to warranty or not?
Discussion
My Cayman S is coming up for its third service soon (minor service + drive belt change), and I am in two minds as to whether to take out a Porsche extended warranty or not. I could use the advice of the knowledge pool that is PH, and people's experiences with claiming on, and taking out the extended warranty.
Porsche have agreed to carry out the warranty inspection as part of the service so saving the £200 or so inspection fee. This is what has got me thinking about going for it. So, here are my questions:
1) I currently have a third party warranty that I inherited from the previous owner, which expires next year. So far, everything that has needed doing on the car has been classed as wear and tear under their terms so it hasn't paid out on anything (no surprises there). Would the Porsche warranty be the same, or would they have covered the cost of some of the work I've had done so far? Details can be found in the my garage blog of my profile -
http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showServiceHist...
2) Before the doom mongers start, I am aware of the potential engine woes with these cars. I decided to just enjoy my car and not think about it, but I can be a bit of a worrier, and the thought of what happens when my existing warranty expires does play on my mind slightly. Part of me thinks risk it, save the money, get a nice exhaust, and if the worst happens, go the Hartech route. But the other part says that a £4.5k rebuild is just too much and would ruin the experience of owning the car for me. Is that reason enough to part with such a large sum of cash (given that the risk is small) for peace of mind?
3) If the inspection comes up with some issues that I don't agree need doing yet (or I just have a change of heart after the inspection), can I opt out of continuing with the warranty purchase or am I already bound by the agreement at that stage to get all the work done and get the warranty issued? Has anyone done this before?
4) The cost for 2 years of cover is £1580.00 including Porsche Assist, £1305.00 without. Is Porsche assist worth it? The Euro cover sounds useful for my planned Euro trips next year, and over 2 years it's not that much more than RAC with Euro, home start, etc cover. Are people's experiences with it mostly positive or not?
So, opinions please. Get the warranty for peace of mind, or save the cash and take the risk? Obviously going with the warranty rules out the Carnewal GT exhaust I was considering for next year but I can happily live with my standard 'zorst' if the work covered by the warranty saves me money in the long run.
Curious to know what you would all do in this situation.
Sorry for the long post!
Porsche have agreed to carry out the warranty inspection as part of the service so saving the £200 or so inspection fee. This is what has got me thinking about going for it. So, here are my questions:
1) I currently have a third party warranty that I inherited from the previous owner, which expires next year. So far, everything that has needed doing on the car has been classed as wear and tear under their terms so it hasn't paid out on anything (no surprises there). Would the Porsche warranty be the same, or would they have covered the cost of some of the work I've had done so far? Details can be found in the my garage blog of my profile -
http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showServiceHist...
2) Before the doom mongers start, I am aware of the potential engine woes with these cars. I decided to just enjoy my car and not think about it, but I can be a bit of a worrier, and the thought of what happens when my existing warranty expires does play on my mind slightly. Part of me thinks risk it, save the money, get a nice exhaust, and if the worst happens, go the Hartech route. But the other part says that a £4.5k rebuild is just too much and would ruin the experience of owning the car for me. Is that reason enough to part with such a large sum of cash (given that the risk is small) for peace of mind?
3) If the inspection comes up with some issues that I don't agree need doing yet (or I just have a change of heart after the inspection), can I opt out of continuing with the warranty purchase or am I already bound by the agreement at that stage to get all the work done and get the warranty issued? Has anyone done this before?
4) The cost for 2 years of cover is £1580.00 including Porsche Assist, £1305.00 without. Is Porsche assist worth it? The Euro cover sounds useful for my planned Euro trips next year, and over 2 years it's not that much more than RAC with Euro, home start, etc cover. Are people's experiences with it mostly positive or not?
So, opinions please. Get the warranty for peace of mind, or save the cash and take the risk? Obviously going with the warranty rules out the Carnewal GT exhaust I was considering for next year but I can happily live with my standard 'zorst' if the work covered by the warranty saves me money in the long run.
Curious to know what you would all do in this situation.
Sorry for the long post!
Edited by ChipsAndCheese on Tuesday 29th November 10:39
I'd get it personally - if I was keeping the car for a few more years. I chose to buy from an OPC for exactly that reason - i wanted the Porsche warranty. I doubt you'll find it covers any more than the previous warranty EXCEPT the dreaded bore score/IMS/RMS, which some 3rd party warranties may not cover in its entirety (due to a limit on the cost).
View it as an insurance - you'll probably, indeed hopefully, never have to claim, but (very) nice to have it if you have to. And, if you sell the car, would surely make it more appealing, and perhaps worth a little more, as a private sale that it has a transferable Porsche warranty.
View it as an insurance - you'll probably, indeed hopefully, never have to claim, but (very) nice to have it if you have to. And, if you sell the car, would surely make it more appealing, and perhaps worth a little more, as a private sale that it has a transferable Porsche warranty.
ChipsAndCheese said:
2) Before the doom mongers start, I am aware of the potential engine woes with these cars.
In response to your Q2 then I would err on the side of caution and opt for the warranty (assuming the list of fixes needed to get the car up to thier warranty standard are not prohibitive). The 2 year price actually seems quite a good deal. For reference when the IMS failed on my 05 Boxster S it cost my then warranty provider £6.5k just for a rebuild, a new engine would be more. These are seriously painful sums of money to absorb so the warranty gets my vote every time.Alternatively you might want to consider the various other alternative servicing / warranty deals provided by some of the independents like Hartech and others which may offer better value, there is a sticky link on this forum listing providers.
I'm definitely the other side of the fence on this one.
What's the warranty cost from Porsche? Somewhere between £1-2k I expect. What's the failure rate on engines per year? There could be a long list of replies on that one but lets assume it's no more than 10% for the sake of arguments.
One option above gives you a 100% chance of paying £1-2k per year. The other gives you a 10% chance of paying £4.5k once*. I'm more into stats than gambling, but I'd take those odds any day of the week.
What's the warranty cost from Porsche? Somewhere between £1-2k I expect. What's the failure rate on engines per year? There could be a long list of replies on that one but lets assume it's no more than 10% for the sake of arguments.
One option above gives you a 100% chance of paying £1-2k per year. The other gives you a 10% chance of paying £4.5k once*. I'm more into stats than gambling, but I'd take those odds any day of the week.
- assuming of course nothing else goes wrong that would be covered by the warranty.
UVB said:
I'm definitely the other side of the fence on this one.
What's the warranty cost from Porsche? Somewhere between £1-2k I expect. What's the failure rate on engines per year? There could be a long list of replies on that one but lets assume it's no more than 10% for the sake of arguments.
One option above gives you a 100% chance of paying £1-2k per year. The other gives you a 10% chance of paying £4.5k once*. I'm more into stats than gambling, but I'd take those odds any day of the week.
Not sure where you get £2k from.What's the warranty cost from Porsche? Somewhere between £1-2k I expect. What's the failure rate on engines per year? There could be a long list of replies on that one but lets assume it's no more than 10% for the sake of arguments.
One option above gives you a 100% chance of paying £1-2k per year. The other gives you a 10% chance of paying £4.5k once*. I'm more into stats than gambling, but I'd take those odds any day of the week.
- assuming of course nothing else goes wrong that would be covered by the warranty.
Warranty Cost is around £900, including the 111 check. Which you may be able to get included in a service.
Something else worth bearing in mind is that the Porsche warranty is transferrable on a private sale, so it will add commensurate value to the vehicle come resale. It also shows that the car passed an inspection to get it (although the 111-point one isn't as extensive as others).
As for what they would replace - the Porsche warranty also excludes wear and tear items but my gut feeling is that you would've had your track rods & alignment done on Porsche warranty, and the cracked coilpacks. You could always ask your local OPC if it would've been covered.
If you're doing Euro trips then I'd definitely get Porsche Assist. I got it even though I've not made any specific plans to go to Europe. I consider it as part of the "peace of mind" package that means I don't have to worry about any aspect of the car breaking down.
Oh, and if there are any problems on the inspection you are not obligated to get that work done but they will obviously not give you a warranty until you do.
Lastly - if you want more audible porn from your car, get a PSE. It is fantastic and completely transforms how the car sounds.
As for what they would replace - the Porsche warranty also excludes wear and tear items but my gut feeling is that you would've had your track rods & alignment done on Porsche warranty, and the cracked coilpacks. You could always ask your local OPC if it would've been covered.
If you're doing Euro trips then I'd definitely get Porsche Assist. I got it even though I've not made any specific plans to go to Europe. I consider it as part of the "peace of mind" package that means I don't have to worry about any aspect of the car breaking down.
Oh, and if there are any problems on the inspection you are not obligated to get that work done but they will obviously not give you a warranty until you do.
Lastly - if you want more audible porn from your car, get a PSE. It is fantastic and completely transforms how the car sounds.
Edited by Durzel on Tuesday 29th November 11:16
For what it's worth i think porsche are very smart when it comes to having your pants down, and much of that is based on the fear factor they sow in people heads, not to mention the forum factor as well.
Fact is the warranty is not cheap, but this leads on to you having to use the OPC network for all your services/repairs/parts/tyres and so on, again not cheap and frankly not always good service either.
By the time you have put the warranty on the car, paid for them to service it, rip you off for discs and pads as they often do, and a bit of extra your knocking on the door of 2k a year.
Go for the Hartech plan, or find a good indy to look after it and keep your money in your pocket until it's needed or not.
As i understand it the OPC target a certain spend per unit on modern car's so i have been informed, this is based on model/year/miles etc. They want to send you away with a nice bill after your visit make no mistake about that. Was everything needed ? You decide!
Fact is the warranty is not cheap, but this leads on to you having to use the OPC network for all your services/repairs/parts/tyres and so on, again not cheap and frankly not always good service either.
By the time you have put the warranty on the car, paid for them to service it, rip you off for discs and pads as they often do, and a bit of extra your knocking on the door of 2k a year.
Go for the Hartech plan, or find a good indy to look after it and keep your money in your pocket until it's needed or not.
As i understand it the OPC target a certain spend per unit on modern car's so i have been informed, this is based on model/year/miles etc. They want to send you away with a nice bill after your visit make no mistake about that. Was everything needed ? You decide!
Depends on your appetite for risk and how catastrophic to your life a large bill would be.
For me, i wouldnt buy, and dont buy warranties. I would rather hedge the risk myself by mentally saving money every year i am not faced with a catastrophic imploding porsche.
But everyone is different, in honesty i think its only a question you can answer, and if your boarderline, its probably not a bad call to get it so you can relax and enjoy the car.
For me, i wouldnt buy, and dont buy warranties. I would rather hedge the risk myself by mentally saving money every year i am not faced with a catastrophic imploding porsche.
But everyone is different, in honesty i think its only a question you can answer, and if your boarderline, its probably not a bad call to get it so you can relax and enjoy the car.
Edited by gibbon on Tuesday 29th November 12:12
I've just put 2 years warranty on mine with the check and a few required items it has cost me about 3k in my mind it's money well spent. I now have total piece of mind and my plan is to sell on with 6 months remaining so should see some return. And my local opc (bristol) have been excellent.
Bill Stein said:
Fact is the warranty is not cheap, but this leads on to you having to use the OPC network for all your services/repairs/parts/tyres and so on, again not cheap and frankly not always good service either.
I did check with the OPC on this, and they said I could still use specialists for maintenance work providing I get a Porsche invoice from them, basically showing that they ordered the parts through Porsche.Bill Stein said:
Go for the Hartech plan
Unfortunately Hartech's location rules them out for me. Come on Baz, when are you going to open a branch in the south? 
Bill Stein said:
Fact is the warranty is not cheap, but this leads on to you having to use the OPC network for all your services/repairs/parts/tyres and so on, again not cheap and frankly not always good service either.
This was changed (in 2010 iirc) to be so that you had to use Porsche-approved parts. You don't have to use an OPC to maintain warranty (extended or original) status.FWIW I had a minor oil leak and worn steering knuckle joint (squeaky when turning left at low speeds) shortly after purchasing my used 08 Cayman S. Both minor things really but when including labour etc ended up being in the region of £600 to fix. I was informed both would've been covered by a Porsche warranty.
Durzel said:
This was changed (in 2010 iirc) to be so that you had to use Porsche-approved parts. You don't have to use an OPC to maintain warranty (extended or original) status.
I reckon if you pull up with an item needing warranty work that is borderline whether it is wear and tear or not and have had your car serviced by Bill's Autos then you will be getting a bill from Porsche for the work, OTOH, if you have a relationship with your local OPC then I think they would be more accommodating.gibbon said:
Depends on your appetite for risk and how catastrophic to your life a large bill would be.
For me, i wouldnt buy, and dont buy warranties. I would rather hedge the risk myself by mentally saving money every year i am not faced with a catastrophic imploding porsche.
But everyone is different, in honesty i think its only a question you can answer, and if your boarderline, its probably not a bad call to get it so you can relax and enjoy the car.
thisFor me, i wouldnt buy, and dont buy warranties. I would rather hedge the risk myself by mentally saving money every year i am not faced with a catastrophic imploding porsche.
But everyone is different, in honesty i think its only a question you can answer, and if your boarderline, its probably not a bad call to get it so you can relax and enjoy the car.
Edited by gibbon on Tuesday 29th November 12:12
ChipsAndCheese said:
Thanks for all of the replies. It's helpful to hear the range of opinions. I am still in two minds (mainly because part of me really wants that Carnewal exhaust!) so I'll give it some more thought and come to a decision one way or another.
Can't you get the exhaust put on, then go for the warranty?And have the exhaust excluded...
Xstyle said:
Can't you get the exhaust put on, then go for the warranty?
And have the exhaust excluded...
I don't think it works like that. If there are any non-standard parts I don't think they will approve the warranty, even if it isn't covered. Looking at the booklet they sent through, the exhaust is excluded as it 'can be affected by wear and tear' yet they said on the phone that changing it would still invalidate the warranty.And have the exhaust excluded...
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