OPC versus the Indy
Discussion
Hi,
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Same story for me too. The quality of service from my local OPC was disappointing. Issues never fully resolved (just bring it in again sir) brakes/pads need replacing prematurely etc etc. The requirement to change to the new approved warranty was the final nail in the coffin for me. (I should say my experience of another OPC a bit further away where I renewed the original warranty was better).
Mike has looked after my car for the past two years (twice the service for less cost). Genuine advice and useful suggestions when needed.
We're lucky to have some very good independents (the usual suspects on here) to make up for what appears to be a 'replace it and hang the cost' (even if it doesn't quite solve the issue) approach to servicing from some of the OPCs.
Mike has looked after my car for the past two years (twice the service for less cost). Genuine advice and useful suggestions when needed.
We're lucky to have some very good independents (the usual suspects on here) to make up for what appears to be a 'replace it and hang the cost' (even if it doesn't quite solve the issue) approach to servicing from some of the OPCs.
Edited by ADM777 on Saturday 7th January 14:40
Edited by ADM777 on Saturday 7th January 14:41
RudeDog said:
Hi,
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Helicopter123 said:
RudeDog said:
Hi,
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Helicopter123 said:
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.
If the cat did need replacing at £1,320 then I would be inclined to agree with you however my point was that the OPC didn't have a clue what they were doing and a couple of turns with a spanner solved the problem.RudeDog said:
Helicopter123 said:
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.
If the cat did need replacing at £1,320 then I would be inclined to agree with you however my point was that the OPC didn't have a clue what they were doing and a couple of turns with a spanner solved the problem.nickfrog said:
RudeDog said:
Helicopter123 said:
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.
If the cat did need replacing at £1,320 then I would be inclined to agree with you however my point was that the OPC didn't have a clue what they were doing and a couple of turns with a spanner solved the problem.[quote=Callughan]You get some good guys such as Pope but on the whole OPC's have declined especially now with VW involved you are customer 11297688
[footnote]Edited by Callughan on Saturday 7th January 17:47[/
I don't think VW will make things worse, in fact if OPCs were like VW centres, I doubt they'd get so much criticism.
My VW I take to the main dealer. My BMW and 911 to independents.
[footnote]Edited by Callughan on Saturday 7th January 17:47[/
I don't think VW will make things worse, in fact if OPCs were like VW centres, I doubt they'd get so much criticism.
My VW I take to the main dealer. My BMW and 911 to independents.
Seriously, some of you boys should f
k your OPC's off and use Leicester if the service you are getting is really that bad. A mate of mine has his 930 turbo in there as we speak. It simply wasn't 'running right'. Leicester diagnosed it to some part, something to do with a screw/bolt in it which had seized. Options were - replace part (at over £1k for part alone) or leave the car with them for a few days, let them soak the part in oil, and see if this does the trick. It worked. He also had some kind of service, set-up, full check over etc etc
Cost? A tad over £400 with labour at indy rates. Could of been MUCH more. And he would of payed it. Not all OPC's are the same.
k your OPC's off and use Leicester if the service you are getting is really that bad. A mate of mine has his 930 turbo in there as we speak. It simply wasn't 'running right'. Leicester diagnosed it to some part, something to do with a screw/bolt in it which had seized. Options were - replace part (at over £1k for part alone) or leave the car with them for a few days, let them soak the part in oil, and see if this does the trick. It worked. He also had some kind of service, set-up, full check over etc etcCost? A tad over £400 with labour at indy rates. Could of been MUCH more. And he would of payed it. Not all OPC's are the same.
DSM2 said:
Callughan said:
You get some good guys such as Pope but on the whole OPC's have declined especially now with VW involved you are customer 11297688
[footnote]Edited by Callughan on Saturday 7th January 17:47[/
I don't think VW will make things worse, in fact if OPCs were like VW centres, I doubt they'd get so much criticism.
My VW I take to the main dealer. My BMW and 911 to independents.
Just basing on my experience of VW influence at Porsche West London, where they have lost half their staff and many customers as a result.[footnote]Edited by Callughan on Saturday 7th January 17:47[/
I don't think VW will make things worse, in fact if OPCs were like VW centres, I doubt they'd get so much criticism.
My VW I take to the main dealer. My BMW and 911 to independents.
Helicopter123 said:
RudeDog said:
Hi,
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
MTR
mollytherocker said:
Helicopter123 said:
RudeDog said:
Hi,
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
MTR
Point is, with the warranty, no need to worry about the cost of any work. If they want to replace something then its their cost, not yours.
Helicopter123 said:
mollytherocker said:
Helicopter123 said:
RudeDog said:
Hi,
I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
Equally, costs like that for a quite small piece or work (assuming its required...) show the real value in maintaining the Porsche Warranty.I just wanted to share a recent story and publicly thank an independent Porsche Specialist for saving me a considerable amount of money.
Last time my car was in with my local OPC, I asked them to diagnose what was causing a vibrating or rattling noise coming from what I assumed was the exhaust area. I thought it sounded a bit like some cars do when they have a loose heatshield. Sure enough, the OPC was happy to take a look at it. They drove the car a short distance, confirmed they could hear the noise I had described and got it up in the air so that they look look underneath. After whacking a few parts of the exhaust with his fist, the OPC's mechanic diagnosed the problem as one of the pre-cats which he said must have some loose material inside it. He quoted me £900 for the new cat and 2 hours of labour to change it, plus VAT (£1,320 in total).
The car isn't covered by a warranty so I decided not to book the job straight away and consider my options (aftermarket exhausts, etc).
Yesterday I took the car to Mike at Sports and Classic in Knutsford, who kindly agreed to have a look at it for me. He went through the same process, quick drive to hear the noise and car in the air to look underneath. After a bit more exhaust whacking, a tighten up of the Oxygen sensors and Lambda sensors on the pre-cats and the car was as good as new. Mike didn't even want to take any money off me until I insisted that he at least let me give him some beer money for his time and expertise. Thanks very much for a great job Mike and for the £1,300 you saved me!
What I learned yesterday is that if a mechanic is really any good, they will have their own workshop! I for one won't be bothering with OPC's for any future maintenance/servicing work.
MTR
Point is, with the warranty, no need to worry about the cost of any work. If they want to replace something then its their cost, not yours.
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