Service and Oil
Discussion
Using the OPC to keep the warranty and resale. Once that expires, it is Indy all the way.
For the future reference of others, I agreed £420 with the OPC inc oil etc. and a fun courtesy car for the day.
Noone ever got rich giving their money away!
For the future reference of others, I agreed £420 with the OPC inc oil etc. and a fun courtesy car for the day.
Noone ever got rich giving their money away!
Edited by HappyBoxster on Tuesday 9th December 09:43
Edited by HappyBoxster on Tuesday 9th December 10:01
Edited by HappyBoxster on Tuesday 9th December 10:01
For OP's reference, I just had a minor service done. Supplied my own oil (like I always do - just under £60 from Costco), which brought the quoted price down by £120, so half the price, and that's for 10 litres rather than the 7-8 the OPC put in.
For those that think it's wrong to take your own oil, that's fine, don't do it. But IMO a £60 saving for the same product is worth having, and you can still negotiate other savings as well. My PCGB membership 10% discount was not affected by me supplying my own oil, so my quote was brought down to £312 instead of the fixed price £480. Still pricey for what a minor service involves, but offset slightly for me by not having to pay the inspection fee for my warranty renewal, as OPCs will do that free if having a service done.
Worth pointing out that some OPCs will not allow you to provide your own oil, while others (Hatfield) will now try to lump you with a £54 oil disposal fee if you do. OPC Leicester are still excellent and have no issues with you bringing your own.
For those that think it's wrong to take your own oil, that's fine, don't do it. But IMO a £60 saving for the same product is worth having, and you can still negotiate other savings as well. My PCGB membership 10% discount was not affected by me supplying my own oil, so my quote was brought down to £312 instead of the fixed price £480. Still pricey for what a minor service involves, but offset slightly for me by not having to pay the inspection fee for my warranty renewal, as OPCs will do that free if having a service done.
Worth pointing out that some OPCs will not allow you to provide your own oil, while others (Hatfield) will now try to lump you with a £54 oil disposal fee if you do. OPC Leicester are still excellent and have no issues with you bringing your own.
Shaoxter said:
So you suggest just bending over and taking the 100% markup they charge on the oil/filters? It's by far the most sensible thing to do if you want an OPC stamp in the book.Life is too short and the saving not worth the hassle (or being thought of as a tightwad).
But each to their own
PS And it was my OPC I would defintely charge you for disposing of your old oil. Welcome to the circle of Scrooge.
Edited by drmark on Tuesday 9th December 22:24
Patrick Bateman said:
Hassle? Is it really a hassle to order something online and have it delivered?
No. But it takes time to buy the oil and the filter online. And you have to be in for delivery, or drive to collect. And you have to put them in the car. And you have to explain to the service manager what you want done and why. And I would find that embarrassing - a bit like takng my own tonic to the pub - they charge premiums for a reason. Worth £60 every couple of years? Not for me, but each to their own.
drmark said:
Patrick Bateman said:
Hassle? Is it really a hassle to order something online and have it delivered?
No. But it takes time to buy the oil and the filter online. And you have to be in for delivery, or drive to collect. And you have to put them in the car. And you have to explain to the service manager what you want done and why. And I would find that embarrassing - a bit like takng my own tonic to the pub - they charge premiums for a reason. Worth £60 every couple of years? Not for me, but each to their own.
I've brought my own oil to Porsche and BMW dealers, never had any problems or weird questions. Another benefit is that you know what oil goes into your car, the service monkeys have been known to put the wrong oil in a car. But if the extra £100 (it's not £60, these cars usually take a lot of oil) is worth it to you to make you feel better and less insecure then good for you
It's not worth falling out over. The way I see it, it is a win/win
A) Those who want to pay full whack for the convience get to do so
B) Those who want to get spend a bit of time to obtain a discount get to do so
Without A) it would be harder for B) because overall profit margins would not be the same.
A) Those who want to pay full whack for the convience get to do so
B) Those who want to get spend a bit of time to obtain a discount get to do so
Without A) it would be harder for B) because overall profit margins would not be the same.
Edited by HappyBoxster on Wednesday 10th December 09:59
Shaoxter said:
I'm curious - do you buy all your stuff in physical shops rather than online because the "hassle" of delivery is not worth it?
I've brought my own oil to Porsche and BMW dealers, never had any problems or weird questions. Another benefit is that you know what oil goes into your car, the service monkeys have been known to put the wrong oil in a car. But if the extra £100 (it's not £60, these cars usually take a lot of oil) is worth it to you to make you feel better and less insecure then good for you
I consider it well worth it. But, for the third time, each to their own. Let's leave it there.I've brought my own oil to Porsche and BMW dealers, never had any problems or weird questions. Another benefit is that you know what oil goes into your car, the service monkeys have been known to put the wrong oil in a car. But if the extra £100 (it's not £60, these cars usually take a lot of oil) is worth it to you to make you feel better and less insecure then good for you
Edited to add: As for shopping, I do most of it online. But I don't need to buy oil and filters because OPC supply them for me. And I regard doing so as hassle. Perhaps I work too hard (I have to to pay my huge OPC bills).
Edited by drmark on Wednesday 10th December 09:30
Edited by drmark on Wednesday 10th December 09:31
I agree, it's really not worth starting an argument over, but that seems to be where all threads on here end up lately!
I'm not wishing to extend the debate further, just clarify my own circumstances. There really is no inconvenience for me in providing my own oil. I shop at Costco anyway (for the awesome Steaks
and other bulk purchases), so if I know I have a service coming up, I'll just chuck a couple of bottles of oil in the trolley. It's not like I have to go out of my way to buy it. I don't order my own filters as I'd use genuine Porsche parts anyway and the prices probably wouldn't vary much. Besides, that is something I'd have to make an extra effort to get hold of.
If Costco stopped stocking the oil, then maybe I'd stop bringing my own and just push them more on price. But for me it is more hassle to drive a hard negotiation than to just take along my oil!
My preferred OPC (Leicester) have no issue with it. It has no impact on the quality of service I receive, and I'd not gain anything by using their oil, so I just don't see the point. I know that £60 isn't a life changing sum given the service intervals, but I just don't see the point in wasting that money for no reason. The price for what a minor service entails is high anyway (even after oil + discounts), so the OPC likely still makes a large chunk on the job. With the oil and PCGB discount, I got a 35% discount on the fixed service price (plus the warranty renewal inspection FOC), and the OPC didn't bat an eyelid or put up any resistance, so they were clearly not worried about the impact that would have on their profits!
IMO, if the only argument for not providing your own oil is that you don't want to look cheap/tight, then that is just plain silly. I can assure you that OPC Leicester will not consider you such and will not lower their excellent level of service in the slightest. But if it is a matter of convenience, then carry on. For many the convenience is worth the extra, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I'm not wishing to extend the debate further, just clarify my own circumstances. There really is no inconvenience for me in providing my own oil. I shop at Costco anyway (for the awesome Steaks
and other bulk purchases), so if I know I have a service coming up, I'll just chuck a couple of bottles of oil in the trolley. It's not like I have to go out of my way to buy it. I don't order my own filters as I'd use genuine Porsche parts anyway and the prices probably wouldn't vary much. Besides, that is something I'd have to make an extra effort to get hold of.If Costco stopped stocking the oil, then maybe I'd stop bringing my own and just push them more on price. But for me it is more hassle to drive a hard negotiation than to just take along my oil!
My preferred OPC (Leicester) have no issue with it. It has no impact on the quality of service I receive, and I'd not gain anything by using their oil, so I just don't see the point. I know that £60 isn't a life changing sum given the service intervals, but I just don't see the point in wasting that money for no reason. The price for what a minor service entails is high anyway (even after oil + discounts), so the OPC likely still makes a large chunk on the job. With the oil and PCGB discount, I got a 35% discount on the fixed service price (plus the warranty renewal inspection FOC), and the OPC didn't bat an eyelid or put up any resistance, so they were clearly not worried about the impact that would have on their profits!
IMO, if the only argument for not providing your own oil is that you don't want to look cheap/tight, then that is just plain silly. I can assure you that OPC Leicester will not consider you such and will not lower their excellent level of service in the slightest. But if it is a matter of convenience, then carry on. For many the convenience is worth the extra, and there's nothing wrong with that.
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