Would you buy a Porsche from someone who serviced it himself
Discussion
I've been debating with people online (mostly Americans) who are adamant that it is better to service your own Porsche rather than take it to a specialist.
They believe that:
-Any work can be done in your garage simply by following a Youtube tutorial
-A specialist who works on these cars everyday is just as likely to make a mistake as a home mechanic, there's no reason to believe a Porsche specialist would perform better work
-It is better to buy from someone who worked on their own car because it shows pride in the vehicle
I personally would not touch a car without full service history, otherwise there is no way to know if routine maintenance was carried out on schedule.
The American attitude towards cars really baffles me.
They believe that:
-Any work can be done in your garage simply by following a Youtube tutorial
-A specialist who works on these cars everyday is just as likely to make a mistake as a home mechanic, there's no reason to believe a Porsche specialist would perform better work
-It is better to buy from someone who worked on their own car because it shows pride in the vehicle
I personally would not touch a car without full service history, otherwise there is no way to know if routine maintenance was carried out on schedule.
The American attitude towards cars really baffles me.
DarkVeil said:
I personally would not touch a car without full service history, otherwise there is no way to know if routine maintenance was carried out on schedule.
So you think that because a car has full service history, it has been maintained correctly? There are enough stories on this very forum to suggest the opposite. I have a few of my own, granted not Porsche related. I have put my trust in various garages and that trust has been broken. I now tend to try and do most of the work myself thus knowing exactly what has been done, and how. If the car in question has a ton of paperwork and receipts to show the money has been spent and the car looks and drives as such, then I would suggest its worth considering.
I am not saying that all garages cannot be trusted (I have actually found a couple), just that a FSH isn't a solid guarantee for quality, thorough maintenance.
DarkVeil said:
The American attitude towards cars really baffles me.
Lots of people self-service their cars. I've often wondered though if in % terms the US self-servicing is the same as other markets, just in '000s there might be more of them.Modding sports & supercars is also prevalent in the US. Completely different to Europe which insists on OEM.
Don't forget there could be lots of Porsche owners that have to drive a long way to get to their dealer, or others are dealing with harsher climates and want an oil change more frequently than the manufacture states.
To each their own. I know lots of people that self-service in the UK.
Hoofy said:
Also makes me wonder, could I claim that it's been fully services by myself even if I haven't serviced the car in 3 years? #bangernomics 
Of course, but the reverse is also true. There are examples of people of this Porsche forum that have paid for a full service with invoice for X Y and Z only to shortly after find Z hasn't been changed at all.I remember one chap that was billed for replacement plugs on his 911, but turned out they hadn't been changed at all. The garage claimed it was just a mistake.
Lincsls1 said:
Of course, but the reverse is also true. There are examples of people of this Porsche forum that have paid for a full service with invoice for X Y and Z only to shortly after find Z hasn't been changed at all.
I remember one chap that was billed for replacement plugs on his 911, but turned out they hadn't been changed at all. The garage claimed it was just a mistake.
Do you recall which garage it was? Was it a well known specialist?I remember one chap that was billed for replacement plugs on his 911, but turned out they hadn't been changed at all. The garage claimed it was just a mistake.
DarkVeil said:
No, but a car lacking a service history is a big red flag.
I do agree, but I guess it depends on your definition of service history.My Monaro for example had a 'FSH' up till when I bought it 5 years ago, but next to no paperwork or invoices. Since then its only had one official specialist service, but it now has a folder 2 inches thick with invoices and receipts totalling £ thousands.
Factor in it can be physically seen by looking at the condition of the car, is this not classed as a service history?
A 997 is an easy diy to work on if you have the correct tools (save for the number corroded fasteners there will be).
My wife's for example would be easy to spot imo as a well looked after car compared to one which simply came with a lot of service stamps. I could show you how I replaced heat shields that were showing signs of corrosion, how I've replaced manifold fasteners with stainless ones, how I've fitted stone guards out of sight to protect the rads etc. If I've bothered to do this and can show you receipts for the correct gearbox oil, engine oil, final drive oil, filters, belts etc then it's probably a better bet than one which has been to a garage who may or may not have actually done what they billed for.
Plus you need to judge the individual who claims to have done the jobs, a four post lift and £10k of Snap On tools is more convincing than a socket set from the middle of Lidl and a Halfords trolley jack.
My wife's for example would be easy to spot imo as a well looked after car compared to one which simply came with a lot of service stamps. I could show you how I replaced heat shields that were showing signs of corrosion, how I've replaced manifold fasteners with stainless ones, how I've fitted stone guards out of sight to protect the rads etc. If I've bothered to do this and can show you receipts for the correct gearbox oil, engine oil, final drive oil, filters, belts etc then it's probably a better bet than one which has been to a garage who may or may not have actually done what they billed for.
Plus you need to judge the individual who claims to have done the jobs, a four post lift and £10k of Snap On tools is more convincing than a socket set from the middle of Lidl and a Halfords trolley jack.
DarkVeil said:
Do you recall which garage it was? Was it a well known specialist?
No sorry, I don't. I'm not in Porsche circles, but do like to browse many threads that catch my interest and that one obviously did, but not having a Porsche mean't not paying too much attention to that detail. Actually, I remember the usual can't name and shame stance. But it was a specialist, not a regular any make and model garage.
1690cc said:
A 997 is an easy diy to work on if you have the correct tools (save for the number corroded fasteners there will be).
My wife's for example would be easy to spot imo as a well looked after car compared to one which simply came with a lot of service stamps. I could show you how I replaced heat shields that were showing signs of corrosion, how I've replaced manifold fasteners with stainless ones, how I've fitted stone guards out of sight to protect the rads etc. If I've bothered to do this and can show you receipts for the correct gearbox oil, engine oil, final drive oil, filters, belts etc then it's probably a better bet than one which has been to a garage who may or may not have actually done what they billed for.
Plus you need to judge the individual who claims to have done the jobs, a four post lift and £10k of Snap On tools is more convincing than a socket set from the middle of Lidl and a Halfords trolley jack.
This, in a nutshell really.My wife's for example would be easy to spot imo as a well looked after car compared to one which simply came with a lot of service stamps. I could show you how I replaced heat shields that were showing signs of corrosion, how I've replaced manifold fasteners with stainless ones, how I've fitted stone guards out of sight to protect the rads etc. If I've bothered to do this and can show you receipts for the correct gearbox oil, engine oil, final drive oil, filters, belts etc then it's probably a better bet than one which has been to a garage who may or may not have actually done what they billed for.
Plus you need to judge the individual who claims to have done the jobs, a four post lift and £10k of Snap On tools is more convincing than a socket set from the middle of Lidl and a Halfords trolley jack.
Lincsls1 said:
1690cc said:
A 997 is an easy diy to work on if you have the correct tools (save for the number corroded fasteners there will be).
My wife's for example would be easy to spot imo as a well looked after car compared to one which simply came with a lot of service stamps. I could show you how I replaced heat shields that were showing signs of corrosion, how I've replaced manifold fasteners with stainless ones, how I've fitted stone guards out of sight to protect the rads etc. If I've bothered to do this and can show you receipts for the correct gearbox oil, engine oil, final drive oil, filters, belts etc then it's probably a better bet than one which has been to a garage who may or may not have actually done what they billed for.
Plus you need to judge the individual who claims to have done the jobs, a four post lift and £10k of Snap On tools is more convincing than a socket set from the middle of Lidl and a Halfords trolley jack.
This, in a nutshell really.My wife's for example would be easy to spot imo as a well looked after car compared to one which simply came with a lot of service stamps. I could show you how I replaced heat shields that were showing signs of corrosion, how I've replaced manifold fasteners with stainless ones, how I've fitted stone guards out of sight to protect the rads etc. If I've bothered to do this and can show you receipts for the correct gearbox oil, engine oil, final drive oil, filters, belts etc then it's probably a better bet than one which has been to a garage who may or may not have actually done what they billed for.
Plus you need to judge the individual who claims to have done the jobs, a four post lift and £10k of Snap On tools is more convincing than a socket set from the middle of Lidl and a Halfords trolley jack.
Often wondered why used cars from a dealer rarely come with any history file, receipts etc…plenty of stamps…but when someone hands a car over with all those bits and pieces there, bulbs, batteries, wiper blades, oil top ups etc, that tells you a lot about the previous owner.
The obsession with dealer service in the UK is something you are being taken advantage by. You can’t get a Porsche extended warranty if you have the wrong tyres on.
It BS. I’m the US Porsche will honor a written of car’s warranty if the accident damage didn’t impact the cause for warranty claim.
I changed the brakes on my 2013 Cayenne GTS in 2016 for two reasons. One, Porsche wanted $5k and two the parts I replaced them with were better than OEM. My car has been back to Porsche many times for both service and maintenance work. The dealer want my car as an excellent example.
I would say, in the US, if the owner has full dealer service history then it’s likely not enthusiast owned. My car is driven as it should be. That means that it has never been over 3k revs when cold. It also means I knew to get the transfer case replaced under warranty without symptoms. A full main dealer car probably would not have had that because, in my experience, Porsche are not proactively saying “you need us to do a $5k job at our expense”.
It BS. I’m the US Porsche will honor a written of car’s warranty if the accident damage didn’t impact the cause for warranty claim.
I changed the brakes on my 2013 Cayenne GTS in 2016 for two reasons. One, Porsche wanted $5k and two the parts I replaced them with were better than OEM. My car has been back to Porsche many times for both service and maintenance work. The dealer want my car as an excellent example.
I would say, in the US, if the owner has full dealer service history then it’s likely not enthusiast owned. My car is driven as it should be. That means that it has never been over 3k revs when cold. It also means I knew to get the transfer case replaced under warranty without symptoms. A full main dealer car probably would not have had that because, in my experience, Porsche are not proactively saying “you need us to do a $5k job at our expense”.
h0b0 said:
The obsession with dealer service in the UK is something you are being taken advantage by. You can’t get a Porsche extended warranty if you have the wrong tyres on.
It BS. I’m the US Porsche will honor a written of car’s warranty if the accident damage didn’t impact the cause for warranty claim.
I changed the brakes on my 2013 Cayenne GTS in 2016 for two reasons. One, Porsche wanted $5k and two the parts I replaced them with were better than OEM. My car has been back to Porsche many times for both service and maintenance work. The dealer want my car as an excellent example.
I would say, in the US, if the owner has full dealer service history then it’s likely not enthusiast owned. My car is driven as it should be. That means that it has never been over 3k revs when cold. It also means I knew to get the transfer case replaced under warranty without symptoms. A full main dealer car probably would not have had that because, in my experience, Porsche are not proactively saying “you need us to do a $5k job at our expense”.
I said specialist, not main dealer. It BS. I’m the US Porsche will honor a written of car’s warranty if the accident damage didn’t impact the cause for warranty claim.
I changed the brakes on my 2013 Cayenne GTS in 2016 for two reasons. One, Porsche wanted $5k and two the parts I replaced them with were better than OEM. My car has been back to Porsche many times for both service and maintenance work. The dealer want my car as an excellent example.
I would say, in the US, if the owner has full dealer service history then it’s likely not enthusiast owned. My car is driven as it should be. That means that it has never been over 3k revs when cold. It also means I knew to get the transfer case replaced under warranty without symptoms. A full main dealer car probably would not have had that because, in my experience, Porsche are not proactively saying “you need us to do a $5k job at our expense”.
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