Porsche Cayman S | PH Fleet
To warranty, or not to warranty, that is the question...
There’s a dilemma facing the owner of any middle-aged Porsche in reasonable nick: whether to take it to an OPC dealership and get it to the standards required to pass the 111-point check that unlocks access to the official extended warranty.
It’s not hard to see the appeal of this. It’s available on cars up to 14 years of age, and which have covered up to 125,000 miles and gives some proper reassurance in the event of the roulette wheel stopping on “Bork”. But it also comes at a substantial cost, one proven by a flick through my Cayman S’s service history. A two-year extension in 2017 was £1,190, on top of a service bill of just over two grand. While that total included rear discs and pads as well as a 20,000-miler, at least some of it seems to have been down to the need to prove the near-total originality demanded to pass the official test, including a very expensive new Porsche battery to replace what doesn’t seem to have been a very old non-Porsche one.
With the Cayman S due for another service, the big question was whether I would go down the same route. I seriously considered doing so, as well as peace of mind in the event of something going spectacularly wrong, the official warranty is a nice thing to have in the history file and is transferable if the car is sold privately. Less attractive was the substantial cost of doing so, especially with my 190E 2.5-16’s engine now undergoing extensive and what is sure to be very expensive surgery.
But with no plans to sell the Cayman any time soon, a stronger factor against staying official was just how developed the ecosystem of Porsche specialists has become. One of the best-known and best-respected, Autofarm, is just 40 minutes from where I live, and their quote for a 20,000 mile service was less than half that of the car’s last one at an OPC.
I’d previously visited Autofarm’s old workshop – PH borrowed a 944 Turbo from them in 2016 – but they have recently moved to a far bigger unit south of Bicester. Business consists of both servicing and bigger projects, many of which involve earlier air cooled cars. After hellos with managing director Mikey Wastie and project manager Anthony Wilds I find there’s an immaculate right-hook 2.7 Carrera RS lightweight on the ramp next to the one the Cayman is on; it’s just in for an inspection, apparently – but still a reassuring indication of the expertise on offer. Based on recent auction values, my car is worth about as much as the front six inches of the 911.
Technician Paul Ridgeley is doing the service and has a good bedside manner. It’s always a mild shock to be reminded how much less shiny the underside of any older car looks than the top; my Cayman scrubs up well, but underneath there is plenty of rust and grot. Ridgeley’s appraising eye reassures me that most of this is perfectly normal, although it looks like the clips of several of the heater hoses are close to the end of their lives. The front brake discs are marginal, too – 26.2mm on the measuring callipers, just above the recommended minimum 26mm. The front shock absorber bump stops are also disintegrating and the strut behind is corroded. Nothing requiring urgent action, but a reminder there’s going to be a fair bit more spending in the Cayman’s medium-term future.
There's also a comedy moment as Ridgeley tops up the washer fluid, and the whole lot immediately pours out from somewhere below the bumper. It turns out a pipe for the headlamp washers has popped off, likely some time ago; "you have filled the screenwash before, haven't you?" Ridgeley asks. Well, I thought I had...
FACT SHEET
Car: 2009 Porsche Cayman S
Run by: Mike Duff
Bought: September 2019
Mileage at purchase: 63,500
Mileage now: 67,330
Last month at a glance: After an "official or specialist" dilemma, Mike opts for the indy route
Previous reports:
Mike's Cayman S joins the fleet
Search for a Porsche Cayman here
It was bought Porsche Approved Used so came with a 2-year warranty but when it expired I opted to renew for £1,100. At £550 per year, it's not that expensive and I'd had pain free experiences having work done under warranty in the first two years so it seemed like a no brainer.
You do have to have an OPC service the car while under warranty but things like brakes can be done by anyone in order to keep the warranty valid, so long as OEM parts are used. I was quoted £1800 for front and rear discs and pads by Porsche. I bought the parts myself and did it with a friend for an outlay of £450 and an afternoon. At it's service the month later, the brakes were inspected and deemed to be fine and the car warranty was still valid.
Overall, the 987 was actually very affordable for me. Over the 3.5 years I had it my total costs were:
£1750 servicing costs - 2-year intervals so this is quite reasonable.
£800 tyres
£450 discs and pads
£50 for a new Boxster S badge
£1,100 for the warranty renewal
£1,000 on VED
£2,950 on insurance
£5,250 on depreciation
£5,300 (ish) on fuel (23,000 miles)
£444 per month total for absolutely every cost.
Not too bad really for the performance on offer.
Incredible car. I still had a year warranty on it when I sold it, which helped sell privately as it is transferable to the new owner. Private sale got me £7,500 more than WBAC offered me.
Good luck with your claims against that expensive warranty.
How long are you going to keep the car?
What will be your total warranty cost over that period?
What will the car be worth when you sell?
If you get a BIG problem does the warranty fix the car or just pay you "market value" if lower?
I'd struggle to swallow the cost of what's probably a pretty useless warranty on such an old vehicle. Combined with the servicing requirements it looks like being an expensive way to run the car.
Good luck with your claims against that expensive warranty.
How long are you going to keep the car?
What will be your total warranty cost over that period?
What will the car be worth when you sell?
If you get a BIG problem does the warranty fix the car or just pay you "market value" if lower?
I'd struggle to swallow the cost of what's probably a pretty useless warranty on such an old vehicle. Combined with the servicing requirements it looks like being an expensive way to run the car.
If it were me I'd go to a specialist and keep the £1200 in savings for any eventualities (which might have been covered by the warranty or not, as is more likely) - but I've never owned a car of this ilk and age.
Far more reliable than the .1 and more involving than the 981.
Kinda wish I'd gone for a 987.2 R over my 981 S now!
Good luck with your claims against that expensive warranty.
How long are you going to keep the car?
What will be your total warranty cost over that period?
What will the car be worth when you sell?
If you get a BIG problem does the warranty fix the car or just pay you "market value" if lower?
I'd struggle to swallow the cost of what's probably a pretty useless warranty on such an old vehicle. Combined with the servicing requirements it looks like being an expensive way to run the car.
If it were me I'd go to a specialist and keep the £1200 in savings for any eventualities (which might have been covered by the warranty or not, as is more likely) - but I've never owned a car of this ilk and age.
I think it does come down to the cost of the warranty, now £500 per year isnt too bad, however I have heard of warranties for some cars being £1500+ for a year.
I'm not sure I'd dare go without on a chocolate-engined earlier car, but for yours it makes a lot of sense I think.
I do disagree totally with some of posters above and their comments about the extended warranty (I suspect few are talking from experience), I certainly felt that my 987 was going to bankrupt the insurance underwriters I had so many claims
Xenon ballast, gearshifter cables, suspension top mounts, horn (6 times), coolant leaks, lower arms, electric window module and god knows what else. Even got a flywheel done on my 981 under the extended warranty too.
Carrera white,gloss black wheels and red leather.
Cost next to nothing to add it to my trade policy, only to up the indemnity.
I try to keep it to dry miles so don't rack up the miles but even so have had no issues in the 7 months of ownership.
The car had fpsh and would have been elegible for the extended warranty but at £1200 really couldn't see the point. It won't have the ims issue of the earlier 2.7 and won't have the thinner bore walls of the 3.4 either. With a full set of premium tyres and discs and pads all round (for instance) there's still change from £1.2k. Any other issues it's only going to cost me parts only,our expert Lithuanian fix anything guy sees to that.
Having a dealer history from this point on is going to add little if anything to its resale value being a 10 year old car anyway..
Xenon ballast, gearshifter cables, suspension top mounts, horn (6 times), coolant leaks, lower arms, electric window module and god knows what else.
Plus I've yet to find a Porsche specialist (there are three local to me) who are significantly cheaper be it for regular maintenance or odd jobs, compared to OPC. Yes Porsche charge £100 an hour, but specialists are £80 an hour, I'd rather pay the extra £50 a year for a Porsche stamp and the £600 for the warranty.
Your mileage may vary.
Plus I've yet to find a Porsche specialist (there are three local to me) who are significantly cheaper be it for regular maintenance or odd jobs, compared to OPC. Yes Porsche charge £100 an hour, but specialists are £80 an hour, I'd rather pay the extra £50 a year for a Porsche stamp and the £600 for the warranty.
Your mileage may vary.
No issues on the latest one so far, however !
A mate of mine who has a similar car has had no trouble either.
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