60k servicing in San Diego? Dealer or Indie ?

Hi guys, The motoring miles have racked up and its time for the 60k checkup! I was a little uncertain about doing the 60k servicing either at 1) the dealer (i.e. Pioneer Porsche) or 2) at an indie mechanic (Black Forrest Porsche: reputed indie guys doing just porsche with *almost* all (but not all) the equipment) Any experiences from you guys that might be helpful in that decision making ? Cheers !!

Sid, if you are prepared to drive to Escondido, I'd recommend All German Auto as a top flight indie. They have the Porsche diagnostic tools, a fantastic workshop, and a good reputation. I use them for all servicing now my warranties are up - manager is Martin. AGA WEBSITE My buddy had his 986 clutch done at Black Forrest, and has ended up with RMS issues immediately afterwards, so not a happy chappy. Hope that helps. Chris.

Hi Sid and Chris, I'm in SD too so I'm interested as well. Just wondering how All German Auto compares to the dealer (e.g., Pioneer) price wise? Also, I heard a lot of good things about Black Forrest from different people and BF sponsors PCA events in SD too so they are quite reputable. Could you elaborate more on the RMS issues? Was that caused by the clutch work or it was just conincidence? Thanks, - Ahsai

RMS appeared to be caused by the clutch work on the car - no issue before the clutch work, and RMS drip immeadiately afterwards. BF were not interested in covering this as being their fault, for what it's worth. My experience of AGA shows pricing is 60%-75% of dealer (Hoehn was my local dealer in Carlsbad)

I should have mentioned that we had an SD Porsche Club tech session at AGA last year - looking at their service facilities, and 996/997 cars with Evolution Motor Sports mods. The 997 car was featured on the cover of Excellence magazine.

if money is not an issue, i's reccomend Vison Motor Sport in Irvine..... They only work on Porsche and race them as well.... they know there stuff......... if you need info on them, let me know....

On a side note, can 60k servicing be a DIY? Any good guides that document all that needs to be done? some Quotes: Dealers: - Pioneer : $1200 Independent mechanics: - Black Forrest : $900 And yeah, do 3rd party insurance companies honor self serviced 60k servicing as "performing periodic maintenance" ?

Performance Porsche [phone removed]... Ask for Mark. Great guy and just did my front and rear apds and rotor for about $950.... All they do is Porsche. Located across the street from Home Depot off the 8

Did you buy the car from Pioneer? If so, you should get the oil/filter change part of the service at NC. We bought our 2002 there and just had the 30K service done - it was just under $500. I've always been happy with Pioneer's service - Daniel is the service writer I always go to.

Snaproll, I didn't buy from Pioneer. I'm on good terms and first name basis with some of those folks, but I guess they can't go below a certain operating threshold. I've also updated the list with the quotes I got from nearby recommended shops. Performance Porsche looks nice at an unbeatable price! List (updated) Dealers: - Pioneer : $1200 Independent mechanics: - Black Forrest : $900 - All German Auto : $850 - Performance Porsche : $500 Anyone wanna chime in a little something on their performance porsche experience? Also guy, I have $400 in credit with Pioneer which I've not used in a while (I "lost" my brand new 60GB ipod when I had done some minor servicing there a while back - got store credit). Anyone out here planning on buying an expensive part? If yes, let me know, I can meetup at Pioneer and use my credit. I work 10 minutes from Pioneer so can do this without much of an issue.

The 60K service is essentially oil and filter change, air and pollen filter change, plugs, and serpentine belt change. The parts and oil cost is under $150, and is an easy DIY. It is a nice Saturday afternoon job. Full DIY instructions are on RennTech.org.

Just did mine this week. Spark plug change, serpentine belt, fuel filter, and brake fluid flush. I am not extremely mechanically inclined and it was actually a fun process. Took most of the day, but learned much about the car. Parts and extra tools required made it around 250-300. but should be around 200 if you have all of the tools. I had heard around $1000-1500 at shops for the 60,000 check. good luck

Orient, I was really contemplating this. It looks like fun too. My only concern was that some of the stuff like " Axle joints: Check play, visual inspection of dust bellows for damage, check screw connections of running gear adjustment facility, front and rear, for secure fit ". This is kinda subjective in the sense I don't know how much play is good and how much is bad. A few other places they mention "check for wear" on hoses etc. I'm more confident where they say "replace this" or "torque to xyz" - more precise instructions. Maybe I'll do this stuff on my own and then take it to the indie for a quick inspection ... dunno. Is there a definitive way of judging "play" or wear ??

that if there aren't any strange noises coming out of the car, or fluids on the garage floor, then things are still OK. And if the CEL is not illuminated then the engine management systems are functioning correctly. The one inspection you do want to do is to look under the car for drips and leaks. You are fine if there aren't any. Another is to check your power steering fluid. The stuff that is used in the Porsche can actually evaporate. The other thing that you probably want to do is to get some "Dry" silicone spray, and wet a paper towel with it, then wipe down all of the door, hood, engine lid and if you have a cab, windshield header and canvas top gaskets gaskets with the stuff. That will clean off all of the grime that has accumulated on them, and will make the car quieter, and the gaskets last longer. Doing your own maintenace is easy to do, and you get to know your car better, which will help you get more out of it.