911 Extended Warranty Help - Page 2 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Hello all, I'm picking up a 911 991.2 GTS next week, my first 911! The car is a 2018 plate and has done around 45k miles. I wanted to ask you all for your thoughts and opinions on extended warranties. I have read different threads already regarding this but I thought it would be good to get opinion in context to my specific situation. The car will come with a standard dealer 3 month warranty. They have offered me an extended warranty with themselves at circa £1800 for 3 years, which would cover all Porsche OEM parts and replace like for like, covers labour etc. I haven't gone through any of the small print yet to check for exclusions as it was only an informal costing over the phone. On the other hand, I know Porsche offer their own extended warranty, which is around £2500 for a 911 for 3 years (correct me if I'm wrong), and a further £350 on top for a health check. The dealer has warned me that going down this route will likely result to Porsche giving me a large invoice for a list of things required to bring the car back into warranty standard. I'm also wary that I will have the 6 month major service due soon too! I was just wondering what experienced 911 owners would likely do in my situation? Is there a better non-Porsche provider out there that 911 owners use? My main goal is to preserve as much residual value in the car as possible and also reduce my risk of having things go wrong on me and having to foot the bill. I plan to keep the car for at least 2 years at best. TIA

As far as manufactuer warranties go, the Porsche one seems to have a good reputation. The extended warranty is underwritten by a third party but Porsche seem to be heavily involved in them including the payouts etc. To apply an extended warranty the OPC will insist on the full 111 point check + a service, the exception being if the last service was carried out by an OPC or not. They also require all OEM parts fitted, which depending on this history of the car could prove expensive if there are third party bits that need to be refitted. A more accurate comparison could be looking at the terms of the garage offering the alternate, including payout history & who underwrites it. To apply the Porsche warranty you need to have owned the car for 90 days too which will probably factor into your decision? But also gives more time to make one! HTH

SV_WDC said: As far as manufactuer warranties go, the Porsche one seems to have a good reputation. The extended warranty is underwritten by a third party but Porsche seem to be heavily involved in them including the payouts etc. To apply an extended warranty the OPC will insist on the full 111 point check + a service, the exception being if the last service was carried out by an OPC or not. They also require all OEM parts fitted, which depending on this history of the car could prove expensive if there are third party bits that need to be refitted. A more accurate comparison could be looking at the terms of the garage offering the alternate, including payout history & who underwrites it. To apply the Porsche warranty you need to have owned the car for 90 days too which will probably factor into your decision? But also gives more time to make one! HTH Very helpful, thank you! I guess all warranties are underwritten, and essentially another form of insurance. For further context, the car has full Porsche service history. An example of something I am dubious about. The last MOT had advisories regarding the tyres. I've heard that if the tyres aren't N rated by Porsche, it will fail the health check. If the dealer sticks on any old tyres to pass the MOT without advisories, that could be problematic for me having to replace all 4 tyres! The other 2 companies I am assessing are ALA (by RAC) and Allianz.

Personally I would always try and buy OPC and then you have zero worries and full backup with no issues if something is found down the road that is not standard and then invalidates the Porsche extended warranty . I don’t think they do the check now, so it comes down to if an issue arises and what caused it down the road . Having full OPC warranty should give some peace of mind though. I don’t think having non N tyres will cause and issue with the warranty unless it’s an issue with wheels/hub/etc.

General consensus is the only warranty worth having is the OPC/Porsche one. Technically its an insurance policy (for parts and labour) rather than a warranty, but its labelled that for ease of marketing. As you may or may not know it will mean the servicing schedule (ie last service/and any subsequent future service due) will have to be completed by an OPC and as you've typed pass the 111 point health check (tyres need to be N rated/Porsche approved) etc. It is worth noting that even the OPC warranty does not cover the car for consumables, just as a head-up. To me it sounds like the seller is trying to push their own warranty on to you, and why wouldn't they - its a great source of profit... ** also please note they have to give a statutory 6 month warranty from point of purchase (https://www.theaa.com/car-buying/legal-rights), if they're advising 3 months at this stage alarm bells are ringing, as they are wrong (and possibly purposely trying it on!) ** Alternative is to run without a warranty and get it serviced outside of the official network - and use whatever money as a slush fund for use just in case. Regardless as to the above I wouldn't make the purchase without an independent pre-purchase inspection. Good luck with whichever way you jump. Edited by Fnumber1user on Friday 25th August 20:51 Edited by Fnumber1user on Friday 25th August 20:52

I thought 911 OPC warranty was c£1,100pa so if you go for 3 years, you'll need a 111-point check and a major OPC service along with removing any non OEM parts. Without the parts that need swapping you're paying out c£5k from the get-go. As others have said consumables are not covered, which can be an extensive list given the poor weather proofing of some parts that get exposed to UK winter roads. How does the price compare against a similar GTS in the Porsche network? If you're risk averse buy from OPC at top money, otherwise negotiate the deal, take the third party warranty (if there's no max claim limit per part - a PDK gearbox is over 5-figures) and service it at a respected Indy.

It’s always a gamble with warranties whether you get your money back or not but for me the Porsche warranty has been very much a “no discussion it just gets done” sort of warranty vs other warranties. You dealer may also be a bit wary of you taking the GTS to an OPC and finding stuff on the 111 point check that may need sorting. I’d probably ask for a 111 point check anyway before I bought - it’s a good negotiation point.

Personal experience on a Macan which I bought used from OPC. The warranty is brilliant and it avoided me costs 5x the price I pay to renew it annually. I also enjoy the experience of going to the opc and look around and chat with people while looking at cars. For a Porsche below 10 years of age it's a no-brainer if you ask me. Other aftermarket warranties are the equivalent of setting wads of cash on fire

These specific cars have a not uncommon fault of failing turbos…( having recently experienced this scenario ) . I was lucky as Porsche warranty covered a very substantial bill. My thoughts to anyone with these expensive cars is have the best I.e. Porsche warranty. To test turbo’s….red line in second and third , switch engine off …if plumes of oil smoke on engine restart turbos on way out. Normal town running may not show this fault..the turbos need to be worked hard to prove they’re healthy. Good luck with new car they drive great.

Barry burrell’s GTS rebuild series documents the cost of a replacement turbo, wouldn’t want to do that outside of a specialist/opc, i would want a guarantee any warranty covers this. https://youtube.com/@BarryBurrell?si=w0GcIHm1HiYgD...

It sounds like you are buying a P without a P warranty. If so Stop. As others have said the only warranty worth having on a P is a P warranty. New PDK gearbox is 8k [if you can exchange your old one] and they can not be repaired. Most third party warranty companies have limits and won't cover the really big bills which is why you want the warranty in first place. P will quibble a lot less or not at all - we hope - and replace anything without limit. You can still buy outside OPC network but you should insist on full OPC check prior to purchase if you want a warranty because you can then add P warranty if it passed their inspection. I have never done this myself but understand it works. If car does not pass OPC inspection you can either walk away or start haggling.

OP if the dealer has warned you there’s likely a cost to bring the car up to “warranty standard/spec” ask them what they are. In my experience OPC’s are less draconian than some are making out on here. My car 991.2 GT3 is on BBS wheels and has had the warranty extended with them on it. I think some OPC’s will wave the cost of the 111 point check if you get the car serviced with them….I’ve never had to pay for it on my cars which are all serviced at the OPC. When it comes to warranty extension all that is needed now is a photograph of the mileage of the car. All done over the phone/e-mail.

ATM said: It sounds like you are buying a P without a P warranty. If so Stop. As others have said the only warranty worth having on a P is a P warranty. New PDK gearbox is 8k [if you can exchange your old one] and they can not be repaired. Most third party warranty companies have limits and won't cover the really big bills which is why you want the warranty in first place. P will quibble a lot less or not at all - we hope - and replace anything without limit. You can still buy outside OPC network but you should insist on full OPC check prior to purchase if you want a warranty because you can then add P warranty if it passed their inspection. I have never done this myself but understand it works. If car does not pass OPC inspection you can either walk away or start haggling. I’m in this camp! We bought through OPC but I don’t want my enjoyment of owning a Turbo S ruined by trying to save a few £. Others may be different but peace of mind?!?!

If the product is underwritten, then on average they make a profit. If you don’t like risk then get a warranty and especially if the car has a sunroof. If you’re someone who gets cars looked for every squeak, sound, or rattle you don’t like then get a car from a main dealer.

SV_WDC said: As far as manufactuer warranties go, the Porsche one seems to have a good reputation. The extended warranty is underwritten by a third party but Porsche seem to be heavily involved in them including the payouts etc. To apply an extended warranty the OPC will insist on the full 111 point check + a service, the exception being if the last service was carried out by an OPC or not. They also require all OEM parts fitted, which depending on this history of the car could prove expensive if there are third party bits that need to be refitted. A more accurate comparison could be looking at the terms of the garage offering the alternate, including payout history & who underwrites it. To apply the Porsche warranty you need to have owned the car for 90 days too which will probably factor into your decision? But also gives more time to make one! HTH I believe the 111 point check has now been scrapped

More to the point how did the OP get on with his purchase.....?

First of all well done on considering buying a 991.2 GTS. I had a 991.2 Targa 4 GTS (18 reg) and found it was a great car. It had a 2 year warranty put on it by the OPC I bought it from (The car was one year old and cost £117K). That certainly gave piece of mind. My son has a 718 Boxster (6 years old and bought new) and has renewed the warranty each time it is due (cost around £1300 for 2 years cover), and last year it paid for itself as the water pump, or something like that, went and would have cost him over £1400 if he had to pay to have the work done

Hereandthere said: My son has a 718 Boxster (6 years old and bought new) and has renewed the warranty each time it is due (cost around £1300 for 2 years cover), and last year it paid for itself as the water pump, or something like that, went and would have cost him over £1400 if he had to pay to have the work done I'm sure you could get a water pump changed outside the OPC network for much less. I am not saying warranty is not worthwhile. But you cant compare OPC repair costs to OPC warranty cost to look for justifications. Once you get outside the OPC network then jobs like this are not so expensive. To have OPC warranty or to not bother is a complicated subject and I dont intend to cover all the considerations in this post. But I did read elsewhere in another PH post just yesterday that a guy with a low mileage car always cared for inside OPC just recently switched to outside OPC network and they told him the brake calliper bleed nipples looked like they had never been touched and the spark plugs also looked original. Both of these had been scheduled service items but the suggestion is the OPC missed them or deliberately ignored them.

Do you want to have an argument every time there is a warranty issue no matter how big or small ? Do you want to maintain your new car outside of the Porsche OPC network ? Does the non Porsche warranty cover OPC labour rates ? As said above , anything can go wrong with it and it wont be a cheap fix. Hopefully you will be fine but you just never know. Mates GT4 bought almost new but the PCM packed up requiring a new unit. Not cheap but fully covered in a drive in drive out in a loan car type appointment. The P warranty covers most things from bumper to bumper so I would always go that route.

I wouldn't touch a non Porsche warranty/extended warranty. But at the same time I also refuse to pay Porsche OPC servicing prices. Ultimately its all about how risk averse or attentive you are. Some put the money they were going to spend on a warranty as a just-in-case, others choose to weigh out. I get mine serviced yearly regardless of the miles put on (normally 5k per annum or thereabouts), rather than follow the Porsche 20000 miles/2 year recommended. Ultimately it works out at roughly the same overall price but the car gets an extra oil change and full inspection/anything else that needs doing every year, compared to once every 2 years. Is the vehicle you're looking at that much cheaper than buying through an OPC and getting a 2 year warranty included in the price?

Has anyone used Warrantywise for their 911's and what has their experience been like?

A very interesting topic and one that would be Porsche owners likely mull over regularly. I did have a look at the ALA policy mentioned earlier. This can cover up to the value of the car which is good in principle. The Porsche Warranty is similar in cost to the BMW one I pay for now. The difference being servicing costs at the OPC needed for the Porsche warranty. Is routine serving at an OPC for say a 991.2 Carrera or Panamera S that frightening? If you can find the right car at a sensible price, a Porsche warranty would certainly be more comforting to me. ETA - looking at the Porsche warranty, all repairs need to be performed at the OPC, not just routine service. That opens up a whole new world of cost. Edited by Maxus on Friday 6th October 12:44

From experience, I recommend taking the Porsche warranty or cover the risk yourself from savings on non-OPC servicing. The 3rd party warranty on the 996C4S refused to pay out on an engine rebuild despite being “up to the value of the car”. There are many exclusions, and the ombudsman pretty much agreed that the 3rd party warranty was worthless. They covered coil packs and similar low cost replacement, but not major costs. The opposite of what you actually want. My Spyder came with the 2-year OPC warranty, but I use a specialist for servicing and view the savings plus not having warranty costs as my fund for repairs.

Maxus said: A very interesting topic and one that would be Porsche owners likely mull over regularly. I did have a look at the ALA policy mentioned earlier. This can cover up to the value of the car which is good in principle. The Porsche Warranty is similar in cost to the BMW one I pay for now. The difference being servicing costs at the OPC needed for the Porsche warranty. Is routine serving at an OPC for say a 991.2 Carrera or Panamera S that frightening? If you can find the right car at a sensible price, a Porsche warranty would certainly be more comforting to me. ETA - looking at the Porsche warranty, all repairs need to be performed at the OPC, not just routine service. That opens up a whole new world of cost. Edited by Maxus on Friday 6th October 12:44 To give you an idea Panamera 971 4S - £1,111 inc VAT for rear brakes - fitting, pads and discs https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Thanks for the responses. Being a risk averse soul, it looks like if I were to go down the Porsche route i'd be best with an OPC warranty and just be prepared for the occasional lumpy maintenance bill. It is the big ticket items i'm concerned about (engine/gearbox).

Maxus said: Thanks for the responses. Being a risk averse soul, it looks like if I were to go down the Porsche route i'd be best with an OPC warranty and just be prepared for the occasional lumpy maintenance bill. It is the big ticket items i'm concerned about (engine/gearbox). Not a 911 but a good example of where the OPC warranty is worth having: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Spevs said: More to the point how did the OP get on with his purchase.....? It’s booked in for 111 health check in December as need to own the car for 90 days on purchase date of the V5. I’m sure I’ll get an invoice with a list of things to fix/fit before I can have the warranty added but it is what it is. Edited by mostlymauiwaui on Friday 6th October 17:47

mostlymauiwaui said: Spevs said: More to the point how did the OP get on with his purchase.....? It’s booked in for 111 health check in December as need to own the car for 90 days on purchase date of the V5. I’m sure I’ll get an invoice with a list of things to fix/fit before I can have the warranty added but it is what it is. Edited by mostlymauiwaui on Friday 6th October 17:47 That looks fabulous! Congrats and enjoy