Servicing at OPC vs Independent (Gremlins discovered) - Page 1 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

Hey guys, Just wanted to get my thoughts on this down while the 987.2CS is in with the OPC for a major service. Firstly and off the bat, this is partially written in jest, it is not intended to slate the entire OPC network or insult anyone's sainted mother who just so happened to open the first OPC in the UK. So the car is due in for a major service and I book in expecting a major service to take place and perhaps some works to be advised/done. First gripe: I am called by a charming young lady who tells me that the spark plugs were not done on the last service and would be scheduled into this service, at an extra cost. Right, so as a non-spanner and a relatively new Pork owner, I'd of expected the spark plugs to be done every service or at least every major, included in the major service price. Apparently not. Second gripe: I am called again to confirm the drive belt wasn't checked on the minor even though, according to the service book it was due at that time as it was replaced a few years before. No record of drive belt checks in the system at all apparently. Ask if a drive belt check is part of a major service cost? Don't be silly SwineEnthusiast, that too is an extra $$$. Third gripe: Car gets collected (thank you fuel crisis, no courtesy car available, well not for the impoverished pork owners - my friend with his GT3RS got one fine) and I receive the initial report. The first thing I see as extra work required is the air filter. Again, a major service and the air filter has not been changed and this too is not included in the price nor is it done during the minor. I politely ask the customer service chap, just what is included in the £750 cost of a major service besides kicking the tyres and turning the engine on. He doesn't seem to know. Fourth gripe: A laundry list as long as your arm is advised in yellow as well as a few red items, totalling nearly £5k. This in itself is fine and I discuss the items with the senior technician and he is honest that a lot if just to cover the OPC should I go get a second opinion and these items are raised. I ask if the price of the rear pads (just pads) is really £900 and he says yes. Local Porsche Independent locally to me confirmed they'd charge for OEM pads, in total, £350. I know there is OPCP - Official Porsche Centre Premium, then there is just plain smoking PCP - £450 difference in rear pads! OPC well and truly relieving me of my ISA gains this year. Lastly, and this one is not to do with OPC but one of the items raised was the door seals/cards being wet and needing replacing as allowing water ingress. I opt for this to be done and during this the technician send me a video, showing the root cause of the issue. The previous owner, who decided to fit aftermarket speakers by cutting off the plugs/connectors to the old head unit, which of course Porsche no longer make and barely stock, and putting in speakers that don't fit, leaving gaps in the door, is what is allowing extensive water ingress. Well done mate! Top job. Given the comments on all forums is the stock Porsche speakers of this generation are rather crap, I just assumed the awful sound quality was due to poor Porsche parts, not someone effectively bluetacking, budget Chinese speakers in place and allowing water runoff to leak into the door. So rant aside, does anyone have spare Porsche 987.2 generation stereo connectors that I can get the part number for so I can rectify this issue or perhaps guidance on how best to approach the stereo issue? Been told I cannot retrofit Bose of this era either. Appreciate your input guys!

To be fair, the service items and the schedule for those items is freely available and things like the serpentine belts and spark plugs (which I think are something like 10 years and 6 years respectively) will be chargeable extras. All manufacturers are the same these days and a service (whether major or minor) is basically just an oil change with the occassional pollen filter thrown in for good measure. So yeah, it's a massive rip off and the only answer really is to buy some tools and do it yourself. If you are keeping it for more than a year or so, the potential loss of resale value will be more than offset by the money you have saved by not paying OPC prices. To give you an idea... Stock pads cost about £20 an axle and require only basic tools to change. The belt costs about £15 and requires nothing more than a breaker bar and a 24mm (I think) socket. The plugs are a bit of a ballache due to access (if you are working on a driveway, you'll need to do it lying on your back) but are otherwise very simple to change, and changing the oil/filter is actually easier than pretty much any other car. Both the sump plug and the oil filter are accessible without removing anything else (unlike my other cars where you need to remove multiple undertrays just to access the sump plug.

LennyM1984 said: To be fair, the service items and the schedule for those items is freely available and things like the serpentine belts and spark plugs (which I think are something like 10 years and 6 years respectively) will be chargeable extras. All manufacturers are the same these days and a service (whether major or minor) is basically just an oil change with the occassional pollen filter thrown in for good measure. So yeah, it's a massive rip off and the only answer really is to buy some tools and do it yourself. If you are keeping it for more than a year or so, the potential loss of resale value will be more than offset by the money you have saved by not paying OPC prices. To give you an idea... Stock pads cost about £20 an axle and require only basic tools to change. The belt costs about £15 and requires nothing more than a breaker bar and a 24mm (I think) socket. The plugs are a bit of a ballache due to access (if you are working on a driveway, you'll need to do it lying on your back) but are otherwise very simple to change, and changing the oil/filter is actually easier than pretty much any other car. Both the sump plug and the oil filter are accessible without removing anything else (unlike my other cars where you need to remove multiple undertrays just to access the sump plug. Appreciate the tips, appreciate some of those items don't need to be done but just felt a little like they were pissing in my pocket and telling me it was rain! That being said, I plan on selling the car in the not too distant future and feel a pro changing/checking these things will be better, especially given how inept I am at general mechanics! Pads I reckon I can do but would be bricking it approaching the first corner

Spark plugs are every 4 years and aux belt is every 6. They are usually listed as separate items with specialists or priced as 4 and 6 year services. Brake fluid is supposed to be done every 2 years but again often is separately charged /listed. Even with specialists I've had to list out the stuff I've wanted done each time it goes in. Quick flick through the service book will keep you right. /987.1 CS owner.

I think some confusion may have arisen as there is no standard "minor" or "major" service on Porsches, but every 2 years there are more or less things to be done. So if your car has been out of the OPC network for servicing (which it sounds like it has) then the time/mileage dependent items on Porsche's schedule may not have been done so the OPC are trying to catch up on items missed. I think your gripes need to be with the previous owner and their last than fastidious attention to the details of Porsche servicing rather than the OPC. You can't really blame them for charging extra for items they would have expected to have been done at prior services.

LennyM1984 said: Stock pads cost about £20 an axle Are you saying that the pads the dealer wanted to charge £900 for and an indy £350 for cost them £20? Or have I misunderstood that?

BertBert said: Are you saying that the pads the dealer wanted to charge £900 for and an indy £350 for cost them £20? Or have I misunderstood that? You can buy the OEM (Textar) pads on Ebay for about £20-£30 (the link below is £33 but that was simply the first result which came up): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/363411244964?fits=Plat_... Obviously, a garage are charging for the labour but I can change pads at the side of a race track in about 15-20 minutes per side and so I suspect it would take similar (or possibly less) on a lift. Edit: When I say, "By the side of a race track" I do of course mean in the pits/car park, not literally at the side of the track Edited by LennyM1984 on Tuesday 5th October 14:10

I bought genuine rear pads from my OPC for about £100. They will change the anti squeal shims, waer inicators and retaining clip too. I reused the shims by carefully removing them and fitting them to the new pads. Wear indicators can be reused if they haven't been triggered and the clip was absolutely fine once cleaned up.

Twinfan said: I think some confusion may have arisen as there is no standard "minor" or "major" service on Porsches, but every 2 years there are more or less things to be done. So if your car has been out of the OPC network for servicing (which it sounds like it has) then the time/mileage dependent items on Porsche's schedule may not have been done so the OPC are trying to catch up on items missed. I think your gripes need to be with the previous owner and their last than fastidious attention to the details of Porsche servicing rather than the OPC. You can't really blame them for charging extra for items they would have expected to have been done at prior services. I think it's the lack of record their side and not knowing. Seems everything is out of kilter so will hopefully get everything aligned. More annoyed at the speakers to be honest!

Swine Enthusiast said: I think it's the lack of record their side and not knowing. Seems everything is out of kilter so will hopefully get everything aligned. More annoyed at the speakers to be honest! Does your car have a full OPC service history? If so, can't your OPC contact the previous OPC to get the records updated? I'd be annoyed at the speakers too!

Re: the serpentine belt, I'd put money on the tensioner pivot being seized too, factor in another £100 or so in parts to the £15 belt even if you do the job yourself (and it's easier to use a 30mm ring spanner to do the job on a 987.2)

Twinfan said: Does your car have a full OPC service history? If so, can't your OPC contact the previous OPC to get the records updated? I'd be annoyed at the speakers too! Yeah, full OPC, all stamped. Seems the internal network is missing some info. Oh man, I am pissed.

Swine Enthusiast said: Yeah, full OPC, all stamped. Seems the internal network is missing some info. Oh man, I am pissed. Early fixed to avoid unnecessary work though!

Personally I don't see the point of taking a 987.2 era car to OPC for a service. You'll get better value and service from an Indy plus they'll see a lot more of these cars on a regular basis so should know them well. I'll only use OPC as I'm locked in to the warranty. Otherwise I could get the car serviced for less than half what Porsche charge

Swine Enthusiast said: I know there is OPCP - Official Porsche Centre Premium, then there is just plain smoking PCP - £450 difference in rear pads! OPC well and truly relieving me of my ISA gains this year. Please do the pads yourself, they are remarkably easy. For cost reference I usually do my car work myself but at the weekend I had MOT failure work on my van done at a garage. Transit custom - Brake disks and pads all round, pads sensors all round, 1x wheel bearing, calipers serviced and a drop link - £195 labour. All of which is harder to than 987 pads. Rear pads will take about 30 mins to 1 hour max for OPC to do, which probably equals about £400 an hour labour rate. Scary, although I'm fairly sure they were going to change the disks as well at that price. Dunc.

I had my 986 Boxster serviced at garage in village. Parts from D911 cost me £240 inc plugs, oil and air filter, fuel filter, 6 new coil packs, mobil 1, rear pads. Garage did all of the above, checked coolant, changed brake fluid plus fitted two rear tyres I provided for £100.

Got the same model as OP. My original plan was to continue the servicing at an OPC, partially in case the PDK had a tantrum and a little goodwill was useful. 2 years in to porsche ownership and I have since found a fantastic indy (after trying out a few others) who really seems to want to work with me on what I want from the car in terms of mild mods and preventative maintenance. The costs savings will be decent over the years, which pretty much go into the safety fund, but it is a much more appealing experience if not a little less polished on the waiting room front. I dont think I am saying anything that someone hasnt already said here though!! So thats my strategy, pretty sure Ill keep hold of the car still I cant get into it!

Vote with your feet... Get it to your local recommended Indy for the next service. OPC's are a complete rip off for these older cars. Especially for brakes / discs etc, complete and utter customer fleecing.

RPM aren't cheap but twice I've asked them to check things, the last being a full free health check on a Saturday, they've said all is well and nothing needs doing. Oh.. apart from some skimpy areas of underseal which they corrected FOC. Can't fault them.