Extended Warranty - Inde or OPC...mixed message from Porsche - Page 2 - Porsche General - PistonHeads UK

Hi All, I have an extended Porsche warranty for my 991 RS and now need an intermediate oil change (minor service is due in July). I would prefer to take it to RPMTechnic, but I was told that doing this would invalidate my warranty. So, I called porsche GB and they said it wouldn't, as long as they used the proper oil and filters, but then I made a call to OPC East London said it would invalidate my warranty. I then priced checked at OPC Hatfield and they said it wouldn't as long as I did the full major/minor service at an OPC. None of the people I spoke with were 100% confident in their view....so I'm left thinking what should I do? Anyone have a view on this?

I am in a similar situation. I have always changed oil and filter annually or at 6,000 miles. OPC price is, well, a lot. With the air cooled cars the canister/ filter was in the engine bay and would often have the date written on it. With a modern car the canister is retained and the cartridge inside is changed. How would an OPC know an indie had done the change?

RPM said that Porsche wouldn't really know....but surely in a 991 the car logs when it's had an oil change? For reference, the price for an oil change on the RS at Porsche Cambridge is £1390 and at RPM it's £350....staggering difference.

I would take Porsche GB's advice over everyone elses, they are the mother ship! So use Porsche parts and the correct spec oil at RPM and you're sorted, assuming it's just that you want to change the oil for peace of mind. For actual servicing, as flagged by time/mileage, I believe you'll need to use an OPC to maintain the extended warranty. Edited by Twinfan on Wednesday 2nd February 12:20

Send an email to Porsche GB customer service asking them to confirm in a return email what you were told verbally. I did a running in oil change at RPM technic on my 991;2 GT3

angelus666 said: RPM said that Porsche wouldn't really know....but surely in a 991 the car logs when it's had an oil change? For reference, the price for an oil change on the RS at Porsche Cambridge is £1390 and at RPM it's £350....staggering difference. Robbery at its finest. Must remember to scoop a few extra brownies/ lattes next time i'm window shopping at OPC Wolves.

angelus666 said: RPM said that Porsche wouldn't really know....but surely in a 991 the car logs when it's had an oil change? For reference, the price for an oil change on the RS at Porsche Cambridge is £1390 and at RPM it's £350....staggering difference. How would the car know? There is no sensor on the sump plug so unless RPM were to reset the service indicator or upload the service to the Porsche systems (which they wouldn't need to do) there will be no record of it being changed (except your invoice).

You don't have to use an OPC , use genuine parts and you are good. Porsche UK will confirm this, even if the car is on an extended warranty.Same as any other brand of manufacturer.

Twinfan said: I would take Porsche GB's advice over everyone elses, they are the mother ship! So use Porsche parts and the correct spec oil at RPM and you're sorted, assuming it's just that you want to change the oil for peace of mind. For actual servicing, as flagged by time/mileage, I believe you'll need to use an OPC to maintain the extended warranty. Edited by Twinfan on Wednesday 2nd February 12:20 So you have just contradicted yourself

I assumed the OP was asking about an oil change now, not the service in July as that's months away? The OP isn't very clear to me. If it's the service, and Porsche GB have confirmed it's OK to go non-OPC, then I stand corrected However, I think I'm correct. The extended warranty requires OPC servicing, the factory warranty does not.

Isn't forum member "Pope's" job something to do with Porsche warranties, perhaps he will see this and give us a definitive answer

Melvynr said: You don't have to use an OPC , use genuine parts and you are good. Porsche UK will confirm this, even if the car is on an extended warranty.Same as any other brand of manufacturer. My understanding is there has been a change to the wording in the OPC Warranty which is essentially an insurance backed product given the car will be over 3yrs old and the manufacturer's warranty has expired. The latter allowed third party to fit genuine parts. However the new wording states (and I paraphrase) that 'ALL servicing and repairs MUST be undertaken at an OPC otherwise the approved warranty is void.' This came about by arising from the decision to dispense with the 111 inspectioin prior to warranty extension I believe. Edited by Armitage.Shanks on Wednesday 2nd February 23:53

You could change the oil and filter every day and no-one would know unless you told them. £1390 is an absolutely rapacious piece of business - presumably there’s a Porsche tax, a GT levy and an RS surcharge applied to an operation that an apprentice could do in his/her first week on the job.

angelus666 said: RPM said that Porsche wouldn't really know....but surely in a 991 the car logs when it's had an oil change? For reference, the price for an oil change on the RS at Porsche Cambridge is £1390 and at RPM it's £350....staggering difference. Why not bring the minor service forward leaving it for as long as you can without going well over on the oil change? Whatever you do now you'll be paying for again in July?

What a world we live in where £350 for an oil and filter change is seen as cheap! I appreciate that it looks a bargain compared to the ridiculous OPC £1390 but even so ...

Unless you can get it in writing from PGB, I’d be tempted to do the oil change ‘oh the quiet’ and not have it recorded in any way other than your invoice. That way nothing can come of it. I’m like you - extended warranty but I change my oil every few thousand miles so I got it changed by an Indy without resetting anything. This is at a small specialist, a 1 man band former OPC guy that does classic rebuilds for the most part. Oil & filter and a visual inspection (flagged a cracking tire) was C£180 on my 981CS, including oil. Edited by Royal Jelly on Thursday 3rd February 07:44

Still scratching my head here as the extended warranty has nothing to do with servicing. Once the manufacturer warranty runs out, you do not have to buy an extended warranty which still leaves the car requiring servicing. I still stand by you can service your P car anywhere as long as they use genuine parts. Otherwise, these top-notch P Indy garages would not exist. Can totally understand that you have to use an OPC for any warranty work on the extended warranty, as there is no excess to pay. Edited by Melvynr on Thursday 3rd February 08:07

I beieve it's a condition of the extended warranty that you have to use OPCs for servicing. When you take it out for the first time, or renew it, the car's service history has to be up to date with all items as per Porsche's service schedule and the last service has to have been done at an OPC otherwise you need a full major service doing at an OPC before you can take out the warranty. At least that's how it was recently, the finer details may have changed slightly as the 111-point check is no longer required for example. I don't use the extended warranty but this is what I've gleaned from the converstaions here on PH over the years. The extended warranty taken out once the car reachers at least 3 years old is basically an insurance product. Their ball, their rules. So yes you can potentially use an Indy for servicing but it's not worth it if you then have to have an extra OPC service come warranty renewal time...

The extended warranty (insurance policy, really) mandates that all maintenance and servicing is carried out at an OPC. If you're talking about an oil change flagged by the onboard computer, then you'd need to have it done at an OPC otherwise you risk invalidating the warranty. If it's an oil change you want to do in between scheduled changes for your own peace of mind, then you'd almost certainly be fine having it done anywhere, even if that's *technically* not allowed by the policy wording. You're more likely to come up against problems if you do anything that is tracked by the onboard computer outside the OPC network. Note this is all very different to the regular new car warranty, which has to be more flexible by law.

^ spot on

I'm struggling to get my head around why an oil change is needed now (Feb) when the interim service is scheduled for July? I'm not aware my car has an oil service indicator outside of the minor and major service programme. In any event I wouldn't pay over £300 for an oil and filter change when I don't need to.

Both my 991 and my Cayenne track oil changes separately from major and intermediate servicing. I think (but I'm not certain) that it's the oil change interval which varies depending on the type of journeys the car has done, whereas the servicing seems to stick to the time and mileage recommendation. In my case, the oil change tends to get flagged a few months before the next service is due (lots of urban trips in the family bus, for example), so I just pull the service forward and get them done together. The OP's quote for an oil change sounds outlandish though, so I wonder if they're being quoted for the intermediate service as well.

Thanks for the replies chaps. To confirm, the RS has a oil change request based on a few variables, so the car is asking for an oil change, but not a service yet. The OPC cost does include the air filters, which accounts for an additonal £150 of their cost, but the main difference is that they charge for the amount of time it is on the ramp at £240 per hour (a barrister is cheaper per hour), not the actual labour hours involved doing the work! *Although to be fair checking the oil level on the RS is a real palava, I can maybe understand it. Get the car between 80-90c, then park on a fully flat level, then turn the car off for one minute exactly, then turn the car to ignition one, then open the engine boot for 30 seconds exactly, then close this, and only then will the car allow you to check the oil level....! 😂 For reference, the 6 year minor service at OPC Hatfield in July will be £1800, which I will have to go with for the warranty. At RPM this same service would be £1000, and frustratingly I know they would do a much better job. 😒

Pricing also varies massively between differently owned OPCs. My Cayenne is telling mw in needs an oil change As above, the next service isn't due till May. I've had exactly the same issue with my wife's Q7, the oil change services and maintenance services get out of synch as the oil is based on variable factors whereas the maintenance are distance/time based. Anyway, I digress. I asked Edinburgh and Perth OPCs for quotes for a combined oil and maintenance service. Edinburgh approx £1,150, Perth £850 (and a nicer experience). Doesn't make any sense to me.......

pete said: The extended warranty (insurance policy, really) mandates that all maintenance and servicing is carried out at an OPC. If you're talking about an oil change flagged by the onboard computer, then you'd need to have it done at an OPC otherwise you risk invalidating the warranty. If it's an oil change you want to do in between scheduled changes for your own peace of mind, then you'd almost certainly be fine having it done anywhere, even if that's *technically* not allowed by the policy wording. You're more likely to come up against problems if you do anything that is tracked by the onboard computer outside the OPC network. Note this is all very different to the regular new car warranty, which has to be more flexible by law. This.

pete said: The extended warranty (insurance policy, really) mandates that all maintenance and servicing is carried out at an OPC. If you're talking about an oil change flagged by the onboard computer, then you'd need to have it done at an OPC otherwise you risk invalidating the warranty. If it's an oil change you want to do in between scheduled changes for your own peace of mind, then you'd almost certainly be fine having it done anywhere, even if that's *technically* not allowed by the policy wording. You're more likely to come up against problems if you do anything that is tracked by the onboard computer outside the OPC network. Note this is all very different to the regular new car warranty, which has to be more flexible by law. This. I had a cayenne once and the previous owner changed the spark plugs at a specialist not at an OPC. As such to extend the warranty I had to pay my OPC to change the plugs again themselves. I appreciate everyone wants a deal and yes of course its more expensive at OPC but Porsche extended warranty is probably the best warranty/insurance policy in the world. The following year I had a rear diff go and sunroof motor. Both items would have cost me in excess of £10K in repairs so quite frankly I can't see why more people don't keep the cars in OPC network for as long as possible. It's a Porsche at the end of the day not a Ford Focus.