30,000 Mile Service

Amigo's I am now approaching the 30K mark, My question is what is the Avg Cost of the 30K service ? P.S. 30K and All is PERFECT !

About 800$ at the dealer.

I've been quoted as high as $1500.

I'm due for my 30K service this fall. My car is long off warranty, my thoughts are this will be the final trip to the dealer for service, after this I'm going to start using an independent shop. Or maybe I should just do it now.

i used an Indi shop and it was 600.00 something and that was here in overpriced Wa.

You should flush brake fluids if not done in the last 3 yrs. Expect around $750 and add another $150 or so for brake fluid.

The 30K service is really over priced. All they do is look at a bunch of stuff and change your oil. You can do it yourself and save a lot of $$$.

Great looking Targa......got any more pics w/the GT3 wing?!?

Ray S - send me your e-mail address and I will send some more pics of my black beauty.... Thanks again all -

The local Porsche dealer here in San Jose charges $399, and $130 for brake fluid flush (every 2 years). But it is such a pity to pay even that much. The 30K is no different from a 15K maintenance except for changing out the air filter. Both the 15K and 30K are definitely DIY jobs that don't take more than 2-3 hours (if you are real slow) All of the DIY instructions you need are here The fluids and filters will set you back about $110. Most dealers (especially on the east coast for some reason) look at the routine maintenance as a way to make some easy money, and seem to have good cooperation with the typical Porsche owner in getting away with it. Anyone that pays $800 or more for an oil and filter change is being robbed. Take the money you save and treat yourself to something you want.

It defies logic that there could be such a difference for the same service but the three closest P dealers to me quoted - 600.00 (Rizza) , 900.00 (Napleton) and 1000.00 (Exchange) for the 30k with brake flush last year.

i forgot to include that a brake, and tranny flush + a replacement of the S-Belt were in my 30k Service. as well.

With the possible exception of changing the brake fluid (if the car has 2 years since the last change) All of those things that were done to your car were unnecessary. The oldest trick in the dealers "stick it to em" book is to cut the maintenance interval of things in half, therefore being able to charge the customer twice. This has been going on since the first dealer service bay opened, and people are still falling for it. sorry to say, my friend, but you were punked by your dealer.

Tranny fluid replacement at 30K miles? Talk about unnecessary! And why replace the belt? That dealer is a joke.

I just paid 744.40 at Downtown L.A. Porsche.

umm, not really since i requested these items to be done, as i had just bought the car and i always go through any car i buy and bring it up to the specs that i want for maintiance. That way i know it has been done right. The tranny fluid had never been changed (cosmoline was intact on the drain plug) & I had a bunch of Motul race fluids laying around. The S-Belt is a peice of mind item and since it looked a little warn i had them replace it.

Hi am in Washington also, what Indi shop do you go to? Are they good? TIA Ed

i use 2 different ones. CHRIS'S GERMAN AUTO SERVICE www.chrisgerman.com 1503 130th Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98005 Attn: Chris Powell [phone removed] & REDMOND EUROPEAN http://www.redmondeuropean.com 18014 Redmond Way, #C25 Redmond, WA 98034 Attn: John Maynard [phone removed] [email removed] I just looked at my invoice from Chris's for the 30K service it was $766.00, with S-belt, Brake and tranny flush, plugs, and all the other stuff in there. a normal 30K should be less. Redmond Euro has an alignment rack and is very good overall as well. the 996 is going there next week for an alignment, some PST2 adjustments, and a few 3rd party warrenty items that need to be attended to.

Greta Thank you, I am going to get some price quote from them Thanks again

When I worked in the automobile business, I spent about six of my sixteen years in the service department as an assistant to the service manager. We had in those days what was called a minor service. Done at 3750 and 7500 miles. What it amounted to, was a $19.95 oil change with a brake inspection, rotation of tires, and inspection of several items. All the customer needed at these intervals was really an oil change. But even when given the information that all they needed was really an oil change, most customers opted for the $59.95 oil change with the other not so needed items. I guess it just made them feel better??? When you take a vehicle in to have it serviced, you should always have your owners manual in your hand, and be ready to question the service writer if something they wish to perform is not listed. If it's not in the owners book, more then likely it does not have to be done. If the service writer gives you some song and dance, I would consider going to another dealer. Contrary to popular belief, most dealerships are honest. They want your business for life. Much more profit is to be made by having a devoted following of happy customers. And yes, the dealership must make a profit to pay for the expensive facility they use to work on your vehicle. The occasional rip-off is usually due to an over motivated, somewhat new service writer, that wishes to make an impression on his boss as well as his wallet. If I were to take my C2 in for a 30k service, I would ask the dealer how much it was going to cost me for an oil and filter change, brake inspection, and air filter? I would also ask for a breakdown on the price of parts and labor, and decide if the entire package was reasonable? Good Luck, Tom L

RJMDAD - Why not post the pics here so we can all see more of your black beauty?

The 30K is definitely over charged at $1K, BUT I always get free tech inspections and countless no charge or "don't worry about it doc" minor visits over the years. So I don't mind throwing them a bone so to speak.

One of the main reasons for the big differance in price for the 30K service is because of what services are performed. There's the core 30K service which is essentially an oil and oil filter change and a ton of inspections, and then there are the optional services: cooling system flush, transmission flush, power steering flush, and brake flush. These flushes can easily add on an additional $500 to the price of the 30K service. So if you want to keep the price down, it may be a good idea to specify specifically what services you want done as part of the 30K service.