General Practice for DIYers - Service Stamps or DIY Service?

Hi all, My 2003 996 C2 has full service history from Porsche and later Autofarm, which I kept up with by having a major service & brake fluid change done at Autofarm last August when I bought the car. This April (5K later) I DIY changed the oil to Millers CFS NT+, changed the filters, did used oil analysis and fitted magnetic sump plug with new crush washer. I would prefer to DIY every year/5K indefinitely, and +plugs/coils/belt etc every 2 years, but that won't get me any more service stamps which I imagine may put future owners off given everyone is told that service history and condition is the most important thing. Do people usually use a specialist every 2/4 years just to get stamps according to Porsche schedule, and DIY in the intermediate years? Seems a waste when its more convenient and cost effective to do it at home with the parts/oil you can source to preferences! What's the general view?

For me it’s important that a car has been serviced on a regular basis by a good indy or opc. Apart from cost can’t you just get a good indy to do a small interim service every other year and that way you can back up any extra work they have done on it?

Si, i suppose it all depends on how long you intend to keep her... what you paid for her, and what you'd be prepared to sell her for eventually. I for one, bought mine on the strength of the service history and last year started my 2nd service book. Bearing all that in mind there seem to be a spate of poor main dealer or indie reviews doing the rounds at the mo that put folk off. I'd want to see a stamped book, however, sometimes the seller is just as important as the car and history, another subject covered on here too and that may be of equal importance if the seller can show a good appetite for competent spanner skills. I hear you on costs etc. Just my 2p.

Quotes source post: 2752877

Thanks, yes that is my thought as long as the indy is happy to use my oil preference and facilitate the UOA and check the filters etc without excessive additional costs then that would be fine I will make some enquires. Seems silly to be paying more for a service that's not as good as the one I can do myself, plus the faff and cost of taxis or courtesy cars if I have to leave it with them all day, but once every 2 years to keep the book up to date is probably worth it.

-Deleted.

Quotes source post: 2752878

I don't 'intend' to get rid of the car at all really, having a 911 in the garage to use whenever I like is not something I would ever wilfully choose to give up, unless my life hits the skids or I won the lottery! (the latter being preferable, and even the I'd still find a place for my 996 amongst the inevitable fancier ones!). I think I will go for an indy every 2/4 years according to schedule to keep the book up to date, but still do an annual oil change and UOA in the in between years. Mine is not a low mileage car, but now on 119K, driven at least 2 or 3 times a week, in good condition, with full and expensive history she has a lot of life left in her (I hope) and would always be worth more to me than the current market would pay.

I recently did my own oil and filters service after an indy wanted £380 for just an oil and oil filter change. I have all the receipts and wrote it in the service book. Like you will probably use someone like Northway Porsche for a major service at the appropriate point, but as mine isn't low mileage or concours I'm not overly concerned for a sea of stamps as it will always be at the cheaper end of the market if I ever decide to sell

Do most of mine or goes to a mates garage who is a very good old school mechanic on anything, I keep all receipts and record when and what was fitted. Attention to detail and change out bolts,clips and anything looking tired and a good clean whilst at it. No specialist or main dealer will give you that attention to detail. Booked in at my mates next week for braided brake hoses, transmission oil and handbrake adjustment as it needs to be up in the air to be level for oil and I can't be arsed lying on my back.

I bought an eBay stamp for (my name) Servicing for the log book just to keep it looking official. I have a stack of receipts (and photos) for parts and work done, I’ve had the car for nearly 11 years and intend to keep it. Now @ 135k+ so the higher the mileage gets and the value depreciates the less important (for resale) the service stamps make.

I only have mine serviced to keep the book stamped and up to date - I do (almost) everything else myself and keep diligent records with receipts. DIY will put some people off but enthusiast owned and maintained cars will (generally) be better fettled - if something doesnt work or isn’t 100% it gets fixed however minor!

I get the lying on my back under a car bit. However for me and lots like me part of the enjoyment of classic car ownership (yes 996/997 counts) is doing the general maintenance. I attest that doing an oil change is the same on my Porsche as on my 1952 MG TD, and when completed I know it has been done and I know what oil was used. I am beginning to think that there are 2 types of buyers, those who want to own a good Porsche and those who look for reasons not to buy it. Oh there is a 3rd type....scammers. (More on that another time).

I'd like to see that someone has done an oil change every year, but also with the garage stamp from a recognised specialist every 2 years. You would hope that a garage does more than an oil change though, a proper visual inspection of suspension components, brakes, oil/water/AC/brake lines etc etc. That's the bit that I'd expect the specialist garage that knows the cars in depth to do that as an amateur, you might miss. Example, I had an AMG Merc serviced recently. The service was a B (major) service that needed the plugs changing plus the usual oil and filter. As part of the service they also highlighted other items that would need doing before the next service including a small but significant list that would save money in the long run and avoid potential significant damage. As an amateur, I could have changed filters, oil and probably the plugs but I'd have in all likelihood missed those other items.

My experience is the garage never do more than you ask/pay them to do. I change suspension parts, brake parts and will be taking the gear box out in the coming weeks. So if I can do all that then I can change the oil and filters. I write in the book what done and have all the receipts. These cars are worth so little now that I don’t see any great value in having a stamp from a garage. Any potential buyer of my car in the future will quickly appreciate that the car is well maintained. That’s my view - I accept that some folks will still buy based on stamps.

I take your point. Having said that I take a more pragmatic view of working on and maintaining cars (15 complete restorations from ground up of classic cars over a 40+ year period), and I am not the only one on hear who takes this approach. One of the best ownership threads was a few months back where we were given a photographic description of a complete overhaul of a 996 Turbo. It was very inspiring but the caveat is that for any work on a car if you do not have the skill, don't do it, or in my case if it involves a lengthy period of lying on my back....avoid! Any way an MOT test will show up any issues with suspension components, and if that fails then squeaks, clunks and rattles will alert you to any problem.

Quotes source post: 2753046

Most "big" specialist garages (maybe not your neighbourhood bloke with two lifts and a stamp) will include a FOC vehicle health report when you do your annual service with green/amber/red items. Weirdly enough, if you phrase the exact same thing as a Post-Purchase Inspection, suddenly they are keen to charge you prices that range from "too much" to "have you considered a career in comedy". Examples below (I am a big believer in price transparency): - Precision Porsche: £450 for "Full" PPI, but if you want a bore score inspection (so the previous PPI is not really "full" is it) £225! extra. Surgeons would struggle to make that much for such little work. - Porchetech: Full PPI + 90K service together for £2160 - Friends Green Porsche: £220 for PPI (listed as 2.5 hours of labour - must include lots of coffee breaks and... pondering)