Extended Warranty

My 996 C2 is 2 years old next month and I am trying to decide if I should go with the extended Porsche Warranty (£800). My current feeling is to not bother, but I could be persuaded. Any thoughts/experiences anybody? Mark

Look very carefully at the terms of the warranty on offer. When considering purchasing my 996 the pre-purchase inspection revealed a large number of items from leaking rear oil seal to busted spring clips on a sun visor. ' Good Job I have extended warranty' said hapless owner..... ' Pity nothing is covered by it, here is a bill for £2550.00 plus vat' said Porsche Reading....... ' Choke gasp' said owner.... After a lot of wrangling they agreed to pick up a replacement coil and a leaking gasket from the coolant header tank..... That saved a mighty £150 odd. Still I agreed to buy the car with all the bits done although I paid for a new clutch (parts only) which was found to be OK but nearing limit. No brainer with all the bits out to do the seal.... Read the small print....

£1350 can buy you a lot of repairs at an Indy. Why bother

Les, When this new warranty came out I, and I know a few others looked at the Indy route but it was painfully clear from the outset was that no one will cover the engine and the maximum claim will not exceed £5k. Steve makes a valid point and what he says encapsulates the warranty debate in a nutshell - you gamble or you bite the bullet and pay for the new "bumper to bumper" warranty. (after yoiu pass the 111 point check of course) RB

Don't Hartech do one ?

They do a thing called the lifetime maintenance plan - a monthly scheme that covers pretty much everything (no, really). Not sure you can get it unless you buy the vehicle from them, though. Some other independants are already, or are considering, similar schemes, but mostly the idea is to cover a car they have sold to you, not a car you already own.

Hartech do cover cars purchased elsewhere after an inspection. Their price covers all labour, not parts, but includes clutches / brakes etc. Full details can be found on PistonHeads - see here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=48&t=620413&mid=66877&nmt=Porsche Warranties For me, the biggest reason not to renew my OPC warranty back in Jan was the draconian conditions of the new warranty including not being able to have ANY maintenance done on the car by self or non-OPC dealer AND not being able to have ANY 3rd party add-on, including Tracker / Becker Hi-Fi, non porsche battery etc.

Unfortunately I think the 'bumper to bumper' term was oversold by the dealerships... with many, many things still not covered by the warranty.. shocks and suspension being one paticular item, when you see the cost of a set then you have to rethink the outlay.. garyw

Les, I've just purchased a Warrantywise plan which following some pretty extensive research looked to offer the fairest deal and no nonsense cover. I pay £70 per month for up to £10K in a single claim and a claim limit of £27K, being the value of the car. Which is by the way, a 2003 C2. Hope this helps. Tony

Can you provide more details on this warranty, Image

Hi, I've now got my membership details through, hence the change of name. Details are available on http://www.warrantywise.co.uk/ Hope this helps Tony

Just had this quote offered to me, ( part extract below ) anyone any experience with a company called www.myvehiclewarranty.co.uk Many thanks for the quote request and call earlier. I have the pleasure of enclosing details as requested. Please call me for details of discounts available and to arrange cover. Full details of each product along with the features and benefits can be found in the Warranty Information booklet attached "" this will answer all of your questions in entirety. 1 year GILT Warranty Cover £486.25 LIFETIME GILT Warranty Cover £586.25 £2000 individual claim limit. PPOV - purchase price of vehicle. · 1 year GILT PPOV Gilt Warranty Cover £699.00 · 2 year GILT PPOV Gilt Warranty Cover £949.00 GILT Cover is the highest and most comprehensive standard available in the market today. The Gilt Cover reimburses all mechanical and electrical components of the vehicle that were manufacturers original fitments. Please remember there is no excess to pay, and no hidden charges, and you can choose where your vehicle is fixed "" peace of mind motoring. A lifetime warranty sounds useful, even if can only make limited value claims Image

You can have the hartech plan on any car whether you buy from them or not. Mine was from a Hartech customer, not from them directly. The thing I like about Hartech is that it's not just a warranty. Mine's in with them at the moment for the big service which is covered in the ~£80 a month I pay them. It's had new pads which I'll pay for but only the pads, not the labour to fit them. Surely I'm getting most of my £80 per month in that! While it's with them they are trying to track down a couple of problems which are hard to find because they are only apparent when the car's been driven for a while meaning that they can't replicate the problem in the workshop. These are big issues to me because I live with them everyday but I actually feel guilty because of the effort they are putting into sorting it, it's not like having a warranty where you are having to argue to get something fixed. Anybody faced with the increased Porsche warranty should have a look at Hartech's offer.

Hi Tony, Just got a qote on my car selecting a labour charge of £80 an hour at £943 p.a. whiche seems OK. However, they have my car as LPG when I enter the reg number. Ironically, Quentin Wilson is all over the site who previously admitted to clocking used cars! Good choice of front man?

Is there a claim limit? (There is no timing belt the engine is chain driven so that's not an issue)

from the bumf i got .. There is no excess, the claims limit is up to the purchase price of the car per claim with no limit to the number claims that can be made.

It seems ok, but I wouldn't count on it. I've not heard of AutoProtect. These companies tend to have their own definitions e.g. What defines 'Sudden and unforeseen'? 'Sorry sir the detonated IMS is a known problem so not unforeseen' etc IMO The Porsche warranty is by far the best.

3 month warranty says it all about the supplier, doesnt inspire confidence in condition of car. Also not valid under the sale of goods act if yopu have any problems. should be a minimum of 6 months to strictly conform. Suggest you get car checked asap. Also suggest checking cover against WMS/VGS and warranty direct as they cost about the same.

Weirdly, I also bought an '03 Targa from Wimbledon Carriage Co. - but almost 2 years ago. I took the full 3 year AutoProtect warranty for £900 as it seemed like peace of mind. But before signing on the dotted line I had the car inspected independently and checked and double-checked that the policy would cover any IMS issues or any other major mechanical failure - which they assured me it would. That said, I've never had to use it yet as the car has been ultra-reliable and nothing has been needed beyond servicing, so I guess we'll see. One year still remaining on the warranty. I'd be very interested to know more details about your car and what you paid for it. Also, since purchase I've been using WCC for servicing and they seem quite good, if a little pricey. They know the car well and are always very attentive. Would be good to hear your opinion - Do you live locally? Cheers Paul

Hi Paul - I will take the car to my local Indy ( http://www.brooklandskent.co.uk/ ) and get them to give the car the once over. £900 is not a lot for piece of mind, but possibly waisted money if its not needed. Plus, £900 is a fair chunck towards getting the IMS done anyway. The car came with a stack of paper work, mostly OPC's. One was for a new clutch and RMS. I called them and asked if they did the IMS at the same time. They said they didn't, but would have checked the IMS at the time. They stated that any IMS concerns with the bearing having any play etc, they would always replace. If it looks ok, they leave it alone. So that was at least some comfort. I live in Chislehurst .. can highly recommend Brooklands. Pop over one weekend and I will introduce you to the guys there!

That sounds sensible. My car also came with a ton of papers but nothing in there about RMS/IMS. Although mine had only done 32k (48k now) miles at the time so maybe it was too soon for that to be a concern. Each time i take it for service or MOT i get them to check all the seals and photograph the underside of the car so I can see for myself. It's always bone-dry under there and they always remark how unusual that is on a 996. Anyway, congratulations on acquiring your Targa. It really is a fantastic machine and I hope you enjoy every moment, just as I do. The only thing that niggles me about my car is that I'm the 8th owner. Don't get me wrong, it's practically perfect in every way and perhaps 8 owners in 13 years is probably fine - these cars do tend to change hands often. But I wish it was fewer... Just like when you start dating a hot girl even though you know she's been with all your mates... I don't get over to Kent much but the next time I find myself heading over I will be sure to let you know! Cheers, Paul