servicing Indy or OPC??

My 996 C4 (99 reg) is two months way from service and warranty renewal. This is my first service and wonder if anyone could give me some advice. My real dilemma is do I take it to an Indy or OPC. What are the pro and cons? My service book shows the car has been serviced at an OPC throughout its life. Does the stamp have a massive effect on its resale value? If I have it serviced at an OPC do I then have to pay for another check before they renew the warranty or will servicing cover it? [8|]

You can renew your warranty without any checks as long as this is carried out before your current warranty expires (£895). Two questions:- What service will you need, and how long do you propose to own the car? If the car has done less than 9000 miles since it's last Major service (not minor) then you can get the annual check done at the OPC (~£120) If it needs a minor service and you might sell the car next year then I'd get the OPC to carry out the work. No point slipping now at such a low price difference between an indy and OPC service. And with a full OPC service history you may get more leeway when it comes to 'iffy' warranty claims. If it needs a major service and you're thinking of keeping the car for a while I would probably get it serviced at an indy. Clearly as the mileage and age of the car add up a full OPCSH won't add much value come resale as most cars won't have one anyway. It may make it easier to sell, but I doubt you'd get more.

I suspect the answer to this question will depend upon individuals personal experiences of the OPC network, which will probably vary across the country. I believe you will get a better quality service from one of the many good and reputable Independants dotted around the country. The only possible reason why I can think you'd choose the OPC to service your car is if you wanted to mainain the warranty. If you are not bothered about the warranty then there are plenty of reputable specialists around that will do a much better job than the OPC. In terms of resale value I guess it might be adversly effected for people not in the know, but people in the know who know about these independant specialists will probably value their stamps over and above the OPC stamp. I know I would. If you want to renew your OPC warranty in future then you will have to pay for an inspection which isn't cheap, however some specialist are now offering their own warranty-like products. Hartech (in the North West) is one I know of where you pay an amount per month and it covers your servicing charges and the labour for any repairs. You've got to ask yourself do you really need totally carefree warranty protection that ties you down to OPC servicing? Despite the bad press about RMS's and other things the statistics show that these cars are extremely reliable and rarely suffer problems. For example the specialist I use is Zentrum in Nottingham. There is only a team of a handful of mechanics, one of which is the owner of the business so his reputation is on the line. Although he only sees my car once a year (thankfully) he remembers every detail on it and keeps a list of things he's watching in his little black book For example i have a very minor weeping oil leak from my rear crank seal (doesn't even drip on my garage floor) that he's keeping an eye on and will advise me when it needs replacing. I'm sure the OPC would have told me it needed replacement immediately when in fact it will probably run without further deterioration for another 10kmiles before replacement is needed, which will probably tie in with a clutch replacement thereby costing me no extra labour over and above the clutch replacement. They are very trustworthy seem to take a real interest and Porsche trained as they used to work at OPC's and really know their stuff.

With an 8 year limit on the OPC warranty, is it worth worrying about as assuming your car is at best a Dec '99 model, so you'll be paying £895 but only be covered for the next 2-3 months...

It needs a major service and i intent to keep for at least another year. I am also going to renew the warranty as a piece of mind, i thought i had 9 years or 125000 miles?

You are correct. You don't need to have the car serviced by an OPC to have the warranty or to maintain it either. IMO it is good value for money (if you think any warrantys are) when compared to other manufacturers, as it has no excess and no claim limit (either per claim or in total). It also includes Europewide Porsche Assist. Again IMO unless you have a GT3 or other track biased car (where a well known indi such as Parr or JZM would be preferred), most buyers of a 996 would prefer a full OPCSH than not. That's not to say they service the cars any better, it just shows (wrongly or not) that you may be the type of person who doesn't cut costs. But as you point out, you are going to be keeping the car for at least another year,you're looking at a major service, and you'll be renewing the warranty...those may be enough reasons not to bother with a Porsche service.

i recently went through the same dilemna, my opc offers 50% discount on labour as the car is six years old and 10% off parts. making my service £260 for the minor as opposed to £230 at an indy. Consequently i decided to go with the OPC to keep the book stamped with OPC history. I intend to keep the car for another couple of years. I was also advised that as the car is under warranty they may be more inclined to look favourably if there were any borderline claims.

Is that common for OPC to offer discounts on old cars. Which OPC did you go to get that deal?

Edinburgh does. And I've read of others doing so.

I find it to be a bit random wrt to discounts on older cars. I tried it on with OPC East London in March and they told me their 'new' menu pricing system was so cheap they didn't need to offer discounts on older cars. 3 years ago I did get a discount on my '97 Boxster at OPC Staples corner though (part of the old OPC system)

That is not correct. The warrantee can be _renewed_ up to the car's 9th bithday, hence covering it for 1 year until the car is 10 years old. The mileage must be _under_ 125,000 miles when renewed and there is no limit to the mileage you could cover in the year after that. As for OPC vs. Indy ... personally, if you have the warrantee, I'd stick with OPC - especially as it will not be that much more with your PCGB discount - when mine had its service done, they spotted a leaky radiator (that I hadn't noticed) and replaced it foc. Also, if you have a good relationship with your OPC, they are likely to be more leniant on borderline warrantee cases.

the OPC offering 50% is Newcastle for cars over 6 years old. I think they want to try to tap into that business as the older cars tend to use the indys.