switch to indie ?

my 2002 targa is coming up for annual service and i am considering switching to an indie i have continued with porsche servicing to maintain the resale value but since prices are now SO low i am not sure it makes a difference how much might i save do you think it is worth it ? i am based in central london btw

I have refused to use my very local main dealer for some time - indies in my experience try harder and hourly rates are so much less. I am sure someone here will recommend someone near you.

i use a little local indie, only had simple stuff so far. The oil change is dead easy but at ten years you might be up for the second coolant change which he might find harder. You'll probably need to make a choice of oil too, i use a 15-50 synthetic with a bit of ZDDP but that may well be covered in another thread already. We're out in the sticks by the sea so no local to you knowledge. T

Main dealer = Technician "whats that?" basically a parts swapper capable of performing some tasks of a combined skills pool. Indie = Mechanic "whats that" someone that tears down and rebuilds. Plus main dealers are so stuck up and fill the Customer contact zone with admin workers not petrolheads.

I bought a 996 with nothing but main dealer service stamps in the book, every job I've done on the car myself I've found problems. How about a stripped thread on a caliper mount! The bolt was held in with PTFE tape, as far as I'm concerned an official dealer stamp is a waste of money, Thirteeneast is right, style over substance.

I've only just purchased my first porsche (996) so my experience is limited....however I chose an indie for it's recent service rather than main dealer. Price was not that different (£300 vs £330). But at 10y old my opinion is it is now getting "old" for a main delaer so I feel happier trusting specialist indies. I've used JZM and Parr so far and been happy. I've heard good things about Paragon and Jaz but never used them.

I've always used "indies" and never had problems My 911 is now 16 years old and wouldn't warrant the hourly rate of a specialist (I am after all, like many Porsche owners "on a budget" and merely use mine as a weekend hobby) I recently found a specialist in Selby who mainly deals with German marques so a Porsche is his speciality. He also looks after my wife's Boxster and very reasonable and knows what he's doing. John

wow ! anyone want to speak up for the porsche dealers ?

Sid at porsche torque is great honest and genuinely interested in your porsche . We have to bear in mind that porsche dealers have Large overheads staff costs . Their dealerships are always nice places to sit and wait or browse . Most indie technicians have come from Porsche dealers themselves We are lucky that we have a choice for those where money is no object or warranty is paramount porsche dealers will suit . Me I am not a banker so I will go to my indie instead

Yes, I will! I think earlier comments about PC "technicians" being part swapping monkeys and Indie ""mechanics" being God-like repairers is possibly a little wide of the mark. All the PC chaps I have met are very knowledgeable and I doubt that Indies will do anything different when it comes to replacing worn out or broken bits. Although a book full of dealer stamps may be worthless in one posters eyes, I would suggest that to most purchasers it isn't - and in any case how does he know the problem he quoted was caused by a PC and not some DIYer? Then there is the cost. I get at least a 10% discount on everything and my local PC will try to price match anything - right down to the cost of the oil - so no point in taking my own for the service. But, and it is a bit but, not all PCs are created equal, it would seem, and I'm sure the same applies to Indies. We are lucky in this part of the country to have a very good one and for whom, it seems, nothing is too much trouble when it comes to service and support- and I have a few examples which I won't bore you with here. I have absolutely nothing against Indies - we have a superb one close by - but at the end of it all you just make a choice and go with the option that makes you feel most comfortable. I was going to say that maybe the age of the car has something to do with it but changed my mind as whenever I visit Exeter PC there seem to be as many older cars in their workshop as newer models. I wouldn't rule out changing to an Indie in the future but at the moment my PC gives me no reason to do so. As ever, yer pays yer money and yer takes yer choice![ ]

My problem with main dealers is they only use staff they can train to do a set of specific tasks. Otherwise if they give them all the knowledge they go off and set up there own Garages which is whats happened to them so many times. So it makes sense to go to a Mechanic not a parts swapper (Technician) some of those guys cant even identify every part of there own Engine's LOL. Just an opinion and its mine. Your right I do laugh at service books, the same as when a used car is being sold and service book is being "obtained".[ ] "God like?" Cant see any mention of that.

Indeed, but the implication is that PC Technicians don't know one end of a spanner from the other and Indie Mechanics will repair anything rather than replace it.[ ] Just for clarity, are you saying that a service history is of no interest to you when buying a car?

Just wish the OPC Tech's had known how to use a Vernier Caliper when they replaced my RMS five times [ ] A book with stamps in it is of no interest what so ever to me I don't collect stamps.[ ] Looking at a car and seeing its wear & condition is of much interest to me.[ ]

I had three bad experiences with three different OPCs when I first had a 996 ten years or so ago (including one of them puncturing an air con condenser but not doing anything about it until I complained the air con was suddenly not working after it they delivered it back one hot July day - the damage had plainly been done with a flat-blade screwdriver) so enough was enough. At first I used Mario Macheras at Porscheworx in Hampstead (and was very happy) and since moving out to West Berks now use Northway (near j12 of the M4) who are superb. I don't suppose I'll ever go back.

I've used My local OPC for the last 12 months on my 9 year old Boxster. I rate them highly, good service (so far) & willing to discount on cost of service to near Indy prices. My car is under OPC warranty until the end of the year so in fairness I have to utilise the OPC network for the servicing / repairs. However, based upon my experience so far I intend to continue to use them once the warranty expires.

I think it horses for courses, and there are both good and bad PCs and Indies. IMO it doesn't make a scrap of difference to the value if the stamps in the book of a 996 are from a PC or known Porsche specialist. The thing about specialists is that they will do things that the PCs won't. Got a gasket leak on a 996 Tiptronic? The PC answer is an exchange transmission, whereas an indy will strip it and use the appropriate Mercedes/ZF gasket. Retrofit cruise? PC=no, Indy=yes. If the job isn't on the Porsche system, then a PC won't do it. I don't think it has anything to do with the technicians themselves, it is what Porsche AG decide. After all, most Indies were Porsche trained technicians in their time. Then there is the parts issue. Indies source 'OEM' parts from different sources, whereas PCs are tied to Porsche. Original fitment items such as Bosch/Beru coil packs and Bosch MAF sensors considerably cheaper than PC prices, and the indy can pass that saving on to the customer, so it reduces the parts bill as well as the labour. Having said that, PCs can offer some keen fixed service pricing, but I suspect that it is because the indies are there, and the PCs are having to compete for work on the older models.