Boxster Spyder 987 Major Service @ OPC

[Boxstercol]

My 2005 987 had a full OPC service history until 2 years ago, when quite frankly the quotes for servicing became outrageous. In between scheduled services every 2 years, it even went into the OPC for an oil & filter change, despite only covering a couple of thousand miles per annum.

The final straw came when they wanted to charge me nearly £400 for just an oil & filter change, which was double the cost of the previous one.

I take it to Northway now, great guys to deal with & you don’t feel you’re getting your pants pulled down every time you visit.

 

[Eric G]

Hi. I'm just wondering which OPC you went too. I've got a gen 2 Cayman and I've been quoted £2300 for my 12 year service at my local OPC. It's going in tomorrow and I only had a major service 2 years ago so it seems a bit steep. I know the PDK oil gets done and other long term stuff too presumably. If you got the same service it'd be interesting to know where.

I'm living in Fife.

Thanks for any advice.

Eric G

 

[MrDemon]

The 12 year is a big one. Why pay an OPC though I have no idea.

The last one you had should have been a 10 year and that's the smallest one you can get. Only a oil swap at 10 years.

 

[ScottishSpyder]

I live in Edinburgh and had the 12 year service on my 2010 987 gen2 done last summer by David Phillips for £850 inc vat. OPC quoted £1600 and came back to £1350. David did the full job inc gearbox oil change. The car was full OPC before then. Also he is pretty central so easy to get to. As my car is 12 years old I felt full OPC history was not essential and in reality David Phillips is probably more familiar with 987's than the OPC.

 

[Wollemi]

The only reason to have an older car serviced at OPC would be if you have Porsche Extended Warranty, the T&Cs of which require OPC servicing.

A 2005 car is now three years too old for the extended warranty (max 15 years old) so OPC servicing has to be a waste of money. A good independent is going to be far more familiar with older models anyway.

 

[Eric G]

The 12 year is a big one. Why pay an OPC though I have no idea.

The last one you had should have been a 10 year and that's the smallest one you can get. Only a oil swap at 10 years.

Thanks for the reply. I've had my Cayman since 2014 and put 97k on it now as it's my daily drive in all weather. It lives outside also. Because of my mileage I've always kept my warranty alive through OPC servicing for peace of mind regarding possible engine /PDK/other issues. The OPC £1350 mentioned by ScottishSpyder pricked my ears up hence my question as it's nearly half the cost of my estimate for the same thing.

 

[Eric G]

I live in Edinburgh and had the 12 year service on my 2010 987 gen2 done last summer by David Phillips for £850 inc vat. OPC quoted £1600 and came back to £1350. David did the full job inc gearbox oil change. The car was full OPC before then. Also he is pretty central so easy to get to. As my car is 12 years old I felt full OPC history was not essential and in reality David Phillips is probably more familiar with 987's than the OPC.

Hi ScottishSpyder, I live in Fife but fortuitously work in Bruntsfield, less than a mile from David Phillips. I've driven past many times and admired the variety of cars he's had in there, and all the old Porsches out the back caught my eye too. I even went down once just after covid to check him out but he was closed. I've got my last available 2 year warranty due in June and saw the £1350 price you were quoted by an OPC for the 12 year. I just wondered which OPC you'd got that price from because the difference was so large? Thanks for replying so quickly by the way. You seem to be on the same path as myself moving from full OPC & warranty into independent. My Cayman is a Blue 987.2 2010 2.9 and I've done 97k in it as my daily driver. I'll certainly check out David Phillips in due course if you've been happy there. You never know, we might encounter each other some day in Bruntsfield. I'm a new member so thanks to everyone for all the speedy replies.

 

[ScottishSpyder]

Darren at Edinburgh. I have just had a quote for 4year service on our Macan S. One OPC £2k+ and another £1350 with PCGB discount. It is just getting silly.

 

[Eric G]

Until now I'd got the impression that prices were fairly strictly regulated by Porsche. With these differences they don't seem to be anymore. I've used 4 different OPC'S throughout my ownership of 9 years and prices for minor and major services have broadly been the same. This time I've limited the things needing doing to the red urgent things on their summary, one of which is a full set of wheel nuts, because most of mine have corroded quite badly £333.00! I have to say, corroded wheel nuts is a first for me, and I drove 1970's Alfa's in the 80's lol. I've got until June when my warranty expires to decide my next move but going indi and missing the last warranty term seems likely. There's a few things on the advisory list which will certainly sting and saving the warranty money + the inherent savings of going independent will probably go a considerable way to covering the costs of getting it all done. Time to get out the calculator.

 

[ScottishSpyder]

I think if I had a PDK i would stay OPC and renew the warranty . Try Perth. They seem to be trying- in the right way.

 

[Eric G]

I think if I had a PDK i would stay OPC and renew the warranty . Try Perth. They seem to be trying- in the right way.

Unfortunately it was Perth who gave me the quote . I've used them since 2018 and been fairly happy. They've been quite generous with warranty work I've had done. Watching the video they sent this time I can see clearly that the work pointed up needs doing. I've gone with the red items for now and I'll give the rest some thought between now and warranty expiry. I presume you think I should stay with the warranty because of the complexity of the PDK and possible high repair cost outside warranty?

I'm really grateful for your point of view on this. Thanks for your time and help.

 

[MrDemon]

price are up 300% in 5 years it feels like.

even so the £850 for a 12 year seems too cheap. there is a lot to do they would make no money at £850 inc VAT. that's £700 for 1.5 days work and all the parts !

Garages do miss a lot off on the 12 year, i phoned JZM gave then 3 chances to quote me on my 12 year, they failed even after 3 quotes to say what was really needed, SO I do wonder people go in blind and then don't get stuff done which needs doing. I am not just pointing out JZM, I phoned 4 big indy, NONE got the 12 year service right all missed stuff off. I wonder if people who get a service done but with missed bits and then a year later the engine blows up, who's fault is it ? As after phoning 4 of the big boys NONE got the 12 year right which means most are driving cars with bits not done ! I paid £1250 in the end for the 12 year, but then as normal on a car this old mine needed coolant hoses and extra work doing which of course was on top of that. OPC is about >£2.0k for the 12 year, as always dyor and MAKE SURE you get a list what is going to be done and check it yourself ! As always a major service is not a major service, every thing is also an add on on top of the major service price.

 

[MrDemon]

OPC ramp rates are £275 + VAT and hour for a start !!! £580 inc VAT for a major inc belts and Plugs is the deal of the thread. How not to make any money what so every, who is this who does free work ?

 

[AndrewCS]

I was of the opinion previously that I was prepared to pay the OPC price if I received a quality service, however as this seemed unlikely based on past experiences I now go to an independent and on my last major service to include belt and plugs paid £580.00 Inc VAT

what I enjoyed about this was I was there when it was being done so learned a lot in the process

At an OPC you don’t see anything apart from an invoice when they want paid which you have to take their word for

In my opinion OPCs do not life up to the Porsche high level standards we would hope to expect from them, it’s all about the money!

Have you asked for access, I get it at mine ...

 

[Eric G]

Ok, I've got my car back from having it's 12 year and if people are willing I'd like a grass roots opinion on the oil level guage and the segments. In my own experience I've always topped up trying to keep the oil in the top segment without going over the top guide line. I've recently read or heard that this is wrong, and about halfway should be the approach to take. What I'd really like to know though is what guys you would think about getting your car back with the oil below the bottom segment with the bottom segment flashing? And needing to add .5 litres to move it up to the bottom "safe" segment. Followed by another .3 litres approx to take it up another segment. Please let me know if I should put this question in a different thread. I'm new the the club and you guys are the first members I've communicated with. I'd be really grateful for your opinions.

Many thanks.

 

[gdavison]

Seems low to me .. As you said every Porsche I have ever got back from an OPC service has the oil banging on the top of the display (or line on dipstick back in the days). In fact one of my Cayenes came back and threw an over oil warning a week after service. Having to add 0.8l of oil after a service is not right to me

 

[Motorhead]

I agree with Graeme … that level’s much too low given that the car has just been serviced. It should either be at the top level mark or the one below that, which is where I’ve always kept it on my 987.2 CS for the past 13-years or so without experiencing any problems.

Rather shoddy work by your dealer’s tech I’m afraid.

Jeff

 

[Eric G]

I got a phone call on Saturday morning regarding the low oil from the OPC service employee I'd dealt with during the service.

Although saying he was not a technician he took the position that the fuel gauge must be faulty. He wanted to arrange checking of the oil gauge because he said when they checked it was filled to 2 segments during the service after using 10 litres of oil, which is strange, since the capacity is I believe about 7.5 L for the 2.9. A senior person will contact me on Monday.

How can the oil drop by 2 segments in 17.7 miles, when I decided to pull over and check it? Unless it's going into the coolant or leaking onto the road.

After topping up to 2 segments at home I drove a round trip of 40 miles to find it was still where I'd filled it up to. I checked it again the following day after the same round trip of 40 miles and it was the same. The oil is going no where. Historically it's used very little oil in the 9 years/ 97K miles I've driven in it.

Has anyone ever encountered a problem with any Porsche Dashboard oil level gauge giving incorrect levels?

The attached picture made my blood run cold.

 

[BrianJ]

Ok, I've got my car back from having it's 12 year and if people are willing I'd like a grass roots opinion on the oil level guage and the segments. In my own experience I've always topped up trying to keep the oil in the top segment without going over the top guide line. I've recently read or heard that this is wrong, and about halfway should be the approach to take. What I'd really like to know though is what guys you would think about getting your car back with the oil below the bottom segment with the bottom segment flashing? And needing to add .5 litres to move it up to the bottom "safe" segment. Followed by another .3 litres approx to take it up another segment. Please let me know if I should put this question in a different thread. I'm new the the club and you guys are the first members I've communicated with. I'd be really grateful for your opinions.

Many thanks.

I had a similar problem after the 8 year service on my previous 981, ironically the only time I have used an independent (albeit of local repute). About 15 mins after driving away, the car started bonging at me, indicating low oil level but possible to drive on. I checked the level which indicated below min. I added one litre to get it up to one division below max. On contacting the indie I received abject apologies but was told that he had put in the correct amount apparently indicated by PIWIS and couldn’t understand how that had happened. He sent me the additional litre by post. Seemed like a case of too much reliance on the computer to me, and not enough validation from the car itself. First time it has happened in 20 years but never with an OPC in my experience, so far.

 

[Eric G]

Thanks for your reply. I didn't get any bonging so I suppose I can take comfort from that. It didn't occur to me that there woul be an audible alarm. I would expect my 2010 Cayman to have an audible alarm too. Phew!