Am I just expecting too much? OPC Experience

[Ryan9729]

Evening Guys/Girls

I'm feeling somewhat disappointed with the whole Porsche buying experience, and wondering whether it's just me and whether the bar for my expectations are set too high, it would be good to get some feedback of your experiences and especially if you had some 'off piste' requests.

I thought I'd never experience Porsche ownership never mind being in the fortunate position of being able to specify and purchase a factory car. I had assumed that buying a new Porsche would be an occasion, both in terms of the product but also being treated in a way that is commensurate with the exclusive brand Porsche portrays.

After a long period of research I'd pretty much decided that a Cayman GTS 4.0 was the car I wanted, and decided to get in touch with my local OPC to arrange a test drive of a couple of variants confirm my thoughts and to get ideas of how I would specify my car if I should order.

Well it didn't start great, to get booked in for a test drive took several emails, and well over a month of waiting, in the end I had to copy the dealership principle in to get the process moving but I did manage to get there without too much trouble. The day was a good experience and I ended up putting in an order for the Cayman GTS 4.0 with c£11K (not including PPF) worth of options, I did also manage to get £1,500 towards PPF from TOPAZ for the front end and sills. After hearing of no contribution anywhere I was quite pleased with the outcome and my days 'work'.

Obviously like everyone else I joined the back of the queue and having to wait until the dealer has an allocation but was realistically told the car would be available in January 2022. I didn't say anything but to be honest I would have preferred to wait until the new registration in March but if it came it came. The dealer said it would provide me with monthly updates of the progress and let me know in plenty of time for me to confirm the specification should I change my mind (which I have several times! although only one emailed through to the dealer)

So, so far so good, in most respects apart from the shaky start. At the time of paying the reservation deposit I also asked for hard copy brochures to help guide me through the specification and generally I just like to have these. Well since firstly asking for one in early August I have nudged when asking other Q's on emails no fewer than 3 times and I still have not received a brochure, I know its a small thing but is this really that difficult?

When going back through the configuration online I spotted that Porsche offer or supply the car with 3 brands of tyres, I asked the question of whether this is a choice or, are we just given what we are given, if it is a choice then I'd want the Michelin branded tyres. This question was not and has still not been answered. My guess is, you given what you are given.

I also put forward quite a quirky request and it is quirky, you can specify the car with '718 Cayman GTS', 718 and no rear insignia. I didn't like the full lettering as the fonts change and it is quite busy, I also didn't like the 718, the plain rear was OK. since requesting a full badge or no badge was a nil cost option and you get no reduction for not specifying a badge I asked whether:

1. If I specified the full badge whether TOPAZ could remove this and just reapply the 'GTS' element. I know TOPAZ do this kind of work as I've seen similar on a GT4.
2. I also asked if the above was not possible then if I specify the car with no badges and have a separate GTS set just popped in the glove box.

The answers to the first one, is this is not possible as there is no jig to get the badge straight, and the second was yes we could but we will charge you for the privilege.

Considering I'm parting with over £80K and a badge is 'in spec' I would have thought something could be done.

Lastly,

I've ordered a private plate for the car, it has 5 numbers/letters so a bit shorter than the normal, I just find the shorter plates more aesthetically pleasing on the Porches as well as other cars. I looked online (ebay) and saw Porsche do short front plinths for shorter plates (these are genuine). I asked the dealer whether they could register the car with the plate I have purchased and whether a smaller plinth could be installed at the front instead of the larger one to suit the shorter registration.

The reply:

'Normally the plate plinths are shorter for other countries as they have different size plates, I believe the UK market only get given the UK plate plinth.
Our parts department are able to buy in plinths from other countries, however we wouldn’t know what length they are. I hope this makes sense.'

There are lots of maybe's and might's in this it really does not give me confidence, although the message I do get is yes we can at additional cost.

It seems to me that anything asked of the OPCs seems to be an effort and a bit too much trouble, In my mind I haven't asked for a lot, these are relatively low cost adjustments in some cases/most cases are nil cost for Porsche, am I asking too much?

With regards to the monthly updates I only get this when I prompt and even then it's sparsely informative, all I know is it will not be ready in time for March 22.

Sorry for rant!

 

[KenDavis71]

Hi,

My experience has been much the same. Positively underwhelming! Ordered the gts 4 in April and I think it has now been built and heading over to uk shortly. I say ‘think’ as I contacted the OPC last week and they said it should be completed by then. No mention of when it will/could actually arrive! The people I'm dealing with are nice enough but they appear very busy and I guess I'm less of a priority. I've done all the chasing, I think my OPC have called me once (unsolicited) since I ordered the car in April. I remember it as I was shocked!

Also, why you can’t track your car online is utterly staggering, especially when you can track a VW!

I was bought up to make sure my own first impressions count through life. Regrettably my first impression of buying my first new Porsche has been tainted.

Like you, I expected so much more, and deservedly so! I hope the rest of your experience is at the very least….. satisfactory!

best of luck.

 

[Peter_Bull]

Really sorry to hear of your experience Carl but sadly this is happening all too often.

I have owned Porsche‘s for over thirty years now and abysmal customer service from one particular PC really annoys me. So much so I will not be taking my car back there for anything at all. That is despite myself and parents in law purchasing at least 4/5 new cars from them. Enough is enough.

Other PCs I have used have also failed at times to raise the bar to my expectations, but generally they have been very good indeed. Mainly, like you, it’s been the lack of returned calls.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times. Their cars are in such high demand and such short supply they have become complacent with their customers too, because they know they can sell each car many times over. It’s no excuse, especially when we are parting with such high sums of hard earned cash.

Lets be honest here, all PCs are just franchised car dealers. We make them special in our own minds because of the history of Porsche and the perceived kudos of ownership.

I hope your experience turns out far better come delivery time and when the GTS arrives let’s see some photos!

 

[Twinfan]

While communication issues can never be excused, and you should always get a response to any questions you ask, I think:

[ol][*]We're in the modern age now and hard copy brochures just aren't really a thing any more. I doubt many get printed to avoid wastage. I got one for my 718 GT4, but the OPC only received a handful if I remember correctly.[*]Asking for a non-standard plate for an unknown country and in an unknown size is a bit vague for the OPC to do anything about. If you'd asked for a US plate or something really specific I would hope they could accomodate your request but there will be a cost to them as it's a non-standard spare part given that your car will come with a standard UK front plinth. Maybe if you can find out what would suit you you can re-request it from them and see if they'll do you a deal on the price?[*]The rear badge decals will come as a set and with a template for fitting. If you want something non-standard I think the OPC are just covering themselves as they won't know how to correctly put the decals on as you want them. Supplying a set with the car de-badged sounds fair but again there's cost to supply a spare part as you can choose how to have the car from the factory, but they won't be able to just bung a set in the glove box rather than fit it. The factory doesn't work like that. (Note: the GT4 only comes with "GT4" on the back, so this would be a standard replacement with a template post-PPF that you've seen elsewhere.)[/ol]Given that you seem to have negotiated a £1500 discount on your car, if I've read your post correctly, and you're asking for additional costs for non-standard items from the OPC, I think you're being a little unfair on them personally. Also, like all main dealers, they're only really geared up to work to the requirements and specifications of standard cars. They're not in the business of customised work.

Sorry if that sounds a little harsh, I really don't mean it to come across that way if it does. I hope you manage to sort things out to your satisfaction and you enjoy the car when it arrives []

(P.S. for tyres, you get what you're given although some models allow an option of type e.g. the 718 Spyder has Sports Tyres such as Cup2s as standard or a no-cost option of Summer Tyres such as PS4Ss or similar. That applies to ALL cars, right up to the top 911 models.)

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

Looks like there are 4/5 versions of the licence plate plinths. In the UK, we get the ECE version (13). Difficult to know how accurate the parts diagrams are, but it looks like the narrower ones for the GTS wouldn't suit the height of UK plates.

 

[Scrounger]

Sorry to hear of your woes but I have to agree with Dave.

Hard copy brochures are very hard to come by and the tyre brand is somewhat of a lottery.

The cost of replacement rear badging is crazy. I replaced my body coloured ‘718 Cayman’ to Matt black and the bill was £200. £50 for the 718 and £150 for the Cayman and that was with discount. If it’s something you want, I’d bite the bullet and pay for the GTS badge and get Topaz to fit it. As your OPC has said, there is no official template for the sole GTS lettering. I ended up making a masking tape template and using that when replacing badges. Not difficult but time consuming. If you want to try it yourself, maybe you could ask a local GT4 owner if you could use their car to make a template.

Re the licence plate, as far as I know the UK version is already in the froot when it arrives at the dealership. Your other option is to ask them not to put the plates on when you collect and then buy the plate holder yourself from Parts and fit it them yourself.

Finally, if you’ve got a £1500 discount, count yourself lucky. On my current Cayman I got £1200 discount but on my new GTS order I didn’t even ask as I know there are no discount to be had.

Sadly most OPCs have their hands tied by the manufacturer as to what they can and can’t do. Unless the manual says they can do it, they won’t. The only request I made on my current and future car is that they do an alignment check on the PDI.

I‘m a firm believe in good comms and used to get frustrated when I didn’t get a call every Monday with an update. The way I’ve solved this is asking for a screen shot of the progress tracker. This will give you all the dates that your car will go through during build so I know my next call should be close to beginning of Feb before the car reaches it’s freeze point. It’s well worth asking for a copy of it.

Here a copy of mine

Dan

 

[Wollemi]

In defence of OPCs (I have a good friend who is a salesman at one) they are incredibly busy. Porsches are in high demand and a lot of people want to buy one.They Are spending their trying to find cars for people and keeping up with changing dates etc so they might not always have time to tell you that they have no further news, nice as it would be to hear this.

 

[Ryan9729]

Thank you for the comments guys, and Richard that parts diagram was particularly useful. I believe the plinth being labelled in the UK for 'private plates' is No:15 which is 300x100mm - UK number plates require a lettering height of 79mm with a margin 11mm top and bottom so a total minimum height of 101mm (i believe), as I have 5 letters in my registration and by my calculation must be 338mm in length so there would be some overhang (not sure how that would look).

But that plinth can be found here for c£35: Porsche 718 Boxster & 718 Cayman GTS Short Front Number Plate Plinth Private Reg | eBay

With regards to the discount, this would only be applied if I went for the PPF option, so no PPF, no contribution, I would imagine the dealer gets a hefty kickback from the supplier for this option going for forward. I would have preferred discount on other options TBH.

Stating that brochures are hard to come by isn't really an excuse, Just a few days ago another member posted about his positive experience at another OPC where he put his order in for a GTS, on signing the e document he was handed over hard copies of brochures of the technology and the specific GTS brochures. It's these little touches that make the experience, just being ignored when asking isn't what I'd expect. Surely we all expect the same level of service no matter what branch of OPC we walk into right?

The number plate and GTS badging I'll sort out myself, while it would have been nice to have more engagement and enthusiasm for my requests, I think my major bug bear is the lack of communication and just not knowing what is going on, Dan's suggestion of getting a copy or screenshot of the vehicle management system is a good one and I'll go down that route.

 

[Twinfan]

Surely we all expect the same level of service no matter what branch of OPC we walk into right?

Nope, I don't! Attitudes and people differ, that's just life. I was put off buying a Porsche for several years due to a bad experience at one particular OPC. The one I used for my first purchase, and still use, is night and day different.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

...

But that plinth can be found here for c£35: Porsche 718 Boxster & 718 Cayman GTS Short Front Number Plate Plinth Private Reg | eBay

Believe it or not, slightly cheaper to buy it from a Porsche Centre. £32.93 incl. VAT, and you'll likely get a discount as a PCGB member.

 

[RJW]

Just a quick comment on the front number plate box, I have a four digit reg number but have kept the standard width box as it may offer some protection to the bumper in the event of a shunt.

 

[KenDavis71]

...

But that plinth can be found here for c£35: Porsche 718 Boxster & 718 Cayman GTS Short Front Number Plate Plinth Private Reg | eBay

Believe it or not, slightly cheaper to buy it from a Porsche Centre. £32.93 incl. VAT, and you'll likely get a discount as a PCGB member.

The other alternative is to go for a stick on number plate (i.e. no plinth required) which I understand from other posts is still legal?

 

[Watdong]

Yes a stick on plate is still legal. I asked my opc to not put on the front plinth as they have to drill into the bumper to connect. I got my plate from Sweven numberplates. They do a short plate for the 5 digit style. I can’t seem to upload an image of mine.

 

[Ryan9729]

Yes a stick on plate is still legal. I asked my opc to not put on the front plinth as they have to drill into the bumper to connect. I got my plate from Sweven numberplates. They do a short plate for the 5 digit style. I can’t seem to upload an image of mine.

It might be because you are a guest of club?

Maybe a onedrive link would work, I'd like to see it for one.

 

[Richard_Hamilton]

.... I'd like to see it for one.

Here's a 6 digit plate: https://www.porscheclubgb.com/forum/FindPost/1088549

 

[Gofourit]

I had the same experience with an OPC when trying to order my next Porsche to replace my 911 GTS. However I stopped the process and ordered an Aston Martin Vantage instead. The process was a delight and the delivery time much shorter, four months. Let's hope the OPC's sort themselves out when stocks return.

 

[Watdong]

Hopefully this picture works. hard to see as the detailer has blocked out my plate

 

[MrDemon]

In defence of OPCs (I have a good friend who is a salesman at one) they are incredibly busy. Porsches are in high demand and a lot of people want to buy one.They Are spending their trying to find cars for people and keeping up with changing dates etc so they might not always have time to tell you that they have no further news, nice as it would be to hear this.

NO defence for " Poor Attitudes" busy or not, you either provide a good service and are a nice person to deal with or you are not. If you are not you are in the wrong job !

Being busy has made people who work in an OPC lazy, they don't care if you want a car or not because they are busy. You get treated like shit as some one else will buy the car, that's what "busy" has done to the staff. a lot of people have walked and this will bite them in the arse later on after all this hype has gone in a few years.

 

[Ryan9729]

New order form came through, I have indeed been hit by the £1,300 price hike even after paying my deposit in early August and the price increase being the 15th November. No warning from the OPC this was something I had to workout myself and then ask about.

Edit:

Car is earmarked for a March build slot and the OPC says should be with me late April early May, I know build times is a question that pops up from time to time.

 

[Tetris Keyring]

Personally I think that’s poor form. Very disappointing that putting the deposit down (which isn’t insignificant) doesn’t protect the price. I guess little you can do about it (other than cancel which isn’t what you want)?