Service: Dealership or indie?
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
Joined
·
30 Posts
I’m a professional mechanic. I do my own maintenance. I keep the receipts and put the mileage and date on them. I have seen so many hackers over the last 35 or so years I don’t trust anyone else to work on my cars. And I’m definitely not paying the exorbitant prices Euro car dealers charge.
Joined
·
479 Posts
amen. i recall many, many, many years ago when i bought my '83 911. no dealers would touch it so i went to a "specialist" to have the timing chain tentioners changed. they did the job but i found 2 sockets and a screw driver in my engine bay when i got home.
i do most of the work on my cars but for the difficult things or things i just plain don't want to do, like our oil changes, i take it to a friend's shop who specializes in porsches. $55 an hour for labor, no ridiculous markups and i know it will be done right. there are only 2 mechanics at this shop
he also does my setup each year for track prep.
Joined
·
157 Posts
This.
It's a relatively small -but very knowledgeable- group of true gearheads in our local POC and PCA chapters (excluding dilettantes).
My technician is active in various club activities and leadership capacities, races his machines and is fastidious in his work.
Far less than dealership prices and quite fair to all concerned.
Just to give you an idea of how U.S service costs compare to those across the pond:- In the U.K there is a fixed price to servicing at the OPC's set by Porsche GB. It's not particularly cheap, but hardly exorbitant & I've always had at least a small discount on that. My 2 year service came out at £589.99 (approx $772 U.S) against the £625.00 (approx $818 U.S) price set by Porsche GB. Not a huge discount but better than nothing. Bear in mind also that in the U.K the two year service is actually the first service (2years or 20,000 miles) & vehicles only require servicing every other year after that (unless mileage dictates otherwise). The balance of costs between parts & labour on that first service wasn't very far removed from a 50/50 split.
Attachments
Joined
·
717 Posts
Dealership. For me having a good relationship with them helps for all sorts of things - buying new cars, getting tech forms filled out, extra perks here & there, etc - and I get to check out all the cars every time I go there.
Joined
·
1,891 Posts
This should have been posted as a new thread. It has completely derailed the OP in this one.
Later this afternoon I'll start a new thread with this post as the OP and the subsequent responses.
Please be mindful to keep thread discussions on topic, everyone. Thank you!
Joined
·
130 Posts
Maybe I am just fortunate, but the a Dallas area Ducati dealership and now Grapevine Porsche have treated me great.
Maybe because I treat them with respect and realize they need to make a profit to stay in business. As a result I have gotten little freebies and made friends as well.
That said, I will do myself what I can to lower cost and learn more respect for the engineering of the product.
Heck, I even managed to adjust the shifter mechanism inside the engine of my Hypermotard thanks to forum experts and such.
Maybe because I treat them with respect and realize they need to make a profit to stay in business. As a result I have gotten little freebies and made friends as well.
That said, I will do myself what I can to lower cost and learn more respect for the engineering of the product.
Heck, I even managed to adjust the shifter mechanism inside the engine of my Hypermotard thanks to forum experts and such.
With the few miles I'll be putting on my Cayman (may be more than I expect, but...) I am planning go to the dealership once a year throughout the warranted years. After that, we will see. If I go to an independent, I think there is one in my local PCA chapter (thought I heard that at my first meeting a few nights ago). Multiple reasons why I can't do it myself, as much as I would love to do so.
Joined
·
720 Posts
I was wondering how others felt about using an independent service place vs. the official Porsche dealer. Upon reading this thread, sounds like some of you are in agreement with me. I own the car outright and plan to keep it for a long time, so service is important to me.
I ordered my 2018 718 new and bought it via a dealer here in NJ (but collected it at PEC/Atlanta). I ordered mine in Summer 2017 and picked it up in late November of that year. They did the first oil change and related checkups for "free" when the car was one year old (and in my case, with about 5000 miles). I also had the stupid "cigar grill" recall done at the same time.
So when I'd had it for two years, the dash reminder told me to get to the dealer for the next service.
The next service, as many of you know, is mostly another oil change plus a series of "checks". Interestingly, when I had the first service done, they told me that the second service would require a brake fluid flush. But when the second service was due and I asked for a price quote and listing of the work to be done, the brake flush was not mentioned. In my experience, brake fluid in a modern car should be good for at least five years.
What did catch my attention was the price of the second service. $675!
So I checked with my new friends at my local NNJR-PCA and they gave me several independent shop names. I found one 15 minutes from my house. Also, he's a racer (like me) which I saw as a plus. Anyway, he charged me about $250 for the oil change plus a list of checks he provided (plus we talked about car racing....for no charge!)
I will keep all receipts in case there is any future warrantee issues with the car.
I do all my work on my other cars (all classic Brits, which are admittedly much simpler). I rebuild the engine in one of my other cars a few weeks ago. And I rebuilt the gearbox for that car in December. So I can easily manage doing my own oil changes in the 718. But paying just $250 to have that work done by a respected local service shop frees me up to work on my hobby cars. Worth it to me.
I ordered my 2018 718 new and bought it via a dealer here in NJ (but collected it at PEC/Atlanta). I ordered mine in Summer 2017 and picked it up in late November of that year. They did the first oil change and related checkups for "free" when the car was one year old (and in my case, with about 5000 miles). I also had the stupid "cigar grill" recall done at the same time.
So when I'd had it for two years, the dash reminder told me to get to the dealer for the next service.
The next service, as many of you know, is mostly another oil change plus a series of "checks". Interestingly, when I had the first service done, they told me that the second service would require a brake fluid flush. But when the second service was due and I asked for a price quote and listing of the work to be done, the brake flush was not mentioned. In my experience, brake fluid in a modern car should be good for at least five years.
What did catch my attention was the price of the second service. $675!
So I checked with my new friends at my local NNJR-PCA and they gave me several independent shop names. I found one 15 minutes from my house. Also, he's a racer (like me) which I saw as a plus. Anyway, he charged me about $250 for the oil change plus a list of checks he provided (plus we talked about car racing....for no charge!)
I will keep all receipts in case there is any future warrantee issues with the car.
I do all my work on my other cars (all classic Brits, which are admittedly much simpler). I rebuild the engine in one of my other cars a few weeks ago. And I rebuilt the gearbox for that car in December. So I can easily manage doing my own oil changes in the 718. But paying just $250 to have that work done by a respected local service shop frees me up to work on my hobby cars. Worth it to me.
Joined
·
2,229 Posts
I’m with you, although the previous owner of my CPO was thoughtful enough to prepay for 4 10k service calls.
I do the intermediate 5k oil changes at an indie shop, for $300...
I do the intermediate 5k oil changes at an indie shop, for $300...
Would you mind sharing with me either here on in a PM some of the NJ shops that were suggested to you. I am in central NJ but have no issues going North or less likely South for a good shop - ThanksI was wondering how others felt about using an independent service place vs. the official Porsche dealer. Upon reading this thread, sounds like some of you are in agreement with me. I own the car outright and plan to keep it for a long time, so service is important to me.
I ordered my 2018 718 new and bought it via a dealer here in NJ (but collected it at PEC/Atlanta). I ordered mine in Summer 2017 and picked it up in late November of that year. They did the first oil change and related checkups for "free" when the car was one year old (and in my case, with about 5000 miles). I also had the stupid "cigar grill" recall done at the same time.
So when I'd had it for two years, the dash reminder told me to get to the dealer for the next service.
The next service, as many of you know, is mostly another oil change plus a series of "checks". Interestingly, when I had the first service done, they told me that the second service would require a brake fluid flush. But when the second service was due and I asked for a price quote and listing of the work to be done, the brake flush was not mentioned. In my experience, brake fluid in a modern car should be good for at least five years.
What did catch my attention was the price of the second service. $675!
So I checked with my new friends at my local NNJR-PCA and they gave me several independent shop names. I found one 15 minutes from my house. Also, he's a racer (like me) which I saw as a plus. Anyway, he charged me about $250 for the oil change plus a list of checks he provided (plus we talked about car racing....for no charge!)
I will keep all receipts in case there is any future warrantee issues with the car.
I do all my work on my other cars (all classic Brits, which are admittedly much simpler). I rebuild the engine in one of my other cars a few weeks ago. And I rebuilt the gearbox for that car in December. So I can easily manage doing my own oil changes in the 718. But paying just $250 to have that work done by a respected local service shop frees me up to work on my hobby cars. Worth it to me.
Joined
·
720 Posts
There are several service shops listed on our NNJR-PCA website.
So I asked around and these two names (below) kept coming up with everyone.
The guy that owns PMR (Will) has done a number of Boxter tech presentations for our local and club seems to be considered the local Boxter expert. So I figured I give him a shot. The car was done quickly and with no issues. I got a call back to see if all was OK. And they are racers, which is a plus for someone like me. I'm happy and will bring my car back to Will for the next service.
PMR
Address: 438 W Mill Rd, Long Valley, NJ
Phone: (908) 832-6572
----------------------------
These guys have a decent reputation too.
POWERTECH
311 West Main Street
Rockaway, NJ 07866
973-586-3210
Joined
·
267 Posts
I do my own oil changes....well, I've done one and it is a bit involved but not 300 bucks worth....I will use the dealer for all warranty work and my Indy...Stuttgart SW in Phoenix for all/any elective work. He is as knowledgeable as the dealer and more reasonable.
Joined
·
2,229 Posts
Just done the 25k mi. oil change in Euro Car Werks in Houston. $223 w. tax. I have maintenance prepaid by the previous owner every 10k mi. to 40k mi. at any dealership. I do the intermediate 5k mi. at the indie and once I am past the warranty, they will be doing all of the work. There are Porsche galore over there. It was recommended to me by a former neighbor with an air-cooled 911.
2018 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 6MT: Graphite Blue Metallic/Leather Graphite Blue/Chalk SportTex S+Seats
Joined
·
176 Posts
Earlier today, with consent and encouragement of the moderators, I started a thread which I hope will turn into a sticky, asking people to list indie shops that they’ll recommend.
www.718forum.com
INDIE SERVICE DEALER - RECOMMENDED LIST - Everyone post...
On recommendation of @Viffermike, I am starting this thread with the goal of compiling a sticky-worthy list of Indie Service Providers. All post are welcome, but ideally, I ask that you please post: 1. Name of the Service Provider/Dealer 2. City, State 3. Comments re: your experience with said...
www.718forum.com
Like everyone, I tried to maintain a good relationship with the local Porsche dealers (i.e. Walter, Newport Beach, McKenna) for purchase and service. But the personnel turnover is high. Now, I go to an indie shop, Benzworks for all my service needs.
Joined
·
134 Posts
I just had my 2nd year service done by a local indie Porsche specialist. Here is the price comparison. I got quotes from two dealerships within 30 miles from me. The one, where I got the 718 (2 mile away), quoted $1500; the one 30 miles away quoted $1250. The indie, which is a mile away, coated $550 tax included. Service is the same for all: oil and brake fluid change.
1 - 20 of 22 Posts
