Independant Porsche specialists issues

[Kev.K]

At an OPC several years ago I was charged nosebleed money to replace the brakes on my then three year old 981.

I went to pick it up and found a teenager on the job, unsupervised.

Next time it was due for a brake fluid change, 3 out of 8 nipples broke. All 8 had been massively overtightened.

It's not just the aftermarket that can put juniors on your car. The main dealers can too.

Main dealers seem to employ trained chimps now. I avoid as much as possible.

 

[Kev.K]

Darren at Unique Porsche near Bolton is one of the best independents about. I've tried several in the North West and he's head and shoulders the best and he def is very competitive price wise. I also have an Audi R8 V10 Spider and when it comes to servicing or repairs I only use Ricky at REPerformance near Swindon. He's that good I have my car transported to him and back as he's over 3 hrs from me. An R8 looked after by Ricky out of warranty with his stamp in the service book is better than one looked after by a dealer and is a big plus come sale time.

I would do the same with my 996 Turbo if Unique Porsche were miles away they are that good.

I was considering a gen 2 v10 plus. Decided Ricky would be the guy for PPI.

I worried about the gearbox until I seen his YouTube channel.

I still have a look now and again and get very tempted. Love the pre facelift cars.

 

[cheshire911]

I'm not going to go into details about this indy v OPC thread. Last year I asked around for a price for a Major Service, spark plugs and brake fluid change across indys and OPCs within 50 miles from my location.

I plotted the costs quoted on a spreadsheet including labour rates and approx time for the job.

The book time is a little over 8 hours plus 0.4hrs for brake fluid change. So all in a little under 9hrs. This means they want the car for two days.

One indy wanted the car for a day.
No way the service schedule could be done in a day.

The indy prices were not cheap at all (save one excellent indy that quoted a price inclusive of VAT that I use as my go-to indy for non-service work and has two Porsche-trained mechanics, no junior apprentices)

Two indys were actually dearer than one OPC! The rest were a saving of around £100 inc VAT. And most would use Euro Car Parts generic parts for oil filter and pollen and air filter. (Yes I ask if they use Porsche parts, and they'd say they can do, but at additional cost = Euro Car Parts unless I specify OPC parts).

I got an OPC to do the work on their 'modern classics' fixed price servicing with a two year warranty. The Vehicle Health Check said NO additional work required, but gave an 'amber' rating for two front tyres showing minor exterior cracks on sidewall (that I already knew).

When I meet others, they often remark at expensive servicing at indys that are so forensic, they seem to discover and find additional 'advisory' work yet mine has had 8 services at OPC (only 2 at indys) and I have never had such a huge list of 'advisory ' work - only a indicator bulb had lost some orange colour (indy) and split wiper blades in 2018 (OPC).

My experience is simple.
1. Shop for prices, get it in writing.
2. Don't be taken in by marketing hype of indys that state "Porsche main dealer servicing at half main dealer prices".
3. For servicing, an indy may not be the price saving you think. It may be £100 saving or so, and you lose the perceived value of an OPC stamp.
4. Ask OPC if they do the 'modern classics' pricing if you have a 996 or 997.

For maintenance work outside of routine servicing, my first point of enquiry is with an indy and then to explore with OPC. And I always ask for the labour rate and book time. Indys nearly always quote +VAT whereas OPC prices are always inclusive of VAT. Bear that in mind.

 

[1marc]

That’s a bit of an eye opener, good insight.

 

[cheshire911]

That’s a bit of an eye opener, good insight.

I have a forensic approach after hearing how so many people got huge servicing bills at indys that became even more inflated with a list of advisories that I'd bet penny to a pound did not need doing at that service. I do sometimes wonder if indys look for extra work outside of safery advisory work. This is not tarring all, but I'm pretty sure it happens with some indys. For example, opening a oil filter and reporting debris leading to a full strip and rebuild where nothing was found!