C4S MY 2004

[Budweiser]

As previously posted I have recently purchased a C4S MY2004. 73k with full OPC service history and one very mechanically fussy owner. I have invoices for work done on the car and the list is extensive as one would expect for its age and mileage. Included, when the clutch was changed in 2012, are the RMS and the IMS oil seals, new discs/pads all around and all the Rads.

I decided to keep the service record with my local OPC and this week they carried out a minor service at a fixed rate of £264.42. When I collected the car they recommended the following works be carried out. 8 year airbag check @ £30.60. Replacing all spark plugs £245.28. Various ignition coils due to signs of crcking £295.20 and finally a brake fluid change at £75.00. Total £646.08.

Question, if you change one ignition coil do/should you change them all? My understanding is that when you change the plugs is the time to change the coils as very little extra labour is necessary?

Whilst the quote from the OPC seems reasonable I'm considering using a well known local indi to do it saving approx, £200. Would this damage the provenance of the car as all previous works have been be OPC?

 

[ragpicker]

Absolutely not! A good Indy can do all the work for much less money.

You shouldn't be charged labour for changing packs if the plugs are also being changed, they have to pull the pack off to get to the plug!

I do a lot of my own maintenance and just bought 6 plugs and packs for less than £200. It takes an hour to change all 6.

£30 for an airbag check!? Jesus! They really wanted to have your eyes out!

Don't be a salve to the stealership!! :what:

 

[lofi]

I think there are many people who get their 996 services by OPC to keep the service book looking good but then take the type of list you have away with them and get an indie to do the work. the service book only shows servicing after all.

 

[T8]

I decided to keep the service record with my local OPC and this week they carried out a minor service at a fixed rate of £264.42. When I collected the car they recommended the following works be carried out. 8 year airbag check @ £30.60. Replacing all spark plugs £245.28. Various ignition coils due to signs of crcking £295.20 and finally a brake fluid change at £75.00. Total £646.08.

Question, if you change one ignition coil do/should you change them all? My understanding is that when you change the plugs is the time to change the coils as very little extra labour is necessary?

Whilst the quote from the OPC seems reasonable I'm considering using a well known local indi to do it saving approx, £200. Would this damage the provenance of the car as all previous works have been be OPC?

The OPC minor service stamp in the book was all you needed to keep the provenance.

Make sure you keep all the paperwork in a file (if you haven't already got one - you soon will have :grin: ) so that it shows that the recommended work was then done.

Received wisdom is that if you're having a spark plug change and some coil packs need doing it makes to do all six.

If the Indy is a Porsche specialist the price is good.

FYI

My C4 had a spark plug change done at an OPC in 2010. 0.9 hours labour and £66 for 6 plugs = £171.50

When doing it they called me to say that 3 x coil packs were showing signs of cracking and recommended replacement. They charged £121 for 3 coil packs and fitted them at no extra charge.

Even allowing for 3 years inflation and 3 extra coil packs the £540 you've been quoted seems a bit steep. They've probably quoted for the labour involved TWICE.

The £75 charge for the brake fluid change is pretty typical, OPC or indy.

 

[Budweiser]

Thanks for the replies etc. :thumb:

I have booked her into the Indy for next Friday, will save a little over £200 so that is a result in any bodies book

I have started a file containing all previous invoices, MOT Certificates etc.

The next job I would like to do is a full detail inside and out. I wonder what your thoughts are on whether it is best to take her to a 'shop' or have a Detailer visit me at home? I was thinking that the work would be better done inside as apposed to outside, dust etc?

Also can anyone recommend a good Detailer in or reasonably close to Essex?

Thanks again....

 

[T8]

Depending on how close to the QE2 bridge you are ... KDS Keltec in Gillingham isn't far :?:

 

[GT4]

Personally, I would always replace all six coil packs whenever more than one fail/has visible cracks.

This becomes a no brainer if you are also doing plugs (as it is literally zero extra labour - OK, so there's the opening the box of the new ones and disconnecting the old ones from the power cables...)

 

[Igurisu]

About the detailing, I would suggest having a go yourself. Its a great way to get to know the car, you find every little mark,chip and scratch. Its also very rewarding (for me anyway) seeing the result of my own work.

If you're not happy with the result you can always go to a detailer afterwards.

 

[Budweiser]

GT4 I agree and will change all the coil packs :thumb:

Igurisu, DIY! I can see where you're coming from. I'm a bit scared of messing it up but if i did one panel at a time it could be a real option. I'll nip over to the Detailing World site to find out how and where to buy the necessary equipment. It will only be a hand job as I don't trust myself with electrical buffers, I'll leave that to the pros. :worship:

 

[cheshire911]

I won't comment on the OPC work that you are having doen at an indy. But I can share with you my research and the outcome regards detailing.
I have a lapis blue car (now 24k miles) so low mileage and interior is like brand new so leather doesn't need a specialist. I rang Gliptone and they recommended GT15 TriggerSpray cleaner followed by GT11 Liquid Leather Conditioner as a low mileage car as mine will not need the cream cleaner.

I researched detailing as a treat for my 10 year old car as lapis blue can show swirl marks (any dark colour - especially black). I have light swirl marks and some slight corrosion on two wheels on the inside surface.
First the wheel refurb - bottom line is this will take priority spend rather than detailing. Both are discretionary spend but wheels is a little more pressing due to risk of corrosion spreading with another winter's grime.
So the first point is that the detailers Ispoke to don't do the wheels - they outsource it. So I've decided to shop around and choose someone for wheels later in the year.

Now for bodywork detailing - my research is you can spend several hundred pounds on this - they say they wash the car in a foam bath (like sophia loren), get grime off, then apply various products and buff using a machine polishing kit. Typically they say 2 days work - either two men over one-day or one man over two days. I would always have it done on their site and would not use a mobile set up that comes to the house - but for light work having them do a mobile job might be OK.

Now to the crux of the matter. By my research (statistically significant based on a sample size of 1 - my findings), if you buy yourself a quality set of products - tar removers, non-acidic wheel cleaners (e.g. Iron X), polishes, waxes (e.g. Collinite) and glass cleaners (say £100 all-in) and add your elbow grease (whihc is free), I reckon that you'd get 80% of the results without using a machine. There will a fraternity who will jump up and tell us that only machine polishing will remove swirls - I don't contest that fidning and experience - but if the swirls are light you can get an acceptable result for yourself. Remember that the professional guys will always get a better and shinier finish due to a combination of their equipment, their expertise, experience and the use of premium products such as Zymol and SwissVax - but ask yourself - if the car is not kept in a garage and is not just driven on dry days and will not be washed by the detailer, how long will it take for the effect to wear (wash?) off and bring those swirl marks back?

So consider a practical compromise is my message - for a modest investment in quality cleaning products investing your own time you may have an improvement over what you have - and you can still send the car for detailing at another point if you are not happy - you will still need those quality products to maintain th shine after the detailer.

If its any help, my shopping around revealed detailing just the bodywork (not the wheel refurb) with some attention to the leather prices around £495 - £600. Add another £500 for wheel refurb to that. Considering that for many of us, this is a discretionary spend, I made my choice accordingly - wheel refurb later in the year and continue with my own efforts on the exterior and the leather interior. Some people might say bol**c*ks. Profesional detailers will get you a fantastic shine and finish better than you can achieve by your own efforts - but at what price and for how long will it last? I would never ever use a machine polisher - detailers are the guys who use these and know how to use them along with the various cutting pastes etc. As private car washers ona sunday afternoon, we can never match their results. So that is the outcome of my research. How you proceed is your own choice.

 

[ragpicker]

I won't comment on the OPC work that you are having doen at an indy. But I can share with you my research and the outcome regards detailing.
I have a lapis blue car (now 24k miles) so low mileage and interior is like brand new so leather doesn't need a specialist. I rang Gliptone and they recommended GT15 TriggerSpray cleaner followed by GT11 Liquid Leather Conditioner as a low mileage car as mine will not need the cream cleaner.

I researched detailing as a treat for my 10 year old car as lapis blue can show swirl marks (any dark colour - especially black). I have light swirl marks and some slight corrosion on two wheels on the inside surface.
First the wheel refurb - bottom line is this will take priority spend rather than detailing. Both are discretionary spend but wheels is a little more pressing due to risk of corrosion spreading with another winter's grime.
So the first point is that the detailers Ispoke to don't do the wheels - they outsource it. So I've decided to shop around and choose someone for wheels later in the year.

Now for bodywork detailing - my research is you can spend several hundred pounds on this - they say they wash the car in a foam bath (like sophia loren), get grime off, then apply various products and buff using a machine polishing kit. Typically they say 2 days work - either two men over one-day or one man over two days. I would always have it done on their site and would not use a mobile set up that comes to the house - but for light work having them do a mobile job might be OK.

Now to the crux of the matter. By my research (statistically significant based on a sample size of 1 - my findings), if you buy yourself a quality set of products - tar removers, non-acidic wheel cleaners (e.g. Iron X), polishes, waxes (e.g. Collinite) and glass cleaners (say £100 all-in) and add your elbow grease (whihc is free), I reckon that you'd get 80% of the results without using a machine. There will a fraternity who will jump up and tell us that only machine polishing will remove swirls - I don't contest that fidning and experience - but if the swirls are light you can get an acceptable result for yourself. Remember that the professional guys will always get a better and shinier finish due to a combination of their equipment, their expertise, experience and the use of premium products such as Zymol and SwissVax - but ask yourself - if the car is not kept in a garage and is not just driven on dry days and will not be washed by the detailer, how long will it take for the effect to wear (wash?) off and bring those swirl marks back?

So consider a practical compromise is my message - for a modest investment in quality cleaning products investing your own time you may have an improvement over what you have - and you can still send the car for detailing at another point if you are not happy - you will still need those quality products to maintain th shine after the detailer.

If its any help, my shopping around revealed detailing just the bodywork (not the wheel refurb) with some attention to the leather prices around £495 - £600. Add another £500 for wheel refurb to that. Considering that for many of us, this is a discretionary spend, I made my choice accordingly - wheel refurb later in the year and continue with my own efforts on the exterior and the leather interior. Some people might say bol**c*ks. Profesional detailers will get you a fantastic shine and finish better than you can achieve by your own efforts - but at what price and for how long will it last? I would never ever use a machine polisher - detailers are the guys who use these and know how to use them along with the various cutting pastes etc. As private car washers ona sunday afternoon, we can never match their results. So that is the outcome of my research. How you proceed is your own choice.

Boiled down this means - 'have a go yourself and if you mess it up then you can have it rectified by a detailer'

+1 for that.

I have to say that is how I started my interest in detailing and although I'm nowhere near as good as the guys on some of the detailing forums, a little practice and a modicum of patience and bravery have resulted in my being able to remove swirl marks quite easily with a rotary (not DA) polisher.

It doesn't happen overnight and has taken me a couple of years of practice but your skill slowly evolves. You do also get to know absolutely every last inch of your car! Give it a go!!

My car had been parked under a tree each night for a few years and when I bought it it had cloudy sticky paintwork with so many superficial scratches (to the clear coat) that it looked like Torvile and Dean had been having a go on it!

I spent a few hours on it (wash, clay bar, wash, rotary polisher with swirl X, then ultimate compound, then zymol cleaner wax) and the results are attached. Although nowhere near as good as I will get it in a few weeks, a vast improvement on initially.

So the bottom line, give it a go, you can only get better at what you do and learn even more about your car!! :thumbs:

 

[cheshire911]

A modecum of patience, an ounce of perseverance and a generous sprinkling of perspiration using the finest ingredients one can afford can yield some good results!

 

[kas750]

I would never,ever use a detailer..In my opinion this is ***** and snake oil in equal measures..75 quid or less on quality products will yield similar results with elbow grease and the satisfaction that you did it yourself.

 

[Fatbloater]

I agree, there's no better feeling that standing back in your soggy trainers looking at a gleaming car

 

[Budweiser]

Ok, ok I give in I'll give it ago myself

She is booked this Friday for the mechanical work and then it's full steam ahead on the bodywork. I will take some before and after pictures...