OPC Brooklands (Byfleet) Service Negative Review

[stuartb3502]

I recently (early July) had a major service with clutch and brake fluid and MOT performed at OPC Brooklands on my 996 GT3 mk2. This was without changing plugs which had been done a couple of weeks earlier while in was in at a specialist for other work. So really an oil and air filter change and check over. £1345.



Dealing with them pre-service was good. The service advisor was keen and when I let them know I'd chosen to go to another local OPC, they sharpened their pencil to match. They were also able to accommodate the booking. I was dealing with someone at Byfleet whereas with the other Porsche Retail Group OPC I was exchanging emails with Reading who did not have as good a grip on what was available at the OPC. They also did not read emails properly (booked me on the only day of the week I said I couldn't do etc.). The also said they could do the MOT at the same time.



Reception on the day was good. Everyone courteous and efficient and I had a nice coffee whilst waiting. I had a VW ID3 courtesy car (although I'd probably make other arrangements next time - a £2,000 excess is not that useful).



When I picked up the car and also later checked it over with a light at home, it was clear that it had been treated with no care whilst in their hands. This was evidenced by varying degrees of scuffs where people or things had brushed up against it. These were clear because the car is in virtually concours condition and also had a light dusting of road grime from being driven over there on wet roads. It was easy to see where this had been brushed off by clothing or possibly cables/lines. Some of the scuffs were bad enough to need light machine polishing when I got the car back.



They had slightly scuffed a trim panel. Their rough handling of this was even evident in the video of the healthcheck they sent me which seemed to indicate that the technician did not think there was anything wrong with how they were treating the car.



I'd had them do brake and clutch fluid also and noticed that there was still brake fluid on the calipers by the bleed nipples which I needed to wash away quickly to avoid damage to the paint.



There was part of a chocolate wrapper in the car.



The MOT had been performed elsewhere - so they'd just driven the car over there and then added an admin fee on top (which was not mentioned at the time of booking).



On the health-check they highlighted that the car needed the windscreen wipers replaced as they were noisy (I think from memory they wanted ~£125 for that) - there was/is nothing wrong with the wipers that a quick clean of the blades and screen couldn't fix (I cleaned and drove it to Goodwood and back including in the rain a couple of days later squeak free).



I raised the paint scuffs, brake fluid and the trim panel with the assistant service manager.



He said they had spoken to the staff involved and they did offer to address the paint scuffs and the trim panel (too late as I needed to get the car prepped for an event so spent a day myself). They also offered to repaint one of the calipers which had suffered slight paint damage from the brake fluid which hadn't been cleaned off.



I declined the offer on the basis that I had no trust in them any longer and would not risk them causing further issues. Posting this as objectively, factually as possible solely in case it's helpful for anyone deciding on use of this OPC.

 

[Slayer]

That’s a shame to hear! I had issues with stone chips and marks likely with a hose pipe on the paint work with another OPC despite instructing not to wash.
Very difficult to prove one way or the other unless things are documented by the workshop with video evidence when taking it in.

 

[911UK]

I recently (early July) had a major service with clutch and brake fluid and MOT performed at OPC Brooklands on my 996 GT3 mk2. This was without changing plugs which had been done a couple of weeks earlier while in was in at a specialist for other work. So really an oil and air filter change and check over. £1345.



Dealing with them pre-service was good. The service advisor was keen and when I let them know I'd chosen to go to another local OPC, they sharpened their pencil to match. They were also able to accommodate the booking. I was dealing with someone at Byfleet whereas with the other Porsche Retail Group OPC I was exchanging emails with Reading who did not have as good a grip on what was available at the OPC. They also did not read emails properly (booked me on the only day of the week I said I couldn't do etc.). The also said they could do the MOT at the same time.



Reception on the day was good. Everyone courteous and efficient and I had a nice coffee whilst waiting. I had a VW ID3 courtesy car (although I'd probably make other arrangements next time - a £2,000 excess is not that useful).



When I picked up the car and also later checked it over with a light at home, it was clear that it had been treated with no care whilst in their hands. This was evidenced by varying degrees of scuffs where people or things had brushed up against it. These were clear because the car is in virtually concours condition and also had a light dusting of road grime from being driven over there on wet roads. It was easy to see where this had been brushed off by clothing or possibly cables/lines. Some of the scuffs were bad enough to need light machine polishing when I got the car back.



They had slightly scuffed a trim panel. Their rough handling of this was even evident in the video of the healthcheck they sent me which seemed to indicate that the technician did not think there was anything wrong with how they were treating the car.



I'd had them do brake and clutch fluid also and noticed that there was still brake fluid on the calipers by the bleed nipples which I needed to wash away quickly to avoid damage to the paint.



There was part of a chocolate wrapper in the car.



The MOT had been performed elsewhere - so they'd just driven the car over there and then added an admin fee on top (which was not mentioned at the time of booking).



On the health-check they highlighted that the car needed the windscreen wipers replaced as they were noisy (I think from memory they wanted ~£125 for that) - there was/is nothing wrong with the wipers that a quick clean of the blades and screen couldn't fix (I cleaned and drove it to Goodwood and back including in the rain a couple of days later squeak free).



I raised the paint scuffs, brake fluid and the trim panel with the assistant service manager.



He said they had spoken to the staff involved and they did offer to address the paint scuffs and the trim panel (too late as I needed to get the car prepped for an event so spent a day myself). They also offered to repaint one of the calipers which had suffered slight paint damage from the brake fluid which hadn't been cleaned off.



I declined the offer on the basis that I had no trust in them any longer and would not risk them causing further issues. Posting this as objectively, factually as possible solely in case it's helpful for anyone deciding on use of this OPC.

Hiya Stuart, the days of the Brooklands being the go to OPC in the area have long gone, not the first report we have seen on details missed and a lack of care a attention

 

[Roro]

I stopped taking my GT3 there a few years ago through similar lack of care during my last service with them. Namely a crushed front lip (which they replaced FOC) and a flashing oil light when I got home after collecting the car (not enough oil refilled)

 

[stuartb3502]

Sadly I didn't find anything negative on here or the PCGB forum when I checked before booking. My car has always been to Porsche Central Ops whilst I've owned it previously and never had any issues.

Due to availability there this time I decided to try Brooklands since it was "only" a service and I couldn't see how they could mess that up. Not even a case of an honest mistake (we all make those), just a lack of caring at all for an obviously cared for car.

Oil level was two bars down from top on mine also. They argued this is their norm for GT3s. I didn't mention above as I gave them the benefit of the doubt there - seems to be an argument that this is not unreasonable.

 

[RichT001]

Bloody hell, that's absolutely disgraceful. There's no way I'll ever be dealing with them.

 

[Roro]

I'd agree - 2 bars from the top is perfectly acceptable. Not a flashing oil light and no bars though due to a lack of oil, which was what happened in my case. Just re-read my previous message, this wasn't clear. There were no bars showing at all when I got home...

 

[911UK]

£125 for wipers
scuffed interior and a choc wrapper
On the brake fluid, I speak from experience when left and within a week it has already damaged paint on my brake caliper


To use a similar example West London Porsche were recently caught out when they didn't even change the oil filter on an oil service of a 991.1 RS

 

[911UK]

Sadly I didn't find anything negative on here or the PCGB forum when I checked before booking. My car has always been to Porsche Central Ops whilst I've owned it previously and never had any issues.

Due to availability there this time I decided to try Brooklands since it was "only" a service and I couldn't see how they could mess that up. Not even a case of an honest mistake (we all make those), just a lack of caring at all for an obviously cared for car.

Oil level was two bars down from top on mine also. They argued this is their norm for GT3s. I didn't mention above as I gave them the benefit of the doubt there - seems to be an argument that this is not unreasonable.

I used the advanced search option and filtered by this sub forum




there are few of note in this sub forum

 

[Bigbaddog997]

Unfortunately I hear stories like this too often, mainly at OPCs but there has been similar but rarer stories at independents.
Out of interest, did you use the OPC as you were unhappy with the work at the Indy?
People are surprised when I say I service my own Porsche. Although its very low mileage, and condition is concours, it’s 19 years old next month, and a keeper. I don’t trust other people to care about it like I do!

 

[Zingari]

I'm questioning why you'd take it to an OPC and pay their ridiculous pricing if you've got an Indy you trust doing other work?

 

[Bigbaddog997]

I saw an advert recently for an OPC tech. They were willing to pay £28k- £37k depending on experience. But then there was an added bonus clause- up to 50k total earnings.
From what Demort (Iain) wrote a few years ago the techs are on bonuses to do the job quicker than the book time. It’s not about 1st time fix rates or the immaculate return of the customers car.
Unfortunately the result of this is carelessness in the servicing work and increase risk of cosmetic damage as they rush to get the car on and off the ramps.

 

[eko]

From what Demort (Iain) wrote a few years ago the techs are on bonuses to do the job quicker than the book time. It’s not about 1st time fix rates or the immaculate return of the customers car.

It's been like that for a long time. I was thinking it may have changed by now, but if the above is the case then I guess not.

My first job was in the motor trade after leaving school in the eighties, all the main dealers that I knew of worked with a bonus scheme as above.

The better ones were daily, so if you had a couple of hours bonus on a Monday, nothing the rest of the week then you still got paid your 2 hours. Ours was weekly, so you could work hard Monday to Thursday and make a couple of hours a day, but a quiet Friday would lose you all of that bonus hours.

If a mechanic needed a good Friday and it was quiet that day, then it was not unknown for a Friday morning car in for a service or MOT to require a lot of additional work. It meant the mechanic kept their bonus, the garage made more money, the only loser is the customer.

I only use main dealers when I have to, otherwise I work on my own or use a small garage I can trust.