Boxster 981 - First Service - Costs??

tjb · Jan 9, 2015

They say you are getting old when time goes so quickly so we can't believe we will have had our lovely Boxster 981 for two years in March.
Having only covered just over 9,000 miles it will still require a service at 2 years old, which is understandable.
So I was wondering of any experiences as to how much this is likely to cost and the level of work required on what is still a fairly new car with only very very low mileage?
Oil change and filter would seem to be the most that is really needed but I suspect a dealer will want to do other things, some that perhaps are not really necessary, to ramp the price up?
I have also heard suggested that the brake fluid should be changed and that this is not included in the service costs, is this really necessary on a vehicle that has fairly low use on roads and not on tracks?
Any views or experiences would be of interest?

koevoet · Jan 9, 2015

My Car is also coming up for it's first service. the prices are listed on the Porsche website which if I remember correctly are £400 for the service and as you mention the fluid change that's about £150. I need to get that done as the car will be age relevant for this and not mileage as it's only passed 3800miles. I picked it up from OPC Swindon in July with 580 miles on it.
But I am also planning to get the PSE fitted, now that bit I AM looking forward too, but perhaps not the bill! Does the PSE warrant a PCGB discount, anyone know?

OPC Edinburgh mentioned that those would be all that my car required service wise.

Let me know how you get on and if the costs were correct or if you manage a discounted rate and if anything else was required.

It's not age that speeds time up ( I refuse to believe I am getting old(er)), but children that cause the acceleration of years!

Chappelle · Jan 9, 2015

Brake fluid should be changed after 2 years. Most are hygroscopic meaning they absorb water and potentially become less effective over time.

Is the Sports Exhaust an expensive option?

johnnyspyder* · Jan 9, 2015

ORIGINAL: koevoet

My Car is also coming up for it's first service. the prices are listed on the Porsche website which if I remember correctly are £400 for the service and as you mention the fluid change that's about £150. I need to get that done as the car will be age relevant for this and not mileage as it's only passed 3800miles. I picked it up from OPC Swindon in July with 580 miles on it.
But I am also planning to get the PSE fitted, now that bit I AM looking forward too, but perhaps not the bill! Does the PSE warrant a PCGB discount, anyone know?

OPC Edinburgh mentioned that those would be all that my car required service wise.

Let me know how you get on and if the costs were correct or if you manage a discounted rate and if anything else was required.

It's not age that speeds time up ( I refuse to believe I am getting old(er)), but children that cause the acceleration of years!

Your car will still be under warranty so you will have to let OPC " work their magic" if you do not want to invalidate this. As stated by subsequent poster, brake fluid change is time and not mileage related. Cost shouldn't be too horrendous - and remember this is fior 2 years motoring! The 4 year service is the one to watch for - new spark plugs etc - if you keep the car that long!

ColonelMoon · Jan 9, 2015

My 981has it's first service due by the 1st March also and the price from a franchised dealer is £480 + £150 brake fluid change.

Stevew1 · Jan 10, 2015

My 2 year service arrived in October 2014 at 14,715 miles. Cost was £570 including brake fluid change (£117 including fluid).Very happy with OPC Swindon's work as they replaced 2 rear tyres at very short notice too. It seems high, but then reminded myself that it is covering 2 years running and at that price its annualised cost is cheaper than either my Mercedes Estate or my wife's Scirocco.

ColonelMoon · Jan 10, 2015

I'm amazed at the price difference between OPC's!. As I posted earlier Reading are charging £480 for the service + £150 for the brake fluid change. I'm very tempted to phone them up and moan at them about this as surely their overheads would be comparable.

tjb · Jan 10, 2015

That is interesting, I have been quoted £150 for the brake fluid change alone, I can't see that it would have gone up since October from £117 - Seems others have been charged different prices as well??
Service alone seems to reported on here at around £480, which I assume also includes VAT.

ORIGINAL: Stevew1

My 2 year service arrived in October 2014 at 14,715 miles. Cost was £570 including brake fluid change (£117 including fluid).Very happy with OPC Swindon's work as they replaced 2 rear tyres at very short notice too. It seems high, but then reminded myself that it is covering 2 years running and at that price its annualised cost is cheaper than either my Mercedes Estate or my wife's Scirocco.

kitchens · Jan 10, 2015

Try one dealer against the other ..see who is hungry enough for the work ,also ask the question can you supply your own Mobil 1 that alone will save you close to £100 .Not all will do and being a PCGB member should get you a min 10% off parts, plugs .filters etc

There is no need to go to OPC to keep the warranty in tact ,but I think come selling time it looks better with full OPC stamps in the book .

If you don't ask for discounts ,they are not going to offer .

tscaptain · Jan 10, 2015

ORIGINAL: kitchens
also ask the question can you supply your own Mobil 1 that alone will save you close to £100 .

I used to do that until they said "just tell us what you can get it for and that's what we'll charge". Top place.[

]

koevoet · Jan 10, 2015

ORIGINAL: Madelvic

Is the Sports Exhaust an expensive option?

Techquipment site quotes £ 1,207.63 incl. 20% VAT as my car already has the sports tailpipes,that price doesn't include fitting. I have heard anything from £1800-£2200!! I'll be calling a couple of OPC's and see who does the best deal, they can then also get the service to do and get it all done at the same time.

I wouldn't think that the warranty would be affected as I am having genuine Porsche parts fitted and by an OPC. I could see there being issues with say a Milltek or Cargraphic system, but as the whole point for me is to improve the sound and keep warranty, then genuine articlel it is.

tjb · Jan 11, 2015

Looks like there is an opportunity to provide the oil and a 10% discount for club members, so I suppose thats better than a kick in the pants.

koevoet · Jan 11, 2015

As you say better than a kick in the pants, I'll be giving my two local OPC's a call and see who does the best deal, problem is they are both the same company underneath, and I heard from a friend that OPC Aberdeen doesn't do any discount for PCGB members so that rules out the 3rd and final OPC North of the Border.

mnk303 · Jan 12, 2015

My service was done by Swindon pretty sure it was £570 and free loan car, locally I have to pay insurance

. Car two years old done 4000 miles. Cheap as my wife's 4x4 mini .

Two tyres changed on Cayenne local price matched but no pcgb discount, I seem to remember years back I always got pcgb discount of 10% seems sad that it's not recognised so much now.

uknick · Jan 12, 2015

ORIGINAL: johnnyspyder*

Your car will still be under warranty so you will have to let OPC " work their magic" if you do not want to invalidate this. As stated by subsequent poster, brake fluid change is time and not mileage related. Cost shouldn't be too horrendous - and remember this is fior 2 years motoring! The 4 year service is the one to watch for - new spark plugs etc - if you keep the car that long!

Not correct for a new car warranty, the EU block exemption rules outlawed this some years ago. You can service it anywhere you want as long as it is done in accordance with the manufacturer's service schedule using genuine parts and is done at a "proper", i.e. not you or a friend doing it yourself at home garage.

And, under the terms of the current extend warranty not correct either. A warranty claim will fail if you have work done outside of the OPC network and that work is the cause of a failure.

koevoet · Jan 12, 2015

Quick update, I called Glasgow OPC this morning. Quoted £1945 for fitting of the PSE (car already has sport tailpipes fitted) 5 hours labour, plus parts - console switch is £135 plus VAT, but will supply and fit exhaust and switch for £1807 inc VAT.

Service including brake fluid change, they wont allow own oil, so service comes out at £630 including brake fluid, but again, will apply 10% PCGB discount bringing the cost down to £567. So will be getting that all sorted out in the coming months. Happy enough with that. Get the car all ready for the better weather and full voiced, even better. [8D]

koevoet · Jan 12, 2015

Madelvic

£1945 with tail pipes already fitted, with PCGB 10% discount Glasgow will fit for £1807. its 5 hours labour, the Techquipment site quotes appx £1200 with pipes, but on top of that there is £135 plus vat for the console switch then the labour.Think you can add another £400 if you don't have sports tail pipes fitted.

Glyn · Jan 13, 2015

How does any garage justify £150 for a brake fluid change - daylight robbery. It takes them 10 minutes, they only partially bleed the fluid out and not as they have you believe a full fluid change, They bleed a bit out of each calliper and top up a few times. If it costs them £10 to do I would be surprised.
I watched this process taking place and perhaps they should completely change the fluid - but like most businesses out there they are always looking to save time and costs - and the reason you are a customer is because you cant do the job yourself.

Sure brake fluid is hygroscopic - it does absorb moisture, moisture is water and water boils at a lower temperature than brake fluid - so if there is excessive moisture in the fluid then under extreme braking - or long downhill braking the moisture could turn to steam - which is air and results in lowered braking efficiency as air is a gas and compressible, fluids cant be compressed so the piston pressure in the calliper is reduced if air is present.

Brake fluid has always been hygroscopic but cars from a few years ago never got a fluid change except when wheel cylinders or callipers either leaked or were replaced.
The opportunity for the fluid to absorb air is down to one almost microscopic vent hole in the master cylinder cap - there to allow air in as the fluid level drops as brake linings wear - so the opportunity to absorb any moisture in any significant quantity is just about zero.
Its just that nowadays every opportunity to squeeze money from a customer is used, damn stupid health and safety legislation and customer gullibility has invented an added value job for garages and there are so many people that are convinced this job is vital for their safety that they promulgate the benefits of this job being a necessity.
The truth is, you don't need to change the fluid every 2 years at all, laboratory tests on fluid at 4 years old show very little absorption, the only exception to this is high mileage vehicles that are used in high humidity levels, and vehicles regularly used on a track whereby the fluid is at extreme temperatures for prolonged periods - and that is usually down to the breakdown of the antioxidants in the fluid due to the amount of temperature cycles.

You can change the fluid at home with just the help of one person to press the brake pedal whilst you push a plastic tube over the bleed nipple of one calliper at a time - just get them to push the pedal down, you open the valve with a spanner and watch the fluid bleed out via the plastic pipe into a container, when the person in the car shouts "pedal down" you close the nipple, they pump the pedal a few times to get a solid pedal and you repeat - every three or four bleeds - before the pedal is raised to prime again - top up the master cylinder reservoir then move to the next calliper.
Easy and cheap to do.

Nick_USA · Jan 13, 2015

Don't forget there are two bleed nipples per calliper and for the with manual transmission you should also bleed the clutch.

uknick · Jan 13, 2015

ORIGINAL: Glyn

How does any garage justify £150 for a brake fluid change - daylight robbery. It takes them 10 minutes, they only partially bleed the fluid out and not as they have you believe a full fluid change, They bleed a bit out of each calliper and top up a few times. If it costs them £10 to do I would be surprised.

Do you have firm evidence this is what an OPC does for the £150.

The OPC I use say they change all the fluid and charge for one litre of fluid. Are you saying they do not do this? If so, there would seem to be a case for reporting them to Trading Standards (or whatever they are called these days)