Boxster 987 service cost

[grahamwhite]

wow...

When i bought my first Porsche i knew that the servicing was going to be more than my Vauxhall van but jeez my 80k service is due and i called up to ask how much and was told £610 which i thought was fairly reasonable for a major service.

I was then told that ontop of the £610 i would also have to pay for the following:

+brake fluid change £150
+spark plug change £143
+tyre sealant £43
+drivebelt £87
+airbag service FOC
+AC service £150

nearly £1,200 ..... wow methinks i'm going to decide what to leave off for another day.

£150 for brake fluid change??? serious? I can do this in 1hour myself and surely the tyre sealant is a bit costly? They're a tenner at halfords. Also i can get a AirCon service at a local AC centre for £50

 

[anthonyvickery]

There are a few things you can do to reduce the cost:
You should get, I think, at least 5% off for being a member of PCGB - you have to ask.
You don't have to pay inflated prices for oil as, if you ask, you can take your own Mobil and save at least £60 (buy on ebay)
Ask the garage to test your brake fluid for water content. Last time I had mine serviced the water content was zero - marked on the service invoice- so no point in changing it! Not environmentally friendly to do so either.
Don't bother replacing the tyre repair 'gunk' -its totally useless and if you use it your tyre will definately not be repairable - join the RAC and let them get you to the nearest garage that stocks the (hard to obtain at short notice) tyres. Or buy a space saver from a 986 or 911 (on ebay).
Finally, you could always go to a good independent garage for servicing - their rates tend to be about 2/3 of OPC rates, but I found my OPC (Bournemouth) more than happy to be reasonable with the servicing.
Others will, no doubt have more ideas.

 

[bdheng]

I agree - a good independent is worth hunting down to save at least 2/3. That tends to be the margin for the service only, all other add-ons being carried out a) only if necessary and b) less than 2/3 of main dealers.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

What do they do on an Air-Con service? I've never even been offered that...

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett

What do they do on an Air-Con service? I've never even been offered that...

They call in a local mobile firm circa £40.00 and then charge you £150.00 Complete and utter madness even my local Kwik Fit offer this service for around £25.00[]

 

[grahamwhite]

Thanks for the great replies folk,

I'm going to do the brakes myself, i regularly do this on my van/bikes so im quite happy and competent in this area.

I was going to do the oil and oil filter myself too. I got a cost of £12 for the filter and 10litres of Mobil1 0-40w oil cost of £80 so i was going to do this too, that is until i enquired at Kwik-Fit how much they charge for an oil+filter change.

Are you ready for this?.... £39.00 !!!! yep you read correctly. I asked if that was with Mobil1 0-40 and the answer was yes. I asked if that included the filter... 'Yes'. Well to be honest i actually asked if he was sure that this was the cost. he checked and said yes. I then re asked if he was sure it was proper Mobil1 oil and a proper filter.. Yes.

Well as im getting a couple of new rear tyres (2x 235/50/17 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 for £360) i decided to get them to do the oil change as well.

Actually i re-asked him for the fourth time if he was sure that he could change 7.5litres of Mobil1 and a filter for £39, he told me it goes on the size of the engine and that if it was a smaller engine it would only cost £29 all in.

As for the aircon change mine works when i switch it on and until it fails it shall remain unserviced

Regarding that tyre sealant for £43... well i called up GreenFlag and paid £48 for full UK recovery and rescue (and because i told them i live at my parents house 10 miles away IF i ever need a start at my actual house i have blagged 'Home Start' too lol

When i bought my Boxster i realised that i was entering an expensive servicing arena and i accepted it but certain things are taking the piss.

I shall let them do the air filter as its a bit of a pain to get to right?
And obviously the polyrib belt too.

Spark Plugs can be accessed from under the car and as my Father in Law has a Pit in his garage this job should be easy enough to do myself.

Cheers
Graham

 

[Nick_USA]

ORIGINAL: daro911

ORIGINAL: Mark Bennett

What do they do on an Air-Con service? I've never even been offered that...

They call in a local mobile firm circa £40.00 and then charge you £150.00 Complete and utter madness even my local Kwik Fit offer this service for around £25.00[]

The AC service is the latest in a long line of schemes to boost dealer profits; others included: Pre and Post Winter Checks and post service wheel alignments.

The best way to keep your AC working at its best is to use it (yes in the winter too, it's a great dehumidifier) and to keep the leaves out of the grills. If you want to go the extra mile remove the bumper and blow out the radiators with an airline.

 

[spyderman]

ORIGINAL: daro911
They call in a local mobile firm circa £40.00 and then charge you £150.00 Complete and utter madness even my local Kwik Fit offer this service for around £25.00[]

But that won't include a cabin pollen filter change which I think OPCs do.

To the OP - where abouts are you in the country? I'm certain one of us can point you to a reputable indi who can undercut your quote by a considerable margin. If you choose to stay within the Porsche chain, don't forget to quote your PCGB membership number for a discount of at least 10%.

Link to my Google Map of some of the UK's independant Porsche Specialists.

 

[grahamwhite]

ORIGINAL: spyderman

To the OP - where abouts are you in the country?

I am based in Nottingham area and have been dealing with the guys at Porsche Nottingham. They are really nice guys and i am happy to keep stamping the Porsche book with their stamps.
When i was buying a used Porsche i was very aware that a full Porsche service history is desirable so when i come to sell the car this will apply im sure.

I would defo want to see that porsche have done the important things like belts and main engine checks. I will keep receipts from oil changes etc so future buyers can see basic maintenance has been kept up too.

 

[spyderman]

I've been having my 2004 Boxster serviced at my OPC but anything beyond than the bog-standard list items done by an indi, so I get the stamp and save some money.

 

[Mark_Bennett]

Pollen filter is not part of the Air-"Con"
It's a standard service replacement part.
It's also about the easiest thing to replace

The Air Filter is easy too - if you can do brakes you can certainly do the air filter.

 

[Ian Gilmour]

My RS 60 Spyder is due for its 1st (2 year) service at the end of this month. I have been quoted (without any serious haggling) prices from £587 to £615 including brake fluid change. One PC will let me supply my own oil whereas another (part of the same Group) won't.

I haven't yet decided where to take it and I would like to keep it serviced in the dealer network to get the stamp in the service book. However, cost considerations are making me think of taking it to a local independent. Does anybody know what would be the consequences for the warranty if I did so? The car is still just within its manufacturer warranty and then has another 2 years used vehicle warranty which expires in Jan 2013.

 

[grahamwhite]

ORIGINAL: spyderman
... anything beyond than the bog-standard list items done by an indi, so I get the stamp and save some money.

So are you saying that f i take it to an independent garage they can still stamp it with a proper porsche stamp?? How does that work then??

 

[spyderman]

No, I just mean that I ask the OPC to do the menu items only (and they stamp the book) then the extra bits (like a leaking a/c condenser) I get done at an Indy like RPM.

 

[threespins]

Euro car parts are offering 20% off for on line ordering. I have just ordered an OEM service kit for my 986. Cost £60 for oil/air/pollen filters, spark plugs and drain plug washer with free delivery. Code is box20 to get the 20%.

 

[grahamwhite]

just got back from KwikFit and i have to say i got really well looked after.

When i arrived the first thing i asked to see was the oil being put in, they showed me a bunch of 1litre Mobil1 bottles that they had delivered that morning and i watched them pouring it all in through the window in the waiting room.

Now the waiting room wasnt exactly a Porsche dealership lounge but the care and attention they gave my baby was perfect. I even went underneath for a quick nosy when it was up on the ramp!

Then after they put the oil in they insisted i wait 30mins while the oil settled and rechecked the oil level even though the dashboard said it was all good.

Then to top it all they gave me the rest of the 3/4full bottle of Mobil1 for free to keep in the car for topups .... Seriously!... The Oil, Filter, and Sump washer change only cost £39

They even gave the car a check over, topped up my screen wash and checked my batt, alternator, discs and pads for free while it was up on the ramp!

Barring giving the thing a valet like my OPD they performed faultlessly!

Graham

 

[grahamwhite]

One strange thing though....

I had a dashboard warning that has been counting down for a week now... 1000 miles to service, 900 miles to service, 800 miles to service

Thing is, now that warning has gone away, i will still get it looked at as it was 4years old last week and needs a checkup but i wondered if changing the oil resets this service warning.

I doubt they have a Porsch computer to reset the onboard computer right?

 

[Nick_USA]

You are probably correct, I wouldn't expect KwikFit to have a Porsche tester.

 

[Buddy]

Graham,

Two none franchised places I would recommend in the Nottingham area and both have been mentioned on the forum by others in the past, Zentrum to the north and PH Sportscars at Shardlow just off the A50 J1.

Both have Porsche trained technicians, PH isn't like an OPC but Simon knows his stuff.

 

[heathview]

I know i'm deviating abit but i bought a 986 2002 3.2s manual last Aug 2010 with full porsche dealership history it had only 32.000 miles on the clock. I then booked into my nearest dealer which was Porsche East London in March this year for the small service cost shown as £360.00+vat on their web site. Went to collect the car the bill was £560.00+vat, the addtional was was for Air bag test £77.00 new spark plugs another £80.00 and some sunderies to end up just over £600.00. When i went to collect my car it was on the level i noticed the oil display was some 2 segments down from the maximum. I went back in to see the service manager was was told to drive 25 miles then check the oil level. This i did it the level was still the same returned to the garage where i was told by the mechanic that it needed and half a litre of oil!
Regards,
Martin