Boxster Spyder 987 Major Service @ OPC

[kitchens]

Same issues with me .I had at the time a 981 Spyder and it just had its first service at the OPC a couple of days later was on a run with the Tipec guys and the oil warning light came on panic puled over and let the car cool down a bit ,luckily a few of the guys pull over and came over .after some time we started the car up and showed low oil ,one of the guys had oil not Mobil 0-40 but any oil in this situation is welcome the rest of our trip was without incident .Called the OPC on the Monday and asked the question ,no answer took car in on the Saturday and tec said we will just top it up No I said drain the lot out and put in fresh oil I watched and they did as requested and shows 1 digit from full which I believe is the correct position .so obviously did not check levels at service time makes you wonder what else was missed .

 

[Motorhead]

Eric,

It all sounds a bit odd given that you’ve not encountered any problems before your last service.

I’m sure that an oil level sensor fault is a rare event … but like any electrical component, that’s not to say it can’t and doesn’t happen! On top of that it’s clear that the Porsche tech is relying upon the PIWIS system to monitor the amount of oil added (via the potentially faulty level sensor?) from a central facility rather than from individual 5L and 1L containers, so that’s another area where errors could creep-in.

Oh for a good old fashioned dipstick![]

Jeff

 

[MrDemon]

OPC's suck monkey balls these days.

 

[Eric G]

My current position is that I've booked the car back in with the OPC to check the gauge and take the oil out to measure it. Unfortunately, the OPC has a vested interest to blame the gauge because saying it is fine would be an admission that they under filled the engine below the minimum level during the service. They won't allow me to be present for the oil removal for health and safety reasons. They are also aware that they under filled it 2 years ago but by a smaller amount ( 2 segments empty)

I'm still pretty convinced the gauge is fine and always has been, but, if the gauge is faulty I may have overfilled the engine by approximately .8 of a litre in total, when topping up. Since I topped up though I've driven the car warmed up for 4 miles or so to check for blue burning oil, and there's no sign. I included a couple of over runs, then back on the throttle and no blue oil out the back. It seems completely healthy.

I'm minded to cancel the appointment tomorrow and book in at another OPC owned by a different group to check gauge and oil content. Otherwise I'll never know the truth and I'll never be able to hold them to account for any possible damage that may have been caused.

I'd be grateful for any observations anyone of you may have.

Cheers.

 

[Motorhead]

I think that you’ve answered your own question Eric. If you don’t feel that you can trust the dealer who did the work to give you a truthful answer then you’re best going elsewhere for verification.

Jeff

 

[Eric G]

Cheers Jeff, you are right of course. I decided after considerable head searching last night to cancel the appointment at the OPC. For peace of mind I'm getting an independent check done and I informed them of why.

I feel the coincidence that my car had a low oil reading following 2 services with them, 25,000 miles between each, points not to a faulty gauge, but to very poor oil change procedure.

I've topped up a total of approx 1.2 litres now, to get it marginally into the top safe segment. I calculated from this that if they under filled it the amount was about .4 litres.

On the other hand, if the gauge is faulty, I may now have overfilled it by .8 of a litre because they claimed it'd been filled to 2 segments. ( These however somehow disappeared in 17.7 miles, where I checked it ). There are absolutely no signs of overfilling. I'd be getting lots of smoke out the back I would think?

The gauge has always been consistent in 97k measuring as expected, and I've never had cause for concern. If it fluctuates as much as 2 segments I'd have noticed straight away. I regularly check my oil when I get home because it's level, and it's always been bob on. It drops a segment occasionally, and I top it up, even after dark. Then I check it's back up with another check while the engine is hot. That's how on it I've been.

The only coincidence until proven otherwise for me, is that it's been with them for an oil change.

Many thanks for your input. It's really helpful.

 

[Grange]

Hi, can you share the names of the places? I am in Scotland and looking for a reputable place. Regards.

 

[Billybod]

For peace of mind I'm getting an independent check done and I informed them of why.

If that is with another OPC there can be no arguments from Reading/Germany but if at an independent (ie non OPC), it may not be so straightforward in my opinion...............

Regards

Bill

 

[Eric G]

For peace of mind I'm getting an independent check done and I informed them of why.

If that is with another OPC there can be no arguments from Reading/Germany but if at an independent (ie non OPC), it may not be so straightforward in my opinion...............

Regards

Bill

I take your point Bill, many thanks. Would you advise contacting Reading directly with my position though, or just going to an other OPC first?

My concern, based on the possibility that the OPC'S and Porsche GB all piss in the same pot so to speak, and that I may not get an honest answer at another OPC either. They might then "fix" the guage and any evidence there was nothing wrong with it is gone.

I've contacted a reputable independent, recommended by people on here, and on Piston Heads, but he can't get me in for 2 weeks. This would simply be to measure the oil out and back in to check the accuracy of the gauge. I'm pretty confident the gauge works and I've not overfilled it by topping up from off the scale. The gauge is bang on where I expect it to be, and there's no blue or white smoke, cold or hot engine, high revs of low.

The car did 45 miles total from when I took it in, to when I topped up, and I calculate the oil was roughly 0.4 litres off the bottom of the gauge. This would mean there were still 7+ litres in the engine for the 45 mile covered between the oil change and me topping up. This is what I'm clinging too anyway. There were no audible or dashboard warnings. The car appears to be driving normally and the gauge is constant with the amount of oil I've put in from when it was off the gauge.

If the independent can confirm the gauge is ok I can go to another OPC for the same check.

Any observations or advice would be most welcome.

Thank you everyone.

 

[dpoynton]

Sorry, but the most pragmatic action may be just to take it elsewhere in future.

David

 

[Eric G]

That's the plan David.

 

[dpoynton]

Eric

Sorry, I see your plan, I meant, as it seems that your car has not suffered any damage, (thanks to your actions) you have not suffered a loss you can claim for, negligent yes, but what else?

Better just not to engage with them again?

David

 

[Eric G]

Hi David. It's not the first time they've done this though. I only checked so soon because they've done it before. I intended to warm it up and check on their carpark ( oh I wish I had ) but it was taking so long I set off, thinking not twice.

If it hadn't happened before I might have driven 1000 miles or more not 17 before checking. It's my daily driver.

You're right about going elsewhere though. I've a full service history and warranty and they're potentially damaging owners engines. It's pretty unacceptable and does no credit to Porsche. Surely Porsche can't be happy with this. It's damaging their reputation.

Edit. Additional information.

My partner just checked their Facebook page. I'm not alone with the oil problem.