To DIY service or not?

Justin85 · May 6, 2006

Just looking for a few opinions, as I'm unsure what to do...

My '89 S2 has a full service (OPC and JZM) history, and was last serviced by JZM about 12k miles ago.
I'd like to change the oil, filters and plugs, and am more than happy to do this myself, rather than fork out the £200 for a specialist to do it.

I've always thought that with older, higher milage (122k) cars that maintaining a full service history wasn't particularly worth it, but would be interested what you chaps thought. Whilst I don't intend selling the car soon, do you think it worthwhile to keep the book stamped?

Thanks,
Justin.

dlknight · May 6, 2006

Hi Justin,

I don't know how much you payed for your car and how much you would hope to get for it if you sold?

With regards to maintaining the FSH if I myself was looking to purchase another 944 I would not only look at those with FSH's. If someone could show that the oil changes and other maintenance tasks had been performed e.g. a diary showing when work was done along with receipts for consumables and parts then I would be comfortable that the car had been looked after. I do this myself with my 944S, doing most of the easier jobs myself and leaving the trickier jobs to the specialists e.g. belt changes.

I would say do what makes you happy

I know I enjoy working on my car and am satisfied that when I have done a job I have done it to a high standard that I am happy with.

Regards

Dave K.

Justin85 · May 6, 2006

That's exactly how I look at it Dave.
Oily driveways and cut knuckles here we come!

Justin.

sbloxxy · May 6, 2006

It goes without saying that you must be confident in your own abilities. That said, some of the service I have had from garages is poor beyond belief; at least if I've done it, I know its been done properly.

Diver944 · May 7, 2006

With our cars I do not think the lack of FSH will affect the value by much, but it will make it harder to sell on when the time comes. I know if I were looking right now, then a car with no documented history would be last on my list for viewing if all the other candidates 'claimed' to have FSH. If you keep meticulous records and can provide a nice dossier of proper and regular maintenance then it will help prove the the car has been looked after.

It's also worth considering that while £200-£300 may sound a lot of money for what amounts to oil, filters and plugs there are also many, many checks and inspections that 'should' be done by a proper specialist. It is this part of the service that is to my mind the most valuable as it is this part that lets you know when this or that is about to wear out or is dangerous and needs replacing now.

We drive our cars day in and day out and may not notice when some part is deteriorating, however a mechanic that test drives several 944s every week will soon spot when the steering feels 'funny' or the brakes are not quite up to scratch.

sawood12 · May 7, 2006

I agree with Paul. I pay a specialist to do the 12k/annual service not only to keep up the service history but he also gives the car a good looking over and gives me a de-brief of any observations he has made. In fact he keeps a little black book on the cars he services which he updates with things to keep an eye on next time the car comes in. He can always answer any questions I have as well which gives me even more confidence he has actually carried out a thourough inspection. I must confess though I have been carrying out my 6 monthly services myself which is simply an oil service as I can't bear to part with £180 for an oil service. My specialist gets to see my car a couple of times in between the 12 monthly service anyway. I do keep the receipts for the interim oil and service items in my records just to provide some evidence to a future buyer that the work has been carried out.

John Maddox · May 19, 2006

I did all the servicing on my 944T and sold it 5 years later for virtually what I paid for it to a dealer. You must keep proper records though to prove what has been done.

If you can do it yourself properly I would not waste your money with dealers. The trick is to know what you can't do and then use the professionals.

Guest · May 20, 2006

£300 for a yearly service from a reputable specialist is a very modest fee and well worth it for peace of mind. Why not do an additional oil change every six months yourself. It sounds like overkill but there are a lot of owners who do it. Don`t skip the annual service though. And make sure the people doing it DO check all those little things.

Guest · May 21, 2006

I think you pay £300 for the name on your service book, and a good garage can do just as good a job, i wouldn't trust any dealer working on my car, they just dont care enough, not like a independent, a dealer Mechanic as to work to a time to get his work done, and can cut corners to make up a bonus. I can do my work myself in my own workshop, using genuine an OE spec parts (off the shelf), take my time, do it right, and still stamp my book, or a customers for that matter.

sawood12 · May 21, 2006

ORIGINAL: neo th hacker

I think you pay £300 for the name on your service book, and a good garage can do just as good a job, i wouldn't trust any dealer working on my car, they just dont care enough, not like a independent, a dealer Mechanic as to work to a time to get his work done, and can cut corners to make up a bonus. I can do my work myself in my own workshop, using genuine an OE spec parts (off the shelf), take my time, do it right, and still stamp my book, or a customers for that matter.

I agree in principle and it's what i've done for every other car i've had, but the actual oil change is only the tip of the iceberg as to what I feel I get from my specialist when I take it in for a major service. He has a good 15yrs of experiance on the older Porsche models and knows them back to front and as part of the service he will give the car a very thorough check over and provide me with a comprehensive summary of the cars general condition. He makes notes about the car in his little black book so he can keep an eye on things like oil leaks and other things he feels needs an eye kept on and I generally feel like I know my car inside out when I drive it away. Yes I keep an eye generally on my car as best I can but I don't have a ramp and cannot keep as close an eye on all the hard to get to areas (and there are alot on the 944) as he can. He charges £230 for a Major service on a 944 turbo which on balance I think isn't too bad value. But for the interim 6-monthly services I cannot bear to part with £160 for something I can do myself in less than an hour.