redcarman

I am in the process of purchasing an 87 951 and will be having a PPI done at a Porsche dealership. They offer a basic 1-hour PPI or a 2-3 hour PPI with leakdown and compression test. Any recommendations on specific questions to ask of the shop doing the PPI? Is a leakdown test and compression test worth the added cost if the engine appears to be putting out good power? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

jerome951

I'd strongly suggest finding a good independent who knows 951s for a PPI, not a dealer. I'd wager many dealer technicians have never worked on a 951 and would have no knowledge of common problems to look for.

PorscheDoc

I would highly recommend the leakdown and compression test. Everyone is different on what their PPI's entail, but mine is a complete inspection of the the car. Usually the written report is 3-4 pages long, and includes pictures of all areas of the car (especially any problem areas noted in the PPI) for the potential buyer.

The PPI's I have seen from dealers on older cars are usually something like this:
Headliner needs regluing: $500
Air low in right rear tire: $10
Right Healight out: $350
Passenger window switch does not work: $275

Anddddddd thats about it.

ramius665

I've had PPI's done on a few different cars by multiple shops over the years. And I completely agree with Doc Wilen's assessment of a dealership PPI. I had the Porsche Center, San Antonio, TX look at a prospective 951. The car came back with a glowing review, basically everything was in great condition. I was a little apprehensive because of the seller, so I had the car looked at by a knowledgeable independent shop in the area and they found so many things that needed attention that it would cost more than the asking price of the car. And that independent shop's chief 944 mechanic was a factory trained technician that had worked on 944s at a dealership in from '86-94.

With a PPI, you don't necessarily get what you pay for. You get a shop that SHOULD evaluate and consider the condition of all major systems and give you their educated opinion. But again, that shop is looking at a car that they generally have no history on, and are just assessing it as it is right then. And most shops will NOT disassemble or alter anything on the car to get a better look, just to keep away from any liability issues.

I hope this helps, a PPI should just be used to reinforce your gut feeling on a car, not convince you that everything is OK.

redcarman

I appreciate the advice that each of you have given me and have reconsidered who should be doing the PPI. I have also just submitted a post requesting help finding an independent shop in the MI to carry out the PPI. Thanks again for your insight.