Lvanpelt729

Is there any reason to go to a dealer for a PPI vs Indy on a 14' Cayman S? I know it's recommended to go Independent for an older Porsche, but would the dealer be better on a newer one? Figure they have a pretty good regiment that they use to decide on CPO vehicles. Just don't want to take it to a specialized shop that doesn't deal with a lot of non racing or newer Porsches.

To that point, any specific recommendations in Atlanta? The dealership is saying they can't do a PPI for a week and a half...

fast1

It really makes no difference. What is important is who does the work, and in some cases the better tech may be at an independent shop.

daylorb

I have had it done by both dealers and private and in general have had good luck. I almost bought an old Land Cruiser from a full-line Toyota dealer. Indie found tons of stuff wrong with it - sent me over 50 photos - saved my a$$ on it. Having it done at the dealer can be beneficial though, particularly when they have some history with the car or the seller...

inspectX

@Lvanpelt: Dealers can be helpful for PPIs, as they have every incentive to find as much wrong with the car as possible. They're basically hoping to win your business for the repair work.

If you're interested, my company contracts with dealership-certified Porsche techs for on-site PPIs. We have a great Porsche specialist in Atlanta who could travel out to the car for a full inspection. Feel free to PM or email me for more details. Thanks!

PRNDL

The PPI for my '13 981 was done by an independent shop (Hi-Tec Automotive in San Rafael, CA) and they did an outstanding job. These guys have a multi-page report that is exhaustively detailed. Right down to noting that two of the lug nuts were not tightened to spec. I think if you go to the right independent shop you can get top results. You can just as easily get crappy results from a Porsche dealer. Just depends on the shops. Ask a *lot* of questions. The local PCA members are a great resource for questions like this. Reach out. (and have a ball with your Porsche)

PorscheStrong

Completely anecdotal, but I've probably gotten 6-8 PPI's on cars in the past 5 years using a mixture of dealers vs. indie's. I suspect there's much more variation within them than between them, but as a general statement, I might give a slight edge to the indie's. That said, in all cars I've purchased, they'll both been good, but they've also both missed things - thankfully, never major stuff, but definitely overdue maintenance stuff.

RWPinNC

More anecdotal as above post...

In July and August, I had 3 PPI's done on 997;s (2) and the Cayman S that I bought, all good experiences. One was done by InspectX in Raleigh and two were done by indy shops in Chicago and Orlando. The most thorough was Frank's group (InspectX); it gave me enough detail to understand that the car was fundamentally sound, but had some questionable maintenance and immediate needs....reject. The Chicago PPI (Rennology in Aurora) was memorable; the car had some significant issues and the owner pulled the plug halfway though the inspection; the owner of the shop got on the phone with me to discuss the issues, very professional. And the Orlando inspection, done by Driver's Choice, had the shortest report, but identified key issues and provided good information. So, bottom line, all were very personal services done by folks who appeared to know their stuff.

Ironically, not all are so good. I had a copy of an earlier PPI performed on the Raleigh car that I turned down. PPI was done in DC and consisted of half a page of notes, not what I would be looking for.

Benjamin Cherry

inspectX

@RWPinNC: Thanks for the mention! Happy you found the report useful.

Definitely agree with Benjamin - you want to make sure that you know exactly the depth of the PPI before you engage. Ask for a checklist, know exactly how much time the technician will spend with the car, and make sure that the person performing the inspection is willing to talk with you after. Also, see if you can get photos of all of the findings.

Lvanpelt729

Hi all- thanks for the feedback. Ended up having Franz Blam do the PPI and am now officially a Porsche owner. Here are pics of the new ride!
14 Cayman S with PDK, sport Chrono, PSE, PASM. Loving it so far.

Lvanpelt729

Benjamin Cherry

sexy!

May I recommend these: https://www.suncoastparts.com/produc...1LEDSIDES.html

If you get them, one note -- do NOT use a screwdriver like the cowboy in the video. Grrr.

SpyderSenseOC

Gee sir, I don't know how those scratches got all over your fender. Are you sure they weren't there before I waved my screwdriver all over the place in order to disconnect a part that is easily disconnected by hand?

Yikes.

AMGE

What does a PPI cost, if at all?

Benjamin Cherry

In some respects, you get what you pay for. I paid $250 at an independent, Porsche-only shop ("the" Porsche shop in CT, where they exclusively work on Porsche, build and sponsor race cars, etc) and they gave the '05 Carrera S I was looking at a super thorough look. Drove it themselves, incredibly detailed interior, exterior (including e.g. paint meter on all panels), and mechanical inspection, full DME report, etc. They were gracious about answering my questions. For an additional $200 they also did a bore scope.

Then, later, at a "European specialist" indy shop, I paid $95 for the '14 Cayman I ended up buying and they did basically what you get from the dealer after an oil change, a "multi-point inspection." Don't think they drove it. No bore scope necessary, obviously. No paint meter. Initially did not include a DME report until I requested it, then provided it no problem, no charge. They were also gracious about answering my questions. For a later model car, with many fewer miles than the '05, I felt that it was quite adequate.

Check out some of the posts above, including my comments and the video I posted, if you're getting a PPI soon. Hope this helps! Good luck.