Hello everyone! I am finalizing the purchase of my first PCAR - 2012 991 Cab!! I'm pretty excited about it at this point and take delivery from the dealer on Saturday. My CarFax report shows a lot of previous services, at which mileage and when - but there aren't very many details about what was done at that service. However, I was able to speak with the service manager at the Indy shop where the previous owner had taken the car for the last 4-years and got a pretty good feeling about the care taken of the vehicle!

One thing I am not excited about is that, although the car now has 41,977 miles, the last official service was done at 37,376 and the service manager explained that they had not completed the 40k mile service. Also disappointing is that I will not be taking delivery any where near the Indy shop with first hand knowledge about the car (They are in NYC and I am taking delivery in Arlington, VA). So, I called Porsche of Arlington and was told that the 40k mile service is $3200. Some older threads on this subject indicate that this price seems to be at least $1000 too high for dealer service, and WAY higher than any Indy shop.

Does anyone have any recent experience with the costs of a 40k mile service and/or are there any recommendations for getting the service done without being over-charged in Virginia?

Sorry to make my first post a question - but I'm pretty excited to be joining your world.

 

Congrats! Post some pics when you can. I was quoted $2200 for the 4yr/40k service here in California so your quote seems high. However, seeing as your car is 8 years old, they probably quoted you for the drive belt(every 6yrs) and the convertible top service(2yrs) as well. You can probably find an indy that can do everything for under 2k. I personally, after realizing how easy it was to do the oil change, did the maintenance myself over a weekend, all in for $500. It was a great experience that I highly recommend. There are diy writeups for everything you need. Good luck!
Phil

 

Thanks for the response Phil!

I am buying remotely, but have a trusted friend that was able to view, test drive and get a pre-inspection (although not at a Porsche certified mechanic). With that and speaking to the service manager at the previous owner's indy shop, I'm comfortable with the purchase as-is. I have about 1000 - miles to drive it before getting it 'home'...so changing the oil myself is not an option prior to the trip and the reason that I want to get the 40k service completed before the drive. I'd be really upset if a preventable failure occurred 200 miles from home.

There's definitely going to be another conversation with that dealer to get more information on what they are including for the $3200 - maybe they are including fluid changes on the brakes & coolant along with other items that are typically "check and advise". That dealership is conveniently only 2 miles from my friend's house - but an $800 savings can pay for a really long Uber ride...

 

So the seller couldn't be bothered with the 40K mile service and now he suddenly wants to sell. In addition, the Carfax doesn't have many details of what was done previously and Vinny Bag of Donuts the mechanic in the armpit of the world NYC says 'all is good'. Lol...Seriously?

 

Interesting take on that... I know that I have honestly decided to sell/trade a vehicle that needed a major service when I was ready for something new anyway. Why pay $2000 out of pocket only to sell/trade the vehicle anyway? ((I did exactly that with my Audi S4 a few years ago - car needed a major service and 4 new tires when I traded it in))

Vinny seemed like a nice enough guy... (OR) I researched the service center and found that they are Porsche certified and associated with an exotic car dealership.

I do appreciate your feedback - you seem to be the glass is half empty kind of guy though.

 

This is so easy....first off, this is a GREAT car, its solid and reliable. No bad things are going to happen based on the odometer clicking over. Porsche are designed to be driven hard and they are solid, not like some of those fancy Italian jobs. These are not snowflake cars, you can beat on them like a twenty year old Corolla and they can take it. So relax and don't sweat it. Did you get a 997 or a 991? There was a design change in that model year so not sure which you have. Pretty much this is all do-able in an afternoon in a home garage, but I assume you are not planning to work on it yourself? Nothing is very complicated and you *can* do a 40K service yourself for around $ 300 in parts and about four hours under the car (not working very quickly). I pull my own wrenches on my 2014 991.1 S Cab and have fun doing it . Plus at my job I don't make $ 500 and hour so there's a lot of savings to be had that way. Nothing is complex on a 40K service.

Skip the dealer - always. Once you are done with the warranty you should be done with the dealer. Around here, you can go to RPM in Newington VA - they're a good shop, or Innersport in Mclean, they have both been around a long time and will cost much less than dealer service.

 

DrCollie - I am certainly not afraid to turn some wrenches. I have rebuilt motors (3) and have almost always maintained my own vehicles - save for when I lived in my last home where all I had was street parking. I thing $3200 is completely absurd, now that I have read through what they actually DO for that service. If all the things they say "inspect" on were "replace"....maybe worth it. I'll either get this service done at a reasonable place or do it after I get home.

 

There is nothing the 40k service is gonna do thats gonna "save you" from a major problem occurring during your drive home. Anything dire would have been caught during the PPI.

 

Thank you all for the constructive replies! I feel better about it all and will just be smart about everything, drive it home and take care of the maintenance after I get back!

 

I haven’t seen the car in person yet, but here are some photos my friend took for me! I get home next week to finally see her with my own eyes!

The color is Anthracite Brown Metallic with Agate Grey full leather interior. ‘S’ model with PDK, Sport Chrono and Sport Exhaust.

 

Also...I really wanted to know that the car didn't have any issues, so I found an independent Porsche mechanic shop in Arlington who is performing the 40k mile service. Out the door for $1350, after adding the brake fluid change and assuming there are no other wear parts to replace. His initial report is in agreement with the initial (non-Porsche certified) pre-inspection - that this car is "solid" with no issues to speak of. Evidence of a well maintained car.

 

Given that the car is now 8-9 years old you should also have the drive belt replaced. This is due at 6 yrs or 60,000 miles (whichever comes first). It is a cheap part and relatively easy to do when the rear bumper is already removed to replace the air filters. Also, I can't discern if your car is a C2S or C4S but if it is a 4, the AWD controller oil is also due to be changed at 6 years. Nice car, congrats!

 

Thanks! It's a C2S. Great advice about the belt - I just called the shop to see if they already put everything back together...standing by for a call back.

 

40K mile service is really no big deal. Either do yourself or take to an Indy....

 

Gorgeous, congrats! Drive it in good health.