Riad

I want to know if people have had the dealer do an inspection of their car before it goes off of warranty.

This car has been a gem, but I would rather have it checked out... any thoughts?

discoganya

I did an inspection when the car came off warranty ... found RMS #2. Was not much of a big deal because RMS #1 was covered for 2 years. In any case I think it's money well spent.

Riad

Thanks, and I agree. I also believe it's money well spent.

perfectlap

have you considered an aftermarket warranty? Might be a good idea for resale if the car was always 'in warranty".

Ahsai

Yea, I think it's a good idea and that's what I did too. I asked them to do a yearly inspection (which I needed anyway) and that covers all the visual checks and cost about $100 (in San Diego) and you get a stamp on the maintenance book too.

Oh also, if you plan to get an extended warranty, it's a good time now before the factory warranty expires.

- Ahsai

Gretch

I second the thought on extended warranty. not so much for resale value either. My 2000 has just a shade under 95k on it. Last year about a month before I put it away, it decided to reject its transmission......

That little event cost me $13k......... extended warranty would have been cheaper. When something goes wrong on these cars, it is NEVER cheap.

arr0gant

warrantydirect.com

Riad

I'm not going to get an extended warranty, I don't think they are worth the $$.

perfectlap

I don't know about a C4S but warranty direct quoted me about a grand a year for three years bumper to bumper. I've only had to fix one thing on this car in 35K miles so I passed. But it sure helps comfort the prospective buyer because for a mere $50 you can transfer the warranty to that new owner.
For my next pcar (I only buy 2nd hand) I will only consider CPO'd or cars with a warranty direct policy.
The thought of having an intermediate shaft failure requiring a new engine (not all that rare) OUT OF WARRANTY.. will push me away from considering out of warranty Pcars.

discoganya

I did the same : https://rennlist.com/forums/996-forum/288466-car-coming-out-of-warranty-what-should-i-check.html

Aftermarket warranties are too expensive ($4.5K for 3/36). I'm talking about the ones that will actually cover Porsche labor rate at $150/hr and OEM parts without any limit. I've put aside the 5K I would have spent on the warranty ... If I need an engine, the 5K will go towards it, and I'll call it my bad luck. If I don't need anything major (which has a higher probablity), I'll come out on top.

perfectlap

you are definitely rolling the dice, considering in Riad's case you are talking about $60K car I don't think $1000-1200 a year is that expensive. My understanding from warranty direct was that there was no limit on what the labor rate for Porsche dealer servicing and they were not required to use 2nd hand parts or any of that. They were also well aware of the RMS saga and fully covered it.
If I'm looking at two well cared for C4S cars and one comes with the warranty direct policy its a no brainer. But I guess its up to each person to decide, particularly if they plan on keeping it for many years after the warranty expires. I decided to bank the money in case of a disaster because the policy represented more than 10% of my car's value, not including major maintenance.

cdodkin

Yep, did the dealer check with the 986 before it came of warranty.

Get them to look for the usual suspects:

Coolant tank cracks
RMS leak
Worn bushings (creaking suspension)
MAF (rough idle and/or fault codes)
Any cosmetic issues with interior and trim (leather)
Cracked coils (rough idle and/or fault codes)
Dying battery
Leaking water pump
blocked airways to radiators
blocked drains from sunroof
Missing/cracked under car panels

That's what comes to mind off the top of my head.

My 986 final inspection netted me a new stereo, new water pump and new expansion tank - so it was worth doing!

Tomb

I recently bought an 02 with 17k miles and got an extended warranty for $2400. The first month had RMS and that would have cost me $1600.

I believe in the warranties, but you have to check them out carefully.

TamiyaGuy

I had an end of warranty inspection done. While they did not find anything major, they did fix a couple of things which I had no clue about.

First, one of the two horns weren't working. The low one apparently. Had no clue, didn't use the horn that much.

Second, some interior leather trim piece had started to delaminate from the backing, so they replaced that. Again, didn't notice it myself.

Lastly, the instrument cluster dimmer switch broke off at some point and I was really lazy about getting it fixed. Good thing they noticed that too because the whole instrument cluster had to be replaced for $2200.00. I kept putting it off because I figured it was a quick 10 minute job and a $5 piece of plastic. That would have been painful...

So, the inspection paid for itself.

AllanJ

My GT3 warranty is up next Feb so this fall I'll be getting a thorough inspection done. Makes sense to me.

Cheers,