I'm in negotiations with a seller of a 2009 997.2 S car. It has approximately 40k miles. It had the 40k service abot 2 years ago at 30k including plugs and filters. It is well past due for the 6 year/ 60,000 service including the PDK service if you go by time. I'm looking for opinions on whether its critical to follow Porsche recommendations. I called about 4 Indies about a PPI and asked them. Half said yes, it needs to be done. the other half said wait until 60k. I feel the time is probably kind of arbitrary but 3 years past is excessive and not too much to ask for a discount on the car. This will help moderate a minor snag in the negotiation on who's correct. I offered to split the difference and the seller agreed. It is admittedly listed at a decent price but I also now found rear tires worn out on the PPI. Seller says one or the other, tires or half the cost of service due. I feel both are are required for the price asked. What say you? Am i being unrealistic?
I welcome all opinions

 

 

The car was bought 2 years ago as a CPO car. Technically the P dealer should have done it, they did the 40K service at that time. I know there are two schools of thought on whether to do it at the mileage or the time, which ever comes first. The service consists mostly of fluid changes. Both the PDK and the front diff oil. The PPI came back as a very nice car except the rear tires. The mechanic noted a noise that came from the rear end that he said was likely from the worn out tires. He was pretty confident on that and said have the seller replace the tires and bring it back and he would verify the issue was corrected. The seller is now saying he doesn't believe the service is really due and he made a concession to me to make the sale. He doesn't think he should have to do both. He offered to replace the tires to determine the source of the noise but that the price of the car would reflect that change. I think tires should be changed to eliminate the noise issue and as a matter of principal. Other than that the PPI came back as a good car. What didn't help was the mechanic who performed the PPI told the seller that fluid changes weren't necessary until the mileage is reached.

 

If the car is still under the CPO warranty, you need to do the PDK service to maintain it's standing under the warranty. Tires or service, or both? Points for negotiation. Who will blink first?

PDK service should be about $500. What's the cost of the tires? I'd probably go for the tires to make sure the noise is tire related. If not, ...

 

Perhaps I'm old-fashioned. I rarely rely on any service records. To me, service record is just that, a record and doesn't really provide the scope of the condition of the car. A lot depends on the person turning the wrench behind it as well as the person using the car. I much prefer to do my own PPI, with a Durametric you can just about know the life history of the car. Commonsense in examining brakes, tire conditions whether there is any cupping or excessive irregular wear on the tires, and any play on the steering, fluid leaks, cleanliness of the engine bay, etc.....should tell you a lot about the car. Test drive is the key and with some Porsche ownership experience help to determine any abnormalities. Finally after getting the car, I'll give it a once over on ALL regular maintenance, such as oil change, brake fluid flush, transmission oil change, coolant change etc..... As I said, I'm old-fashioned and enjoy working on my cars and believe in myself that if I want to do it right, I'll do it myself. This is not to say that I don't take my car to professionals when the work calls for it. Commonsense applies also to what I can or cannot do and of course knowing my own limitations.

 

CPO warranty is expired a few months ago. I think that's why its being sold. The car is a C4S Cab if it makes any difference.

 

This is a long distance sale, therefore a PPI. the mechanic came highly regarded and the seller complimented him on his professionalism. He gave the car very high marks especially for the age and mileage. I won't actually get to drive the car except right before the payment is offered if the sale is successfully negotiated. It takes a giant leap of faith to do something like this for me.

 

Agree. Buy the car that's in front of you, not one that you've theorycrafted based on a bunch of heuristics.

Personally, I'd probably have the seller replace the tires and just do the service (or at least the fluids) myself for peace of mind. It's been a couple years and apart from the PDK they're due anyway. (I've seen people post that they changed their low-miles PDK fluid early based on time and it came out looking like new, for what it's worth.)

It's a also a good way to start your own journey with the car fresh, and a reminder that you'll have your own services to do along the way. I don't think the seller necessarily owes you a perfectly up-to-date car, it's being sold as-is and it sounds like for a decent price that could have that missing service reflected in it.

 

Are you planning on buying an after market warranty? I'm asking since you know how they are. They'll look for every imaginable way to deny a claim. Failure to maintain the car on schedule would probably fall into that category. I'd get what's due done and negotiate some reasonable credit from the seller.

I would also agree with a previous poster who raised eyebrows about the current owner's casual idea of how to deal with timely maintenance. PDK replacement will cost you a minimum of $10K so that's one item I personally would definitely do on schedule. I seem to recall some goodwill from Porsche on some failed PDK's that had been maintained on schedule. If the required maintenance has not been performed on schedule, forget about any help from PCNA if you're out of warranty.

 

FWIW, I had the same situation. Dealer did not change the PDK fluid based on age before CPO. When I realized it, I did the PDK fluid change. The car was still CPO at the time and the dealer, who would not pay for the change said it did not void the warranty. When the warranty ran out I got an aftermarket Essurance warranty and explained it to them and they said if the fluid was changed and there are no problems when the warranty started then the transmission is covered.

 

I am probably not going to purchase a warranty. I plan on using this as a summer fun car and only drive it 2-3000 miles a year, if that. I think the warranty would be cost prohibitive based on A: the mileage on the car and B: the intended usage of the car.
I did negotiate a $1000 credit off the asking price for the due maintenance but this was before the PPI. The PPI found the tires were worn out. The seller said he wasn't aware they were that bad. I was planning on getting the service done after I purchased it. I was planning on driving it 1100 miles home.
The price was decent in my opinion, not deal of the century. He was asking $47,000 minus a credit for the service due for a 2009 C4S. It is admittedly a good price but if I have to add $2-3000 in maintenance and wear items, including the cost of flying there and purchasing/ driving home the price is just ok.
I don't get the impression the owner (this is a private sale) was neglecting the car. He has been performing oil changes every 5k on it. I think he didn't think anything was due for a while because he bought it as a CPO. When I mentioned the service and the tires he then balked and said its already a great price and he's not going any lower. Maybe I'm confused and it is worth it, but I'm not so sure.

 

For what tis worth I took my C2 to the Porsche dealer for the 6yr/60,000 PDK service and they looked up the VIN and told me it wasn't due until 10 years. Porsche changed the service recommendation but there seems to be some confusion around earlier 997.2's as when they first came out it was 6 years for the PDK service. If you search there are a number of threads on it here. Give the VIN to your P-dealer and ask them what is due.

 

What year is yours?

 

From the PPIs I've had done on the 2 997s I purchased, anything revealed by the PPI that was either broken (belly pan) or would cause the car to fail a state inspection (tires worn below the limit) should be the seller's responsibility to correct. Other items like service, would be the buyer's responsibility or a negotiating point. In your case, I'd take the free tires and pay to have the PDK service done. If the car is the right car, a thousand dollars one way or the other really doesn't matter - better to wrap up the deal and start enjoying he car instead of continuing to look for another and start over with a different dealer or seller.

 

Yes, I guess I can't disagree with that logic. I'm already $250 into a PPI. The PPI mechanic said it was a very nice car,and it sounded like he was pretty thorough, a Porsche only garage. Does it make sense to have the oil pan pulled and check the cylinder bores when it goes back for the tire noise?