FXDawg

hello all. Been lurking while only just started posting.

So my dealer wanted $1275 for my 40k service that included

PERFORM 40,000 MILE OR EVERY FOUR YEARS MAINTENANCE

ON 2011 & UP CAYENNE V6 MODELS.

REPLACE ENGINE OIL, FILTER AND WIPER BLADES.

CHECK & REPLACE AIR FILTER IF NECESSARY (ADDITIONAL COST FOR

AIR FILTER).

REPLACE CABIN AIT FILTER

CHECK DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM FOR FAULT CODES.

VISUAL INSPECTION OF UNDERSIDE OF VEHICLE & ENGINE COMPART-

MENT FOR LEAKS & CHAFING.

CHECK UNDERBODY PANELS TO ENSURE PROPER FASTENING, DAMAGE OR

MISSING PANELS.

CHECK POWER STEERING AND BRAKE FLUID LEVELS.

VISUAL INSPECTION OF BRAKE HOSES FOR DAMAGE, PROPER ROUTING,

AND CORROSION.

CLEAN & LUBRICATE DOOR, HOOD, ROOF SEALS, AND CONTACT AREAS.

VISUAL INSPECTION OF DRIVESHAFT BOOTS FOR DAMAGE OR LEAKS.

CHECK TIRES & SPARE WHEEL CONDITION & TIRE PRESSURE.

CHECK FOR PROPER OPERATION OF DOOR LOCKS, LID LOCKS.

CHECK ENGINE DRIVE BELT AND COOLANT SYSTEM HOSES.

CHECK RADIATOR AIR INTAKES FOR DEBRIS & BLOCKAGE, AND CHECK

COOLANT LEVEL & PROTECTION LEVEL.

REPLACE SPARK PLUGS

I decided I could do most of this myself. So far I've changed the oil, the wiper blades and changed the oil. I've got the cabin filter and spark plugs left to do (I can't find that tool to remove the wires.) al the "inspections" seem like a quick look.

I was considering bringing it in for the "inspections" and reset so they can't void the warranty.

Is this really necessary? I really don't like the service department since they charged me $120 for wiper blades and $1275 for this service is outrageous. I got all those parts listed for around $300. So, basically they want about $500 per hour for the labor.

I got the parts from ECS Tuning and I will NEVER EVER give them any of my business again. If there is ever a problem they have a very hard time owning it and look for every reason to dodge any responsibility. Their customer service is despicable... If you guys have a more trustworthy vender for parts I would really love the recommendation! I tried them cus their prices were good and they talked a good game. In fact, there shipping is super slow, it doesn't matter if the site says, "ships in 5 days" because they just send a notice in 4 or 5 days to say it has been delayed then another notice just before the next expected date to say it'll be late again, they have a policy that states they will not split up your order unless you pay extra. So they are a cover their *** in the small print type of service because there service is less than second rate. The service is not worth any discount they or may not offer.

I'm considering this tool now, but I am still concerned about the warranty. I was also thinking of buying an extended warranty for this car as I plan on keeping a while longer. Any thoughts on that?

gnat

You've got a nice dealer then. Last time I asked my dealer wants $2500 for my diesel (and it doesn't even have the spark plugs to change!).

Yeap I did my 20k/2yr myself ($1700 from the dealer for an oil change, fuel filter drain & change, and visual inspections). I'll probably do the 40k/4yr myself too, or at least use my Indy who is significantly cheaper.

As long as you have receipts to back up your claim of doing the work (e.g. for the oil, filter, plugs, etc..) they can't void the warranty.

Be prepared for them to either outright refuse (our BMW dealer refuses to clear codes/intervals if they didn't do the work) or charge you a fee (some have reported reasonable $30 charges, others have reported being charged for a full hour of labor!).

If you are going to continue the DIY route, pick up a Durametric or the other tool that they've been talking about in the Oil Change Interval threads lately. Then you can clear the interval warnings yourself.

Nope. You can either do the work yourself or have an Indy do it and Porsche still has to honor the warranty unless they can prove your process or materials are at fault.

This is the polar opposite of my experience with ECS. They went out of the way to help me run down all the parts for my Turbo bumper conversion (as in I just told them what I wanted to do and the Sales guy worked with their Tech to figure out all the parts). When it turned out that there were additional parts we missed they were right on top of it to get it sorted out. When one of the signal bars turned out to be bad they took care of getting that replaced with no hassle too.

As far as shipping issues, I don't know the specifics in your case but I do know that some stuff they have to order from Porsche which can take awhile. My signal bars, for example, had to come from Porsche and it turned out that there were none in stock in the US so we had to wait for them to come from Germany.

v10rick

$1275 for 40k service seems steep when compared to the $500 for 40K service on my 2004 CS.

POd by the outrageous charge for an oil change they reported misfire error codes, a DIY fix, so I suppose it was okay.

Employed in the service industry (not automotive) for over 40 years I learned a service business cannot survive, expand and retain top notch techs with hourly labor charges. To be successful we were forced to market maintenance contracts and flat rate repair work.

Manufacturer warranty reimbursement was flat rate, did not cover diagnostic work...just enough to cover overhead.

Zingari

If only we couold get away with self-servicing in the UK.

I'm reluctantly putting my Cayenne D into the main dealer later this month for its 40k/4yr service. At £550 its a ridiculous price applying extortionate labour rates for not a lot of work but the Porsche main dealer stamp in the service book speaks volumes. However after this one I'll go the Independent route who can do a better job for half the money and give me a full tax invoice.

Independent is doing all my brake discs/pads beforehand as I know they will 'recommend' new in anticipation of the miles before they next see the car but I aint paying nearly £2k !

BTW - Is Discs (rotors) and pads typcial for 40k miles. I know it depends on driving styles etc. I can get away with just pads on the rear but may as well change all as this is the first set all round from new.

v10rick

Current exchange rate that is $801 USD. Looks like price gouging is not confined to the US.

Of course the dealer will install only genuine Porsche parts so 2k quid seems about right. Your Indy shop should be about half that amount.

Torre

I was quoted around 800€ (just under 900$) for the Major Service at the local Porsche Dealer. I know my brake pads and discs all need to be replaced, so I'm going to do it at a Porsche Indy beforehand, who quoted me for rotors+discs+sensors+labor just under 900€ (Zimmermann rotors and Ferodo Pads). My car is a -08 CTT.

E55AMG

brought my '14 Touareg TDI to the dealer last month to get a price on a 40K service. It was around $800. i asked the SA what kind of amazing things was i going to get done to my car for $800. Similar as OP - oil change, fuel filter, and a very long list of "check this check that". So, basically an $800 oil change.

BlackTurboS

I had the same experience with ECS Tuning. They had an IPD Plenum for my Cayenne listed for sale on their website. After 5 delays in shipping I finally contacted ECS and complained. The customer rep told me "BMW must have stopped making the plenum". I'm pretty sure BMW doesn't make IPD brand plenums for Porsches. I contaced IPD myself and found out they stopped making them. Not sure why ECS couldn't figure that out in 3 weeks. The other items I ordered were listed as in-stock, but took 4 weeks from order to delivery for 2 hydraulic fluid resevoirs and a bottle of pentosin. Never doing business there again.

Torre

A local motoring magazine has for years been doing undercover tests of official dealers vs indy shops, intentionally loosening some bolt here and there, deflating the spare tire etc. to see how thoroughly the regular services are done. The official dealerships performed much better in general, and in most cases did all the checks on the checklist, while most indy shops would essentially just change the oil and the filter and ignore everything else unless specifically told to check something.

The dealer servicing also gives you a better chance at getting goodwill after warranty, keeps the corrosion warranty valid and keeps the possibility for Extended warranty. Also makes the car more attractive for resale when the service history is in the worldwide Porsche database.

Personally, I do scheduled service at the dealer - if something breaks (out of warranty) I take it to an Indy.

(Obviously on a 10+ year old, sub 10k$ Cayenne - does not matter really anymore, but OP has a 2011-> car)

Wisconsin Joe

Not my experience with ECS either. Got what I ordered, delivered on schedule.

But, if you want other options, Suncoast Porsche and Sonnen Porsche are dealers who seem to have reasonable prices and good service (never used them myself, just going by what I read on here).
Also, Roger Tyson at 928s R Us is a well known and respected dealer on the 928 board. He specializes in 928 parts, but can get any P-car part that's available (and a lot more too). I got my coolant pipe kit through him (and a lot of 928 stuff too). Hell of a nice guy (I've met him in person) and very focused on getting the customer what they need. He will even tell you "You shouldn't get that, you don't need it."

alexaqui

The thing that gets me is that the dealers charge the absolute max time per job for every single task that needs to be completed. It's pure and simple ridiculous. I had my dealer to do most of the tasks in the 40k, yet I refused to pay an extra $500 for them to do the "visual inspections". Hmm... they charge me an hour of labor to change the fuel filter and a lot of time for the oil change too. So in those 2+ hours, they cannot conduct a visual inspection? For spending ~$900 on it they refused to reset the computer. Needless to say I am not paying for their brand new $28MM facility.

As for ECS, I have had decent experiences with them. They pack certain items like rubbish, so they can get minor shipping damage. Pricing is reasonable. I prefer sun coast for Porsche parts though.

Torre

Last time I was at the dealer to change my PDCC reservoir, they had to flush the system twice to get all contamination out (the service interval for it was overdue quite substantially thanks to the previous owner), but still charged me just for one flush. It all just depends on the people working there, they are the ones who create the customer experience.

I totally understand why they would refuse to reset the computer, as the service info goes in to a worldwide database. They have guidelines from the manufacturer they need to follow, and can't have a customer returning later trying to hold them accountable for something that should have been noticed in the visual check that has now caused a problem.

FXDawg

It's true, that how they get you, they charge labor for each task as tough it is the only task they will be doing and add in the residuals like, moving the car to the work bay, raising it, if there is a panel to remove to access two things, they'll charge you twice to remove that panel, once for each task. I have friends that are dealer techs and they basically charge out 12-16 hours in an 8 hour work day due to there per repair pricing tactics. so literally the dealer is charging you double the real cost. I know this is an old complaint and been they way dealers work for many years. I guess when you charge these ridiculous prices, you don't need as many customers. I just banked $900 for a future repair at an indy I guess. Anybody know a good indy shop in south east Massachusetts?

I think the biggest issue I have with ECS is their attitude toward a problem. It reminds me of a know-it-all 17 year old that simply cannot handle making and admitting a mistake. "not my fault, it's your fault. Yea it sucks that you have to wait for your whole order because one widget couldn't be obtained, even though the site said 'ships in 5 days' we wrote that in our disclaimers so, you should have known that when it said 'ships in 5 days' that doesn't really mean anything." I don't know, I guess if someone came to me and said hey, I just ordered the 40k service kit from you but it's missing the front wiper but the rear wiper is here I'd say, "Oh man, I'm sorry, I'll get them right out with free shipping, would that be ok?" Not, "oh we don't consider wipers part of the service interval so we didn't send them" but you consider the rear wiper part of the service interval, just not the front... They just annoyed the hell out of me and I'll NEVER EVER use them again! Oh they did offer me "a discount o a future order" but never said how much!

Then when you counter their argument, they simply stop communication.

Joel 67

I'm not saying it's right, and I'm not saying it's wrong. But it is what it is, and this practice is not limited to Porsche but rather every manufacturer and you can thank your warranty for the process. At a dealership, probably 75% of the service work is done under warranty and manufacturers need a way to ensure they are billed a fair and consistent amount for each repair, hence the concept of book time or shop hours. If the manufacturer deems that a water pump R&R is a 4.25 hour job, they'll pay 4.25 hours each and every time. Even if the tech ****s it up and has to re-do it and invests 8 hours in it, or if he is **** hot and it only takes 2.75 hours. A long time ago I was a tech at a Ford dealership and we had a new guy come in and needed to do a transmission on a Crown Vic. It basically took him 3x as long because he was not familiar with Ford products (and a bit of an idiot) and he had to eat the extra time. That's the cost of learning and part of why a good tech can make a lot of extra hours. But if it is slow, he makes nothing. Also, most techs aren't getting paid awesome hourly wages for this reason. A union tradesperson makes a whole lot more hourly and annually. And this is part of the reason I do spin wrenches for a living these days ...

9000RPM

I ordered the stuff for my first oil change from ECS and it went smoothly. I bought the oil change kit and later called in to add a few other items. The guy on the phone was very professional about it.

I think the only time that I will ever go to the dealer is for warranty. I plan on doing the maintenance stuff myself and taking it to an indy for major repairs after warranty expires.