Prepaid maintenance - savings worth it?
 

Looking to lease Panamera 4 e-hybring for 39months and dealer mentioned year 1 is covered by Porsche.

Dealer offered maintenance for additional 2 years (year 2 and 3) for $2600

I drive about 5-7k miles/year and dealer said it does not matter, I still need to bring car in for maintenance at least once a year (regardless of mileage) and prepayment on maintance would save me 25-30%.

is this BS sales talk or no brainer to purchase for savings as Porsche mandates maintenance for leases?

How much people are spending roughly on maintenance in first 3 years of owning/leasing Panameras?

Probably true for dealer prices on maintenance if you drive 10K / year which would put you into the 30K service within your lease.
However at 7K miles per year you should only get up to 20-25K and won't need to pay for the 30K service before turning the car in.
The dealer will most likely end up completing that service and then selling the car as a CPO.
Oil changes at dealer prices are $400 / year so that's $1200. That should be all you have, and you could use an indy for half that price or do yourself for way less cost.

Yep, what he said. I would add that DIY or Independent work should be verifiable with receipts showing the work that was done and kept for your records in case it comes up in later warranty work.

I will likely drive ~5k miles/year as I did in all my previous leases

Per dealer, oil change needs to be done at least once a year so year 1 is included with new cars and year 2 and 3 on me, and this is perfectly fine. He also said year 2 is where "Intermediate Maintenance" needs to be performed and includes -- oil change, replacing spark plugs, replacing air filters, flushing brake fluids, etc. This sounds like pricey service and not sure if this is really needed at ~10k miles but he said its scheduled maintenance at 20k miles or year 2, whichever comes first. Dealer pointed out if its not done, Porsche will need to do at the time of lease turn in (at ~15k miles) and will send me the bill.

I took care good of the cars in past and would do the same with Panamera but it sounds somewhat unnecessary to me of all services (replacing spark plugs, replacing air filters, flushing brake fluids, etc) at such low mileage (~10k miles)

anyone had similar experience in past or thoughts on price/need of Intermediate Maintenance at year 2?

Con job, check the sticky above.

INTERMEDIATE MAINTENANCE:

• Every 30,000 km or 20,000 miles
  • Change engine oil & filter
  • Windscreen wiper/washer system, headlight cleaning system: check operation and nozzle.
  • Tires and spare wheel: check tire pressure
  • Diagnostic system: read out fault memory; reset intermediate maintenance interval
  • Read out out soot mass in particle filter (Diesel version only)
  • Particle filter: replace filter element
  • Check wiper blades
  • All headlights: check adjustment
  • Battery vent hose: check condition
  • Replace fuel filter (Diesel version only)
  • Tires and spare wheel: check condition
  • Brake lines: visual inspection for damage, routing and corrosion
  • Brake hoses: visual inspection for damage and routing
  • Brake system: visual inspection of brake pads, brake discs for wear (not removing wheels)
  • Drive shafts: visual inspection of the boots for leaks and damage
  • Radiators and air intakes: visual inspection for external contamination and blockage
  • Coolant: check level and antifreeze
  • Windscreen wiper/washer system: check fluid level; check window cleaner and antifreeze, depending on the season
  • PDCC and power steering: check fluid level
  • Test Drive & check function: Remote control, front seats, electric parking and foot brakes (also actuation travel), engine, steering, transmission, ParkAssist, cruise control, PSM switch, heating, air conditioning and instruments
  • Any other oils, fluids: visual inspection for leaks.

yes - they are making up stories to sell you something. 30K is the interval, but there is also a time limit. I want to say it's 4 years tho. On my car the 30K service was done at 5 years and 24K miles as part of the dealer getting it ready for sale as a CPO car. That's when I bought it.

Generally all pre paid maintenance gets you is a lock on current rates and the ability to finance it.

If the dealer-set expectation is that you'll need more than $2,600 of regular maintenance in two years and 10-12k miles of owning a new car (Year One is covered, so this is just for years two and three) I'd find another car.

You should do brake fluid every other year. As for air filters (cabin, engine) I buy them myself from Pelican and replace annually, cost less than $20 for most of my cars, maybe a little more for a P car, and takes just 10-15 mins max. Why you'd need new spark plugs that soon is a mystery unless the car is known to foul its plugs or have other known engine issues Porsche is trying to get around with hyper frequent plug replacements.

In short, they are trying to steal your money with this kind of "maintenance" routine. Up to you if you want to give it to them or find another car. The price you pay...

Why Porsche calls for plugs at 30K is a mystery to me also. Must be a throw-back to the old 911 days or something. Most other premium brands with similar engines are calling for 60K / 75K or 100K plug changes.

Porsche does not specify iridium spark plugs as original equipment. Iridium spark plugs will last 100K miles. I recently changed iridium spark plugs on a Hyundai V8 motor at 98K miles, and could not see any visual wear. Bosch does not offer iridium plugs for Panamera. Champion, a good ole USA brand, does. Check prices at Rock Auto.