Help: Am I Being Ripped Off By The Dealer?

[Guest]

Boxster S 3.2, 2001, 37K miles

Some guidance and previous experience would be welcome.

I just paid £600 for a minor service at Porsche East London. As part of their "Visual Health Checks" they have identified approx £5,000 worth work to be done ranging from cosmetic to major. Highlights are:

• slight oil leak from rear of engine (£1230)

• ignition coil cracks (£360)
• slight clicking from front suspension top mounts (£660)
• front brake pad and discs worn (£780)
• rear discs corroded and worn as well as pads (£690)
• catalytic heat shields loose and corroded (£136)
• and so on

The point being - this is all clearly expensive so I would like some feedback on my options.

• what work can I do myself (novice so would need a step by step guide)?
• 2nd opinion from a non-porsche dealer (makes logical sense - but strategy would be helpful)
• go the whole hog and fork out for the major/critical works (porsche have promised a 10% discount - which is pretty poor considering)
• sell the car and buy something cheaper to run (depressing thought but has crossed my mind nevetheless)

Many thanks in advance

S

[wvicary]

If you're not suffering from a check engine light or running problem then I wouldn't worry about the ignition coils until they give a problem unless you have deep pockets. The dealer are unknown for high repair estimates and jumping the gun on repairs. I would recommend getting a second opinion from a independent garage and consider letting them do the repairs.

[fltrplntman]

Boxster S 3.2, 2001, 37K miles

Some guidance and previous experience would be welcome.

I just paid £600 for a minor service at Porsche East London. As part of their "Visual Health Checks" they have identified approx £5,000 worth work to be done ranging from cosmetic to major. Highlights are:

• slight oil leak from rear of engine (£1230)

• ignition coil cracks (£360)
• slight clicking from front suspension top mounts (£660)
• front brake pad and discs worn (£780)
• rear discs corroded and worn as well as pads (£690)
• catalytic heat shields loose and corroded (£136)
• and so on

The point being - this is all clearly expensive so I would like some feedback on my options.

• what work can I do myself (novice so would need a step by step guide)?
• 2nd opinion from a non-porsche dealer (makes logical sense - but strategy would be helpful)
• go the whole hog and fork out for the major/critical works (porsche have promised a 10% discount - which is pretty poor considering)
• sell the car and buy something cheaper to run (depressing thought but has crossed my mind nevetheless)

Many thanks in advance

S

The only thing you mentioned that concerns me is the leak at the rear of the engine. Might be the Intermediate shaft bearing leaking.

[seafeye]

Boxster S 3.2, 2001, 37K miles

Some guidance and previous experience would be welcome.

I just paid £600 for a minor service at Porsche East London. As part of their "Visual Health Checks" they have identified approx £5,000 worth work to be done ranging from cosmetic to major. Highlights are:

• slight oil leak from rear of engine (£1230)

• ignition coil cracks (£360)
• slight clicking from front suspension top mounts (£660)
• front brake pad and discs worn (£780)
• rear discs corroded and worn as well as pads (£690)
• catalytic heat shields loose and corroded (£136)
• and so on

The point being - this is all clearly expensive so I would like some feedback on my options.

• what work can I do myself (novice so would need a step by step guide)?
• 2nd opinion from a non-porsche dealer (makes logical sense - but strategy would be helpful)
• go the whole hog and fork out for the major/critical works (porsche have promised a 10% discount - which is pretty poor considering)
• sell the car and buy something cheaper to run (depressing thought but has crossed my mind nevetheless)

Many thanks in advance

S

• slight oil leak from rear of engine (£1230)....Clean off engine...watch for exactly where leak is coming from. Could be spark plug tubes. Cheap. Or RMS expensive

• ignition coil cracks (£360) .....Go to sponsor of this site...buy one for $50 or buy a set for $250. You can easily install them yourself. Buy a good jack and jack stands. $150
• slight clicking from front suspension top mounts (£660) ......Could be ball joints....I would put my money there. Hold out replacing unless it's killing you.
• front brake pad and discs worn (£780) ............sponsor of this site....again.....buy a replacement set for $450....do it yourself with the jack and stands. Easy to do.
• rear discs corroded and worn as well as pads (£690) .....$450 above will do rears as well.
• catalytic heat shields loose and corroded (£136)..........JB weld? Mechanics are so used to replacing parts rather than fixing them. Try fix first. Could just need a nut and bolt.
• porscheatcost@sunsetimports.com

[claudior]

Boxster S 3.2, 2001, 37K miles

Some guidance and previous experience would be welcome.

I just paid £600 for a minor service at Porsche East London. As part of their "Visual Health Checks" they have identified approx £5,000 worth work to be done ranging from cosmetic to major. Highlights are:

• slight oil leak from rear of engine (£1230)

• ignition coil cracks (£360)
• slight clicking from front suspension top mounts (£660)
• front brake pad and discs worn (£780)
• rear discs corroded and worn as well as pads (£690)
• catalytic heat shields loose and corroded (£136)
• and so on

The point being - this is all clearly expensive so I would like some feedback on my options.

• what work can I do myself (novice so would need a step by step guide)?
• 2nd opinion from a non-porsche dealer (makes logical sense - but strategy would be helpful)
• go the whole hog and fork out for the major/critical works (porsche have promised a 10% discount - which is pretty poor considering)
• sell the car and buy something cheaper to run (depressing thought but has crossed my mind nevetheless)

Many thanks in advance

S

• slight oil leak from rear of engine (£1230): Almost certain is the RMS. My car is exactly the same as yours, 2001 S with 37k miles. This is expensive to fix but NOT that expensive. My mechanic (a guy that worked for Porsche many years and decided to open his own shop) charges around US$ 570 in labor to replace the RMS and the clutch at the same time (as you need to get to the exact same spot to work on either one - so if you want to save money, do both at the same time). If it is indeed the RMS and it is leaking just a little you can get by and wait for when you need a clutch. Or just get the clutch (a new kit costs around US$ 400) and do both now at the same time (what could be a good idea as if you wait too much for the clutch you may need a flywheel too).

• ignition coil cracks (£360)
• slight clicking from front suspension top mounts (£660)
• front brake pad and discs worn (£780) : I just purchased everything to do this. Brand new rotors (front/rear), pads (front/rear) and sensors. US$ 540 for everything. Note I could have bought cheaper (but still very decent) pads but they were out of stock. If you add up what you have from your quote (£780 +£690 = £1470), this is WAY too much. An independent mechanic will easily do this in less than two hours. My guy charges US$ 145 for this work.
• rear discs corroded and worn as well as pads (£690)
• catalytic heat shields loose and corroded (£136)

I am sure the other major one, the suspension top mounts can be done MUCH cheaper as well. I would definitely look for a trusted mechanic with Porsche experience (other members in the UK can point you to one for sure) and if parts are too expensive in the UK, try getting them shipped from the US from a place like Pelican Parts.

I am sure you can get all this done for 1/3 of what you were quoted, parts included.

CR

[phillipj]

Agree with all other posters. That is a rediculous estimate. Also the leak from the rear of the engine could be just a leaky cam cover. Not that big of a deal. Stay away from dealers...They prey on ignorance..

[Guest]

Agree with all other posters. That is a rediculous estimate. Also the leak from the rear of the engine could be just a leaky cam cover. Not that big of a deal. Stay away from dealers...They prey on ignorance..

Thanks for all the feedback - found a local Porsche garage who charge half the labour costs. They will investigate and assess the work to be done before I commit.

[Wayne R. Dempsey]

Almost all of those procedures, I just covered in our technical library. You can do the work yourself at 1/10th the cost. Check them out here, and let me know if you have any questions on the articles: http://www.pelicanparts.com/boxster/boxster_tech.htm

-Wayne