Servicing Query

[mr.tourette23]

Would you have your car serviced in an Indi that doesn't particularly specialse in Porsche?

My 981 will want the full hit next year, Major Service, Pdk service, belt.  Over the past 10 years my cars have been to a really good German car Indi, they mostly have in BMW, Merc, Audi but they will happily work on any car you take into them, and have seen the odd Porker in there on their social media, I was happy enough taking my Cayman in for a minor  last year.. they're busy, very well regarded and I have trusted them with my daily drivers and weekend toys and always been happy with the service. 

I cant help but feel the 981 boxster might need a Porsche Indi due to the tricky access points and unique foibles present when working on these car. getting  the pdk service corect for example might require some Porsche relevant experience or even equipment?  Access to plugs, belt is not exactly what you would normally expect. 

There are a couple of fairly well reviewed Porsche Indi within around 30 miles but it means taking a day off and spending a full day in a random town trying to keep myself entertained whilst killing time.. whereas using my local  "german car specialist"  is a very easy option that wouldn't put me out at all. 

Thoughts? 

 

[BrianJ]

It’s a good question and something that has kept me mainly with OPCs or an experienced indie (of which there are none within convenient range). Whilst the mechanicals themselves have their Porsche quirks they are mainly pretty straightforward. The tricky bit on a 981 Boxster IMHO is knowing exactly how to access the oily bits without damaging interior trim, the hood, etc because there are some quite small clearances and it isn’t the same as a 987 or 986. I suspect before committing I would want to visit and satisfy myself that the guys doing the work had experience of doing 981 Boxster before, and could maybe put you in touch with a satisfied customer. No harm in asking.

[Greenman]

If you don’t have Porsche warranty, and you don’t have (or intend to maintain) full Porsche service history and it’s a garage you trust then I would use them, however as Brian mentioned I’d probably want a chat to them first to satisfy myself that it’s something they have done before.  Most German manufacturers have had DCT gearboxes in their cars for the past 10 years so I don’t think that angle will be an issue, but I do think they need PIWIS (or equivalent) to open the correct valves to allow the oil to fully drain.

[iborguk]

No I wouldn’t.

Experienced Indy with PIWIS access would be my requirement.

[Paul P]

get the regular bits done at the garage you trust - get the "special bits" done somewhere else ( maybe even OPC) - belt is easy, plugs, oil filter, no issue - anything that maybe needs software - PDK fluid(s) change - find someone who knows the brand. 

 

Otherwise - it's jsut nuts and bolts and its WAY better to have trusted hands on the tools than a "brand" over the door

 

[daz05]

6 hours ago, iborguk said:

No I wouldn’t.

Experienced Indy with PIWIS access would be my requirement.

This... mostly because of the access constraints and things that can go wrong if they try to take shortcuts.

If it's a simple oil change or repair task then you should be ok, I often do simple work on my own car like brakes etc and follow the repair manual for torque values and one time use bolts etc, it's generally a nice car to work on since it's been babied and lives in a garage during winter.

[mr.tourette23]

Thanks for the opinions chaps,  I did think an Indi was the way to go but it's going to be a bit of a ballache, I used to do a fair bit of home servicing myself when I was younger but I just can't be arsed doing that stuff on the drive anymore at my age😂 and I'd like to keep the car up to date with stamps as buyers will want to see that at this price point.. Cheers 🍺