OPC extending warranty terms - means rethink??

I think that's right and so it should be. I talked about that sort of thing to my OPC, they pointed out the car won't pass the 111 point check that you need to obtain or renew the warranty if there are mods and/or non-Porsche parts. My car was in having work done under warranty at the time but they did point out the grills on the air intakes and the tracker unit they'd seen that would need to be removed. I now have a Bosch battery and the Carnewall PSE override gadget plugged in. I would have needed to have swapped my tired old Porsche battery back in and remove the PSE override for the 111. Depends what the mod and/or parts are to judge how much of a pain it is I guess.

Yes exactly, they didn't see the dension which my car has so passed it. Basically, If the car goes in for the 111 point check and is stock it's fine. Basically they said remove the mods (I am about to change the PCM2.1 for a pioneer model) and as long as I switch the PCM2.1 back in for the check, all is fine.

resigner said:

as long as I switch the PCM2.1 back in for the check, all is fine.

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How much work is involved to do that?

Mines 11 years old

Done 33,500 with one previous owner


When I bought it last Feb I just wanted it right
Full OPC service history

Since then

New discs and pads
New Bridgestones
New front shocks
Plus bits like LTT fitted and mesh at front on intakes
Air con / new coolent pipes and tubes due to age (none had failed)

Had the bore score probe = healthy - scuffs from initial engine start up when it was born.

The pse switch has a mind of its own !!!!

So to me rather than an OPC I shall continue to use Revolution Brighouse.

May be a keeper this one - Yep

resigner said:

wow i was expecting it to be much cheaper than that. Doesn't make sense to me, get a small bank loan and get the OPC one. Quick online check gives me £2200 ove a year at £210 a month, £2500 total, WD one hinges on how their claims are. Anyone actually claimed?

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Completely agree it should be cheaper as it doesn't carry the Porsche brand for a start, but not sure how much cheaper you think it should be, it's an Insurance product, same as the OPC warranty, the "ExtraCare" policy I've got with all possible options added plus no excess, no betterment and £200/hr labour rate provides at least the same level of cover as my OPC Warranty for 25% lower cost. Plus the WD wear and tear cover is a nice bonus.

They're a proper company based in Reading UK, they're regulated, they have very clear policies and both my Indie and OPC told me that providing a claim is covered by their policy, WD are absolutely fine in their experience, just don't expect them to stretch beyond the letter of the policy. An independent engineer who does work for WD told me he is not sent out to find ways to avoid paying claims and he told me he advised his partner to have her Boxster covered by WD. They have 4 car policies that vary based on age at entry, it pays to study them before buying and believe me I did.

However, there's no arguing that the Porsche warranty is more Porsche owner friendly and they take a discretionary stance when you turn up with a broken car. Rather than their policy showing exactly what parts are and are not covered, they cover any "defects" but not "fair wear" taking into account the age, mileage and condition of the car. For example, my car developed an issue with one of its PSE bafflers, Porsche warranty covered it as they saw that as a defect that shouldn't have happened on a 5 year old car, even though the Porsche policy includes exhausts on their list of things "not usually" covered. The WD policy does not cover the exhaust system (which is usual practice) and they wouldn't have covered it. On the other hand, Porsche warranty would not cover the shock absorbers or wheel bearings on my car (I asked OPC) but my WD ExtraCare policy (cars up to 6 years at entry) does cover these things.

In dealing with WD I leveraged being a Porsche warranty customer and gave them the opportunity to provide cover at least as comprehensive but at a price that made it worth going with them rather staying with Porsche. This is the key IMO, WD have a general market product, it takes a little work to make it acceptable to a Porsche owner.

I have no problem whatsoever with the Porsche Warranty and for the sheer convenience of dealing with an OPC who handles everything for you and he added value of the Porsche brand, I very nearly signed up. I was in contact with with WD for a couple of weeks (I have every question I asked and answer given on email, every phone conversation they record) and found them professional and flexible. I also did due diligence to a level I was happy with so I gave them my business on this occasion. If I do need to use it I'll be happy to report back.

MJA911 said:

resigner said:

wow i was expecting it to be much cheaper than that. Doesn't make sense to me, get a small bank loan and get the OPC one. Quick online check gives me £2200 ove a year at £210 a month, £2500 total, WD one hinges on how their claims are. Anyone actually claimed?

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Completely agree it should be cheaper as it doesn't carry the Porsche brand for a start, but not sure how much cheaper you think it should be, it's an Insurance product, same as the OPC warranty, the "ExtraCare" policy I've got with all possible options added plus no excess, no betterment and £200/hr labour rate provides at least the same level of cover as my OPC Warranty for 25% lower cost. Plus the WD wear and tear cover is a nice bonus.

They're a proper company based in Reading UK, they're regulated, they have very clear policies and both my Indie and OPC told me that providing a claim is covered by their policy, WD are absolutely fine in their experience, just don't expect them to stretch beyond the letter of the policy. An independent engineer who does work for WD told me he is not sent out to find ways to avoid paying claims and he told me he advised his partner to have her Boxster covered by WD. They have 4 car policies that vary based on age at entry, it pays to study them before buying and believe me I did.

However, there's no arguing that the Porsche warranty is more Porsche owner friendly and they take a discretionary stance when you turn up with a broken car. Rather than their policy showing exactly what parts are and are not covered, they cover any "defects" but not "fair wear" taking into account the age, mileage and condition of the car. For example, my car developed an issue with one of its PSE bafflers, Porsche warranty covered it as they saw that as a defect that shouldn't have happened on a 5 year old car, even though the Porsche policy includes exhausts on their list of things "not usually" covered. The WD policy does not cover the exhaust system (which is usual practice) and they wouldn't have covered it. On the other hand, Porsche warranty would not cover the shock absorbers or wheel bearings on my car (I asked OPC) but my WD ExtraCare policy (cars up to 6 years at entry) does cover these things.

In dealing with WD I leveraged being a Porsche warranty customer and gave them the opportunity to provide cover at least as comprehensive but at a price that made it worth going with them rather staying with Porsche. This is the key IMO, WD have a general market product, it takes a little work to make it acceptable to a Porsche owner.

I have no problem whatsoever with the Porsche Warranty and for the sheer convenience of dealing with an OPC who handles everything for you and he added value of the Porsche brand, I very nearly signed up. I was in contact with with WD for a couple of weeks (I have every question I asked and answer given on email, every phone conversation they record) and found them professional and flexible. I also did due diligence to a level I was happy with so I gave them my business on this occasion. If I do need to use it I'll be happy to report back.

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Very thorough. You approached this right. :thumbs:

I said I'd report back if I needed to claim with Warranty Direct. It was painless, WD were courteous, efficient and I received full payment, which has more than covered the cost of the 2 year premium.

There was a fluid leak from the front end, so called their claims team to report it and say the car was going in to OPC. They gave me a claim reference and asked that the OPC confirmed the diagnonis to them and obtain approval to repair it under their policy.

This took a day, which is longer than it should because I had agreed (amongst other things, see below) that only genuine Porsche parts were to be used on my car, whereas their default position is they have the right to provide 3rd party/reconditioned parts. OPC alerted me to this and I stepped in to show WD the email trail, after which it was approved. Lesson was I should have shared the email trail when I started the claim.

OPC fitted new steering rack, I paid them, they delivered car. As per WD process, I emailed them with scans of my last MOT, last service invoice and the repair invoice. They acknowledged and 5 days later cheque arrived.

Having had a Porsche Warranty previously, WD is not as convenient as the OPC handles the claim, or prestigious given it's not carrying the Porsche brand. Also, it's a general market product so in it's default form it's not catering to the Porsche owner.

Also, they have 4 policies depending on age/mileage and items covered reduce as cars get older so now that Porsche have extended their warranty to cover older cars (I think 14 years) that's compelling. Also, a maintenance scheme like Hartech is compelling, just as saving into a repair fund or just going with the flow are options too of course.

WD policies are very clear about what's covered and what isn't, what's expected of the policy holder and how to correctly claim. This is an area to be on top of as they operate to the letter of the policy you've bought.

WD could be an alternative to Porsche if you have mods or parts that will fail the 111 inspection or if you worry that come claim time, a mod or non OE part casts doubt over whether Porsche will cover you, or, if you simply prefer to have your car looked after outside the OPC network.

I had a policy with WD on my 997.1 couple of years back (didn't need to claim), at the time they were the only company I found that had suitable cover (claims value, labour rates etc.) that would cover "known issues" on M96/M97 engines. Warranty Wise said they would not.

The sales side of Warranty Direct will negotiatiate on cover as well as price. Best to negotiate via email, the policy handbook you receive will have the core details you agreed, but in my case I needed the email trail to show we had agreed on genuine Porsche parts as mentioned.

Their sales people will obviously vary, but the 2-3 of them I've dealt with were fine. Suggestions for what is agreed on top of the standard product they will offer:-

- franchised labour rate (gives you the flexibility of taking the car to OPC)
- genuine, new Porsche parts (otherwise they may supply non-genuine)
- betterment removal (so that contribution to cost of parts doesn't come up)
- no excess (their default is £50 per claim)
- add in car/sat nav and emissions/airbag cover (would be rude not to)
- aim for a premium 20-25% lower than Porsche (with franchised labour rate)
- pay over 4 x interest free instalments

Another fab post well done you.

Excellent result, thanks for sharing.

Thanks MJA911, glad it has worked out well for you.

Were you provided a courtesy car while yours was being repaired and did you have to have a pre-inspection, similar to the OPC 111 point check, before taking out the policy?

Hi Nigel, WD don't provide a courtesy car, but given the repair was being done by OPC, they do as usual. Makes no odds to them that the repair is being covered by WD other than WD require them to send in the details and cost before the work starts for approval. Yes, WD requires an inspection, it's not as thorough as a Porsche 111, costs £70. They also need to see full service history and MOT.

Another claim with Warranty Direct. Despite geos by indie and OPC I wasn't happy so went to center gravity. Their road test and detailed suspension examination revealed a leaking rear damper, delaminated bushes in both rear coffin arms, a shot front inner rod end and the geo was out.

CG talked the claims engineer through their findings and the cost of Porsche dampers, coffin arms, inner rod end, labour and geo. I can imagine many warranties would class these issues as wear and tear and not cover them, but WD approved (except the rear damper that wasn't leaking, which I chose to replace anyway) and reimbursed me soon after I sent the invoice in.

My 2 pennys ..

T8 .. keep your warrenty , i dont think ive ever known anyone to have as much done as you have .. excellent service from your OPC .

I wouldn,t own a Porsche Without a Porsche warrenty ( too poor but if i did lol ) .

The only downside is when they switched to wear and tear so that now the older a part is the more likley it wont be covered ..

Anything on exhausts for example .. or a/c condensors that used to be covered now have to be removed and inspected for any damage so they can be rejected .

Over all though .. i would pay for it .

OPC experience over Indy ...

Theres good and bad for both so its kinda a mute question .. i switched but left behind some very experienced collegues and friends .

My Indy also has some very experienced mechanics .. so in our area both are good .

Reguards prices ..

Ive watched a lot of cars go up in value .. i feel the reason is the economy .. i think once interest rates start riseing the price of cars is going to drop .. its artificially high imho .

MJA911 said:

Another claim with Warranty Direct. Despite geos by indie and OPC I wasn't happy so went to center gravity. Their road test and detailed suspension examination revealed a leaking rear damper, delaminated bushes in both rear coffin arms, a shot front inner rod end and the geo was out.

CG talked the claims engineer through their findings and the cost of Porsche dampers, coffin arms, inner rod end, labour and geo. I can imagine many warranties would class these issues as wear and tear and not cover them, but WD approved (except the rear damper that wasn't leaking, which I chose to replace anyway) and reimbursed me soon after I sent the invoice in.

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Impressive.

Very interesting to hear. I have an OPC warranty which runs out in July. Having changed the PCM2.1 to a pioneer unit, in theory I won't be ale to extend the warranty! So, interested to hear people experiences over the next 6 months or so with WD please.

cheers