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996 experience - they haven't a scooby doo

GT4

Well-known member
Joined
8 Nov 2008
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30,181
Went along to the free 111 point check last Saturday (7th November).
[the "findings" are listed at the end]

Now alarm bells should have rung when on calling up to book, before we even confirmed a time slot, all they wanted to know was if my car was due a service and if it was under warranty.

Anyway a 9am slot was booked.

Then "wagonface" was kind enough to warm me, via the forum, about the RMS killing roads around Chiswick :wink: .

On arrival there were some nice pastries, however, after an hour and a half (10:30am) waiting for my "while you wait" check, they hadn't even bothered to take my car out of the car park.

Bored with the papers and looking at the unattractive and unsafe cabling in the waiting area (see attached) I asked if I could pop back, after doing some shopping. They said the service shuts at 1:00pm, but someone would be there to hand over cars until 4:00pm.

I asked if someone would call when it was done with a summary of any issues or work that needed doing.

So I set off to West Kensington. Having met up with some friends, I failed to note the time until about 1:10pm. No call had been missed by OPC, so I called them. Only to be rudely told by the receptionist that I "should have phoned 10 minutes ago" and everyone had gone home.

I rushed to collect it within 30 mins. On collection I was given a photocopied, hand-scrawled work sheet.

The member of staff who gave it to me could hardly read it, so I wondered how I would guess what the "report" contained?

THE USELESS REPORT:

996 C2 Coupe (good start, only two driven wheels down)

1 Cigar Lighter Not Working [this was a blown fuse in the fuse box]
2 None Porsche Battery [a nice new Bosch S5 010 85 Ah 880 CCA]
3 None Porsche wiper blades [?]
4 A/C panel faulty [my fault, I had left it in "diagnostics mode" to show the digital coolant temp etc, although simply pressing "AUTO" returns it to normal, all the "random" numbers confused them]
5 After market scavenger pump system [this is a cracker, as it is the Porsche Factory Fit X51 dual chamber oil pump!]
6 Rear lower arm bushes coming away [apparently not]
7 Clutch low and rear main etc minor leak [odd as the clutch is only 4k miles old and not hard, soft, low or high. No drips from my "leaking" RMS!]
8 After market intake system fitted [that would be the subtle red drain-pipe thing!]
9 N/S A/C condensor breaking up [this was spot on - and both were changed today and regassed by OPC Cambridge, but this was noted and booked 6 weeks ago, so no extra points to them]


Amusingly (sort of), I had a receptionist call me on Tuesday as a follow-up to see if I wanted to spend some money. Incredulous at her appallingly non-technical attempts to guess the words on another copy of the report, I said I wasn't getting the "sell" if neither of us knew what she was selling! Needless to say, her offer to "fix" my car was declined.

As mentioned, OPC Cambridge had my car in for annual service and condensors. Requested they check all of these Chiswick findings and only the condensors were relevant.

I was so concerned that the scavenger pump was after market after, that OPC Cambridge took pictures and sent them to Porsche Technical, who confirmed it as the X51 dual chamber pump.

Lucky I didn't take up this Chiswick offer to swap for a standard "Porsche" one (not least as the additional X51 lubrication return pipe would have nowhere to go, and on starting the engine would simply decant the sump's entire contents at 5 bar!)

Just be careful out there, if you have a 911 TT you might just get an advisory to remove the two odd "turbiney" things contaminating the purity of the engine bay!
 

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:eek: :eh!:

Well its fair to say alot of criticisms levelled at the OPCs etc etc, sometimes unfairly and certainly unsubstantiated but yours is truly unbelievably poor, and potential disaster averted.

If one has a good working relationship with one of the tech's at an OPC you will get much better service and advice. If one just hand over the keys one will open oneself up (unjustified still) to the sort of situation GT4 describes.

No different to the potential for an Indy do the same, and certainly a situation I found myself in having had a 'highly decorated' Indy take a can of black spray paint to my car to make a gold screw go black!!! Needless to say I didnt get shirty or even mention it, but they dont get my money anymore and it goes to a specific OPC 140 miles from home but whom I have much more faith in.
 
I shall refrain from saying what I really think here, but it depresses me more than you could ever know reading stuff like this... I was only telling someone today how I have had two fantastic experiences at OPCs in Germany, but won't take my car to a UK one I don't think...

If I had a newer car and a Porsche warranty the annual service would be timed to coincide with a trip to the Fatherland - saved me about £3,000 last time I did that - as they actually tested the suspension, discs and for oil leaks and contradicted EVERYTHING that a certain OPC said I needed to change :thumb:
 
That's pretty much consistent with my experience at West London OPC where I used to take my car for servicing whilst still under warranty (and they even managed to forget to stamp the service manual, the one thing I really needed them to get right!). Ended up complaining about one of the 'service managers' (i.e. the guy that stops you from speaking to the people who are actually doing the work on your car), received an apology and offer of a free car wash but then they assigned me the same service manager the next time I booked the car in.

Best of all was the collection of my car after some work which they had buried at the back of the car park (and they knew I was coming) so I ended up driving off in a brand new C4S...
 
Ditto, I now take mine 45min further away to OPC West Byfleet as my documented history with West London still gets me raging... :x
 
Not surprised by any of what you have said, go to an indie they are mostly skilled older type people who know thier stuff, it certainly puts me off ever buying a new car from them or any of thier dealers, what a shower but I have always said that the treatment given by them in the showrooms is diabolical. My son bought a late used peugeot and the service given to him was exceptional and puts porsche to shame, Mike
 
mike brown said:
Not surprised by any of what you have said, go to an indie they are mostly skilled older type people who know thier stuff, it certainly puts me off ever buying a new car from them or any of thier dealers, what a shower but I have always said that the treatment given by them in the showrooms is diabolical. My son bought a late used peugeot and the service given to him was exceptional and puts porsche to shame, Mike

Yep, use Jaz now and haven't looked back, was only the warranty that kept me tied to them.

What amazed me most was not only the poor customer service on the service side, but that they never tried to sell me anything! I had an older car, approaching the end of its warranty lifetime and no one ever thought to say 'have you considered upgrading to a 997 like this one we've just got in stock' etc. Absolutely no sales nous whatsoever, how they've stayed in business is beyond me, there really must be enough people who walk in with chequebooks at the ready year after year.
 
Jes...never thought it possible for some people to hack-off every OPC in the UK & Ireland and then be forced to do 3k round trip to the fatherland for a sidelight bulb :floor: :chin: :banned:
 
Chris_w said:
mike brown said:
Not surprised by any of what you have said, go to an indie they are mostly skilled older type people who know thier stuff, it certainly puts me off ever buying a new car from them or any of thier dealers, what a shower but I have always said that the treatment given by them in the showrooms is diabolical. My son bought a late used peugeot and the service given to him was exceptional and puts porsche to shame, Mike

I recently bought a 996 with a recent major service at OPC Chiswick, GT1 found a whole lot of jobs that needed doing that they had claimed to have done in the service. These guys are used to a cartel where people pay for the service stamp and they can get away with crap service. It also really gets up my goat when you have to deal with these desk monkeys that 'manage' your service experience, it's just a way to add some layers to justify what they charge. With prices for used cars now dropping hopefully we'll see enouigh of a shift to cheaper Indy garages that the OPCs will realise they need to shape-up and also charge realistically for what they do..... :x
 
I'm off to OPC Nottingham in the morning for my 'no obligation' check and a 'no obligation' test drive of a new 997.

They know this is my first Porsche. What they don't know is that I know a lot more about Porsches than they think I know....
And seeing as the car's not long been to Zentrum for a few things, I'm pretty certain it's ok.

Can't wait for the check list.

'No obligation'?

To feckin right! :grin:
 
Look forward to hearing of your results, thats a great position to be in, I am in a similair position being ex apprentice trained in the seventies and although lots of things have changed ie electronics, steering brakes and engines are still fundamentally the same as they were. My old saying is... You cant sell ice to an Eskimo. Regards Mike
 
Have to say, very good set up down at Nottm OPC.
They couldn't have been more helpful and courteous.

The only thing they found wrong with my car was the top heatshields were a bit loose (brakes and tyres are fine!!!) but said they may as well be done during the next major service (next April) at a cost of about £340 inc. VAT, but can give me some discount off that.

The technician was also very complimentary about the condition of my car(after a 50 minute check over),as was the salesman, which is always nice!.

So, absolutely NO hard sell on either the rectification or after having a nice drive in a 997 C2S.

Overall, 10/10 for Nottm OPC today. :thumbs:

Oh, the salesman was a bit of a tease showing me the new Gen 2 Turbo they have just received!
 
Thats most reassuring nice to hear for a change, these opc,s could have so much more business if they all adopted this kind of attitude. Mike
 
For what its worth my local OPC in Bournemouth are simply awesome. I have only had a friendly and informative relationship (I'm not related to them by the way!). They could easily have 'had me over' several times and have completed work that didn't really need doing but have been totally honest.

Both sales and service are great. Although it may be slightly more to go there hrly rate wise I have complete faith in them. Especially as the technician who works on my car actually did the PDI in '97!!!! (I have 993 S)

I would defo recommend them.....please PM me for the name of the guy I use their if you wish.
 

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