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Service performed by independent repair shop.

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oil change
11K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  wwahl 
#1 ·
Service performed by independent repair shop. Porsche USA told me that if I do not have repair work done at an authorized Porsche service center/dealership my warranty would be void if something were to go wrong. I just purchased a 2016 Macan S with just over 4000 miles and since it is one-year-old I'm being notified that it's time to change the oil. I'd like to have this done by a trusted independent shop in the area. They would use the required oil and Porsche original equipment parts to do the job. Can anyone verify if using independent repair shops will void or has avoided a warranty?
 
#2 ·
#4 ·
I am absolutely shocked that PCNA would be saying this given that it was not long ago that BMW faced a heavy fine and class-action lawsuit by a group of owners for telling Mini owners something similar.

On the other hand, I would be very interested to know exactly what PCNA said. If their point was that if you have the car serviced by someone else and they damage the car by doing something incorrectly, they would not be wrong.
 
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#6 ·
Speaking of which; can anyone recommend a good indie shop in SoCal?
 
#7 ·
To be clear -- "..authorized Porsche service center/dealership.." is just that and NOT necessarily just a Porsche dealership. I know that there are lots of reasons that you might not ever want to go to the dealership -- but the comparative here is to go to an oncologist for your heart surgery.

Not every "shop" has the skill and/or tools to service your car -- would you want any less? Do you want a guy who just fixes any brand of car or someone who has at least gotten the training and has the access to the tools and supplies to do the job correctly?

Lots of good independents out there -- "authorized" at least allows you some confidence in their abilities.

And someone asked about independents in "Southern California" - ya want one in Northridge or Apple Valley? I can make some recommendations as I know a few --
 
#8 ·
I have owned a 996 for a while and I've never heard of an authorized Porsche service center other than a dealership. How would I find one, and who are they "authorized" by? Are they authorized by Porsche to do warranty repairs? That would be great because some of us are a long distance away from the closest dealer.

For me, where I would take my 996 or Macan for service depends on exactly what work is being done. Just about any competent garage ( i'm not talking about Jiffy Lube) is going to be fully capable of doing an oil change, and in my area it's almost certainly going to cost significantly less then taking it to a dealer for the same work. Some Porsche dealers would like to convince you that there's something magical about doing an oil change, but the reality is that it's pretty much the same as doing an oil change on a Ford Taurus. You might want to make sure that the garage has the proper tool to reset the service indicator, although some owners don't care about it.

Ask for spark plugs, there's nothing terribly unusual about a spark plug change on a Macan. However, on a 911 it's a whole different ballgame, and you're probably going to want someone who has plenty of experience working on 911's given the disassembly that's needed. But even with that, it's still not a highly technical job, just a lot of work for a meer plug change. I've done it myself.

And then there's going to be other more technical repairs where you definitely need a dealer or a Porsche specialist, often because specialized tools and or equipment are needed.
 
#10 ·
In the Los Angeles area -- Greg Hwang of House Automotive or Jack Diramarian at Scientific Automotive.

In the Orange County area -- James Buck at Cape Auto Repair or try Hergesheimer Motorsports.

In San Diego area -- try Jae Lee at Mirage International or John, Mark or Steve at Black Forest.

Each of these has the tools, expertise and training -- I know them all and hesitate not one second to recommend them highly. Use my name as a reference -- nothing in it for me but gives you a little intro....

All can be found on Google.
 
#12 ·
Awesome, thanks! Should I use your forum name if I drop an intro?
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the input everyone. First post, a little clumsy but, you all confirmed what I hoped was true, I can tak the vehicle some place other than the dealership for repairs and not have it adversely affect the warranty. Will use this alternative for basic services and the dealership for warranty needs. Thanks for the help. Look forward to tapping in to more Forum knowledge as needed.
 
#14 ·
Porsche is just doing their best to empty your wallet a little bit more.

The owners service manual specifies any synthetic that meets the specific Porsche requirement, the oil manufacturer clearly states compatibility on the containers specifications and compatibility list.

Mobi1 1 is $26 for a single 5 qt container at Walmart, you need 8.3 to 8.4 qts to change the oil in your Macan.

The filter is MANN and they cost $14 on Amazon.

So even if you supply your own oil and filter and take it to a reputable indy to have them perform the oil service its less than 1 hour and quite easy to do.

I just serviced my GTS in my own shop on my own lift and it was one of the easiest oil changes I ever did besides my Denali.

Don't be intimidated by the SA who just wants to take you for $600 when it should cost $150
 
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#13 ·
Oh another Q, do these shops have the ability to do software updates (and are there any recent ones for Macan)?

Thanks again for those recommendations @MacWhte
 
#17 ·
Oil change is so easy and you cannot mess it up unless you go to Jiffy Lube. I used to do oil changes on all my cars myself but I am getting old and lazy.

My Porsche dealer has oil change coupons for ~$150 so it is no point to do it myself now.
 
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#18 ·
The dealer closest to me charges $545. Even if they sent me sent me a $150 coupon, I think I would still do it myself to avoid the hassle of making an appointment and driving there and waiting and then driving back. I try to schedule my oil changes so that I can let the pan drain overnight. I've long thought that it gets more crap out.
 
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#19 ·
I only used the dealership for my first service and never again. I have always taken my vehicles to the dealership for servicing but the Macan was one and done! They are taking advantage of being the only one within 2 hours and have lost my business except for warranty work. I found a good indi shop that can do the same services and most repairs. I use to do most of my own basic stuff but these days it just hurts to get out of a chair so those days are behind me. My last service was for oil change/inspection/brake flush at 2 years which cost me $227. Now those prices I can live with but it would have been over $1,000 at the dealership.
 
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#20 ·
So your dealer would have been more than 400% more! I understand that a dealer has to make a huge investment in equipment, but I'm sorry, that's just plain greed, and it really irks me to see unsuspecting people get taken advantage of. So I guess the free loaner car was not worth $700 to you? :)
 
#21 ·
dops -- use my actual name Michael Dolphin
 
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#23 ·
Hello fellow Macan-ers. I am coming up on my 2 yr service appointment, and I'm curious how important it is to have this done at a Porsche dealer vs a good non-dealer service center. I'm not having any issues with the car, just need the oil changed and all the basics checked, as is on the schedule for the 2 yr maintenance service.
I don't live very close to a dealership, and taking 4 hours to drive to/from and wait for service isn't something I'm looking forward to. If the general consensus is that it is extremely important, I will do it. Just wanted to see what everyone else thinks.
 
#24 ·
Hello fellow Macan-ers. I am coming up on my 2 yr service appointment, and I'm curious how important it is to have this done at a Porsche dealer vs a good non-dealer service center. I'm not having any issues with the car, just need the oil changed and all the basics checked, as is on the schedule for the 2 yr maintenance service.
I don't live very close to a dealership, and taking 4 hours to drive to/from and wait for service isn't something I'm looking forward to. If the general consensus is that it is extremely important, I will do it. Just wanted to see what everyone else thinks.
Four hours ? I would explain that to them . They might offer a flat bed to take the car up and back . Otherwise I'd request. full checklist and document it at a reputable shop locally.
 
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