$1600 for a PPI? - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

amagalla · 11-15-2014, 07:10 AM

I was looking to get a PPI in Torrance, Ca and was quoted $1600. Granted, they were checking for a lot of things, but this dollar amount seems excessive. What do you all think?

Tony

recycledsixtie · 11-15-2014, 07:28 AM

That is the most ridiculous amount for a PPI I have ever heard of. Should be in the vicinity of $100-200. However leakdown tests etc if asked for would incur more. I would look somewhere else cheaper.
Cheers, Guy

rfuerst911sc · 11-15-2014, 07:31 AM

Did you ask for a leakdown or a shakedown ??? This must be a joke right ?

cas951 · 11-15-2014, 07:36 AM

I'm curious to know what they do differently than other shops to charge that much. For that price you can have IMS and RMS replaced and have the car inspected.
A few months ago I helped a forum member from Fl. I got to test drive a 06 997 and took it to Dons Autowerks for a PPI. I was impressed with what they inspected. They started out by hooking up diagnostic tool and scanned the system to include over rev and cam deviations and fault codes etc. Once this was done they took the car for a test drive and on to a lift. They had a check list that they went by. They also looked for paint over sprays or any type of body work. The whole process took almost two hours. I was impressed.

san rensho · 11-15-2014, 12:06 PM

Does the $1600 price include a reach-around and happy ending??

NewArt · 11-15-2014, 01:07 PM

+1 for Dons Autowerks. I had a 2001 S inspected ther last year. I didn't buy the car. Best $200 I could have spent! ��

BYprodriver · 11-15-2014, 01:15 PM

Maybe for a Turbo or aircooled 911 if it included some disassembly & testing.

jmatta · 11-15-2014, 01:40 PM

Bend over and don't even get a kiss...

Chuck W. · 11-15-2014, 03:35 PM

I am going to guess this is Callas Rennsport. They are on the pricey side but you cannot (IMHO) get better service. Tony knows Porsches and his reputation is stellar.

Callas Rennsport | Porsche BMW MINI Service, Repair and Maintenance

amagalla · 11-15-2014, 07:10 PM

It was Callas, and I have no doubt that they know their stuff. With that said, $1600 for a PPI on an 03 Boxster S? That's roughly 1 tenth the cost of the car. That's more than the taxes on the car. I understand that there are some things on the car that can cause catastrophic failure, but this still seems REALLY high.

cas951 · 11-15-2014, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck W.

I am going to guess this is Callas Rennsport. They are on the pricey side but you cannot (IMHO) get better service. Tony knows Porsches and his reputation is stellar.

Callas Rennsport | Porsche BMW MINI Service, Repair and Maintenance

+1 on Callas. I'm sure he is pricey but his reputation is second to none. I attended one of his Tech sessions and he mentioned that he actually trains Dealer Technicians.

For a PPI I don't think you need someone of his caliber.

Giller · 11-15-2014, 07:35 PM

Guy might be good, but seriously...what does he charge per hour to cost $1600? A PPI is almost 100% labour.

thstone · 11-15-2014, 08:02 PM

$1600? WTF?

That is a shop that doesn't want your business and a $1,600 PPI is their way of saying so.

Nine8Six · 11-15-2014, 10:34 PM

I bet Amagalla will drop by soon again and say something like Oh sorry guys it was 160.00... read it wrong on the quoting paper lol

Eric G · 11-16-2014, 05:45 AM

If you got the cheddar to spend go for it as you have found a good source to give you an overview. If you don't go somewhere else.

Slate 01 · 11-16-2014, 01:18 PM

I believe the $1600 includes 4 reach-arounds

nicecar · 11-16-2014, 06:15 PM

its a car not the space shuttle

Jake Raby · 11-16-2014, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cas951

+1 on Callas. I'm sure he is pricey but his reputation is second to none. I attended one of his Tech sessions and he mentioned that he actually trains Dealer Technicians.

For a PPI I don't think you need someone of his caliber.

Tony Callas and I work together instructing classes, and yes, in most every class there are dealer techs.. Sometimes with an alias, sometimes not.

The list of what Callas inspects for is mind blowing, the car is invasively inspected and it takes at least two days.

It could be worse, my version of a PPI is 1,950.00 but is mostly engine specific, though I also pull most of the car apart looking for damage and cover- ups as well. I do these personally, and they often take me a week.

To properly carry out an invasive PPI takes a lot of time. You won't buy anything really worth a damn for 400.00. Just ask the guy that had his 996 inspected at a mid west Porsche dealer and then had the engine fail 300 miles from home while he was driving the car back. The car never even made it home, it was shipped from where it dropped directly to me, where he then expended another 20K for my reconstructed engine.

He told me that my PPI would have been with 5K to him....

Perfectlap · 11-17-2014, 07:24 AM

The top 1% of heart surgeons are not going to cut you a discount on a coronary cath because you're old and don't have much money in the bank. LOL.
A top guy can catch the tiniest of red flags that most will not even see. That's what you're paying for and not the checklist of what has to be done during the PPI.

Tony Callas is featured in Excellence Magazine from time to time on tech advice.
I remember his pointing out a few must-do's when doing the IMS swap which I later called to confirm with my indy and he's not one to shy away from telling you which oils to avoid.
To write that in a magazine that must play nice with Porsche and their business partners is very interesting.

mikefocke · 11-17-2014, 07:37 AM

The difference between someone really knowing the engine and the systems that control it compared to the guy who just measures the externals is significant. For the $400, you get the kind of job an experienced Porsche mechanic can knock out in two hours. For $1,600 you get lots of additional things inspected, measured and diagnosed by an expert who knows all the tricks.

Only you can determine if one is a reasonable value to you or the other is better. 8 years ago a very good PPI cost me $400. It took at least 2-3 hours and then the mechanic took about a half hour with the car up in the air going over every little comment. It was also a case where he knew he would be getting the repair business that his investigations uncovered it needed. It would be more in today's money. Also, since the car is older now and we know more of the weak points now, there are more things to examine in a comprehensive PPI than there were back then.

Imagine this scenario. PPI #1 puts the car up in the air, wiggles the suspension and inspects the half shaft boots. PPI #2 does that plus lasers the frame, measures all alignment specs, measures the corner balance drives the car a significant distance, etc. Different information is then available to be passed on to the car owner and prospective purchaser. Information which will have to be documented in differing detail and then explained in differing detail to them both. Which one you want is your choice but one takes more expertise and time and should cost more. While the other may be enough for you. Now if those details are right in Tony's case, I have no way of knowing. I just throw them out there as a hypothetical example of how there can be two different PPIs and both priced appropriately but differently.

Tony has an excellent reputation. Has had for years. Does it matter that he taught the guy who might be doing the PPI? That he gets all the hard cases so knows more of what to look for? Or is the obvious enough? Only you can determine that.

Good luck. May your results be as good as mine were.