service costs
 

I am thinking of buyng a 2008 boxster s ,the problem I have is the owner doesn't know or have any records of any service he has only owned it a few months. my question is what is the cost to have the following work done at the dealer. I am not handy and would rather pay to have it done.
1. brakes front and rear the car has 50000 and oem brakes
2. spark plugs changed
3. brake fluid flushed
4. water pump when it goes
is there anything else that I should consider doing if I buy the car

you are gonna be in a world of hurt at the dealer for those services.

Brakes. They will charge you probably $1k for parts and another $700 or more for labor. This is robbery btw.

Spark plugs changed, probably another $1k

Brake fluid, $250

Water pump, probably another $1k or more

Your first order of business is to do a Pre-purchase inspection on the car at an independent mechanic to see what it needs and then find a good indy mechanic to do your work.

For instance, even with a markup on parts, a good indy would do those jobs for half or less.

Make sure you find an independent mechanic that specializes in Porsches! These are unusual cars, and if the mechanic is unfamiliar with them, they will do things incorrectly.

A non-specialist had done some work to my Boxster before I bought it, and there were several things that I had to re-do to correct problems.

You'll also want to do ignition coils along with the spark plugs.

So here's my offer. You should do #s 1-3 + coils. Buy the parts on our site's sponsor (probably $500 at most), drive to Omaha, and I'll do the work for $250. With gas and hotel, you'll probably have $1000 all in.

Bigtime robbery!!

Its takes longer to jack the car up and remove the wheels than it does to actually replace the pads

For street driving, get Powerstop ceramic pads, maybe $50/axle

As others have said, find a good independent Porsche specialist to do any work you won't do yourself. They will be cheaper than the dealer and will know the ins and outs of the car that a general foreign car independent shop may not know.

I second the pre purchase inspection recommendation when you are serious about buying the car. You'll get a better sense of what the car needs and avoid a major disaster if they find something wrong that would otherwise have been missed.

All the brakes may still be good at 50k on a lightly driven Boxster S, and rears may have a lot of life left in them. As an example, on my 2003 S I changed my front rotors and pads at 42k for the first time and they still had some life left in them. I just changed rotors and pads on all 4 wheels at 85k, this was the first time for the rears. This time I timed it just right. The pads were not worn down through the wear sensors, but that part of the pad on the side of the sensor hole broke off on all of the pads when I pulled the sensor out. My rotors had lips so I just replaced them each time, I didn't bother measuring them to see if they were still good.

If you buy parts to do the brakes I would recommend the Textar OEM pads from Pelican, and get the Meyle coated rotors on eBay they are good rotors and cheaper there than anywhere else.

For street driving, who's rotors do you suggest? Powerstop too? I need to replace my pads and rotors too.

I have more than half of my OE coils on my 2000 S+,the only problem I have with coils is the boot wears & I get a CEL that tells me which cylinder ha a missfire.
I replace the whole coil because it costs just a little more than just the plug boot.

Porsche OE are the best & the are powder coated on the "hat" backside & in the cooling ribs. If they are not powder coated it will rust & get all over your wheels too. Also last longer than most.

Yes, first find the mechanic.

Then visit. Observe the cars they are working on and what they are doing to them, If you see engines on stands and techs working on the innards, that is a good sign. Race prep work being done, an even better sign. Ask about labor rates. Flat rate by the book or actual? Ask what a 90k service typically costs with your trans. That is the most comprehensive one Porsche calls for most times.

Ask about a Pre-Purchase-Inspection and ask to see a copy of one they have done.

Then visit the car and form a drivers opinion. Ask about the PPI. Remember you are paying.

Then listen to the mechanic tell you what needs to be done. If big, walk away. If medium, negotiate with the seller. If small, buy and arrange to have the work done.

Meyle rotors on ebay or Amazon are great value. I have been using them for years and my brakes get hard use (track). They are probably 1/2 the cost of Porsche rotors and are just as good

I disagree about Textar (Porsche)OE pads. They are good pads and good stopping power, but as they are not ceramic pads, they are very dusty. There are better choices out there. It somewhat depends on your use, Street, AX, Track?
For street driving, you won't go wrong with Meyle rotors and Powerstop pads and save a lot of $$$

I may get slammed as this is a Pelican owned forum, but there are other websites that are better priced. Pelican does have good cust. service and are easy to deal with, but could have better pricing

I recently did my brakes. Went to Rock. Auto. Bought the Powerstop Z23 package. all 4 rotors, ceramic pads, wear sensors and hardware for $423. The rotors are drilled and slotted to improve ceramic pad performance but the zinc coating looks so good it was a shame to use them. Fit was excellent and the rotors cooling fins and venting match the Brembos that came off. While breaking in Initial bite is not as good as the Brembo pads that came off but modulation is quite similar. Dusting is far less. All in all I am very satisfied with this matched set and would recommend them.

My experience has been a bit different.
I don't mind paying more to someone who treats me like a customer.
When you treat me like an arrogant prick, I shop someplace else next time.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

I agree with you that I don't do business with companies that have poor cust service.
There are some like warehouse 33 auto dot com that not only have great prices, but super cust service. And if you put RENNLIST in the promo code , you get an additional 10% off. Jason (the owner) will even source parts he does not have in his online catalog

I agree the Textar pads do make dust, but not much. But for whatever reason, the dust doesn't stick to either my Lt Alloy Carrera wheels or my Boxster S II wheels, it just washes off with regular car wash soap. If I had wheels with more nooks and crannies I might feel differently. I've had a few Hondas and an Audi where the brake dust became part of the wheel finish and nothing would get it off.

So, back to the original poster - any news?

get sebro rotors from FCP. lifetime warranty and good quality