15k mile service what to ask?
 

My car has reached 15800 miles and I have an appointment set on February 15th for my 15k mile service.

If I do everything (please note I dont know what everything includes) it will cost me 1200$ which is out of proportion for me.

I am trying to do the most important ones and get away below 600$. Perhaps include a full detail as well (no time to wax because of work).

What are the most important things to ask specifically from the dealer for this kind of service? One of my brakes does squeek so this needs to get fixed.

My first and second gear literally suck. They are rough on the car alot to the point I feel like I've been damaging my car. What can I ask for them to check there? Gear links etc?


Car is a 986S BoxsterS 2004.

Thanks in advance!

Assuming the car is out of warranty
 

you want to ask the dealer to do the things you can't do because you don't have the tools, the expertise or the time.

So tasks like replacing filters, oil changes, wiper blades, etc you want to do yourself buying the products for those tasks from one of the many discount sources.

What you want from the dealer (or better a good independent) are the things you don't have expertise to do (inspections), tools to do (things that need a lift) or, if you have more $ than time, you just walk up and hand the dealer your wallet.

If the car is still under warranty, you may just want to pay in hopes of the dealer doing more of the repair/adjustment work on your shift linkage and brakes under warranty.

Might want to consider an alignment check if the tires show unusual wear as it has probably been a long time since you had one. It would cost but have you had one in ~3 years? The dealer will probably look at the tires while it is on the lift and tell you if you need one. They are always looking for extra work.

Car is in warranty. I understand what you mean. I dont even have the time to sit down and change the wipe blades even though I assume it takes 10 minutes.

I had a flat rear tire recently and I switched both rear, front are still good they told me a month ago.

Thanks though.

Any more from previous experiences?

Here's another twist on experience: as a potential buyer one day down the road, I would never buy a car that hasn't had all services performed on-time and buy a reputable dealership/independent. Sure, there are things they "check" that they don't need to, and sure, a careful owner could do a lot of it on his own, but knowing that someone is cutting corners (however small the corners) is going to scare me on a car with that much potential for maintenance expense, especially since I don't know whether the previous owner is a master technician or a bumbling drunk idiot.

So if you're interested in resale value, bite the bullet, pay for the whole thing. I know that I could do 90% of the scheduled maint. on my own, but I grudgingly right the check every time knowing that in 5 years, I'm not going to care whether my 15k maintenance was $150 cheaper, but I WILL feel comfortable knowing that everything has been done on time, is up to date, etc., etc.

1) If you don't have the Maintenance book with the owners manual, get one. It spells out what is done at 15K miles. Of the top of my head, besides an oil/filter change, the rest of the stuff is some pretty simple "inspections". If you have the time to set aside 1 day (say a saturday - maybe 2-4hours) you can likely do the items yourself.

2) If the car is under warranty, and you don't have the time/skills, take it to your dealer

3) If you don't like the price quote from dealer #1, try dealer #2 or a reputable "independant" shop. A warranty is NOT voided if the work is not done at a Porsche shop. However, you may want to ensure that your "independant" shop is familiar with what is involved and gives you an itemized list of the services they perform and that they match what Porsche recommends.

4) Brakes squeek. Get over it. As long as the pads are good and the rotors aren't out of spec (and at 15K they shouldn't be), you could learn to live with the squeek. Of, you could by some "anti-squeek" ;)

Seriously though, take the time to learn what your car needs at its maintenance intervals and WHY it needs them. No harm in being an educated consumer, is there? ;)