Is it worth buying the oil for an OPC service??
Is it worth buying the oil for an OPC service??
Author
Discussion

cab

Original Poster:

554 posts

248 months

Saturday 31st March 2007
quotequote all
Car is in for a major service first thing Monday (wibble). Seen a few guys state that they purchased the oil - as opposed to the dealership supplying it. Is there actually much of a saving to be made here??

Thanks CAB

cayman-black

13,268 posts

246 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
yes. buy mobile 1 at costco!

slippydiff

16,461 posts

253 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all




P.S The above isn't aimed at you Cab, the thread below was "amusing" hehe

Politely discussed here previously : - www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=351817&r=4785869&hm=55286#4785869


Edited by slippydiff on Sunday 1st April 00:47

sherman klump

84 posts

237 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
Personally i dont know how people can do that.
I'd feel such a cheapskate.
Driving a Porsche and cant afford to pay for the oil.
Come on people,stop doing this.
We're Porsche owners.
Meant to have a few quid.
Dont be be so stingy

singh911

957 posts

271 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
yes, got money, but better in my pocket than in Porsches!

mab1

390 posts

257 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
I provided my own oil, and couldnt care less about the cheapskate connotations

The way I see it, just because I could afford to buy it from the OPC, doesnt mean I should pay their price premium. How many people buy tyres from the OPC.... - same difference.

freedman

6,018 posts

237 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
sherman klump said:
Personally i dont know how people can do that.
I'd feel such a cheapskate.
Driving a Porsche and cant afford to pay for the oil.
Come on people,stop doing this.
We're Porsche owners.
Meant to have a few quid.
Dont be be so stingy


It has nothing to do with whether you can afford it.

If you dont need to pay £100.00 extra just for the OPC to supply then why do it?

damianc4s

910 posts

270 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
sherman klump said:
Personally i dont know how people can do that.
I'd feel such a cheapskate.
Driving a Porsche and cant afford to pay for the oil.
Come on people,stop doing this.
We're Porsche owners.
Meant to have a few quid.
Dont be be so stingy


Do you visit your OPC to top up your oil as well?

hutchingsp

68,114 posts

240 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
sherman klump said:
Personally i dont know how people can do that.
I'd feel such a cheapskate.
Driving a Porsche and cant afford to pay for the oil.
Come on people,stop doing this.
We're Porsche owners.
Meant to have a few quid.
Dont be be so stingy


Putting Tesco Value Oil in your Porsche is being a cheapskate.

Buying Mobil1 for around a third of what an OPC would charge for exactly the same thing is simply being prudent IMHO.

I for one don't have bottomless pockets and a few quid saved is money for fuel etc.

4sure

2,438 posts

241 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
YEA...AND TAKE YER OWN COFFEE AND TRAVEL KETTLE TO MAKE A BREW !sorry didn,t mean to shout....only kidding mate yum

baptistsan

1,921 posts

240 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
Just do it.

If you have time order in some Silkolene Pro S from Opie oils. Better than Mobil, if more expensive than the Mobil from Costco (which is 0W40 and my OPC said to use 5W40, just so you know!).

My OPC had no problem with me supplying my own oil, as I rang to check before hand.

damianc4s

910 posts

270 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
baptistsan said:
Just do it.

If you have time order in some Silkolene Pro S from Opie oils. Better than Mobil, if more expensive than the Mobil from Costco (which is 0W40 and my OPC said to use 5W40, just so you know!).

My OPC had no problem with me supplying my own oil, as I rang to check before hand.


Just be careful as Silkolene Pro S isn't Porsche approved any more

baptistsan

1,921 posts

240 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
Didn't know that. How does it go from being approved to not? I could understand it if it were the other way around.

MaKSiNG

382 posts

256 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
Interesting.

I previously bought my own oil (Costco as someone mentioned) and supplied the OPC for the service of my Box S. Saved about £100.

When I asked Leeds OPC recently if I could do that same for the TT, they point blank refused and said this was not possible. I hate the way dealerships have different policies.

As for the stingyness aspect:
To be prudent with money is not stingyness. Like someone said if you can buy exactly the same thing for less, who would not do this. Seems ridiculous to pay over the odds.
I really do think OPCs used to rely on this mentality. Very rich people going into the dealership, money no object, believing anything the service advisors tell them and just signing the cheque at the end.

My brakes were recently diagnosed by OPC as being corroded and that both disc and pads would need replacing all round. Took the car to a well respected indy who said pay me a little labour and I will strip them down and get them looking like new for you. There is no way you need to replace any of these items at this stage. There is plenty of life left in them. Now I second guessed the opinion of the OPC, but how many people would have just handed over their credit cards?

Is this stingy or prudent??? That £1000 saved can go towards my deposit on a Gallardo for instance.

slippydiff

16,461 posts

253 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
MaKSiNG said:
Interesting.

I previously bought my own oil (Costco as someone mentioned) and supplied the OPC for the service of my Box S. Saved about £100.

When I asked Leeds OPC recently if I could do that same for the TT, they point blank refused and said this was not possible. I hate the way dealerships have different policies.

As for the stingyness aspect:
To be prudent with money is not stingyness. Like someone said if you can buy exactly the same thing for less, who would not do this. Seems ridiculous to pay over the odds.
I really do think OPCs used to rely on this mentality. Very rich people going into the dealership, money no object, believing anything the service advisors tell them and just signing the cheque at the end.

My brakes were recently diagnosed by OPC as being corroded and that both disc and pads would need replacing all round. Took the car to a well respected indy who said pay me a little labour and I will strip them down and get them looking like new for you. There is no way you need to replace any of these items at this stage. There is plenty of life left in them. Now I second guessed the opinion of the OPC, but how many people would have just handed over their credit cards?

Is this stingy or prudent??? That £1000 saved can go towards my deposit on a Gallardo for instance.


I trust you voted with your feet on this issue ?

POORCARDEALER

8,668 posts

271 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all


I understand why dealerships say feck off..........like going out for dinner and taking your own steak, its just not cricket.

Lurking Lawyer

4,535 posts

255 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
POORCARDEALER said:


I understand why dealerships say feck off..........like going out for dinner and taking your own steak, its just not cricket.


Not really. If you want to use that kind of analogy, it's like going to a restaurant and taking your own wine. And there are places that let you do that.

If £100 is neither here nor there to you, let the OPC supply the oil. Most of us, however, take the view that it's £100 better in our pockets than theirs. Why let them make a mark up for supplying the oil when you can provide it yourself?

My car is too old for me to see any value in using OPCs - in fact, quite the contrary: I think it's probably better looked after by someone with more than just a passing familiarity with a car that OPCs probably don't see too many of these days - but I'd certainly be voting with my feet if I had been told that I couldn't supply my own oil as Maksing was, especially since other OPCs seem to be happy to let you do so.

hutchingsp

68,114 posts

240 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
POORCARDEALER said:


I understand why dealerships say feck off..........like going out for dinner and taking your own steak, its just not cricket.


No, it really isn't. When you go out for a meal you are paying for a value added service in so much as they prepare and cook the food, they aren't simply handing you a piece of raw steak and selling it you for three times what Waitrose would charge.

If an OPC sells you oil for the same price as part of a service as they would if you walked in off the street and said "Hello I'd like to buy a litre of Mobil1 please" then I would say you have every right to apply the same logic that says you probably wouldn't walk in off the street and buy it because they're more expensive than Costco/Opie etc.

guyvert1

2,161 posts

272 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
POORCARDEALER said:


I understand why dealerships say feck off..........like going out for dinner and taking your own steak, its just not cricket.


Fair enough, but considering OPC's buy the oil in bulk and get it alot cheaper than RRP, then charge 3x RRP for merely putting it from one place to another I hardly think its good pricing...

w1how

1,507 posts

245 months

Sunday 1st April 2007
quotequote all
I dont think the fixed price servicing for my 997 c2s is that expensive even if they supply the oil(£400 odd IIRC).For the sake of saving a little its not worth it for me to travel round picking up oil and messing around taking it with the car for service.I understand why people do it but I cant see an OPC doing you any favours if,for instance,you had a borderline warranty claim or needed a bit of goodwill off them.

Just my opinion