Deadly 60k Porsche Maintenance

By: Cade Lee

This one can be a killer; my friend has a 2003 Boxter S that he had most recently purchased and had no idea that he was in for$1,295.00 60K maintenance. He called us to see who might be able to help him with his scheduled Porsche repair in Denver and so it started a whole research project for us. The 60,000 mile maintenance for Porsches is definitely one of the largest expenses as far as the maintenance is concerned.

In calling several of the local Porsche repair shops in Denver we learned that you do not need to go to a dealer for this maintenance and that it could be completed by any Porsche technician. The next question was "who was the most qualified and least expensive technician to go to". I started by calling Stevenson Porsche to find out the cost of this scheduled maintenance, and without any delay they were able to give me a price of $1,295.00 (just the cost of a small mortgage). I guess it is important to know that this is definitely the most in-depth service compared to the 15,000 or 30,000 mile maintenances. The 90,000 mile maintenance includes all of the following:

Major maintenance at every 60,000 miles/96,000 km

Diagnosis system: Read out fault memory

Underside of vehicle and engine compartment: Visual inspection for leaks (oils and fluids) and chafing (wires, lines, and hoses)

Coolant hoses: Check condition

Radiator: Visual inspection for external soiling

Coolant: Check level and antifreeze

Particle filter: Replace filter element

Fuel system: Visual inspection for damage, correct routing, and firm seating of the line connections

Power-assisted steering: Check fluid level

Parking brake: Check free play of the parking brake lever

Brake system: Visual inspection of the brake pads and brake discs for signs of wear

Brake hoses and lines: Visual inspection for damage, correct routing and corrosion

Brake fluid: Check level

Clutch: Check play or final position of pedal

Throttle actuation: Check smoothness of operation, full-throttle position with the tester

Steering gear: Visual inspection of the bellows for signs of damage

Tie rod ends: Check play and dust bellows

Axle joints: Check play, visual inspection of the dust bellows for signs of damage, check tightness of screw connections on the suspension adjustment at the front and rear

Drive shafts: Visual inspection of the boots for leaks and signs of damage

Exhaust system: Visual inspection for leaks and signs of damage, check mounts

Tires and spare wheel: Check condition and tire pressure

Door locks, lid locks and safety hook of the front lid: Check to ensure that they are seated firmly and function properly

Safety belts: Check operation and condition

Vehicle lights: Check operation

All headlights: Check setting

Horn: Check operation

Windshield washer, headlight washer: Check fluid level and nozzle settings, make sure to check the antifreeze during winter months

All other electrical equipment as well as indicator and warning lights: Check operation

During road or dynamometer test:Brake pedal and parking brake (also operating travel), engine, clutch, transmission, automatic speed control, steering system, heating, air-conditioning system, and instruments: Check operation

Oils, fluids: Visual inspection for leaks

Replace Polyrib belt

So it is quite intensive and definitely worth the investment as it is strongly recommended by Porsche.

In calling the independent Porsche repair shops we decided to go online and search for "Porsche Repair in Denver", after deciding that Stevenson might be a little on the "high" side.

DART auto Porsche VW Audi Service – www.dart auto.com : Was my first call, I talked with a receptionist who explained that the "Service Writer" was busy and would call me back. I still have not received a call back, when I do I will update this post to let you know the price of the maintenance. Ultimately I did not want to send my friend to a garage that wouldn't even return a call so I continued the search. If you wanted to call this shop you could contact them at (303) 296-1188, I could not locate any information through the Denver BBB for this company, according to the Colorado Secretary of State the company has been in business since 2001. Not much else I could tell you here.

Avalon Motorsports – Here I talked to a fantastic service writer, unfortunately they were not handling Porsche repairs at the time. In maintaining transparency with me, he told me that he simply did not have any technicians that specialized in Porsches there at the time. They are one of the first websites that pulled up on Google, and their website does claim that they handle Porsche Repairs in Denver it must have been a little out of date. Brian the Service Writer referred me to RS Motorsports. He explained to me that if anyone was qualified to handle this kind of service, it would be Brian of RS Motorsports. http://www.avalonmotorsports.com/ (303) 400-3001. Although they were not handling Porsche repairs at the time I would definitely want to go back, seemed like a solid group there.

RS Motorsports – I called Joel at RS Motorsports and was able to reach him right away. He of course knew Brian at Avalon Motorsports and told me that he would be happy to help. I asked him for a price on the 60,000 mile maintenance for my friends Boxter S and he explained that the full service would be $900.00 which was $395.00 less than the dealership. He was right on the money as my call to Stevenson earlier was exactly $1,295.00. According to the Better Business Bureau RS Motorsports, Inc has a BBB rating of A- and has been in business since July 2002. You can see their BBB report here. You can call Joel Stallbaumer at 303-432-8989 or visit their website at http://www.rsmotorsportsco.com/.

Autoworks Colorado – My last contact was Mark Zalmanek at Autoworks. Like the others he also shows up on the first page of Google for "Porsche Repair in Denver", ultimately he has several reviews which all seemed excellent. In talking with Mark I could hear the experience in his voice as he explained the service to me in detail and explained that the service would be $800.00. Out of all the shops, Autoworks has the highest BBB rating with an "A", you can see their BBB profile here. Also it seemed that he has been in business the longest, according the BBB report Autoworks has been in business since 1994. Reaching Mark was simple, and he was extremely cordial.

Overall it seems that Autoworks Colorado not only had the most competitive price, but the most experience in the business and longevity. Needless to say I recommended that my friend go to Mark Zalmanek at Autoworks Colorado. I will definitely post again and let you know about the experience!