Where best to take your 911? After
visiting Portsmouth OPC last issue, Total 911 now turns to Paragon to hear the
voice of the independent specialists
Last month I visited the Official Porsche
Centre (OPC) in Portsmouth in a bid to answer the age-old quandary of where
best to service and maintain your 911. While there, I found that huge
investment and emphasis is placed on staff training, that there is a
substantial transparency in quality of service, and prices outside of warranty
are lower than first thought. However, the coin must be flipped, so I’ve duly
undertook an access-all-areas visit to independent Porsche specialists Paragon
to press further into the matter of long term and after-warranty Porsche
maintenance.
Paragon were chosen for a simple reason:
currently celebrating their 20th anniversary, they have an immaculate
reputation for servicing and sales stemming from an impressively well-kept headquarters
in Kent. Paragon, then, are in a great position to highlight the benefits of
looking outside of the main dealer network.
Paragon
were chosen for a simple reason: currently celebrating their 20th anniversary,
they have an immaculate reputation for servicing
The doors at Paragon were opened to the
public in 1993, but in those days things were a little different. At its
inception, our specialists of choice operated as both a petrol station and an
air-cooled VW garage, but it didn’t take long for the business to outgrow its
humble beginnings.
In 1995, the pumps went dry and were duly
removed before owner Mark Sumpter made the brave decision to streamline the
workload and concentrate on a marque dear to his heart, telling us: “We were
seeing a lot of air-cooled Porsches, perhaps due to our involvement in historic
Porsche racing and the Beetle Cup, which brought us good attention. We were in
the midst of a recession, and at the time nearly 50 per cent of Porsche’s
independent dealer network were closing their doors. My intention had always
been to specialize, so we shut our doors to the more mundane VW workload and
concentrated on Porsches. We’ve been growing ever since”.
The
doors at Paragon were opened to the public in 1993
Fast-forward 20 years and the premises have
expanded to include a large internal showroom, an outdoor sales space and a
well-proportioned workshop, as well as a beautiful second floor featuring a
waiting area, sales desks, offices and some rather neat Porsche-specific
displays.
Paragon have four full-time technicians
with between 10-20 years experiencing each, all having cut their teeth at
official dealerships around the country. They also employ an after sales team
and dedicated sales staff who shares the showroom floor with an array of
quality Porsches for sale, while a resident valeter deals with used car
preparation including leather colonization.
Crucially, Paragon is run by astute Porsche
enthusiasts, starting right at the very top with Mark, who races with the
Porsche club and has a breathtaking private collection of 911s. It’s obvious
why Paragon have managed to hold on to the majority of its original staff then,
with a significant few having been employed since day one. So, they really do
live and breathe Porsches here. You’d be surprised to hear of any OPC with
technicians who have worked on site for that sort of duration, as we’re told
they tend to get snapped up by successful specialists who provide the
opportunity for a far broader spectrum of work, but I’ll get to that later.
Paragon
have four full-time technicians with between 10-20 years experiencing each, all
having cut their teeth at official dealerships around the country.
It’s fair to say that since Porsche’s
reduction in Service Menu pricing last year (for cars over four years old), the
gap between specialists and OPC service costs has been reduced, if not
eliminated. However, Paragon explain that cars rarely fly through a service,
and it’s here, when there is an issue however small that costs start to mount
up.
There are two sides of maintenance we need
to look at, and there are savings to be made on both the servicing and repair
fronts. Firstly, Paragon has a flat hourly labor rate regardless of the age or
model; it’s the same technician for the same duration in the same workshop.
Paragon’s pricing demonstrates immediate clarity, then, and doesn’t segregate
owners of a certain age.
Paragon also champion their repair ethic
over the oh-so easy ‘replace’ school of thought. They also promote their
willingness to find cost-effective solutions to problems they say others would
be crazy to deal with. As an example, Paragon cite leaks on the 996 C4
Tiptronic gearboxes, which the firm say Porsche do not supply parts for, so
officially you have to replace it.
Another common fault that Paragon regularly
deal with is the rusting of the outside edges of brake discs. At Porsche these
are replaced with brand new OEM items, but Paragon say they can source the very
same parts for far less outlay, and that’s just one of a number of savings
passed directly to customers.
Fundamentally, though, it boils down to the
fact that specialists like Paragon are far more willing and used to exploring
potential and time-consuming solutions to problems that can be fixed, instead
of the costly sledgehammer approach of replacing broken with brand new. May I
also add that because of this, the long-serving technicians here have likely
delved more deeply and more often into problematic engine and gearbox failures
and their subsequent solutions. This applies for virtually every Porsche you
can shake a stick at, and as a 911 owner that’s reassuring to know.
Another factor that cropped up during
conversation at Paragon was booking times: at Porsche a set time period is
allocated for every job, but Paragon point out that with experience, the time
taken to remedy common faults is reduced. This means they charge for their
actual time, which is reflected in their reduced prices. If after many years of
experience a technician can complete a job in 30 minutes, then customers are
charged for those 30 minutes, as opposed to the time stated in a book.
It
may not be an official center, but Paragon Porsche's sales, maintenance and
customer service make for an impeccable package
Head of the service department Mick Clare
reports, “We appreciate that if a customer has spent $15,000 on a 996, they
don’t necessarily want to pay book prices, so a large proportion will be guided
by us, and as a specialist we are free from internal legislation. For instance,
when costs were cut with the 996, we were aware that many minor parts were
carried over from VW. In addition, there are countless respected aftermarket
suppliers of major engine components such as pistons, camshafts and timing
chains that are just as effective and run the same tolerances, but are priced
lower, even if they featured on the original vehicle. It’s wrong to
assume it’s a better product if it says
Porsche on the box, because the reality is that many parts are identical
regardless of which box they arrive in.” According to Paragon there are various
reasons for this, and they are quick to point out that at a main dealer, hands
may often be tied. Huge global organizations have strict policies, and
understandably Porsche must employ stringent rules that may not take into
account personal circumstances, mileage or actual usage.
