Porsche owner blasts ‘profiteering’ dealers after £600 oil change bill
Alex Quinlan, 62, of the West Midlands, said he was "appalled" after being quoted £580 to have the oil changed in his hybrid 2022 Porsche Cayenne.
The quote is five times the average cost of an oil change, which NimbleFins calculates to be £113 after analysing dozens of prices across the UK.
Mr Quinlan, who has owned Porsches for more than 25 years, said the car requires an oil change irrespective of mileage, and he has no option but to use an authorised Porsche dealer if he wants to keep his three-year warranty.
And after calling two centres in his local area to be given similar quotes, he has now had to stump up the money.
Mr Quinlan is so frustrated he's decided to change the vehicle for a fully electric model next year.
He said: "I am appalled at the level of profiteering now going on in the market. I am sure this is not restricted to Porsche either.”
Mr Quinlan questioned the quote after finding seven litres of Mobil 1 oil – used for the job – has a retail price of £12 a litre at Halfords. Yet he was quoted £24 for each litre of oil from the Porsche dealer. The quote also included an £11 filter.
He added: "Dealers were unable to truly justify the cost. It’s a two-hour job. If the cost of the parts is no more than £95 that equates to £243 per hour of which most of the time is spent watching the sump drain.
“The dealers claimed prices had shot up since the oil price had too. I did say that oil barrel prices were actually lower than they were five years ago.”
Halfords quoted £174.99 to do the same job on Mr Quinlan’s Porsche, he said.
He added: "I think they are quoting so much because it's a necessary requirement and only an authorised dealer can stamp the book for a full service history.”
Mr Quinlan emphasised the two centres he contacted were not in the same group, yet they both quoted similarly high prices for the service: "It’s strange the whole network has adopted the same pricing so there is no doubt this is contrived.”
NimbleFins has not received a response from Porsche when it put these claims to it.
But in emails sent to Mr Quinlan and seen by NimbleFins, Porsche denied price fixing, saying: “Porsche Cars Great Britain Limited does not dictate, advise, or control the prices set by the Independent Porsche Centres. Each Porsche centre is individually managed and has full authority the set the price for any work they complete.”
NimbleFins questioned dozens of car repair shops across the UK to find average oil change prices for three popular cars. Prices vary depending on the car’s engine size, the service centre and location.
A 1.0 litre Ford Fiesta costs around £100, a 1.5 litre Mercedes Benz A Class will set you back around £115 and a 2.0 litre Audi A3 costs £125 on average.
Erin Yurday, CEO and co-founder of NimbleFins, said: “This is quite the markup by Porsche and it’s not exactly clear why they are charging so much.
“Just because Porsches are expensive cars, it doesn’t mean their owners can afford, or deserve, to be ripped off.
“We asked Porsche why they quote so much and are looking forward to their response.”
To see NimbleFins’ full research into the cost of an oil change, including how much it costs by location, click here.
NimbleFins has contacted dealership operators Stratstone and Sytner, which gave the oil change quotes, for comment.
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