I think doing your own ppi inspection can save you money - and time as well. This is what I did, also its not like mechanic will rip your engine apart and see whats inside, yes, the only plus is they do pressure test and test each cylinder. on 996 model its harder to do that. so they dont even bother doing it.
1. warm the car up (gauge shows full temp) while its warming up , touch all the switches
ask for any paperwork.
2. go for a ride (turn the radio off) find open road: with no cars around and to be save to open the car up!
3. BOOST it - all the way to the red line, from 3rd- gear pull - if the car is fine. just cruise to the shop, check the boost gauge. it should show 0.9 bar or 1 bar(while car was flashed)
4. put the car on the lift, inspect for any leaks, pads, check the wheels by moving up and down, left and right while the car is in the air
5. check inneer and outter boots for any tear
6. look for any body damage
common problems on 996 turbos are: 2nd gear pop, plugs/wires needs to be changed, ripped boots, and BOOST leak the most important thing is you have do do boost leak test....
any questions? you can pm me directly!