Maintenance

[DaveLep]

Ready to duck and run here. But here goes. Just seen the service interval guide. Boxster 987 listed-oil and filter 30,000kms where I can see this as stretching things I also don't see the point in doing it every 5000kms if Porsche don't deem it necessary. What do those here with experience think. And here's the blue touch paper. What oil do we recommend. ie Personal preferences. Living in Oz I would think 20w 40 or 10W 40 sounds about right. I have also put a lot of faith in Nulon fully synthetic for my other cars but respect the fact a well wrapped flat six may require something special. My Subaru has been fine on it these past 5 years.

[TwoHeadsTas]

We did annual oil changes in our 987, which was pretty much every 10,000kms.  Depending on what year, if your car has not had the IMS changed, I would be doing at least annual, if not 6 monthly oil changes with a filter cut open & check as preventative maintenance, regardless of mileage.  We used a Motul oil, can't remember which grade, think it was 0w/40 or 5w/40

[Russ]

oil is cheaper than an engine rebuild

[DaveLep]

Thanks, Dont get me wrong I do my other cars every 10,000. Its just odd to see a manufacturers own schedule so optimistic. 

[TINGY]

Yearly, oil is cheap, re-builds are not.

[Raven]

I do mine yearly regardless of klm driven and I do less than 5000 klm a year as mentioned above oil is cheaper than engine rebuild ..

[Lucky Phil]

Service book says annually or at klm's travelled.  I don't do the klm's so in it goes every year for it's annual service.  

[Peter M]

I think the typical purchaser of premium used cars expects to see annual oil changes irrespective of how little km's have been covered.  Consequently, that's what I do even though I know I'm wasting good oil that would not provide measurably less protection than the new oil I'm putting in for possibly another 3 or 4 years.  I've got UOA's that show that.

I would caution those that believe frequent changes can only be a good thing, particularly with pre 964 cars as the oil filter is on the return line to the oil tank meaning that any dirt or debris you unwittingly introduce when filling the oil tank goes straight to the oil pump and into the engine bearings.

I've never been able to even find any scientific evidence to support the notion that that engine life is directly proportional to the number of oil changes.  You just have to do "enough". 

I think there are more practical things we can do to extend engine life like eliminating short runs, allowing the engine to reach operating temperatures before exceeding say 3,000rpm and not using K&N style air filters.  (Don't get me started on those numbnuts that run no filters or screens only on their ITB's!)

As for DaveLep, I suggest you just use the viscosity and standard (likely to be simply ACEA A3/B4) specified in your owners manual and buy the cheapest name brand from your local Repco/Supercheap/Autobarn at any change interval you think best. If you want to use Nulon, that's fine too. 

However if frequent oil changes make you feel better, just do it and don't worry about what I think. 

 

[sleazius]

Just FYI, I've had multiple buyers walk away from a car sale because I let the service interval run to 18 months in cars, cars that are parked doing <1000km a year. It helps to make the sale process go easier if nothing else by not limiting your buyer pool.

I honestly can't see any actual mechanical benefit to changing oil annually on cars that are doing stuff all kms though. Only perceived ones.

[DaveLep]

Thanks again for your input. If I did less than 5000kms a year I would Probably sell it anyway. So 10 to 15000kms and annual oil changes, like my other cars is no issue. 

[luzzo]

1 hour ago, DaveLep said:

If I did less than 5000kms a year I would Probably sell it anyway. 

Hah..!  I'm lucky to travel 10-15,000 kms per year in total and that's spread over many cars, and many motorcycles.

I prefer to change oil every year, but sometimes it's just not practical, especially when some of those vehicles would only see a few hundred kms each oil change. 

[DaveLep]

I’ve put about 3000 on it since since December. And expect to put on 4 to 6000 before the years out. Obviously would have been a lot more without covid.

[Russ]

I think condensation and fuel contamination in oil is reduced by doing yearly oil changes, but that's not based on anything scientific.

Temperature cycles over 12 months especially on air cooled cars would make me want to change my oil yearly or at the service interval. 

[TINGY]

11 hours ago, DaveLep said:

I’ve put about 3000 on it since since December. And expect to put on 4 to 6000 before the years out. Obviously would have been a lot more without covid.

I usually do 8-14.000kms a year in my Porsche's, i do a bit of travelling with my wife and some big trips with the good folk from this awesome forum

[Peter M]

6 hours ago, Russ said:

I think condensation and fuel contamination in oil is reduced by doing yearly oil changes, but that's not based on anything scientific.

Temperature cycles over 12 months especially on air cooled cars would make me want to change my oil yearly or at the service interval. 

Russ,

Providing each time you start it you get it good and hot for a period long enough to burn off the condensation and fuel contamination I don't think you need to worry about viscosity dilution and loss of TBN adversley shortening oil life.  The move from carburetors with monster accelerator pumps to O₂ sensored closed circuit EFI has done wonders for oil life. 

[9r]

1 hour ago, Peter M said:

Russ,

Providing each time you start it you get it good and hot for a period long enough to burn off the condensation and fuel contamination I don't think you need to worry about viscosity dilution and loss of TBN adversley shortening oil life.  The move from carburetors with monster accelerator pumps to O₂ sensored closed circuit EFI has done wonders for oil life. 

Exactly Peter,

as long as the you avoid short runs and everything is up to temp any contamination is burnt off and the oil stays fresh. As you mention these problems are reduced massively with modern fuel injection as your not getting copious amounts of unburnt fuel washing down into the oil anymore as engines fuel metering is so accurate (on the leaner side). I always remember back in my 20’s the smell of the oil (yep petrol) when I helped a mate who put a full datrally built race motor with 45dcoe carbs into his mostly city driven 1600 Datsun... not nice and not healthy for his engine longevity.