Oil confusion
 

I'm a new owner of an 89 C4 and recently hit the 3,000 mile mark from the last oil change. I was eager to get it changed at a local shop because I'm clumsy and don't have time to do it myself, but was surprised to hear both the prices and different things everyone told me.

A few people told me I don't have to change the oil until I reach 7,500 miles. Another said 15,000 miles. Then some people said I shouldn't use mineral oils, while the mechanic who inspected my car told me to stray from synthetics. The lowest price quote I could get was $280. I know exotics are expensive, but does this seem reasonable?

Can someone give me a definite (or at least widely agreed upon) opinion on what kind of oil I should use and when I should use it?

Much has been written about oil (search is your friend). I use Brad - Penn 20w/50( semi-synthetic).
$280 for oil change is high but it all depends what oil goes in (the more exotic the higher the price).
You will need about 10-11 quarts of oil + filter so go figure.
Most oil can be purchased for about $60.00 + $15-20 for filter and $200.00 could be your incentive to learn to do it yourself (not too hard to do).
About $150-180 is what would be average (Illinois).
Good luck !!

If they are not using synthetics it sounds high to me, but then I do my own fluid up keep. But that is line with what the dealership I bought mine from charges but they do also use synthetic oil. Just my thoughts.
For the money the shop was going to charge me for oil, trany service, and breaks I did it myself bought a few extra tools, good replacement parts and fluids, and a new stereo (Bluapunkt head, Boston Acc amp, and Infity Spkrs, rewired the whole sound system cabling) -D²

Oh yea also little things like headlite seals, the Carrera badge which was damaged when I bought her. etc.

Please do not re-start the oil debate. There are plenty of threads on every forum for that.

I believe the 89 C4 came from the factory with a Shell mineral oil decal. Most owners upgraded to synthetics. My opinion is that any name brand will work fine, but be consistent. Seals are "conditioned" (ie, damaged) by the oil and its additive package, and you do not want to expose the seals to new chemical combinations. Find out what the PO used, and keep it the same.

$280 for an oil change does seem like a lot. If you use the top synthetic and filter, the retail price for materials is ~$75. Getting the car on a lift and doing the work takes an hour tops.

Welcome sghost!

I considered my first oil change as crossing another milestone and more importantly, one more reason not to take it to the shop! That said, I can understand why someone wouldn't want to DIY.

It's quite a procedure, not hard but it's a procedure for sure... when you factor in pre/post driving to check the oil level (pre- to get the oil warm and open the oil cooler line; post- to get get an accurate reading from the gauge), lifting the car off the ground, getting the filter in and out without making a mess...

What a sight to see so many empty bottles on the ground!

P.S. - followed the RL DIY.

Whats your time worth an hour ?
I think the oil change is a job every owner should learn to do correctly even if they farm out the job . Doing the oil change correctly gives the owner the knowledge to see if the farmed out job has been done correctly .
There have been a lot of reports of pro oil changed done wrong / overfills .
This is a car where a little to little isn't a problem
but a little to much is .



How long your oil lasts depends on what oil it is , how you drive the car , how many miles you put on the car each year etc etc etc . There is no set amount of mileage that will work for everyone .
You might like to send in a sample of your used motor oil for testing , the testing will tell you what shape your oil is in .

Try the brad penn .
http://www.bradpennracing.com/


I could do your 1st oil change with you and show you the ins and outs .
Its not all that hard or time consuming .

If someone wants to hold my hand during my first oil change, I would be more than thrilled (and would bring a case of beer).

My driving is pretty moderate. I open it up and red line it a few times a week, but only for less than a minute or so. Work is only a few miles away, so my monthly mileage is only about 100-200 miles.

I agree, it is quite a opperation but niether that hard or very time consuming. Unless the shop works on these cars it's real easy to get it wrong: miss the tank drian, miss the case drain. BTW a roll of papertowl at the oil fiter when you take it off helps otherwise you will end up with a quart in the engine bay, and then getting it topped off at full warm correctly. Getting BOTH t-stats to open and then even reading the dip stick correctly challenges some.

The problem with too many pro mechanics is they want it all done in five seconds to make a paycheck, and you can't short cut on this car. You just need to take your time and get it all right.

JMHO,.........

1) Change that oil every 3K, given your low weekly mileage. The oil doesn't wear out in your case, it becomes contaminated with byproducts of combustion.

2) Use a good oil. It doesn't matter whether its synthetic or not; simply one that has sufficient ZDDP to protect the engine and changed often enough to prevent wear (see #1 above). Brad-Penn 20w-50 racing oil is an excellent product.

Uggghhhh... want to start oil debate again... fight the urge...fight the urge... :D

If you've changed the oil yourself in any other car, you can handle this one. Really. It's just different (things being in different places vs. a 'conventional' engine), but it's not difficult. As for clumsy: I had a local "Porsche guru" change my oil the first time while I watched. He drenched the side of the engine compartment with oil. :rolleyes: Maybe he had performance anxiety. After that, I did it myself.

Synthetic or not, $280 is like 50-100% over what it should be, even in SFO.
What shop? There are a lot of Porsche indy's down there to choose from.

Nice offer!

Perfect, by the time you reach Indycam your oil will be at the perfect temperature with the oil thermostat open...

Do you have a place to do it ? Garage / driveway ?
I like good beer . And a case of beer , I would be smashed .

Would join you guys for that first oil change and / or beer:biggulp:, but given the distance and cost of fuel the $280.00 would look like a bargain :roflmao:

It is easier than you think, if not a bit awkward.
If Indy comes to help, you should consider filming & posting the vid on youtube. Would be a good resource for other 'first timers'.

A YouTube of Indy doing an oil change while smashed? - Now, that's MY idea of a first timer's education. :roflmao:
("This is the, uh... the, uh... oh, Hell, I forget what the it's called - but you just spin it off like this!")

But a capital idea, nonetheless.

Make it so, Number One - err, Indy. :cheers: