DWF

So--I was at my local dealer this morning for my annual oil change. I brought my own Mobil 1 0w-40 with me and mention this to the service advisor (was not a problem). The service advisor then tells me that Porsche is switching their recommendation from Mobil 1 to Castrol Edge and that they are already using the Castrol recommendation. Anyone else heard anything about this?

Macster

Just emailed a service manager at a dealer and he replied right back that he hasn't heard anything on this subject. I'll probably be in that dealer's area tomorrow and can stop in and ask the senior techs. (Thursdays are a bad day at this dealer: No donuts! Donuts are there Friday! But I'll take one for the team and go in on Thursday...)

The only thing special about Mobil 1 0w-40 is it is factory fill and many dealers use it because they get this oil from I guess PCNA.

There are many oils on the Porsche approved list, however quite a few are specific to a region. Castrol oil, several 'flavors', is on the list along with some other name brand oils: Shell Helix, Pennzoil/Quaker State, Motul and others.

What might be going on in the case of your dealer is it has decided to switch to a locally available oil vs. buying Mobil 1 from PCNA.

My info is PCNA was set (this has probably already happened) to raise parts/fluids prices and dealers are feeling the pinch. They get heck from customers when they have to charge the customer (in some cases) nearly $10/quart for oil that is often sold retail for $7/quart and I've found it for less sometimes. (Oils have gone up recently though so under $7/quart may be a price of the past.)

Anyhow, so if I owned a dealership (and it was not verbotten by the agreement with PCNA) I'd consider sourcing a high quality approved oil locally (provided I could do so for less money than PCNA charges) and use that oil going forward.

Sincerely

Macster.

DWF

I'm betting you are correct. The local dealer probably can source a Porsche approved oil--Castrol Edge--at a less expensive price than Mobil 1 and this got translated to "Porsche is switching to Castrol". For the astute car owner a visit to the dealership can be an exasperating experience in many instances. Today when I got my bill I noticed they had charged me $5.99 for wiper fluid. I have not turned on my wipers since the last time I was in for service (evaporation?). I didn't get into it with them for $5.99 but when I mentioned to the clerk the non-use of the wipers she just gave me this clueless look. She probably drives a Honda and even in the Rain.

66mustang

I can tell you that Flat6 recommends using Castrol edge over Mobil 1. since i received that recommendation, i switched

Macster

Stopped in at a dealer today. The senior tech says he has no word on any change over to Castrol. New cars -- they come on all the time and at new car training classes -- Mobil 1 is the oil, still.

He said as you said the dealer probably just got a deal on Castrol.

I asked management some about this oil business and was told the oil is bought from a local oil distributor. I was not told which one and I didn't ask. (I think I know which one though.)

The oil is ordered in IIRC 600l (that liter!) quantities and stored in a tank underground. This keeps the oil at a nearly constant temperature so the oil dispensing nozzles are accurate. The oil is not dispensed by a system that takes into account the temperature of the fluid.

The dealer I believe could use any oil it wants, as long as it was on the approved list, but has because of the convenience of a Mobil oil distributor and probably a reasonable price has stayed with Mobil 1.

Makes sense too that if the dealer went to another oil it has to deal with some customers who would question why if the factory ships the cars with Mobil 1 and recommends this oil why is the dealer using another oil?

Then the whole oil approved list discussion has to happen and...

So, there's a reluctance to move away from Mobil 1 and for good reasons. While some may prefer another brand of oil and it is their choice of course, most owners don't give a hoot and apparently neither do their cars' engines.

Sincerely,

Macster.

magcuda

What is sponsoring the factory race cars, that is what they recommend
Remember when Shell was on the cars or Gulf?

No HTwo O

About 2 weeks ago, I read through the oil section of the new Porsche 991. In there it clearly stated that Mobil 1 (OW40) was the recommended product, and even had the Mobil logo printed in that section of the owner's manual.

No HTwo O

Dealerships have to source Mobil products from PCNA? That's crazy.

DWF

I think I'm going to stay with Mobil 1 since that is what I started with. For the sort of driving I do it probably dosen't make any difference which one is chosen. For that matter conventional oil would probably be fine if changed regularly, etc.--though not recommended by Porsche to my knowledge.

No HTwo O

Living in Texas, and if you want to stay with Mobil, you should switch to 5W50. Porsche approved. Hard to find, can buy on the net, but a great selection.

You would not want to select a conventional oil in a modern Porsche. Brad Penn (semi synth) for the air-cooled 911's would be fine/great. Not the water pumpers.

tetzlafh

My Porsche dealer in Trier, Germany used Shell Helix as their oil while I serviced my car there from 2006 to 2009. Probably just depends on what your dealer purchases as their oil of choice to use.

Macster

No they do not at least based on what I was told this AM.

But they have to use an oil recommended by Porsche/PCNA. But the approved oils list has many such oils no dealer should have any trouble finding a suitable oil.

In the case of the OP and his dealer using Castrol, I believe what happened is the dealer simply managed to find a source of Castrol oil and maybe (almost certainly or why change over?) for less than it was paying for Mobil 1 oil.

Nothing sinster. Just a dealer trying to cut its costs without sacrificing customers' cars by using an unapproved oil.

Castrol is a good oil and if the oil is one of those on the approved list I do not see any risk. Were Mobil 1 not so easy to come by and Castrol easier to come by -- and I haven't checked/searched for any Castrol oil distributors having a Mobil oil distributor just 2 blocks away from where I work -- I'd use Castrol oil in a heartbeat in both of my Porsches.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Macster

Shell is on the list. There are a goodly number of approved oils for various regions of the world. Some oils are very local, available in say just Japan, while other oils are available in all of Europe and then there are some oils (Mobil 1) that are available world wide, or nearly so.

Sincerely,

Macster.

tetzlafh

Oh yes I know, I was merely stating from experience what a German dealer used. 280 euro for an oil change too....

renvagn

I switched over both p-cars to Castrol last year after contacting the respective companies (getting as much proprietary info out of them as possible) and some regional old timers. Went with 5-40 as these motors and there placement can't get terrific cooling. This was also the recommendation of L& N engineering. There are significant saving every couple of months at the local auto supply stores. I also dump it every 3,000. From my research last year, Motul and Red Line are also excellent choices, but at the $ 9 - 10 dollar per qrt range. Has anyone added the L & N adaptor to the filter housing that allows use of a traditional screw filter with reported better filter flow???