My car learnt how to get to Home Depot week one.

 

I must admit I do stop at putting bags of water softener salt in the frunk, even though they do fit nicely.

 

This reminds me of a photo I saw a long time ago. A guy bought cans of paint and put them in his trunk. Then he must have decided to do an auto cross course or something because when he opened the trunk later, all the paint cans had popped open and his entire trunk was covered in paint.

 

I nominate this thread for the most severely hijacked of 2022.

 

That's what the roof transport system.is for.

 

Of course, drive it on short trips, drive it anywhere. I have been taking my cars, all of them, all my life, on mostly short trips. Never hurt a car yet. This is an urban legend. Just drive that puppy and put your worries behind. Not a bad idea to take longer trips sometimes too .... drive, drive, drive... we could all be dead soon.

 

You didn't opt for the $60 roof rack prep?

 

As a retiree, the fact of the matter is that I do not have to take long trips anywhere in my new Cabriolet. Based on my driving history during the past year with my previous car, I expect to log only about 5,000 miles per year, unless I drastically change my driving habits. I hope that my new car will be ok. 🙏

 

First, avoid ALL short trips during the first 2,000 mile break in period per Porsche. Porsche calls this the “run in” period.

Second, try to avoid A STEADY DIET of short trips. Try to bring your oil up to oil operating temperature every time you drive if possible, but I realize it is not a perfect world. A cold engine injects additional fuel into the cylinder. Fuel is a solvent which washes the lubrication off of the cylinder walls and dilutes the oil. Long trips at operating temps burns the condensation and oil back out of the oil and mitigates the dilution. A steady diet of nothing but short trips where the oil never reaches operating temperature causes fuel dilution and can be monitored by sending used oil samples to Blackstone or Speediagnostix. Fuel dilution drops the oils viscosity and can lead to bore scoring in the older Porsche MY96-97 and 9A1 engines. I have not yet heard of any cylinder liner issues with the 9A2 engine which uses the new PWTA technology and new piezo injectors.

So, short trips occasionally are no big deal. Nothing but repeated short trips for an extended period of time is no bueno. I use my truck for short trips.

 

Well, I drive my car to and from the train station every day - or did pre-pandemic when I still went into the office. About a two mile trip and definitely not long enough to get to operating temps in the winter. Then there are similar short trips to the gym or to run a quick errand. Lots of longer trips as well. Been doing that for more than 20 years and never had a longevity issue with any of my cars. It's a car, not a liver, and I am going to use it in the manner that brings me the most enjoyment. Although, truth be told, the same could be said about my liver!

 

I understand. Here is my experience supported by hard data - Seven UOA’s. I bought a CPO 991.1S from a Porsche dealer. Changed oil within two weeks of getting it home. Blackstone UOA showed high fuel dilution of 1.5% in less than 500 miles (2% considered bad with less than .5% good). Took car back to dealer and said I had a leaking injector and wanted them all replaced on CPO warranty. Lead tech (very experienced who I trust) said fuel dilution caused by many very short trips on the dealers lot for 3 months where car never came to operating temperature. (Start to wash rack. Start to move. Start to shop, Etc.) Told me to always drive to operating temperature for next 1,000 miles and then do another oil change. If fuel dilution was greater than .5% under those circumstances, bring him the Blackstone UOA and he said he would replace all six injectors under warranty and also throw in a free oil and filter change. Always drove to oil operating temp and changed oil on that car six times afterwards. Six subsequent UOAs showed no fuel dilution.

Granted the 9A2 engine uses PWTA cylinder liner technology and new piezo injectors…….but those are the facts supporting my opinion backed by UOA from seven oil changes.

My recommendation for anyone with concerns about extended short trips is to follow the same advice that veteran Porsche tech gave me. Get a UOA at every oil change and take the guesswork out of it. If your UOAs show clean, you are all good. Same advice for blood work and your liver I might add. Ha ha.

 

I am sorry, but one anecdotal sample of a car that sat for months with the same tank of gas in it and suffered from fuel dilution does not "support by hard facts" that short trips are materially detrimental to the car. That is a particular and extreme scenario that addresses the shelf life of fuel in your tank. Even if it "proved" your case, you are still missing my point: who cares? It's a car and its a consumable. Use it and enjoy it. I take very, very good care of my toys - cars included - but they were made to be enjoyed and to age and wear over time. It would be a shame to not maximize your enjoyment over that lifecycle.

 

As I stated at the very beginning. I understand your point and agree with it. It is your car (and liver) so you can to do with it as you please. These cars are made to be driven….so drive it. That is what the driver/consumer in me says. But, the engineer in me says until you obtain UOA’s you have no idea what your repeated short trips are doing to your engine. The truth is you just do not know because you do not have the data to support your position one way or the other. That is what the UOA,s do…no more guessing.

But, I am not responding to you. My original response was to the original post. The correct engineering answer to his question is if you are concerned about repeated short trips then get a UOA at your next oil change to get a scientific answer to your question instead of relying on what someone else you do not know on the internet says or does in a totally different environment. Take the guesswork out of it. And, your argument about gasoline quality is just illogical from an engineering and mechanical standpoint. Bad gas can never directly cause fuel dilution…..fouled spark plugs maybe….other issues maybe……but fuel dilution in oil is not physically possible from bad gas alone from an engineering or mechanical standpoint. The fuel dilution would scientifically be the same notwithstanding good gas or bad gas. Think it through.

 

No issues. Just don’t do it during the break in period and remember to stretch its legs once in a while. A 40mi trip is more than enough to count as leg stretching.

 

Talking about oil and oil changes here is like discussing religion at the Thanksgiving dinner table.