I have had some issues with some oil leaks recently. It was caused by using the wrong oil filter. This was installed by Redline Automotive in Thousand Oaks, CA while some work was being done there. I called them to inform them of the problem. Not to get reimbursed but just to let them know about the headache they caused me. The lady that answered the phone was like "My husband has done this for 25 years, blah, blah, blah. Did you get this off of Rennlist?" I wanted to go off on her but refrained. This is just a warning to stay away from Redline when needing to get work done on your 993TT.

 

This is a very common mistake... the same thing happened to me with a different shop. Enjoy Waldo!!

 

Air Kuul TT: Like I said I just wanted to inform them. Nothing else. Some people just think they know everything and can never be wrong.

 

Tony can you post the picture with your car in the garage with two oil leaks on the floor? And if I recall, the shop put 0w40 in for your oil?

 

I spent A TON of money on Waldo over at Redline to get the car as perfect as possible for Ignacio. I was really hoping that Redline would work out, because it is convenient and Greg Ast seems to know what he is doing. I'm very disappointed that they don't understand the issue with the Mahle oil filters (is that what they used?) on the 993TTs. I hope that there was no damage done to Kevin's new GT1 turbos because of this error. I DID remember to ask about the weight of Mobil One, and Greg said 5w-15. I hope that any issues are easily corrected and Waldo puts a big smile on your face Ignacio.

 

ca993twin: First of all none of this is being blamed on you. I just wanted everyone to understand this from the beginning. Unfortunately they used a Mahle oil filter. The shop tried to fix the leaks. It seems that the shop fixed the leaks but it is too late for the passenger side turbo. Kevin mentioned that too much oil has blown past the seals and too much time has elapsed to for the seal to try to reseal. DAMM REDLINE!

 

I spoke again to Redline... he called his buddy at Beverly Hills Porsche, who said that he knew of no issues with the Mahle filters. Of course, they use the OE filters, so that is kind of meaningless. The main problem is that Mahle, a well respected brand of filters, SAYS this filter fits a 993TT... so unless a mechanic is VERY tuned in, he will believe what he reads. I suggested that Redline call Andial and Michael Schatz at Rusnak to get their take on the Mahle filter issue.

It seems that the real basic problem is with Mahle and the fact that they are selling filters that are unsuitable for one of the listed applications. I'm not sure that one can reasonably expect any but the most knowledgeable and experienced (on 993TT) mechanic to disbelieve the application list on the filter. If I were a lawyer, I'd consider some sort of action against Mahle.

In the meantime, I'd still like to convince Redline of the issues with the Mahle filters. Any ideas how I might be able to do this? Is there any documentation anywhere that could be useful? Of course, I'll print Kevin's sticky thread out, but this can be dismissed as just so much "Rennlist folklore".

Thanks for any ideas.

 

The Porsche wiring harness worldwide recall was also a Rennlist "EJ's" folklore in the beginning. I would suggest that Mahle and Andial in this case open very well their ears to the case being brought to them. There is enough evidence here on this board, if not legal, at least PR wise that could cause some damage. I am sure it will get sorted out, intentions seem to be good, only the problem at stake does not seem to be known by them.

Good luck.

 

Jean: Don't mistakenly bring Andial in on the wrong side of this! Reread Steve's post and note that Andial is a source to be called to confirm the Mahle filter problem!

 

911/Q45
I understood Steve's point, and the reason I said what I did is because my understanding is that Andial is the Mahle distributor in the US (is it correct?) therefore IF they already know about the problem they should have warned their customers proactively, therefore I am hoping they don't know about it. I have nothing against Andial at all for the contrary, I am a fan of them, even more of Mahle products, but in this case someone has a responsibility.

 

I know Andial doesn't use Mahle filters, you may be on target with the rest.

 

I just spoke with Andial... the fellow with the German accent. He said they would never use any aftermarket filter, including Mahle, on a 993TT... that Porsche recommends their own filter because of the different valving. Pretty much exactly what Kevin says. So... now I need to somehow relay this information to Redline who most certainly won't want to hear this. I'll keep you all posted.

 

Steve,

I doubt that Redline will want to listen especially after I tried to talk to them and all I got was attitude.

 

This is a very touchy issue... put yourself in Redline's shoes for a moment... they have always used the Mahle filters (and they are a listed application), and they "have never had any trouble". I put that in quotes, because they probably wouldn't recognize the problem as an oil filter issue if they DID have a problem. Remeber that my original turbos were diagnosed as leaking (full of oil) after they put the Mahle filter on... did that cause the original turbos to fail, or were they just pretty much at the end of their life? We'll probably never know. In any event, they hear this very strange tale that runs counter to everything they know about Porsches and oil filters. So yes, it will take some careful persuasion to see that you are not full of it, and that there is some truth to this wild tale. This will take some time and some working with them to get them to see the truth. We will soon know how willing they are to listen.

 

Is this the same Redline I reported about here