mrgroove

I'm relatively new to the forum and the joys of owning a 996. I performed my first oil change last week which went without a hitch!! Wouldn't ya know it, the cheapest Mobil 1 0W-40 I could find was at Walters Porsche... I almost fell over in the service department when he told me! $6.49 p/litre. Over $7 bucks elsewhere...

Anyway I'm now contemplating the following maintenance:

1. Spark Plugs $18
2. Serpentine Belt $38
3. Transmission Service (Tip) Tricky one I know!
4. Air Filter $47
5. Ignition coils $47

My local Porsche dealership in Riverside (Walters) quoted the above prices and I have no comparison, but do I have other options/non OEM brands available to me and are they safe and reliable.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,
K

Dale Gribble

there isn't an aftermarket air filter i know of. The OEM one is a Mann...and i checked the price on the Mann direct part and its roughly the same.

spark plugs...NGK of the equivalent spec (there's an equivalence chart for them)
tranny service..fluids you can get from whoever...but redline is a good aftermarket.

honestly...shedualed maintenence isn't the place to nickle and dime especially since a lot of the parts don't cost much in the first place.

if it was like, an aerokit or something, yeah sure go aftermarket if u want, you'll save big, but what's the diff in spark plug prices? maybe a 20-30$ savings?

Chuck Jones

First of all, Walmart sell the oil for $5.30 a quart....and you should be buying your parts from Sunset Porsche....you'll save an easy 25-30%. Do a Google search for Sunset Porsche in Oregon...then call them and ask for Jeff Clark. He's knowledgeable about Porsches and the parts needed. He's saved me big bucks over the last year or so. I don' t buy ANYTHING from the dealership unless I can't help it. You can buy your own oil and the parts needed from Sunset to do an oil change for $50 instead of the $250 or more that the dealership will charge you.

blake

And for what you can't buy from Sunset or Walmart... Google search! Also, pay the membership fee and join this board. With membership, you will get the "search function" and it is a great tool for DIY projects - both how-to's and where to get parts...

Good luck!
-Blake

VGM911

I agree about the nickle and dime approach to car care mentioned above...I mean, we're buying these high performance cars and then some people want to scrimp on parts (like tires, for example) or the cost of gasoline by using a lower octane than that recommended by Porsche? I don't get it.


P.S. I'm not talking about being a careful shopper and spending money wisely (like shopping for the best price for a certain kind of tire or gasoline, for example)...obviously, that's just plain common sense.

Dale Gribble

^ bingo.

oil is oil, so as long as you can find the right brand elsewhere (usually wal-mart, pep boys etc), that would probably be the biggest saving.

Tippy

1. Yes, you can cross reference other brands but note the OEM uses 4 ground straps

2. Yes, for sure

3. Redline makes a universal synthetic ATF that meets spec.

***Be careful on the fluid used, you could possibly ruin the fiber clutches with the wrong stuff......tranny runs around $10k new***

4. Yes, I wouldnt use K&N though

5. I wouldnt, and probably isnt any available anyways

take it FWIW

BruceP

SHHHH!!! Have you lost your mind? Don't say things like that out loud around here. Geez...

pl

renntech.org + pelicanparts

Botsy67

Nowadays with the internet, you can do your own research and buy online at the lowest price possible on OEM parts. So why take a chance on aftermarket parts, I would just stick with OEM only. I found 0W40 oil at the local Autozone, but next time I will try Walmart. Thanks.