911Königin

I like that rule

911Königin

The 65k mile service on my Lexus is $900. Don't have room for DIY right now, but hope to in the future. Am looking forward to doing some testing driving when the weather warms a bit.

larry47us

I really don't think that very many people use the 15K recommended by Porsche as a baseline, at least the enthusiasts you see on this website.

But, in actuality, the problems that these cars have had with engines self-destructing due to IMS failures seems to be alleviated by increasing the frequency of oil changes. Anecdotal evidence seems to be that with less frequent oil changes, the buildup in acid in the oil causes the grease in the IMS bearing to be attacked, leading to greater potential failure of the IMS bearing.

There are plenty of threads on this website relating to IMS failures and our collective fears relating to it. If I can minimize or eliminate the potential for IMS failure by increasing the frequency of my oil changes, it's cheap insurance. Certainly, with all the other cars I have ever had, I have never gone more than 5,000 miles between changes, no matter what the MFG recommendations were, and usually did a 3,000 mile change.

So, changing the oil on my Porsche every 5,000 miles doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary for typical maintenance.

larry

savannah996

3000 miles this year = Nothing.

rwiii

I live in Texas where it is hot and dusty. The oil guys brag that their oil does not "break down" and they are right. It can probably go 50,000 miles or more (even 100,000) with the performance characteristics of the oil not changing. I change mine becasue oil gets dirty as it removes contaminants. Changing it is cheap and easy maintanance. My shop recommends 7500 but I do it after 5,000 because by keeping the odomoter on the "5"'s makes it easy for me to remember when to do it. When I change it it looks pretty black so I'm sticking with my plan. I change the oil on my Yukon frequently and have 200,000 miles on the original engine.

jasper

My car will be rolling over 100,000 miles tomorrow I've put about 35000 miles on it in the last 1.7 years.
On maintenance I've spent:

oil changes - 7 at $100 each DIY.
coolant reservoir and cap - $200 DIY
replaced a rattling muffler with a used part - $200 DIY
changed brake pads all four corners - $500 DIY
a set of front rotors - $200 DIY (these were new but sold as used)
sparking plugs - $80 DIY
air filter - $0 *(got it free with a car I bought previously)
pollen filter - $11
lightbulbs - $30 (damn little marker lights burnout frequently)
tires - 1 set so far $900 (not counting my snow or track wheels and tires)
brake fluid flush - 2 times at $100 DIY (took a while to get it right).
ignition switch $80 DIY
battery - $120
inner tie rod end - $600 not DIY

So what is all that...$3840. Is that a lot? I thought it would be less actually. I usually avoid adding these things up but I figured since you asked I'd rack my brain. Looks like the oil changes, the tires and the brakes ate up most of that.

I'm not complaining though. I daily drive mine and most days I end up telling myself how much I like this car. It's a keeper.

Upgrades added a bit by the way:

lightly used PSS9 coilovers - $1100 DIY
used H&R sway bars - $500 DIY
alignment and corner balance - $500
console delete - $150 DIY
track wheels and tires - $2000
snow wheels and tires - $1500
roof rack used $200

Geez - I don't want to add that all up again in a big hurry. I could have bought a nice used Honda with what I spent!! I sure would not have wanted to pay somebody to all of that work...figure on nearly doubling it!

B r i a n

If you live in a area that has a lot of leaves in the fall - you should remove the front bumper and clean out the radiators. The good news is there is no cost for parts, but you do have to spend time on your knees and back. If you are not up for it yourself, it could get pretty expensive.

Van

I do my own work, and for the average of the last 3 years, it's probably been $1k/yr. In addition to oil changes, that includes brakes and tires on a "pro-rated" basis, since those don't need to be done very year.

It also includes a new battery, a radiator fan resistor and an oil pressure sensor.

hopeforcash

Bought my 2003 C4Cab in the spring of 2010. No expenses up to the unpleasant surprise of the oil change. When they were about to do the oil change, there was oil visible just starting to come out. There was never any dripping on the ground.

Inspected the RMS, it was good but the IMS was leaking....

Changed the RMS seal anyways, upgraded the IMS to LN IMS, inspected the clutch and flywheel and decided preventive, clutch and flywheel replaced would be best since everything was apart ....and finally the oil change... end result $4,625

Car now in storage, but when spring comes around, will need an alignment and likely replace the tires as one has abnormal wear and they are all four about 5 years old. Think about it in the spring.

Graufuchs

What was his name???

ivangene

hope the next oil change is a little less $$$

Best of luck and many happy (S)miles

targa996

I just looked at my totals over last 4 years ... (excluding insurance, gas), About 5K miles per year. Some DIY, complex stuff at indie.

2011 - $1571 - including $750 stereo upgrade, PPI, minor service
2012 - $2712 - 60K serivce (DIY/Indie), front brakes (DIY), 4 tires (Sumitomo)
2013 - $3337 - RMS, IMS, AOS + misc (Indie)
2014 - $1411 - Rear tires, AGM battery, water pump (DIY), Brake Flush, Engine Mounts (DIY), Oil change (DIY)
2015 - $833 - to-date - Alternator (DIY), Rear Rotors (DIY), Oil (DIY), Water Hose (Indie)


Hope that gives some of the folks that are looking at running costs some idea - I think fairly typical

DBJoe996

It costs more to maintain, feed and house a race horse than a plow horse that lives in a field. If you can't afford a race horse, don't buy one. That being said, I don't mind the cost of the Porsche because of what it delivers. It's a damn super car for crying out loud. The running costs goes with the territory.

Joe Ricard

Nice Selfie

So far my car after 9 months of ownership has been a pleasant "get to know each other" experience. Had to bring some things up to standards from the previous owner. couple loose water hoses, the drive cables for power seat were missing, replaced shocks with M030 ROW kit, 997 SSK. and LN oil filter, all fluid changes, Engine, both diffs, water, and air filter. All DIY so not to bad.

Johns Pcar

First rule about maintenance; you don't talk about it.