spooltime

So the factory shop manual says to change the spark plugs every 30K miles. The plugs in my car were last changed at 31,000 when the 30K mile service was performed at a Porsche dealer prior to my ownership of the car. The car now has just over 44K miles on it. Is it too soon to change the plugs?

Does the answer change if the last plug change was back in 2010 (that is when the 30K service was done)? Car still runs great, but I'm thinking the plugs are long overdue just from an age standpoint. Anyone disagree that the plugs need changing?

Dock

I wouldn't change them.

s65e90

Yea, age plays a role too as they can get tough to remove over time. Mine have been in the car for a while too and are overdue but it runs great so I leave it be.

rileyracing1

Yes too soon the plugs are fine and will be for quite sometime ... You are more likely to experience a coil pack issue before any with your plugs. They are good for at least another 20k. Don't worry about them they are just fine.

993GT

preventive maintenance is the best maintenance...

Carlo_Carrera

If you are going to change them yourself I would say go for it, but if you are paying to have it done I would wait.

pfbz

Assuming a stock tune? Or at least a non-aggressive tune?

At 13K miles on the plugs and with zero symptoms your plugs are probably firing just fine and a long way from misfire...

Do it:
As pointed out, there is some potential for increased difficulty in future removal, and if you are doing the work yourself, plugs are cheap, and you certainly won't hurt anything changing your plugs. Particularly if you are planning on adding a tune...

Don't Do It:
On the other hand, if you are not doing the work yourself, dealers and even most indy's charge a small fortune for a plug change on our Turbos. Spend the $1K the dealer would likely charge on on something else.

Verdict:
I'd personally not worry about it, try to actually put some miles on your car, and in another 10K miles, change out the plugs and coil packs.

"02996ttx50

plugs go bad long before coils do. coils ( can ) crack under extreme heat conditions coupled with wear, as plugs wear faster in tuned cars and those that get stomped on. it is not unusual nor excessive, for those that really push their tuned cars to swap plugs at ( approx ) 15k intervals. the car thanks those of us that do.

i've never once taken out plugs that didnt look "due".

if you "put" around and don't push the car, then the factory 30k interval is fine.

spooltime

Car is strong running a X50 FVD tune. But since I'll be doing them myself, I think I'll go ahead and install fresh plugs and coils. A fresh set of plugs after 9 years doesn't seem like overkill. I appreciate everybody's opinions.

pfbz

Agree, if you're running a tune, and doing it yourself, easy decision. Do them....

I'd suggest also replacing the coil packs while you have the car apart, or at a minimum, doing a very careful inspection for micro-cracks.

But at only about $35/each online, money well spent to swap them out and not worry about them for another 30-50K miles.

"02996ttx50

agree, if you're not looking at the plugs annually, do NOT swap them now and neglect to swap the coils would be my advice.

the coils will last for years while plugs are about a 3 to 1 ratio as compared to "needing" to replace coils. + or -.

spooltime

I'm doing plugs and new coils. After 15 years, fresh coils make complete sense. Thanks for all the input.

"02996ttx50

even if the car ran perfectly before? it will run "better" after you do them. it never fails.

TheDeckMan

I do them every 10k miles (2 years), normally works out perfect for cleaning the IC's ect. Over the years found that doing this even on the VW's/Audis/Saabs extends the life of the coil. Hell my Saab still is running the original coils with 230+K miles like a champ.