Spiffyjiff

i have slightly less than 10k mi's on my 2006 911S which i bought little over 1 yr ago. svc guy just informed me that i should bring it in (but other than hearing "oil change", i wasnt really paying attention when he told me what "service" was going to take 3-4 hrs). is this right??? i thought when i bought the car, the salesman said "2yrs or 20k mi's, whichever comes first".

any help would be appreciated.

Winstondry

Funny, I dropped off my 06 997S with 13K miles in for maintenance today. The service light came on and I was going to bring it in to have them reset it, at the same time I wanted the air filters changed due to all ash in the air here in SoCal. I went ahead and had them do the minor maintenance at their recommendation, no oil change as it was done at 10K. The pollen filter and wiper blades are being replaced, and everything else was just being checked, this came out to $350 which sounded exorbitant to me. Does this sound right or am I being cheap? They also recommended having the brakes serviced but I need to check with the previous owner to see if that was done at 10K too.

Nine9Sixer

i understand most dealers will recommend to have the car serviced at 20k miles or every 12months, whichever comes first. we all know p dealers gouge their customers on the maintenance intervals. the 30k service on my 996 was nothing more than a $900 oil/filter change. i'm a sucker though and do these things because i think it will help with resale value and deal with any warranty issues they might want to disclaim.

Edgy01

Today's "911" requires considerably less service than they used to. Having been driving these things since the 1970s I can tell you that little needs to be done. I am approaching 20,000 and the little "service coming up" thing has been flashing lately. What I will most likely do is change the oil and filter again (done at 10,000), replace the cabin filter, the air filter, and flush the brake fluid. I will do all the visual inspection stuff that the dealership will do, but I will feel better doing it myself as I don't have to worry about some guy dinging the doors, scratching the paint or leaving grease on the leather. No one will take better care of a car that yourself and if you have any automotive skills will be better off doing some of the really simple stuff yourself. Simply document the work you have done, and have the shop reset the computer so that it doesn't keep bothering you. $350 for such simple little things is nuts. Keep in mind that most $100,000 car owners today don't have (1) the time nor (2) the inclination to do anything that requires getting their hands dirty. The more you do yourself the more you will learn about your car and ward off issues down the road. I would be GREATLY shocked that you would need to have your brakes 'serviced' in any way,--you only have 13,000 miles on it. I will mic my calipers to see how they are doing and look at my pads. But to do more is not needed with so few miles.

TX996

Oil Change about $130
Pollen Filter $45-$50?
Wiper Blades $25-30 bucks
1.5 or so hours labor for filter and bladesand checkout at $110ish an hour?
Tax

Sounds about right to me...sadly..wish it was lower...
Welcome to Porsche....

tkids

Dan, I couldn't agree more! I do it with my Volvo and plan on doing it with the C4S. Just tackled the Winter Tire set. Self installed the TPM sensors on the wheels. Just installed the set on the Car and got to learn all about how the spacers work. Getting smarter by the day!!!!

MichaelL

In 25,000 miles & 2+ years, I have had the oil changed 3 times, including the 20K service at the dealer. Brake fluid flush at 2 years. It needs new wiper blade rubbers & a detailing now. The only expensive servicing required is changing out tires. Had new rears at 10K & changed all four at 21K.

911Dave

I just had my first oil change yesterday at 1780 miles, which is all I've put on the car since taking delivery in March. I wouldn't normally change the oil so soon, but I'm preparing it for winter storage and it's not good to leave the contaminants in your engine oil, especially considering the high level of wear that has occurred during breakin. The owner's manual recommends it and every Porsche guru I've ever known insists on fresh oil before storage.

That was slightly off topic, but I think a point to be made is that the 20k service interval is not realistic during the first 20k miles. I would never, under any circumstances, let a brand new car go past 3k without changing the oil and filter. The majority of engine wear comes during those first few thousand and the oil gets loaded up with metal fragments and other contaminants that damage an engine over time.

Forget what your salesman said. In fact, do yourself a favor and forget EVERYTHING he ever said to you. Salesmen aren't car guys like us and they don't know what they're talking about. Don't listen to the service rep either (the guy wearing a tie who checks you in and tells you where the coffee is).

My oil and filter change (nothing else but that) cost me $168. What's $168/yr matter? Hell, my car payment is $2,200/mo.

Deanski

Here is an excelent link by OCBEN on how to change your oil.

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...ght=oil+change

Great pictures and step-by-step on how to do it yourself and save some $$ before storage or whenever you choose.

Deanski

Crazy Canuck

You guys should read the 20k service list of things they check. It's nothing too elaborate.

Winstondry

Got bad news when I picked up my car yesterday afternoon. They saw early signs of RMS failure. Since I didn't bring it in for that nor did I even mention it, they couldn't fix it. I was told to keep an eye on it and bring it back. I hadn't heard of RMS failure in the 997's. Bummer.

TD in DC

To play the devil's advocate here, I ALWAYS take my modern Porsches to the dealer for routine servicing. Could I do it myself? ABSOLUTELY. No question. Would it be cheaper to do so? ABSOLUTELY. No question. So, why would I take it to a dealer? Simple.

Your dealer, and specifically your tech manager, is your liason to Porsche with respect to all warranty coverage issues. The manner in which they write claims, and how hard they fight, will determine, in some cases, whether an issue is covered by the warranty. As such, it pays to have a good relationship with them. The routine maintenance is a way that they make money. Taking the car to them, and only them, while it is covered by the warranty ensures that only they have touched the car, they know what has been done to the car, and they will be more likely to help you (or so this has been my experience). The routine maintenance is such a little thing in the grand scheme of things that it is worth it to me to let them have it.

Secondly, when you go to sell the car, buyers LOVE to see the dealer maintenance records. Sure, you might do it better, but, from a buyer's perspective, who the hell are you?

ChipAZ

Dan is right, compared to the early 911's there is not that much to do with these car's. Which is one thing that I like about Porsche's being a long way from the nearest dealer.

I have heard that Porsche will reduce it's service intervals to 12,000. The reason is that the crude we are getting isn't as light and sweet as it used to be. With a lot of our oil coming from shale. I don't know if that's true.

Deanski

I would schedule a date and time to drop it off so they can determine just how bad it may be. It's one of those things you really don't want to just "keep an eye on it" as it may be serious, or possibly a minor fix.

Nonetheless, with these cars costing the way they do and how they designed them, it's in your best interest to get it looked at as soon as possible. You'll also be doing others a favor as any possible issues with other engines may be able to be updated as they find the casting date stamp on the block and verify with Porsche AG if there is a trend or if this is just a one-off case.

Don't delay, I'd get it back in just to be safe.

Regards,
Deanski

Deanski

TD makes a very valid point. And a damn good one as well.

I have yet to change the oil by myself and yes it may save me some money. However, since my car is leased, I'm not taking chances. I had a dealer change it last spring and will have my selling dealer do it next time. The dealer that did the oil change charged me upwards of $10.50 or so a quart. I did ask for the crystal decanter from where the oil came from. I asked next time if they wouldn't mind putting on a mask so I know that I'm being robbed! Next time, I'll bring my own oil just as I did when I had the Lexus SC430 and used Mobil-1 in that. Since it wasn't a scheduled service or first service, no stamp, just a receipt. Only stamp I have is from delivery.

Anyway, I'm at 14K miles and come next spring, I'll go in for the full 20K service and brake flush since it's two years already. Just to be safe. They still have yet to find the noise from my PCCB's in front. Sounds like a bad bearing when I turn in one direction, or just going straight. Since they are PCCB's, most dealers wait for a Porsche regional rep to look at it due to cost while under warranty. No dealer wants to flip the bill for a wrong call on PCCB's.

Do what you think is right, but ALWAYS read your warranty book prior to doing anything that may jepordize the warranty.

Regards,
Deanski