fast1

Therefore, a 20,000 mile recommended oil change interval orginally suggested by Porsche is wrong and was issued for no other reason than to be "green".

So you are suggesting that Porsche is taking an action that could hurt its bottom line, just to be "green." Let's not forget that Porsche routinely certifies a large percentage of its cars for 100K miles. It would be hard for me to believe that Porsche would do anything to hurt its bottom line.

To me the most logical reason for the recommendation is that Porsche Engineering believes that you only need to change the oil every two years. I can't believe that Porsche would lose any sales whatsoever if they cut the interval in half, and recommended annual oil changes.

Maybe the reason for the confusion is that so many Dealerships recommend much more frequent oil changes. Gee I wonder why they would do that.

1999Porsche911

It is all about compromise. Increase some risk to gain somthing else. In this case, their ability to show a reduction in maintenance costs as well as being a good steward of the environment. Why did Porsche recently change the recommended intreval from 20,000 to 15,000 miles? Did they find engine damage?

Do you honestly think that Porsche's "lifetime" coolant really means that you never have to change it? You can run Mobil 0W40 in order to get better fuel economy at the cost of less protection and more oil consumption. Just more compromises.

As far as Porsche hurting their bottom line...... it's all about risk/reward. The gamble is that only a few engines will result in noticable damage while repair of those engines remains Porsche's responsability. And most potential buyers will not be driven away no matter what happens. I mean, they keep buying these cars even when Porsche tells them that it is ok for these " precision" machines to burn 9+ gallons of oil every 15,000 miles.

You should sit on a few corporate boards and you would be shocked by some of the compromises being made in all industries.

JFScheck

Wow - someone is having bad luck - One Cayenne S, a Boxster, a 911 - and NONE have burned more than 2 quarts total between them (Cayenne was 4 years, Boxster is 4 years, 911 is two)....

Crazy...

Mark1996

Uh oh, 1999Porsche911 has gone and done it. He has mentioned the Mobil 1 0W40 issue. This is bound to turn this thread into a 10 or 15 page thread.

The engine oil issue is such an emotional issue. Do some of us still refuse to use multigrade oils in their air cooled 911's? That was a big debate back in the late sixties and early seventies. Now, we have the 15W-50 versus 0W-40 debate.

What do I think? It doesn't matter what I think. We are going to change our oil as often as we like regardless of what Porsche says or what your neighbor says about some article he read a year ago.

1999Porsche911

None of my cars burn or leak any oil. However, look through this forum and you'll find lots of people burning a quart every 800 miles or so. Porsche's official position is that there is no problem burning as much as 1 quart every 600 miles. Simply amazes me that people are so stupid and accept it as if nothing is wrong. A car should burn no measurabe amount of oil between changes.

Stephenkng

I believe that Mobile 1 claim that their oil will last for 15k unless you have the extended one that claim for 20k. I believe the dealer is using the regular Mobile 1 that should be a 15k oil. If the oil only last 15k, why you should change you oil every 20k. I believe that is another reason why Porsche change the oil change schedule to every 15k.

neil.schneider

I do mine 1 time a year and do between 4 or 5k miles.

Deanski

Like I said, it could be worse!

Porsche could have required Shell Helix oil which is big $$ per quart. Ask any Enzo owner (Enzo owner shouldn't whine) but it's still absured for this oil.

Deanski

fast1

You could be right because I certainly don't have access to any data that would prove that your obseravtions are groundless. In my case maintenance costs were not a factor at all in my buying a Porsche. Let's face it, Porsches are far from cheap, and it's counterintuitive to me that even a small percentage of 997 buyers would be swayed by a 20K mile/two year maintenance window.

In other words does it seem plausible that some buyer woul be on the fence with their $90K purchase, and they would be pushed over the top when the salesman told them about the two year maintenance window? I certainly could see a long maintenance interval interval being a strong factor in buying a $15K Toyota Corolla or Hyundai Elantra, but not on a Porsche. Moreover, I have to believe that a large percentage of Porsche owners, including me, ignore the two year interval and change their oil at least once a year.

We are all different and maybe the long mainteance interval does sway sales as you suggest, but it certainly had a zero impact on my decision.

1999Porsche911

I was not speaking of the individual buyer when it came to longer change intrevals, but the company as a whole. A manufacturer is always pressured to reduce their products's maintence costs as well as lower environmental impact. So, as a corpration, cutting in half, the frequency of changes and therefore, the amount of oil used, goes a long way in satifying these demands.

As you state, I doubt the maintenance costs weighed too heavily on most Porsche buyers when making their purchase decision. Afterall, if value was their primary concern, a Porsche would not be on their shopping list.

jayster

Close enuff to 3000 fo me.

roncw

My dealer just told me that the new recommended interval is 12,000 miles or 1 year for oil changes.

Dan87951

If you plan on doing long drain intervals still check the fluid levels every 3k.

BED997

I got a report back from Blackstone Labs ( for an oil analysis) that said the average sample they get on 911s is 4,200 miles...

Fahrer

I think the reason that Porsche moved to a shorter interval for oil changes with the 2008 model year is that they must have learned something along the way. I would use that shorter interval for all 997's. (I change mine once per year which is about every 3,500 miles.) The DI package gets used up no matter what oil you have in there ( synthetic or mineral). There are additives to protect the engine from what's in the oil and to protect the oil from the engine. These additives become less effective no matter what the base stock is.