MountainStone

At 65,000 miles, I finally got around to changing the spark plugs on my 2011 Cayenne Turbo today. It took about two hours and I was not trying to hurry. I did have a moment of confusion/hesitation that illustrates why I like to do my own maintenance:

After removing all the plugs on the driver’s side I compared one to the new plugs, only to discover they did not match. The new plug was 3/8” longer than the old plug. Naturally I didn’t want to erroneously install a plug that extended 3/8” farther into a crowded combustion chamber so I called the vendor who specified and supplied the new plugs, RMeuropean. The rep looked up the correct plug for a 2011 Cayenne Turbo and confirmed the correct OEM spark plug is a BOSCH FR6NPP332 OE Fine Wire Double Platinum, which is what they had provided. I asked him to look up the part number of the plug I had removed from the car, a Bosch FGR6KQE. His system showed that part number was specified for a 04-06 Cayenne S but definitely NOT specified for the 4.8L V8. After disconnecting the call, I searched several other online vendors and all specified the same Bosch FR6NPP332 plug. Relieved, I installed the new plugs and the truck runs fine with them.

I have no service records from the original owner but the Carfax shows the 30,000-mile service was performed at the Newport, CA Porsche dealership. The plugs were scheduled for replacement at that mileage and I assume they were. I further assume the technician installed the incorrect plugs (and torqued them to what felt like 60 ft-lbs). The truck had no driveability issues, so it’s also possible the technician just installed plugs he knew would work.

Some quick notes on this easy job: I echo Don’s recommendation to stuff a couple shop towels between the cylinder head and the fender to catch any dropped screws; this saved me three times. My 6” socket extension is constructed such that an attached socket has a little wobble and this allowed me to reach all 8 plugs with no drama. The torque arm bolt is a T50 and the nut is a 16mm. I don’t have a 16mm socket or wrench but a 5/8” wrench works fine. The single most difficult task was removing and installing the T30 screw holding the engine trim piece on the rearmost passenger spark plug coil. You need a very low-profile solution. I inserted a T30 screwdriver bit and turned it with a ¼” box-end wrench. Not difficult to do, just took a minute to try several combinations before finding one that fit. Before I do this job again I will buy a magnetic 5/8” spark plug socket to make it a little easier, but I got by this time by sticking a patch of painter’s tape inside the socket to help the plug stay put (though I had to completely remove a freshly-torqued plug when I used too much tape and couldn’t get the socket off the plug).

TL;DR: Do your own maintenance to ensure it’s done correctly. Changing spark plugs on a 958 V8 is DIY-friendly.

desmotesta

At 65,000 miles, I finally got around to changing the spark plugs on my 2011 Cayenne Turbo today. It took about two hours and I was not trying to hurry.
I did have a moment of confusion/hesitation that illustrates why I like to do my own maintenance: After removing all the plugs on the driver’s side I compared one to the new plugs, only to discover they did not match.

The new plug was 3/8” longer than the old plug. Naturally I didn’t want to erroneously install a plug that extended 3/8” farther into a crowded combustion chamber so I called the vendor who specified and supplied the new plugs, RMeuropean.
The rep looked up the correct plug for a 2011 Cayenne Turbo and confirmed the correct OEM spark plug is a BOSCH FR6NPP332 OE Fine Wire Double Platinum, which is what they had provided.

I asked him to look up the part number of the plug I had removed from the car, a Bosch FGR6KQE. His system showed that part number was specified for a 04-06 Cayenne S but definitely NOT specified for the 4.8L V8. After disconnecting the call, I searched several other online vendors and all specified the same Bosch FR6NPP332 plug. Relieved, I installed the new plugs and the truck runs fine with them.I have no service records from the original owner but the Carfax shows the 30,000-mile service was performed at the Newport, CA Porsche dealership.

The plugs were scheduled for replacement at that mileage and I assume they were. I further assume the technician installed the incorrect plugs (and torqued them to what felt like 60 ft-lbs). The truck had no driveability issues, so it’s also possible the technician just installed plugs he knew would work.Some quick notes on this easy job: I echo Don’s recommendation to stuff a couple shop towels between the cylinder head and the fender to catch any dropped screws; this saved me three times. My 6” socket extension is constructed such that an attached socket has a little wobble and this allowed me to reach all 8 plugs with no drama.

The torque arm bolt is a T50 and the nut is a 16mm. I don’t have a 16mm socket or wrench but a 5/8” wrench works fine. The single most difficult task was removing and installing the T30 screw holding the engine trim piece on the rearmost passenger spark plug coil. You need a very low-profile solution.
I inserted a T30 screwdriver bit and turned it with a ¼” box-end wrench. Not difficult to do, just took a minute to try several combinations before finding one that fit. Before I do this job again I will buy a magnetic 5/8” spark plug socket to make it a little easier, but I got by this time by sticking a patch of painter’s tape inside the socket to help the plug stay put (though I had to completely remove a freshly-torqued plug when I used too much tape and couldn’t get the socket off the plug).TL;DR:

Do your own maintenance to ensure it’s done correctly. Changing spark plugs on a 958 V8 is DIY-friendly.

**** "fixed" for those with dyslexia like me *****

desmotesta

I will share my story that has the same moral..."Do your own Maintenance if at all possible"

My '13 GTS was purchased from a non-Porsche dealer and carfax/Porsche records couldn't confirm that the 40K service had been performed by previous owner.

I negotiated 40K mile service (to be performed at a Porsche dealer) as part of the deal.. Long story short, 40K service was performed at Porsche Charlotte NC.

Almost a year later, it was time to do my oil change so I decided to swap out stock drain plug for a magnetized one from ECS tuning, it was a GOOD thing I did.

I crawl under the car to drain oil, and found this (see pic).

The Porsche Dealer Tech had either stripped off the drain plug while torquing the drain plug, or the plug was ruined at an earlier date, and the Dealer Tech decided NOT to walk just 20 feet to the parts section and install a new $5.00 part.
The level of laziness, unprofessional-ism, disregard ( for other people's property) and utter carelessness it takes to do a $1800 job and not install a $5.00 part is unfathomable for someone like me. Being a tech, the person knew fully that it would be next to impossible for the next technician to remove that stripped drain bolt.


I am not a mechanic, never been trained as one, but if I can help it I do anything and everything within my limited skill level just so its done right. At times it means I have to wait an extra couple of weeks, I have to orders parts from multiple outlets, I have to deal with the unknown and things dont always go as planed, but one thing is for sure, I NEVER have to worry if the job was done right, if someone rushed through and took shortcuts, if someone was lazy or distracted, if someone over torqued bolts etc etc

wkearney99

You're assuming they even did the oil change. Could be they saw the messed up plug and just skipped the job entirely. I try to date or otherwise mark the oil filter to at least be able to tell if it was moved/changed. Sometime it's just a scratch laid into it in way I can see easily. Harder to do now with all the trim panels all over the place. Otherwise, yeah, if you have the time/setup there's nothing like being sure of it by doing it yourself. Especially if you take the time to collect and send a sample out for analysis.

desmotesta

You are correct. I may have been giving them way too much credit

I did have the used oil tested by blackstone and the report showed normal viscosity levels so either the Previous owner changed oil right before trading car or the dealer did change oil.

good point about marking dating oil filters.

I do all the oil changes but its good practice just in case.

MountainStone

Thanks! The forum software really messed up the formatting, but I went back and edited it into something more readable.

Yikes.


This. Paying extra for Porsche parts and Porsche service does not guarantee better workmanship or even adequate workmanship. All those "inspections" performed during every maintenance visit? I have zero faith the techs are actually checking operation, adjustments and tightness of fasteners, lubricating hinges and cleaning cowl drains. There is financial incentive for the tech to skip as much as possible and no negative repercussions for doing so (though of course they run a quick checklist looking for items they can upsell you, such as leaks or known wear items).

leftlane

I'm pretty sure plugs are supposed to be changed at 40k in the first place - nothing about this makes me feel warm and fuzzy.

MountainStone

Porsche specifies spark plug replacement at 40k miles for the base, S and hybrid; every 30k miles for the Turbo (the document I have was printed upon the release of the 958.1 and doesn't mention the GTS or Turbo S, which were released later).

Petza914

Even if they changed the oil, they may not have done it the traditional way by removing the drain plug. I've seen too many oil change places and car dealerships do it by sucking it out the top instead of draining it out the bottom, which is not nearly as complete a way to do it. I do any possible maintenance or repair I can myself to avoid someone not doing it to my standards or messing up my car, especially since I keep them for forever. It's also one of the reasons I don't buy extended warranties, and though it may save me some money overall in an expensive part or repair, it means I also have to turn it over to someone to have the warranty cover it.

GTorTT

Agree on doing what maintenance you can on your own. Took my '16 GT4 to the dealership for the first oil change. Pick up the car and drive home. Two days later, walk out in the garage and there is a large puddle of oil under the car. Called the dealer and they sent a flat bed to pick it up. Service advisor and his boss would never admit whether they stripped the plug or forgot to torque it appropriately. How a Porsche dealership can screw up the most basic service is beyond me. They must have had the receptionist or the car porter do it, instead of a factory-trained "technician".

MountainStone

Yikes. Have you inspected it yourself? I'd get under there to confirm the plug and pan are both in original condition. My fear would be the "technician" stripped the threads in the pan. If he did, I would make them replace the pan, not just "fix" it with an oversize plug or some other band-aid.

docwyte

Depending on the car, I sometimes suck the oil out through the dipstick tube. One day I was curious, so after I did that, I went underneath the car and removed the drain plug to see how much came out. Answer? Not a significant amount. My oil sucker thing has marks to let me know how many quarts were removed, so I knew I was pretty much getting it all. Pulling the drain plug just confirmed it.

I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to suck the oil out through the top on my Cayenne diesel, or do it the traditional way from underneath. I have a lift now, so its not that much more of a PITA to get underneath the truck...

dhc905

RAudi Driver

I don't know if you can pull oil from the top of the cayenne. There's no dipstick tube.

Petza914

My 09 TTS has a dipstick. Yellow loop at the front of the motor.