rasetsu

Biggest potential issue is engine fire as the oil coats more and more components including hot exhaust parts. And before anyone says "engine oil isn't flammable", no, not in the sense of like gasoline but it can very much still burn. https://firefighterinsider.com/is-mo...-be-surprised/ Fortunately the exhaust components on the Macan are pretty far back and the oil leaks at the very front. I'd guess this is the main reason why Porsche hasn't had to issue a recall. Oil can still get to weird places though.

Other than that, it will also get all over electrical connectors and belts. Essentially things that don't like oil on them. So catastrophic engine failure is unlikely but ruining other components is pretty likely.

///Bruce

There are two types of people in htis world when it comes to their vehicles. For some, it's a simple means of transportation. It gets them from point A to Point B. Unless they run their vehicle through a carwash at a gas station, or their teen needs it for a date that weekend, they don't wash it, let alone wax it. Rarely will they check the tire pressure of the wheels unless someone honks at them on the road and yells 'Hey. You're getting a flat'. And, until a check engine light comes on, they don't check the oil level. It's this same individual who feel oil leaks 'ain't no big thang'. Let's be clear up front: a vehicle is not to leak any fluids. Ever. Engines are not designed to leak fluids. The owners manual on no-car-ever states to check the oil level every week cause the engine may leak fluid. The days of leaking cars like the Chevrolet Corvair are long gone. You have a leak, you have a problem. Or not...

JonCanadian

Or you have a Land Rover

patrickkirby

I'm assuming the timing belt cover leak is not applicable to the 4 cylinder models ?

weston98

From what I've read it only affects the V6 engines for certain years.

jkirkerx

I know it’s an old post:

knew they were aluminum bolts and I understand why, expansion and contraction as the engine heats and cools. Plus all steel bolts will increase engine weight. But the extra 90 degree TTY turn according to your calculations is too much. And it’s not like we can back them off 45 degrees, cause there already stretched.

appreciate the info and this makes the most sense to me. Very objective conclusion.

I bought a 2018 CPO GTS w 37K and had the dealer put it on the lift, and I visually inspected everything before I left. A pre flight check to make sure the car is safe before my long drive home. I got a good look at the cars actual condition, and was quite surprised!

///Bruce

Keep in mind that steel and aluminum materials don’t like each other.

jkirkerx

I was thinking the same thing. But Ford has been doing it for decades.

XLR82XS

Plus Audi. Anyone dealing with control arms on B5, B6, B7? platforms will know.

worf928

To be clear the torque + angle for the bolts was from the WSM. My guess as to final torque on the aluminum bolts was just that: a guess. Keep in mind that torque on a fastener is a measure of thread friction not elongation and that the latter is what determines clamping force.

Meh. A properly electroplated steel bolt will do just fine, for decades, in an aluminum hole. If said hole is for a water jacket surface, or fastener is not plated, then a little bit of copper-based anti-seize does the trick.

And so has Porsche. The difference is that Porsche (and I presume other mass-producers) stopped electroplating bits a decade or two ago. I now sometimes get new bits that are already rusted inside a sealed Porsche-labeled bag.

worf928

Wait…

… I now better understand your post.

Right: the aluminum fasters have been stretched beyond their elastic range. Whether or not they were intended to be single-use bolts originally, they are in practice.

IMO, Aluminum bolts were not selected due to expansion/contraction. Steel bolts would have been just fine if either electroplated or otherwise properly coated(*).

Aluminum was selected for other reasons. My *bet* would be because they are both cheaper and lighter than steel. Those are true statements, but PAG may have had additional/other reasons.

(*) The 928 engine is all aluminum with steel fasteners. I spend many 100s of hours per year turning those fasteners on all ages of 928s.

MrMarco

Holy cow, I need a degree in metallurgy, meteorology, whatever, just to understand what y'all are talking about. Popped bolts, nothing new here for Porsche.

burgerdog

I just bought a 17 GTS this past Sunday and noticed an oil leak when I took it out of the garage. I think that warranty is about to pay for itself.

RCMAC

New member. First post. Would appreciate any helpful advice.
I have a 2016 Macan S that I bought new. Low mileage, about 26K. Love the car. Not driven much during pandemic.
Took it in last week for scheduled / overdue major service, and the inspection turned up this oil leak at the timing cover. I've learned a lot about that now from reading this thread.
Repair estimate is for 50 hours of labor and about $14,000. Out of warranty. Does that seem excessive?
Would it be a good idea to seek another estimate from an independent repair shop, if I can find one?
It's also almost time for PDK service and new tires, which would cost another $2400 combined.
The car had a trade value of about $37,000 before this oil leak diagnosis. It's hard for me to come to grips with spending nearly half that trade value in order to keep the car, so I'm thinking about trading it in on something else.
Thanks for any thoughts.

rasetsu

My suggestion to you is to join PCA so you can network with other Porsche owners specifically in your area to find independent shop recommendations. Membership is $40 a year. The estimate you have is on par with full blown dealership hourly rates. An independent shop may be able to do the repair for a quarter to half less. Depending on which bolt head it's leaking from, there's also a bandage repair that doesn't require the full engine removal that can be performed for approximately $1500.