vividck

Per the Macan maintenance check list, the transmission fluid should be changed every 40k miles or 4 years, and the spark plugs should be replace every 30k miles or 4 years. My car only has 12k miles, but it reaches the 4 years timeline. Just wonder if I should change transmission fluid and replace spark plugs now, or wait until it reaches the required mileages.

If I wait until the mileage justifies the maintenance, will it void the warranty as I couldn't follow the 4 years rule if any problem happens to the transmission or ignition system?

Terry Adams

Murphy is waiting for you while you wait.
Boggles me that Porsche spends big $$$$ on R&D and owners try to save on maintenance by delaying.
Do not know where exactly it says, but somewhere is the "whichever comes first" phrase.
Easier to just do what they tell me. Especially if worried about a warranty claim.

rdubu

One message I’ve gotten from the forums is service the PDK as scheduled if not sooner.

///Bruce

Unless you have a warranty that SPECIFICALLY STATES your PDK is covered, don’t wait to service it! Most warranties don’t cover PDK’s. Plugs? It’s a judgement call.

ram_g

This question comes up a lot in forums covering specialty sports cars that don't get driven a lot. Not usually for an SUV where the use case is different, but I don't see why the same principles wouldn't apply.

In effect, the knee-jerk responses of "yes, do the service at miles OR time" or "no, don't worry about it" are both incorrect without digging deeper into the specific service and WHY it is good or not to do it.

For all services, a common question is how the car was used that resulted in low miles - was it a lot of short trips without full warm up and cruise, or was it a few good long trips but spaced out in time. For the latter situation, a deeper question would be were the fewer long trips like cross-country every 6 months, or was it a nice drive in the countryside every month. The answers make a big difference. Many short trips is actually a type of severe service, and it would be best to service the car per the miles OR time requirements. Fewer long trips, as long as there wasn't too long of an interval where the car just sat, are much more benign. If it was my own personal car I would let the time requirement slide.

In addition to these common guidelines, there are specific considerations for the type of service. For spark plugs, a common problem is that they get seized in place and then impossible to remove - this happens with time, regardless of miles. So generally a good idea to replace spark plugs more or less according to the time schedule. In your case I might let it slide for another year or two but not till you reach the full miles. For transmissions, I would revert to the miles requirement except if the car was used for frequent short trips.

I hope all this makes sense. The bottom line is that the manufacturer specified limits are broad generalizations that attempt to put a worst case bound on how cars might get used. Only you, the owner, know how YOUR car was used and therefore what makes sense for servicing.

vividck

Thank you so much for all the details. My car fits into the situation of frequent short trips. I've bought all the parts and would do a DIY for this 4 years service.

Quadcammer

This is absolutely not a common problem. Most cars have a mileage schedule of up to 100k miles on spark plugs. This 4 year nonsense is just a bs porsche cash grab.

ram_g

Yes, but 100k miles over what duration? If the OP keeps up his current pace, he’d hit 100k miles in like 35 years. Good luck extracting original spark plugs at that point.

Terry Adams

With respect to those who have more Porsche maintenance experience than I do, I don't agree with let it go beyond the time.
Stories about $25K PDK replacement and plugs seizing, such little insurance cost by doing it at the time due.
Even if, like me, you have to "throw money at the dealer".

chong0

4 years? I was told 3 years for GTS models...

Tim Cooper

I'd very much agree, same with the 928 and 996 ime.

It's not just how much slip and wear is involved, any moisture is really bad for them so condensation.

Wrt the plugs they can seize in, had loads seize in alloy heads in UK when they started increasing change intervals; if you're unlucky a routine plug change becomes a head off job $$$$$$.

tmcayn

I doubt spark plugs are seizing. If worried about it take them out now and put anti-seize compound on the threads. Spark plugs run 50k easy. But they’re not expensive unless you choose expensive ones. Which make no difference.

Re: the PDK, break in the transmission, and change the fluid early - like 5k miles. You wanna dump out the break-in trash early. Then the 40k plan is feasible thereafter. But a shorter interval is better.

Porsche doesn’t want it to last forever, or care about the used-car buyers. If you follow the recommendations it well-built enough to satisfy the original purchaser running in its own barf. And the heck with the next 100k+ owner. By then they want the poor maintenance to get it off the road to make way for new car sales.

if you intend to keep it into the 100k, 200k, change the fluid more often, like 30k. An equal method, somewhat easier, is to change half the fluid, every 15k. With a suction rig using a shop-vac. Its pretty easy to make one with a 5-gal pail&lid.

Alex GTS

Here’s my Blackstone report. Based off the techs report, could have gone 50k - 60k with the original fluid. Although this is based off not regularly abusing the PDK with launch control.

Indy300

My new-to-me 2015 Turbo has not had spark plugs changed in about 35k miles. I replaced them over the weekend. What a difference!! The car idles so much smoother, and feels so much more peppy!

chassis

Agree.

Posts talking about 100k spark plug change come from fond memories of 1978 Crown Victorias. Spark plugs and coils degrade over time. Components like these are cost reduced over the years like everything else in the car. Change plugs in the 30k-50k mile range and change coils in the 60k-75k mile range. As noted above it makes a difference.