tbonesteak33

Hello,

Apologies in advance if this has already been asked. I just received an oil change notification for my 970 4S (4.8 V8 PDK). However, my dealer told me that because I add a quart of oil approximately every 1,500 miles or so, that the oil is still fresh and that it is not necessary to change the oil right away. Can someone verify / counter this? My last oil change was at about 68,000 miles in June of 2019, and the odometer currently reads 76,000 miles. I have added new oil every 1,500 miles since the oil change. The last thing I want is to ruin such a beautifully-built engine.

I should point out that I don't have a service plan, and that the dealer would make money off of my service. Trying to rule out the cash-grab factor.

Thanks!

small car lover

8K miles and one year? Sounds like a good time for an oil change. Yes, you could pull an oil sample and have it tested. I'm confident you would get a result saying you could extend the interval. Yes, you are adding fresh oil but any fine particulates not captured in the filter are accumulating in the oil. The manuals call out 1 year / 10k miles. You are essentially there. How much money are you actually saving by extending the interval by a few months? $30? $50? You have to decide if that it worth it to you. I personally change oil once a year. The oil analysis consistently comes back saying I could extend the interval. The oil analysis also says the engine has very low wear. I choose to stay with the yearly change.

tbonesteak33

Thanks for the reply. It's not really about the money that I'm saving. If anything, I firmly believe that the best way to save money in the long-term is to maintain the car properly (especially a Porsche) and that's why I was confused by the fact that the dealer advised me that it wasn't necessary. My question is whether or not my dealer gave me correct advice. I may be taking a very long drive down to Florida from the Northeast, and I want to make sure my car is in the best condition it can be in.

small car lover

My guess, based on having quite a few oil samples analyzed, is that the oil will test acceptable for the oil properties (viscosity, flashpoint,etc) and TBN (the additive package) will be fine as well. I also belive you woud have silicon (dirt essentially), aluminum, iron, copper and other wear metals in the oil. If the dealer told you the oil is still "fresh" I would ask what is the definition of "fresh"? It would not be what I would consider fresh because of contaminants that have collected over the last year and 8k miles. I don't disagree with the dealer that it is not necessary to change the oil right now. The motor will not fail on a trip to FL as a result of not changing the oil. I personally feel it's prudent to change the oil from a long term ownership perspective.

tbonesteak33

That's pretty much my line of thought. It's probably not necessary, but I love my car and I want to keep it in as good condition as possible. Porsches last forever because their owners care deeply about their cars. I want to show the same respect to mine. Thanks for the replies. I think I will go ahead with that oil change.

Stay safe and drive on!