rennlistfan

I had my last oil change at ~7k miles in Dec 2011. Now the interval oil change reminder is up again. Is the yearly oil change essential or money grab on my low mileage Pana 4 V6? It has only ~14k miles at the moment. Thanks!

pmichaelis

I use an oil analysis to check my oil change intervals, try Blackstone although there are others. I don't trust either the preordained changes nor the old fashioned advice.

rennlistfan

How do I get oil sample from the engine for Blackstone? Will Blackstone make recommendation whether you need to change your oil or not based on the test results as I have no idea about oil chemistry?

How do I disable the oil change reminder nag screen every time I start the car if oil change is not necessary?

Thanks!

pmichaelis

When you change the oil or have it changed just capture a sample in a clean container. Blackstone will provide you with all the mailing accessories, just go to their site for information. They will give you an estimate of how much further you could have gone on the sample provided. I bought a code reader from Durametric and can do it myself.

MJBird993

I think that since Porsche recommends it and not the dealer, it's a good guideline to follow for the health of your engine rather than a money grab. Can you go two years? Sure. Will it hurt your engine? Probably not that you'd notice. Will your engine last longer if you change it every year? Probably.

However... I changed mine this past December at just 5K miles because it was a year old. My car sat at the dealer for a bit before I bought it in late July. Why then did I spend the money and time (I did it myself) to change the oil? The odds of me keeping this car for 10 years, much less 5, is pretty slim. My attitude is that these are very expensive cars with very high tech engines, and a oil change is peanuts compared to what it would cost to repair or replace these engines.

So, if you want to be a cheapo and skip an oil change, go right ahead. But for what you spent on this car already, isn't it worth it a few hundred bucks to keep it in good health?

Oh, one more thought. If Porsche recommends a certain service and you don't do what they say, and you have a warranty issue later, they'll have a good position to deny your claim. I'm not saying that they will, I'm just saying that it's a possibility. And you don't have to have Porsche do the change, you can pay a shop to do it, just don't take it Jiffy Lube or Wal-Mart. They will mess it up. There is a very specific, detailed, unique procedure to servicing these cars, and if they screw up and over (or under) fill the oil, you will be out some serious coin then. Find a service center that is familiar with these cars and engines, or use Rennlist to learn how to do it yourself.

HTH