many people have gotten into these cars lately as the cost to purchase them has dropped precipitously over the last few years. only to find that simple maintenance and repairs are cost prohibitive so they run on bald tires and don't change oil and neglect to top off fluids regularly. that would be a mistake. change your oil, bro! then you're not "mixing' oil types and brands. if that's an issue ( or you don't have the time (?! ) you'd be better served with a different vehicle. if you do maintain a fairly strict ( factory recommended or better ) service schedule, the car will reward you every time you drive. don't skimp on service items or oil changes, is my main point.

also, you CAN use that techron injector stuff once in a while and it does actually noticeably improve throttle repsonse if your injectors are clogged, but again, NEW injectors per service recommendations ( like at least at 60k! if not before ) are a better idea. they're not expensive in the overall scheme of owning and maintaining these cars and well worth switching out as needed.

 

I appreciate the input and I am just trying to figure out what I need to do to care for my new baby. It is a 2004 with 15k miles on it. I replaced the rear tired and change the oil both a couple k miles ago. Obviously there is a cost of ownership, but I also am trying to be reasonable and understand. Making arrangements to drop my car off at a dealer for a week and $1,000 later for an oil change and topping off fluids sends a different message than a 15 minute local Jiffy Lube. I tell friends that a boat is for people who can't afford a Porsche. But, also as I said I am used to the low maintenance of cars like mainstream Japanese - I just some guidance as to what to plan for and expect - particularly before I get hammered with something really expensive.

-m

 

I hear ya. There's definitely a learning curve to owning these cars. This place is your best bet for daily reading!
Given the oil was recent changed? It's probably factory fill Mobil 1 0- 40. Top off with that. NEVER go to jiffy lube with this car. They'll probably f it up!

 

all depends on the driving and the Hp. if your car is stock and you don't drive it hard, full oil is fine.. i burn about 1/4 Q every 500 miles, drive it hard.. i also keep it two bars below full due the the added Hp. i'd change the oil, its been a year, and check it every time you pull back in the driveway so you know your car! thank god for warring lights!!

 

Do you guys really think that manufacturers of oils really want to risk the legal implications of using chemicals that would not blend with many of the other manufactures oils, at least if they did they would put some strongly worded warnings on their labels.

Here this is right from Valvoline’s web site, then some others.......

Switching between conventional and other types & brands of motor oil is bad for my engine.
Conventional, synthetic blend, synthetic, and high mileage motor oils are compatible. Mixing or switching between types & brands of motor oil is not harmful to your engine.


» I converted the customer from 'Company X' to Valvoline and the customer reported sudden increase in oil consumption. Is my product at fault?
This classic complaint can happen in < 5-10% cases when changing brands of motor oils. This has been occurring for years, and can occur when changing from one brand to the other (same company), as well as one company to another.

Remember, in all such changes, increase in consumption of oil is observed for a short period of time (1-2 change intervals), and then returns to the previous low level. Interestingly, if one returns to the original brand, higher oil consumption is again observed!
» Can we mix two different brands of engine oils?
Technically it is possible to do so provided the new oil has the same performance level as the old oil. However, mixing oil brands (read topping-up) on a continuous basis is not a good idea. You should also be aware that engines typically go through a period of adjustment when making the transition from one oil to another. Because brands could be formulated with different additive chemistries, a new brand may act differently than the old one at first. Increased oil consumption and leaking seals are common adjustment problems.


Can AMSOIL motor oils be mixed with other brands?
Answer: Yes. AMSOIL motor oils can be mixed with other motor oil brands; however, mixing AMSOIL products with other brands may decrease the effectiveness of AMSOIL oils and compromise their extended drain capability. Mixing other oils with AMSOIL motor oils also may void the AMSOIL limited warranty.


Shell -- Specifications and approvals
Because lubricants vary in quality, universal criteria are used to describe oil performance and usage. Shell motor oils not only meet these increasingly demanding international specifications but usually surpass them.
Our scientists perform a variety of tests that measure the ability of Shell oils to resist breakdown and disperse dirt. We also test our competitors’ oils, so that we can benchmark our lubricants and demonstrate the benefits of using Shell Helix oils.

We also realize that real world usage requires compatibility with other oils that are available within specific market areas.


I know that there are instances of incompatibility out there in the market place; but much of what is shared about these subjects is folklore and myth that is propagated on forums such as this one.

So many people Pine and worry over the details such as getting the absolute very very very best oil in the world yet most wear occurs at start up or due to human error.

If someone was worried about engine life and oil issues you would be better off getting a pre-oiling system installed on there car.

 

$1000 oil change and fluid sounds like you are being completely fooled, time to change dealer or talk to a car friend who can call the BS when getting a quote.

Then some basics; these car have a dry sump. Oil level is measured in the dry sump oil tank.

If you have it at the top level in the dash measurement it means you will have more oil volume in the dry sump tank available to be rotated through the engine before it comes back into the tank, meaning oil lives slightly longer, each ounce of oil gets a tiny longer rest in the tank before getting pumped into the action again.

There's no reason to run mid level or low level except being lazy to top off.
It's not like a regular wet-sump where too much oil could get whipped by the crank into oil mist.

However generally top off 1/2 quart at a time then check level until you hit the "high" mark.

mfrist:
As part of learning what it means to own next to a supercar, the engine for a 996TT runs roughly $20.000, not including labor. Engine oil (and coolant) is your only insurance to minimize the risk of the engine ceasing into a pile of junk metal. It's not meant to "scare", just important information that could help you stay on the safe side.

The comparison to mainstream cars is that mass produced commuter modules are built for completely normal people with no car knowledge or interest, the cars have low performance, low demands on engine, you can run low quality oils from anywhere because there's not much going on inside the engine compared to a 400-500 hp engine. Ignorance from owners is also expected so there are margins built in to run oil low on the stick, plus replacement engines are relatively dirt cheap.

First thing to do when you have had an oil change done is to check the level right after, did they fill it to 25% or 100%? Before you know that, it's impossible to judge the oil consumption rate. You have 15k miles on the car so it should be minimal, however turbo cars can as a very general rule drink a little more oil than non-turbo cars and this is normal and you are actually so low on mile that your car might need some more time and inspired driving to perfectly seat all seals and bearings.

As other mentioned, oil consumption can vary slightly over time, and depends on oil quality as well as driving style and driving pattern. My previous 996TT that had 19k miles when I got it went down in consumption after a couple of thousand miles with inspired driving. --- EDIT see above poster about changing oil types, this could be the case for me that I went to another oil type and after it settled into the engine after a couple of oil changes consumption got down to normal/low.

 

Get an independent Porsche repair shop and learn some basic DIYs from the site. You can do an oil change for $100 (or less even) yourself; I plan on doing my first one on this car this weekend .

Parts are obviously a little more expensive on a Porsche but overall, the expensive part is the cost of labor, especially at a stealership (and even more so at a Porsche one!).