This lifetime coolant claim is where I disagree with Porsche. You can do as you wish.

For me I decided to change the coolant (no flush, just a straight drain and refill with fresh mixture of Porsche anti-freeze and distilled water) every 4 to 5 years.

Before it came time to do the first one I hit some road debris and lost a radiator and all the coolant.

The next time this was due to be done the water pump required replacing (at 172K miles). I had the water pump and T-stat replaced and the coolant replaced.

The 3rd time this was due (I guess, I lost track of time) the coolant tank failed and I had the coolant renewed along with of course the coolant tank.

The car now is at 285K miles and all the cooling system hardware is original other than the one radiator and the coolant tank, oh and the coolant tank cap and water pump. The replacement water pump has over 113K miles on it.

When I got my 03 Turbo (with 10K miles) in 2009 I vowed to follow the same schedule. Little did I know I'd follow it by first running in to a mule deer and busting a radiator (among things). This occurred back in July 2009. Skip ahead to earlier this year and after I having added around 100K miles to the car by then when it was found the water pump was leaking and needed to be replaced. So I had the coolant replaced at that time.

Sure with fewer miles but just 1 year newer parts than my Boxster the Turbo cooling system except that new passenger side radiator, oh and the coolant tank cap and water pump is all original.

There is no need to flush the system. Just open the engine drains and remove a hose at the water pump to drain the system completely. I have not done this myself, but let the Porsche techs do it. They also refill the system using some slick vacuum power coolant lift system that pulls a vacuum on the system (enough the hoses collapse) and then switch over from the vacuum pump to a connector to a tank of fresh coolant open to atmospheric pressure which pushers the coolant mixture into the engine's coolant tank and the rest of the engine's cooling system with no air pockets in about as much time as it takes me to type this paragraph. Slick. I have never had any air pockets in either car's cooling system after having it refilled this way. Were I a DIY kind of guy doing my own coolant changes I'd have one of these vacuum lift systems in a heartbeat.

 

I used the vacuum tool (attached to my compressor) when I changed my coolant and it is one of my favorite tools. You are able to check the cooling system for leaks under vacuum, then fill the system up with coolant in several minutes with no air pockets.
The cost is about $100.00 but money well spent.

 

Total capacity is about 8 gallons - how much is in the reservoir?

 

about a qt. draining the tank is a waste of time. if it s low? add 50/50 mix and top it!

 

its better to just drain all the coolant, when the car is cold. Refill the coolant, start the car, and keep refiling, and keep watching temp gauge, you leave the cap open so bubbles escape the system, ones you see coolant building up, close the cap. done.

I wonder how much dealer would charge coolant change.

 

just do a coolant change when your coolant fitting blows out of the block.....

 

Damn, I didn't know it was that much.

 

thats what im thinking, before i change it, probably fitting fails or radiator

 

Well, that was my plan- worked perfectly.

 

If this happens you are faced with dropping the engine to have the coolant hose fittings epoxied or welded.

Really, the best thing you can do for your car's cooling system is change the coolant every 4 years or so.

In the meantime keep an eye on the level and if it goes down there's a leak which needs to be found and fixed.

Keep the radiator ducts clear of trash even if it means periodically removing the bumper cover and unbolting the condenser ahead of every radiator and cleaning the trash out from between the two items.

I'd also advise every once in a while check that the radiator fans are working. My Turbo has lost two radiator fans. First the passenger side then more recently the driver side. No overheating but if the other one would have failed...

 

I have my factory certified Porsche dealer simply replace my radiator fans every 4 years- never can be too careful.

 

When the front radiators kick? Or they run all the time?

 

Yep this is how I flushed mine, first track session of the spring last year all over the Club House turn at Miller