Figured I'd share for fun... just spent a pleasant afternoon doing a little routine maintenance on the Porsche - did my first oil change. I've had the car almost exactly a year and have logged about 7K miles and one track day (just 4 fairly short sessions) since the oil change that was done when I bought it, so I figured it was time.

Thanks to some recent posts, I was prepared for the deluge of oil when the plug came out! I found a drain pan with a large opening, and decided to jack one side up and remove the wheel rather than use ramps. This way, the pan was not very far below the plug, and it was a snap to drain the oil without spillage. Plus, once the filter was changed, I put the wheel back on and lowered the car down, and got another 1/4 quart out of the pan once the car was level. It was a very easy oil change. I think the hardest part was getting the damn plastic filter canister to thread back onto the metal threads without cross-threading!

I replaced the plug with magnetic one from L&N, but am sticking with the stock filter for now, although now that I've seen the plastic filter housing up close, I'm thinking the L&N replacement might be worth it. My only hesitation is that I don't want a struggle if I should have a warranty claim before my Porsche Certified Warranty is up. Thought it would be safe to have a receipt for the Porsche filter. Am also using Mobil1 0-40 because I feel comfortable that this is a fine choice having read many debates, as well as talking with the local Mobil 1 rep and several club racers at a PCA event last fall.

Unfortunately, while I had the wheel off, I noticed a small nail in the tire! One project complete, and now another task to take car of... but to kill time while the oil was draining, I cleaned the inside of the rim with P21S wheel cleaner (good stuff) and added a few coats of Poorboys wheel sealant to both sides of the wheel and to the brake caliper. I'll have to do the other three corners now, because this one is looking great!

Thanks to a good deal on the Mobil 1, the change cost about $65 instead of the $180 the local indy shop wanted. Plus it was worth it to spend some quality time with the car, and I enjoyed seeing a few cars slow way down as they drove past the driveway to see if that crazy guy with the Porsche was really lying underneath it!

 

great write up! i also wrench myself on all of my cars. it's a great way to know your car.

 

+1 on doing it yourself. Just think what a hassle it would have been to find out you had a nail in your tire when on a long road trip! Spending a little quality time with the car will make you much more confident in it's overall health over time.

 

Even better: Turns out the nail didn't go all the way through. Was just in the tread. Psyched about that... agreed on doing your own maintenance. Not as easy as handing the keys over for the day, but it's worth it for many reasons.