Well, we all aren't Porsche mechanics, so I wouldn't dismiss this without talking face-to-face with the mechanic and see exactly what his concerns might be. Maybe there is something internal that isn't normally inspected that if looked at might determine a potential of something worse later on down the road.

If it turns out he wants to inspect the failure-prone internal chrome-moly venturi bearings or those pesky titanium oil ionizers he says everyone is having issues with, I'd pass.

 

Last sentence is funny.


However, the fact that the mechanic is unwilling to give a brief explanation to his customer over the phone of what would be a simple procedure would be more than reason enough for me to avoid said mechanic in the future.

 

Well I was just told the same thing (to drop the oil sump pan for inspection) by a new independent shop in Atlanta I'm thinking of taking my '05 997S to. It came up when asking about the IMS bearing and ways to potentially catch one before it fails. I was asking if he could cut open the old oil filter and inspect for debris, when he suggested removing the sump pan as an even better alternative. Based on replies in this thread, it does not seem like this is a widely used practice but could be another way to keep an eye on pending issues. He quoted me $230 for an oil change including sump removal/inspection.

 

Sounds like a really easy way to pick up some more $$$ while doing an oil change.

There's a LOT of 911's out there. Most issues have been discussed on forums.

 

I second the Blackstone Labs oil sample and just change your own oil if you can. It is really easy. I had 2 scored pistons 5 and 6 and took it to a Porsche mechanic. Charged me crazy money $1000 + trying to diagnose a knock, knock, knock. He never found the problem. Said maybe had rod bearings going out just to drive the car and not worry about it. Did all sorts of non-needed maintenance especially because I had to pull the engine anyway.

$25, an oil sample and Blackstone Labs told me I had aluminum in the oil... and was probably pistons. Took it to an engine rebuilder in Long Beach, CA and as soon as he heard it said oh, you have some bad pistons. $14,000 later my engine is back together. lol

 

Just a basic mechanical concern; 911 motors don't have oil pans. The two halves of the engine block bolt together at the center. You can see it quite clearly when the car is on the lift. They are a true 'dry sump' system. The oil is kept in a separate oil tank in the engine bay. You have to pull the motor to remove the tank. That basic design has been around since the original 356 and remains straight through to the 991.

I am highly suspicious of this mechanic's recommendation.

 

IMS failure on low mileage 997.1 is what he is referring to I think. As mentioned there are other ways to check this so not sure the reason this route was chosen.

 

It is the slow season and he has a boat payment to make.

Seriously, if the IMSB is suspect take a good oil sample and have it analyzed. If the oil analysis report comes back with high ferrous bearing metal levels then maybe more investigation is needed.

If you truly believe the iMSB is suspect though you should avoid driving the car any until the oil analysis comes back.

BTW, I can assure you if the oil sump plate is dropped there'll be some debris. But this has probably been there since day one.

(Used to be a tranny/diff fluid drain was used to push a tranny/diff rebuild. There is always some debris in this fluid, at least at its first change, and this debris was used to scare an owner into a almost certainly unnecessary tranny/diff rebuild.)

 

Thanks for the replies, I have an appointment Saturday so will ask him to just inspect the oil filter rather than dropping the sump plate during the oil change. My car has 63k miles and I've never had any IMS issues; every year the old oil filter is perfectly clean - just trying to keep a vigilant eye on things.

 

I believe Jack Raby recommends removal of the sump plate, so it's not unheard of.