As with the IMS there are opinions all over the map on this. Some say low miles is a good thing. Others say it's a bad thing with bushings, bearings and what have you not getting regular exercise and lubrication. I don't know who's right but one tech at my dealership is in the camp that insist Porsches stay healthier when driven regularly rather than sitting in the garage for weeks or months between short weekend drives now and then.

 

 

I think you'll have a difficult time to get to get a hard and fast answer to that question. It's not an exact science and no exact statistics are available that I'm aware of. Can only speak for myself and I'm not ready to say that you'll be fine with that driving schedule. You'll probably be fine. A lot of people drive their 997's on a similar schedule and we don't read a lot of stories of major problems. But again, there's some consensus out there that these cars like to be driven on a regular basis rather than sit still for long periods.

 

If your car has the larger IMS bearing simply forget about it. Change the oil at least once per year or every 10K miles. I don't drive my car in snow, rain or on wet or salty roads. Therefore, there are winters when I bring it out a number of times and there are winters where I had not driven at all ( 4-5 months). For winter preparation, I make sure the car is clean, fuel rank is filled (stabilizer is recommended), battery maintainer hooked up, tires inflated, indoor cover applied and a mouse trap at each wheel. 10 years with no problems. Just drive no more than 3K rpm and with light throttle until the oil hits 200F whenever you drive ( summer or winter).

 

Ok thanks! So if mine is a 2006 Porsche 911 carrera made in October of 2005 as a 2006 model year would you have any concerns?

 

I would just confirm which bearing I have in my car.

 

That car should have the larger, improved bearing since they were being fitted even on the late -05's. It's not a fail proof bearing but has a much better record than the previous smaller bearing. The only negative I can think of is that on those rare occasions that the large bearing fails, it often if not always requires a complete engine rebuild or replacement.

 

10,000 mikes is twice too long for an oil change. I've Done a UOA on every oil sample from all 6 of my cars and my boat and can tell you that in a 997 motor, even with the best synthetic oils ,like Motul and Driven DT, you can see additive package and viscosity breakdown occuring anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 miles. By 10,000 miles your oil has become too acidic TAN # larger than TBN # and the viscosity is low.

I'd look at adjusting your oil and filter change interval to be no more than 5,000 miles.

 

I change my oil and filter once per year which is about 3K miles. I do not need to adjust it. I do stay with Mobil 1 and I definitely would not use a polyol ester basted lubricant as these can have a negative effect on seals. Still, depending on how the car is driven, 10K miles should be fine for normal daily drivers.