couple of questions
 

Hi,
I'm new to the forum, so pls excuse if this is in the wrong forum!

I bought a 2000 Boxster earleir this year, love it, and took it for its 75k oil change last week. The shop is a "Porsche specialist" and insisted on using "Liqui Moly" oil. Feeling a bit uncertain, I requested Mobil 1, which he used. However, he insists that the service interval for M! is 6k miles, not the 15k per specification.

Secondly, the hydraulic pistons that hold up the trunk seem to have failed whilst he had the car, and now the trunk won't hold up on its own. Is this just a component replacement fix?

thx

Glad to have you aboard.

Mobil-1 is the correct oil for your vehicle. Good for you for insisting on it.

The service interval is, I thought, 7500 miles or once per year.

The hydraulic struts in the trunk are a simple replacement. Those things eventually fail on all types of vehicles. I'm sorry I don't have a part number for you (maybe someone can list it) - but it should be pretty inexpensive and easy to replace.

For older car, it's better to have an oil change done on a shorter interval to reduce the wear and tear on the engine.

At least that's what my mechanic said about my Beamer.

I remember hearing a story about a Porsche engineer who, when asked why Porsche recommended long oil change intervals vs US oil companies saying change it every 3,000 miles, said "Maybe we have better oil in Germany."

That same engineer would probably recommend filling your tires with "German" air.

True for older cars that would likely leak modern synthetic oil. My 914-6 gets the 3000 mile short interval service with real oil, while the Box gets the Mobil 1 at 7500.

Hi,

The Oil question gets kicked around every month or so. But, Mobil1 is what you should be using. Redline, Amsoil, Royal Purple are also good Synthetic Oils and will run just fine in the Boxster.

7500 miles s/b the change interval or once annually. If you live in a hot climate or a dusty one, then 5,000 mi. is probably a better change interval because of the increased potential for combustion by-products and dirt/dust through the intake system which gets trapped in the Oil.

Organic Oil is fine for an older engine which wasn't manufactured to as tight a tolerance and probably doesn't use as much soft metal like aluminum. It's an old wive's tale about older engines leaking sythetic oil though. If you switch from organic to a sythetic, or sometimes even switch brands, leaks are possible for the first few thousand miles as the new detergents remove a lot of sludge which acts to seal the engine. After a few thousand miles, the engine will seal back up once it builds-up deposits which are immune to the new detergent or it's concentration. The trouble is, many don't wait that long if their engines does start to leak, and switch back to the previous oil they were using. Once it seals up, they're convinced it was the different oils which were to blame, actually, they never gave the new one sufficient time to work in sealing the engine...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

The shop is a "Porsche specialist" and insisted on using "Liqui Moly" oil

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that "Liqui Moly" is an oil additive, added to the oil after it has been changed. Perhaps the mechanic was intending to supplement the Mobil One?

The rear trunk strut is part # 986.512.551.01. It should list for around $31.00 +/-. Try ****************************************************.com for great prices- cost plus 15% plus shipping. Ask for Jeff.
I saved $50 after shipping charges on a recent order from Sunset, but on a small order the savings might be spent on shipping.
Also, it's probably a good idea to replace both struts.

Regards,

derb

The Porsche factory recommendation for a 2000 Porsche is a 15,000 service. THey recommend changing oil every 15,000. My Porsche (st)Dealership recommends service interval and oil change every 7,500 even though they acknowledge Porsche's recommendation of 15,000.

This is consistent with the 2006 Boxster looking at Porsche's website. They take pride in letting you know that your new BOxster needs service and oil change every 20,000. They following is from their maintainence page for the '06 Boxster.

"Longer service intervals are not only easier on resources—they also make good financial sense. Over the years, Porsche has consistently reduced its servicing requirements as well as the number of tasks.

"On both Boxster models, the intervals speak for themselves: engine oil every 20,000 miles (or two years), spark plugs every 60,000 miles (or four years), oil filter every 20,000 miles, and air filter every 40,000 miles. The brake fluid interval is two years, while the coolant is good for the life of the car.

"The bottom line? You can enjoy your new Boxster for two years or 20,000 miles before having to encounter your first regularly scheduled maintenance. As well as reducing the cost of ownership, this means you’ll spend less of your precious time servicing the car and more time doing what you love—driving it."
-www.porscheusa.com

I'm betting you'd get a different opinion for every dealership, though.

Forgot, here's the website information.

http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/boxster/boxster/indetail/environment/

The official factory line is M1 every 15K or once a year.

The hard test data on M1 suggests that at about 12.5, it is good to get it out of there.

Personally, I would do 7500 miles myself. This is due to the cost of a replacement engine and all.

Now, if you bump up to Red Line, personally, I could justify the 15K interval.

Liquid moly is what?????????????

you guys are great, thanks!!

some feedback:
i) Liqui Moly is a European synthetic oil, I looked at the range of weights etc the shop has, the owner claims that new MBZ's come loaded with that oil

ii) wrt the interval, I was under the impression that the party line from Stuttgart was 15k, but like anything, that would be for newer cars. Most of the websites that list service intervals, even for a y2k 986 w/75k still call out 15k as the interval

iii) Even though there were some high end 911's at the shop, and they obviously knew what they were doing, I would probably not use them again (if your're interested, they're in Los Angeles)

iv) Looking at the Porsche statement, the comments are a little open-ended in that there is no boundary on how long the buyer can "enjoy" these long service intervals!

cheers
ps, I'm looking for a decent 986 or Porsche in general clubs in LA, if anyone has rec's