Maintenance Costs Insane?

[ProjectM96]

I spent an average of $90 per month for car repairs, maintenance, and modifications for the past 20 months I have owned the car.

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ProjectM96

I spent an average of $90 per month for car repairs, maintenance, and modifications for the past 20 months I have owned the car.

I think you should take modifications out of that equation, as that is not a true cost of ownership.

I have found through the combination of my brief ownership, and my father in law who bought it new and kept all records, the cost has been not much more than most other cars. Sure each part is more expensive, but they also seem to last longer. Oil changes are more, but factor that over 15,000 miles as opposed to every3,000 miles (just using manufacture recommendations) and it is about even, if not less.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Oil changes are more, but factor that over 15,000 miles as opposed to every3,000 miles (just using manufacture recommendations) and it is about even, if not less.

Umm... most people do it at every 6k miles...

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ekam

Umm... most people do it at every 6k miles...

Not being a smart @$$, really.

Why do "most" people do it at 6k? The manufacturers recommendation is 12K. (I mistyped 15k in original post ) Unless you are only putting 6k in the 2 year time frame, or driving hard/tracking the car, why that often?

[Ghostrider 310]

Because at the end of the day you are still recycling the same oil regardless of how great a spin converter might be. Other than gas it's the cheapest thing you will put in your car and truly cheap insurance against crankcase buildup and oil break down.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Not being a smart @$$, really.

Why do "most" people do it at 6k? The manufacturers recommendation is 12K. (I mistyped 15k in original post ) Unless you are only putting 6k in the 2 year time frame, or driving hard/tracking the car, why that often?

http://www.lnengineering.com/oil.html

The manufacturer also recommends using only N-rated tires and nothing but Mobil1 0W40 oil... do you follow both of these recommendations as well?

[Coffinhunter]

Originally Posted by ekam

Oils: What motor oil should I use? Which oil is best for my Porsche or aircooled engine?

The manufacturer also recommends using only N-rated tires and nothing but Mobil1 0W40 oil... do you follow both of these recommendations as well?

Not really the same thing.....but I get your point.

Of course I do use Mobil 1..... did before I got a Porsche.

None of this really answers my question though. One of the "advantages" of running a synthetic oil is that you should be able to go longer between oil changes. I run synthetics in my other vehicles and change the oil every 5 or 6k. 140k later and still no problems. Those cars don't have the 9 quart capacity the Boxster does, nor the "technological advances" of the car.

I am not trying to argue at all, just learn about the car that I have "owned" for a whole 4 weeks.

Thanks

[Topless]

Originally Posted by Coffinhunter

Not being a smart @$$, really.

Why do "most" people do it at 6k? The manufacturers recommendation is 12K. (I mistyped 15k in original post ) Unless you are only putting 6k in the 2 year time frame, or driving hard/tracking the car, why that often?

Fuel and water contamination causes premature IMS failure. Changing every 5k is just good preventative maintenance. Ultimately it is your car and your $$ so each driver must choose the best interval for you. I change mine every 3k but my car is "special".

[mikefocke]

OTOH, I had an occasion to replace an O2 sensor the same week on a Honda CRV and my Boxster.

The cost to have a muffler shop do the labor was the same.

The cost of the part was more for the Honda branded part than the Porsche branded part.

The cost for the part from the manufacturer who supplied the part to Honda was more than the cost for the part from the manufacturer who supplied the part to Porsche.

Result was about $100 difference in favor of the Porsche.

Tires (best available Michelins) were $700 for the CRV, $1100 for the Boxster. Only real difference in 5-6 years and it was something I could have avoided by buying a different brand of tire for the Boxster.

But maybe one reason I had such a good history of low maintenance costs was because I didn't try to spare the maintenance. I did it early and often in the case of oil changes. Use OEM parts, yes. Use my labor (very unskilled) or low cost labor (yes). But when it took someone with specific knowledge of a Boxster, I went to the best and only paid once.