My thinking is that when I get my 2012 Boxter Black Edition(78k miles)out of storage I will take it to the local Indy shop and have them do an oil/filter change. I didn’t do one before I stored it only because it had one just prior to delivery in May/June and I only put maybe 2k miles on it. Ideally it should be done prior to storage and that will become my new standard.
I plan to have a used oil analysis done to see what the current state is. My thinking is to use the more expensive Speediagnostix over the Blackstone as I believe they are more knowledgeable about what to look for in an Alusil engine. Any comments are welcomed.
I would like to determine now, while I have ~16 months left in the
Porsche
CPO warranty, whether or not there might be any bore scoring as I intend to keep it. I don’t have any symptoms, but it can’t hurt to look and evaluate before it’s no longer covered IMO.. I find that potential problem as being the largest threat to the satisfaction of ownership. I searched and found at least one poster here that had a newer CPO car that had scoring and it looks like he probably went a different direction in disgust.
Im leaning towards using the Driven DI40 oil going forward because of the high 300ppm moly content. I realize this oil is not spec for
Porsche
(a40?)but it should be more protective against scoring and avoids the experiment of additives like Ceratek for moly. Comments welcome.
I will also ask the shop to do a scope through the spark plug opening on bank 2 at a minimum. Although it would be better to see the bottom of the bore, I’m not comfortable yet asking them to attempt the snaking of a scope through the crankcase side, plus if there is scoring it should show up on the UOA as ⬆silicon and AL.
Lastly I should be thinking about injectors as they can be a causative for scoring so I will likely deploy at least one dose of injector cleaner. I believe Driven‘s product Defender has the PEA that’s supposed to be the best at cleaning injectors, but am open to your recommendations if you have any. I was able to find 91 ethanol free gas for storage and just used Stabil with it.
Very much looking forward to getting her out of storage at the end of March as the weather warms..
Hope everything works out for you
Since the car spent all of its life in FL I think the odds are with me.
IMO, the pre-storage oil change isn't that big of a deal. I have done various oil analysis tests before and after winter, and see no difference in the oil. I have also had various discussions with oil analysis experts, including those at Blackstone, and tribologists online, and they agree that time is not really a factor in oil changes. Heck, Blackstone has done tests of ancient (decades-old) oil cans sitting on shelves, and even those with their very-old fomulas showed no issues. IMO, it's a waste of time, money, and oil to change it based on time. But, you and anyone else are welcome to do it more often... I don't do this myself.
As for Speeddiagnostix vs Blackstone - I haven't seen any problem going either way. I use Blackstone because I have for decades... and they have tons of historical knowledge of MANY cars... and data to back it up. I like data! That's not to say SD is bad... I'm just cheap and will continue to go Blackstone for that reason, haha!
You have an S, so a little extra care is certainly desirable (mine is a non-S, for that very reason). I agree that others have recommended DI oil... but I would be concerned with the CPO warranty issues that could cause.
The DI oil fans also recommend more frequent changes, so take my time-based comments with a grain of salt. That being said, personally, I have not seen any real evidence (ie data) to prove it makes a difference. Even with an S, I probably wouldn't do that on my car... but I would do UOAs every time.
Doesn't hurt to scope the bore... again, might as well as it's a low cost test.
On my non-S, I don't even consider doing an oil change until after about 7k. I've only had the car a few years now, and UOAs tell me to go even longer. I have also used non-branded oil, with excellent UOAs. My local indy gives me a great price on the change (<$100) so I don't really care as much what brand it is... as long as the UOAs keep looking good...
Overall, I think you're on the right path. Remember, unless you plan to sell the car, I wouldn't go so crazy as to worry about resale. Personally, I'm never selling mine... so I will customize and do what I want with it. It's got ~110k miles so far. All my previous cars went beyond 150k miles without issue, so I can't be doing anything glaringly wrong. I don't imagine this car will see that many miles, as I now have winter and commuting cars in the stable as well...
Thanks for the comprehensive response. I value your ideas & opinions. Hopefully I can get the evaluation done and just drive and enjoy. The car was cared for quite well by PO who is PCA chapter President And I obtained hard copies of all the prior work.
On the DI oil I agree I need to evaluate if theres even a chance it could invalidate the warranty so will proceed carefully there. Appreciate the word on Blackstone and I may go that direction. J Raby threw some shade on “another provider” but he’s probably got a financial incentive.
I have a lot of down time at work so Ive consumed a lot of content on the Scoring topic from PCA tech to LN and Flat Six with Lake Speed and Raby. Almost too much to be honest..
The scoring issue on 9A1 engines is WAY overblown. I know of 1 actual case of some bore scoring on these engines. That's out of all the owners on this forum. 1 out of thousands? All the places selling engine rebuilds see 100% failures because that's why the engines are sent to them.
Clean injectors are good. Go to any big-box autoparts store and buy a bottle of Techron "Cleaner" - add it before you're ready to do an oil change to a full tank. When you go through that tank then do the oil change. Techron has been relabeled by manufacturers such as
BMW
as their injector cleaner - it's good stuff and the "Cleaner" has a high percentage of PEA. Driven doesn't have any magic formula or higher percentage - just a higher price point.
I prefer German made oils in my Porsches. Usually Lubromoly, but sometimes Ravenol. I use 5W-40. If I was tracking it - I'd probably use something else, but these oils are fine for everyday use and meet the A40 spec.
I've used Techron in everything, all my life. Every oil change. Pick it up whenever it's on sale which is a lot.
Thanks for the reply Don!
Yes I submit that the BS issue is probably blown out of proportion and I expect that my car will most likely get a clean bill of health. The fact that it was driven as it should be and was always in warm FL makes it unlikely to have these issues, but since I purchased from afar(I did travel to drive it on purchase day) and it was a CPO car I deferred on the PPI. So I will probably have a look at at least cylinder 6 through the plug hole for peace of mind.
On the injector cleaner I will look at the Techron and will add whatever I get as soon as it comes out of storage and then schedule an oil change. I may even stick with the A40 spec for this summer. Will definitely do a. UOA to get a baseline too. One of the local indy’s here says they use Fuchs.
I thought the points Lake Speed makes on mfg oil recommendations were really important. Specifically how everything revolves around fuel economy and this runs counter to best lubrication especially in a cylinder made of Al and Si. Their recommendations to either use an oil with high Moly content or even use Ceratech with your A40 approved oil which contains Moly and Boron to provide the extra cushion seems sound. This is a great video
Also going to a higher viscosity within reason is helpful or any oil with higher high temp/high shear that also provides more cushion. Lots to think about..
The 10W part wouldn't be sufficient for a cold start. How cold?
Interesting but going over my head.
The best might not be the best or is there actually an answer to the question -
what's the best oil for your car where you are and what you do?
A lot of viables. Where the PCA oil god when you need him? Is he still alive?
He asked holding the envelope up to his head. Are you old enough to get that?
Thank you for that but he doesn't know which oil is best either or if he does he's not saying
I very much enjoy driving it. Since it’s been 3 months and another to go before it comes out of storage I have to find things to occupy my time.
