987.2 - official service intervals too long?

Shopping for a gen 2 987 currently. One thing that bothers me is the official 20k mile service interval here in the UK. The consequence is that lots of car have gone 15K-plus miles before their first oil change from new. Am I being too anal? I'd get very antsy going much beyond 8-10K without an oil change and I'd want to do a run-in change with a new engine after 1000 miles or thereabouts. I'm buying for the long haul and planning to plenty of miles over many years. If I was buying a toy for occasional use, I wouldn't be too concerned. But what's the informed view? For better high-miles longevity, would it be better to find a car with a shorter initial oil change interval?

Change your paradigm -- from finding the right car, to finding the right previous owners. I religiously change the oil in my Cayenne -- and also in the '12 Cayman S I recently sold -- every 5000 miles. (Recommended intervals are double that) One quote (from someone unknown) I embrace is... "you're not buying the car, you're buying the previous owner(s)" Keep searching for a 987.2 -- you won't regret it. (And if you're not buying a CPO car, make sure to ask for all service records along with making an offer contingent upon successfully passing a PPI at a shop or dealership you trust.)

Interestingly - at least on the Cayenne - oil change intervals are different depending on what country the car is registered in. The fact that Porsche gives 20k miles in the UK vs 10k miles in the US (on the 987) probably means they expect the running conditions in the UK will be easier on the engine than in the US. Usually that's based on things like the amount o sulphur in the fuel, but also high-speed sustained running (like an interstate in Texas) probably influences this decision. What to do? If you want to be certain the engine is healthy, offer to pay for an oil change and get a sample of the old oil and get it tested. Funny thing - when BMW went to 20k oil change intervals (coincidently with their paying for all service up to XX,XXX miles) on their cars, their motorcycles still had a break-in service at 600 miles that included an oil change.

No doubt a motor can survive longer than my oil change interval. Afterall, my goal isn't exactly to leave the oil in as long as possible. I'm not qualified to know exactly when the oil is no longer working perfectly.

Biased of course but the best mechanics I was even in the company of all advocated for frequent oil changes. IMO, it's the cheapest insurance you can buy, especially if you do it yourself. Given the consensus that a fall change before a short layup is a good call to eliminate moisture it's always changed way early anyhow, including filter cartridge. I do my Ford before the stated interval too, there is no way (IMO) my diligence hasn't added time to critical components such as the timing chain. I even use Mobil 1 in the Honda lawn mower and that bad boy is older than sixteen years.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but in the USA the 2006 and 2007 Camans had 20k or 2 years (whichever comes first). Then in 2008, without explanation, that was changed to 10k or yearly. Some speculated that the change helped with the catastrophic IMS failure problem, but that's really just speculation. The 987.2 , starting in 2009, was the redesigned engine that improved oiling and didn't use an intermediate shaft for driving the valvetrain, so it might make sense Porsche went back to the 2x service interval. For the newer members, IMS stands for InterMediate Shaft. The driveshaft drove the IMS by use of gears. The IMS drove the valve shafts using chains. The problem was that the IMS would suddenly and without warning fail. So you're cruising down the highway at 3000 RPM, the IMS fails, and your pistons keep going at 3000 RPM but your valves are suddenly going at exactly 0 RPM. You're walking home. $17k later and you're back in business. Ouch.

I would not buy one with oil changed over 10k. 5k preferred. The Cayenne bore scoring on 957 was highly correlated to people changing at the suggested 20k oil interval.

How about one with the oil changed every 2 years and less than 5K miles put on in those 2 years?

As far as I’m concerned oil is cheaper than a new motor. I still change my oil every 3,000 miles whether it be my cars or motorcycles. Never had a motor fail and want to keep it that way. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Counterpoint, I have run 7-10k OCIs on my previous Subaru turbo, stage 2 modified (2x the factory boost levels), and I never had a problem there either... UOAs are better than running blind and wasting oil, IMO. But that doesn't mean other options are wrong, either! To each their own, but I'm just saying you don't need 3k OCIs these days either. In fact, changing oil more often could be worse: Cayman S oil change

The title of this thread is 987.2 oil change interval too long. Correct. No need to talk about IMS bearings in a M97 engine . We are talking about 09 and later models that have other issues relating to intake valve carbon build up. By using a lower NOACK value motor oil, less oily smoke is released into the AOS from the crankcase. The 9A1 motor AOS does not remove the oil smoke, rather it removes droplets. So the oilly smoke sticks to the intake valves and need to be removed by walnut blasting. In expense, its about a $400 charge, while the older engines that are fighting bore scoring and IMS bearing issues, there is no comparison in repair costs. The oil change interval of 4000 miles is justified in the M97 considering the cost of a replacement engine.

The carbon valve buildup is not an issue with the 2.9L port-injected engine. It's the marvels of modern technology that come back to bite you in the butt with the 3.4L engine. I actually looked specifically for the 2.9L 987.2 because of the carbon issues, it's bad enough having it on my Cayenne (which is probably due again.. did it at 60,000 miles.. and it made a difference, especially in idle quality.)

I’m not arguing that longer oil changes may be possible but 3,000 mile intervals work for me. My 2009 Cayenne Gts has over 300,000 miles and never had any engine problems. I can just say that has been my experience. Maybe because I bought it brand new and performed engine oil changes at that interval from day one has helped or I’m just lucky. Either way I’m not going to complain. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I didn’t think you were trying to attack me. I took no offense to it whatsoever. It’s just nice to see that everyone can post their opinions and experiences and not start a war over stupid **** unlike other forums that I belong to. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk