10 years old, what's the verdict for preventative maintenance?

My 2010 Boxster S 6MT is approaching its 10th birthday, and it sits at 47k miles. I drive it most days on my commute, so it is racking up miles on shorter commutes with a few longer/fun roadtrips interspersed. I'm careful not go hard on the engine until it's warmed up. I'm basically following the factory service schedule, with the major service intervals every 5 years instead of 4. It had one major service (including plug change) at 5 years, mid-30s mileage and I'm getting ready to schedule my next one. I plan on holding on to this car for many more years so I want to do any additional maintenance than the community wisdom recommends. Besides the major service, what else is recommended? Water pump? Coil packs (in addition to plugs)? shifting cables (numeric)? Diff fluid? MT transaxle fluid? Anything with the serpentine belt? Should I do all this year, or wait for year 12?

I'm facing the same situation - but because of how my Boxster ('09, base, PDK ) was maintained by the last owner - I have no real info on what was done when for about 2 years (the owner's son was a Porsche tech and he did the work - pretty much undocumented..) Water pump? I'm not quite as fatalistic as many people and don't assume they automatically go bad at 60,000 miles. I may hold off on this... (I've driven many cars with the original pumps still in them at way in excess of 100k miles..) I'll check how the pump feels when the serpentine belt is off, and see how all the idlers feel. If they have play or feel rough - replace them, they're on borrowed time. Coil packs and plugs? Most likely. It's one of those while you're in the area things. The coils have to come out anyway - so it's just parts money to replace them. I seem to recall plugs are called for at 60,000 miles. Shifting cables? I'm PDK, none of that troublesome manual shifting stuff. I've already had the PDK clutch fluid changed ($$), that's called for at 60,000 and 120,000. The transaxle fluid is standard GL5 - so that will get done at 60k. Diff fluid? Does the manual have an isolated differential? I thought it shared the transmission oil... but I could be wrong, never bothered looking since I own a PDK. Serpentine belt? Probably an excellent idea - it certainly will completely disable the vehicle if it snaps. And it's not expensive or difficult to change. One more item: AOS - my former owner had bought a replacement AOS for when the one in my car goes bad, and he gave it to me with the car. Since we'll be mucking about in the engine compartment anyway, and the AOS on the .2 cars isn't awful to change - it will likely get changed. That should make it "good" until 120k. So far mine hasn't gone bad, no smoking ever, and no oil use at all, but since I have it, and we'll be dirty already - in it goes. I think a new one is a bit over $100 - so it's something to consider. And of course, while the car is up in the air, spin, and wiggle all the wheels (bearing check), check the boots on the half-shafts in the back (I could see age-related damage happening to them.) And wiggle and examine all suspension joints and mounts for any signs of wear or damage. Clean out the front radiators - if you don't have grilles over them they undoubtedly have munge built up along the bottom edge. A shop vac will take care of that. Consider getting and installing wire grilles (behind the slatted grille) - there are several vendors and price points. Check all the plumbing from the engine up to the front area (heater hoses, radiator hoses, AC hoses.) A good lookover could prevent a failure in the future. Change the cabin filter (under the front cowl) and change the engine air filter (inside the engine compartment.) Both are a PITA to replace - what was Porsche thinking? Dunno about waiting for 12 years - I'm doing mine this spring to put it on a good baseline for future maintenance, and since I use it pretty much as a fun daily driver. Thought of a few other things.. when was the last time your brake fluid was changed? Porsche calls for it at a 2-year schedule, starting with the date the vehicle was manufactured. And power-steering fluid ? I don't believe it has a change interval, but there is likely a filter built into the fluid reservoir (under the engine cover) that with age/use will tend to plug up. The power-steering cooling was apparently improved in the .2 series over the .1 series (where they regularly melted down with track use). I would consider strongly siphoning out all the fluid from the reservoir, then refilling it with fresh fluid, run the system and repeat until the new fluid stays looking new in the reservoir. the fluid isn't awfully expensive and the labor involved is pretty primitive. Most Porsches have a replacement schedule for the reservoir (the only way to replace the filter since it's part of the reservoir) - but that's usually at high mileages.

The recommended maintenance is pretty minimal: Obviously oil/filter changes Every 2 years, add: Cabin Air Filter, Brake Fluid Flush Every 4 years, add: Engine Air Filter, Spark Plugs , Check expiration on tire sealant and replace if necessary, visual inspection of drive belt The coolant is supposed to be a lifetime fluid (well, at least the life of the water pump). Obviously you want to check things like CV boots, tie rod play, brakes, etc. On my 2009 I changed the ignition coils (newer part number/revision, more heat tolerant), drive belt (I was in there), the shift cables (insurance/preventative maintenance) and the manual transmission oil (makes me feel better) in addition to the above.

Yep, I'm already on the 2/4 plan for the most part though extending out to 5 for the major. I'm just looking for above and beyond things the community has learned over the years that aren't covered in the service manual.

In the manual, the transmission fluid and the differential fluid are one in the same. For sure change the serpentine belt. While it's off, check the pulleys and the water pump. If it were me, I'd change the water pump while you're in there (not a hard job). I'd expect the pulleys to be fine at your mileage, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

Air Oil Seperator 5W-40 Oil (HDEO or boutique like Joe Gibbs DT40) Water pump Spark plugs That's it unless your clutch is slipping. 122k here and been down the road on all the above.

deilenberger and the rest of the guys have done a good job of listing the items out. maybe another item to check are the absorbers and lower arms. esp if there is any noise. I would just add one dimension which is condition and time. Obviously doing all at one go will be quite expensive, so prioritise them based on the situation. e.g. if the cabin filter is dirty - change it first - if not do it later. if the belt is starting to crack or water pump making noise - prioritise that. Also don't forget to factor in cost of associated parts - e.g. if change the belt - it may need a tensioner and pulley replacement as well.

I lost my vacuum pump at 60k. A good indicator is oil weeping from the vacuum pump on the front drivers side of the engine, so take a look. My power steering pump started whining the other day. A fluid change helped, but didn't cure it. I am going to take a look at the reservoir filter in hopes that the pump doesn't need to be replaced (PITA). My water pump has a little lateral play in the pulley. A new one does not, so it will be changed soon. Hopefully I have bad luck and its only the basic items you need!

My attitude about proactive replacement of parts is this... if a failure would disable the car when I'm driving miles from any where and potentially with no cell signal, that would be a good thing to replace. In that category I'd probably put water pump, AOS , serpentine belt, battery and maybe shifter cables. Those things I'd replace after about 10 years (5 for the battery ) whether they need it or not. Things that wouldn't disable the car are if a coil pack or spark plug or power steering pump were to fail. Things I'd replace on the factory interval are spark plugs , fluids, filters etc. Maybe I'd do coil packs with plugs of they were showing signs of aging. I do a lot of solo driving on secondary roads and so reliability is pretty important.

Don't believe that lifetime stuff about antifreeze. Change it. I questioned the Porsche Zone Service Mgr. about this on my 8 yr. old 2000 BS with 19k miles and he agreed I should change it even though Porsche doesn't call for it. Also change the pressure cap while you are doing it. I know in the 986 's they said to remove the headlight and clean in behind them. Don't know if that still applies to later cars.

I completed everything I listed above. Porsche dealer was around $3,500 estimate. Local good Porsche only independent was around $2,700. I did it with the help of my old friendly Ferrari (and other exotics) mechanic for $1,260 labor and about $500 in parts - roughly $1,750. New water pump, new thermostat, new serpentine belt and tensioner, new AOS , full brake flush (including ABS/PSM modulator), all new air filters. New coolant (Zerex G40). Took a total of 2.5 days to complete, working methodically. I also bought my mechanic a coolant vacuum lift ($80- Harbor Freight , pretty nice one actually) since the cost of it was less than the 1 hour labor it would have taken to fill it by gravity. And of course oil/filter change (Pensotin 5W-40, a very nice oil, and Porsche filter.) New cap for the engine coolant reservoir (the real one - under the hood, not the one in the trunk.) BTW - the cap came with the seal on it completely mis-seated, causing a leak when we first started the engine. For the price ($28 - vs $21 mail-order) Porsche could have seated the seal correctly. All new gaskets, except the damn O ring that is at the end of the big coolant hose that plugs into the thermostat housing. That O ring is not available as a separate part from Porsche - you have to pay around $35 for the hose - which is perfectly good. My O ring got cleaned and reused (greased with silicone grease when it went back in.) No leaks, but it pisses me off that you can't buy that O-ring. If someone wants to send me an old hose with the O ring, I'll dig out my engineering books and find what commonly available Viton O-ring fits - probably for about $0.50/each. The engine sounds VERY nice now. It used to have a slight tappet noise on cold startup, the 5W-40 Pensotin took care of that - it's now silent and very smooth on cold startup. It revs very nicely and smoothly, and again - very quietly. There used to be some whirring noises - I suspect the old water pump (had a tiny bit of play in it - no leak though) and the idler pulley and serpentine belt were responsible. I did use my iCarScan tool to activate the ABS/PSM modulator for each wheel cylinder. I was doing the activating, my mechanic was doing the flushing (Pensoitn DOT 4+) and said there was some air out of one circuit. The pedal now feels firmer and more linear and powerful. Overall - I'm really happy how it turned out. Aside from oil changes I should be good for another 20,000 miles when it's time to do plugs/coils (and probably brake flush again.)

Good job, happy driving

I would add one more item to the list of potential work - which is to check and recharge the a/c system if necessary. keeping good pressures and refrigerant help keep the compressor and other components running smoothly. If you're really particular - the dryer could do with a change too.

My 987.2 is 10.5 years old and with approx 43k miles on her. Starter motor just died. Will be looking at the rest of the items in this post to pro-actively changed. My tensioner will need changing at the next servicing as well.

This is rather a major undertaking. I suspect checking the output temperature at the vents into the cabin should give a good reading on the health of the AC system. Checking pressure isn't quite as easy as it was with R12 systems, the 134A system has a fairly wide range of "correct" pressures depending on the temperature of the intake air. You really need the pressure/temperature charts that Porsche has in their service manuals to tell if things are working right. As far as replacing the dryer - that requires evacuating the entire system, replacing the cooler and then pulling it down to a vacuum and refilling it, preferably by weight. I've never had a dryer go bad from age - they go bad from contamination such as when the system is "at air" (no gas, leaked down) and it absorbs moisture from the air. From what I can tell - my AC is working fine. In 85F temps with the top down - it's blowing cold air hard from the vents - and I'm comfortable despite having the top down. And lots of moisture is being removed by the evaporator resulting in good size puddles and even streams of water coming out the HVAC box drain.

Don, its not any harder than some of the stuff that you've done previously. But yeah, a/c stuff is best left to the experts who have all the equipment - NOT a DIY activity. Took the guys about 45 mins to an hour to do it for me, dryer is upfront near the battery (good to get the seals too). Important for us living in tropical heat and use the car daily. We are talking preventative work here and just like some of the other items depends on your priorities, issues, condition, usage. oh and speaking of a/c - these cars can spit foam pieces out of the vents when they start to age and unless you disassemble the entire dash area - impossible to get rid of all the foam. Irritating to the max when the odd piece of foam hits you in the face. That stuff is sticky and disintegrates upon touch.... That work is obviously a big job requiring several hours of professional work and a bit risky since it touches a lot of stuff in the dash. Had mine done about a year ago and is highly recommended if you are experiencing it.

Anyone on the Beru coilpacks? Any issues? Was thinking I may as well change them as well and with the water pump, it qualifies for free ship from FCP .

I put them in my '07 base a couple of years ago and have had no issues with them.

Hey guys (and gals)...I'm new to the scene here. Just purchased an '08 Cayman S , 46,xxx miles, which will replace an '05 Corvette. I've always done my own maintenance and have been curious what items I should check when I take deliver later this week? This thread has been tremendously helpful...I'm looking forward to sticking my head under the hood...errr trunk? Really looking forward to getting to know the car and utilizing this forum's knowledge. Thanks!

Did you have a complete PPI done to rule out bore scoring from previous owner? Once that issue is taken care of, what do you intend to do with your new ride? Let us know and we can give some suggestions of how to check different parts out. Great to have you.

Did not get the bore scope done. Had the car checked over by an Independent Porsche shop. Got a thumbs up. No smoke at startup or throttle. Happy with what I’ve purchased thus far. Those four I have cleaned the engine bay, change the oil and filter as well as spark plugs . Next will be a brake flush and swap out the accessory belt.

Did you cut open the oil filter? If you still have it, do it.

I did. It looked clean (as clean as dirty oil can look)....no metallic flakes.

OK, Great. One more task is to look/replace the spark plugs . Reason-looking for an oil caked #5 or #6 plug which signals an issue with rings/seal/bore scoring in that cylinder. If you find all plugs equal then a couple of issues can be checked off. Injector spray ok and injector closing retaining pressure in the fuel log for some time (usually overnight), which is one of the causes of bore scoring, raw fuel in the cylinder, before startup. The other is not allowing warm up to fully happen before using an aggressive throttle causing again potential bore scoring. While checking the plugs, you can also check for cracks in the ignition coils. With that engine checkup out of the way and a new oil fill, you should be on your way to making your dream car not be a money pit due to previous owners neglect. Let us know how we can help you achieve your motoring goals. Please check out Jake Raby's videos on how to protect your motor from bore scoring and other issues. It's free and gives you a plan on how to prevent costly maintenance repair bills.

Spark plugs were replaced yesterday. No oily plugs, no sooty plugs. Coils were original and in good shape. A little dielectric grease applied around the inner cap and all was good. Only issue was on one plug wire, the connector rode 'up' into the rubber boot higher than it should and I had trouble getting the boot back over the top to reconnect. A little trimming and all was well (left enough boot that when connected, it covered the connection. Always fun laying on your back the concrete floor (albeit on a harbor freight anti-fatigue mat), working with your arms above your head and not being able to see all your work clearly! As mentioned earlier, serpentine belt is up next (gotta get another paycheck first).

You are ready to have some fun!!! Enjoy it. I see you have a tiptronic tranny. A sprint booster will give you 1st gear startup and add more throttle response. Take a look. One additional item to help control oil flow and prevent oil starvation is a deep sump with x-51 baffles and windage tray. This will add 2 qt of oil and keep it from sloshing up the side walls away from the oil pick up. The windage tray will also expose the OEM AOS which was never engineered to withstand any track G forces with oil management. The AOS has a vacuum hole in the top of the sump, which allows the sloshed oil to enter the AOS on high G corners. A couple of oil wash downs and you will be blowing blue smoke all over drivers behind you. Luckily, Porsche later developed a MotorSports version for the 987.1 S. It's much more robust and actually sucks more vacuum and evacuates oily froth from the heads. Sooner or later you may need one of these Porsche MotorSports upgrades. The 996 Motorsports version does not work as well and requires modifications.

I just bought a 2008 Cayman S with 87k miles, had a PPI done, but they did not do a bore scope. Told me the spark plugs looked worn and needed replacing. Filters were a little dirty but everything else aside from front tires and rear brakes being a little worn checked out. I've been down rabbit holes about bore scoring and maintenance schedules ever since I picked up the car. I've gone from being very excited about the car to feeling like I was a moron for buying it with all of the issues that could potentially happen. I ordered a bluetooth bore scope camera this week and plan to change the spark plugs and check the cylinder walls for any obvious scoring. The car doesn't burn oil, no smoke, I'm changing the oil this week when I can get the time to do it myself so I can send off a sample to Blackstone and check out the filter. Any recommendations for anything else to look for?

So now you know the underlying issues. You just need to put on your thicker skin and enjoy the car. Most likely you do not have any bore scoring, but since you went to the trouble of getting a camera, you might as well use it. First change the spark plugs and use the camera. Then as some members have done use the camera on the back side of the pistons. This is much more technical as the bore scope needs to be inserted and twisted and turned to achieve the right position to see the lower bores of #5 and 6 cylinders. Look at Jake Raby's bore scoring video's to see what I am talking about. Once you have completed that job, then just be mindful that during warm ups each day to stay off the gas for the first 20 minutes or so. Since we do not have oil pressure or oil temperature gauges, we must be over cautious here. 3000 rpm is good after a few minutes and do not lug the engine up hills when warming it up. Now you know the ground rules about the M97 engine , its seems to play along. If you intend to track you car, then you will need a deeper sump with a x 51 baffle and windage tray to keep the oil from sloshing up the side walls of the sump away from the oil pick up. The windage tray will also allow the head oil to slowly drop down into the actual sump while removing the imbedded air. You may need an additional AOS for your kit as you might oil down the current one in high g turns. Now, put on your thick skin suit and have fun.

Thanks for the advice! Yeah, I watched his videos, and have been trying to be fully informed on the issues of oil starvation. Would the LN Engineering sump kit with X51 baffle and windage tray be a good solution? They suggest to also use racing oil when tracking as well. Relating to warm up, my commute to work is only 18 minutes. I do let the car gingerly warm up, by being easy on the gas and staying below 3K RPM. So far, what I’ve done, is wait until 5-10 minutes after the coolant is up to operating temps before I give it any significant throttle.

You are going thru the same mental gymnastics that I am....I bought an '08 Cayman S , 48,000 miles, three weeks ago. Didn't do a borescope. Engine doesn't smoke at all. I've changed filters, fluids (oil and coolant) and have accessory belt and pulleys on order. It took me two weeks to get familiar with the various mechanical sounds of the flat-six. I also used 0w-40 motor oil, and have seen that 5w-40 helps quiet things (if that's what you want). As mentioned above, the percentage of engines that have issues (esp. with the '08 MY) are pretty slim. Probably a better chance of getting t-boned at an intersection. I've slowly adapted to what the car sounds like and how it drives (and how it wants to be driven). Let it warm up, but not an overly long amount of time, then let the motor rev when you drive. I have the Tiptronic and have found that I can keep the revs at or above 3,000 easier if I keep it in manual mode. Enjoy your Porsche !