Buying Oil for service

Approaching the 1 year mark with my Porsche '02 996 C4S 5,000k - and the annual service is looming. I've seen some threads in the past of people providing their own oil for the service as this is seen as a lot more cost effective. Would people agree? and if so what oil and ho much will I need to purchase. I don't use the car for track days. Any comments /reccommendations welcome! Thanks

10l of Mobil 1 should see you sorted. You can get cheaper (Costco) but even buying from Halfords offers a meaningful saving over the OPC or even most independant's price. I bring back oil before wine / beer when over in mainland Europe, but then again I am a tight arse QS[ ]

Another way to offset the cost of a trip to Le Mans [ ] I would check with the OPC before hand - there have been reports that some OPC's will not allow you to suppy your own oil [ ] I checked this with OPC Cambridge, and they were OK with it, so if you have hassle with one OPC it would be worth it to try somewhere else The OPC price for Mobil 1 is a rip off considering how much they must get through This is assuming you are using an OPC obviously Pete

Thanks for your replies - I'm looking to use OPC @ Tonbridge so I'll ask at the time of booking.

I'd ask in advance. Tell em to shove it, if they quibble.

get it from the oilman, there is a post in the oil forum ! he's got the good stuff

make sure you get mobile 1 0w 40 and fit nothing else. if you have an OPC warranty then leave it to them. btw OPC charge 11.50 per litre of this stuff and I doubt you will get it mcuh cheaper! my fuel card lets me get oil on it so I am doing this for my service next week as AFN chiswick were ok my local garage charges 13.99 for 1 litre of the stuff! the engine only needs 8.5 lires so 2 x 4l plus a one litre will se you fine with a bit left over for top ups!! NLW

As a matter of interest, I have a receipt in front of me from the Indy I use, Hartech, they charged me 9 litres @ £5 per litre.

I was reading on another forum recently (the 997 one I think) that the OPC only schedules an oil filter replacement every other service. I realise Porsche must have done their reasearch on this but for the miniscule cost of an oil filter I would still prefer them to replace the oil filter with every oil change it's good common sense IMHO. You might want to check if this policy applies to the 996 and maybe supply the oil filter as well to make sure it gets done. Beware that Mobil 1 isn't an Ester oil i.e. it doesn't cling to the engine's internal components providing you immediate protection upon startup (like Magnatec). There are better (and cheaper) synthetic oils on the market which are also Porsche recommended and are Ester oils. Oilmans notes explains all.

Here's the link to Oilman... http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tt.asp?forumid=101

In same boat as you. Bought some Mobile 1 0w40 from Costco last week, can't recall exact price but it was approx £22 per ltr and it comes in 4 ltr tubs.

You are joking of course. Don't forget they will add VAT as well. About £20.00 for 5l from France, or £30.00 for 4l from Halfords

ah good point and I forgot the VAT. not a huge amount off any other retailer I would imagine. I agree about the oil filter and that is should be changed as matter of course. I spoke to OPC recently about my 12000 mile service and I don't think they chaneg the filter. seems a bit odd! I used to change my oil n filters every 3k on a tuned skyline! worth doing for the minimal cost. NW

I think the theory is that manufacturing tolerances are so tight these days that the engines generate miniscule amounts of metal in the first place so there shouldn't be much debris to filter out of the oil. However anyone who has ever done an oil service themselves will know that the old filter becomes loaded with old oil, even if the filter is mounted upright so the oil flows out of the filter under gravity (supposedly), and the problem in my view is not necessarily debris in the oil itself it's the fact that the oil becomes more and more acidic as the miles rack on due to contamination from petrol and debris from the combustion process. Obviously Porsche are not concerned about this.

Sorry - just caught up with the thread again - thought I'd got the answer after 3 posts! My car does and will continue to have an OPC warranty so does that mean that they can dictate what oil I use? So I guess should I have reworded my initial question to be: I am getting my car serviced at an OPC next month + will be renewing the warranty. Will I be abel to supply my own oil and if yes what make will the OPC accept? - The car is on a 52 plate but has only done 6k Thanks again

I have always supplied my own oil and I have renewed my warranty 3 times so far

CAZ, Tonbridge used to look after my cars and I never had a problem with supplying my own oil for the service. 3 years ago OPC wanted something like £15 per L plus vat and I told them I was not paying it, so not sure where 11.50 comes from, as Andy says always worth picking up some in France, however its now more like £35 for 4L !! Halfords do there own fully synthetic now which from memory was about £36 on one of there deals, dont know if its any good but they all have to reach a set standard anyway, Mobil 1 was about 45 I think

caz you will have to supply mobil 1 as that is all they recommend and warranty from the manufacturer.

Thanks - all clear now

I think you can supply any oil that's in your car's handbook. They'll no doubt make a note on your receipt that you supplied your own oil even if it's Mobil 1 0-40. Your handbook will specify the standard and the acceptable viscocity/viscocities. My book says any oil that's ACEA A3 and is 0-40, or any oil on the Porsche Approved List (which includes some 5-40s). They've recently reissued the list and it covers all cars since 1984. There's only one ester based oil I think which is Motul 8100 X-cess 5W-40. Oilman prefers Silkolene Pro S 5W-40 which is probably acceptable on the basis of it's ACEA A3 rating and viscocity. Note that Halfords were doing Mobil1 0W-40 for £30.39 (reduced from £37.99 or possibly £38.99!) - they may still be. If you want to buy from Oilman you must register as a 'member' in order to get reduced prices (I think 4*4l Mobil1 is £124.99 delivered as long as you've registered. Motul 4*5l is only £118.99).

I've just checked my last receipt from OPC Swindon. It states: "Carry out 12,000 mile Minor Service (own oil)" So the receipt from oilman for 8 litres of Mobil 1 is filed behind it. No worries, and saved me £50 to put towards the warranty.