2003 996 Turbo service interval question

[BillTheButcher]

The official Porsche recommendation for my 2003 996 Turbo is minor maintenance every 12,000 miles or every 2 years, and major maintenance every 24,000 miles or every 4 years.

My car last had a service (minor maintenance + new spark plugs) in August 2012 on 64,600 miles. It's currently on 68,900 miles. I was planning to have major maintenance (but not spark plugs) done in August this year because I've got used to having my cars serviced once a year (I only do about 7,000 miles a year).

Is this best practice or would it be perfectly acceptable to just have an annual inspection this August and then wait until the next Porsche-recommended interval for a proper service, which would be August 2014.

I hope that makes sense.

Cheers.

[crisisjez]

An extra stamp in the book won't hurt, plus an oil change on an new (to you) car has to be a good move.
Why were the plugs done out of sync?
Also get the coil packs checked ( see my post) as a faulty coil could melt a piston.

[BillTheButcher]

Thanks.

crisisjez said:

Why were the plugs done out of sync?

I think because the mileage over the last few years has been very low so the plug change coincided with a minor service rather than a major one.

crisisjez said:

Also get the coil packs checked ( see my post) as a faulty coil could melt a piston.

Is this part of a minor/major service or something that needs to be specifically requested?

[crisisjez]

BillTheButcher said:

Thanks.

crisisjez said:

Why were the plugs done out of sync?

I think because the mileage over the last few years has been very low so the plug change coincided with a minor service rather than a major one.

crisisjez said:

Also get the coil packs checked ( see my post) as a faulty coil could melt a piston.

Is this part of a minor/major service or something that needs to be specifically requested?

Its a requested item, however you can't change the plugs without removing them so it may be worth asking the guys who changed them.
If the cars a low miler then the minors should have been done years 2 6 and 10 majors at 4 8 and 12. If the car hit a mileage limit and was serviced then it just changes the service years not the service itself. (ie a major or minor not a bit of one with the other.) Seems to me the only difference between the 2 is an oil and air cleaner filter replacements and stuff that is inspected during an MOT anyway though.

[acf69]

i'm in the same boat, minor service last July at about 62k and now at 64k. I've booked in for a minor / oil change for peace of mind more than anything else (plus it needs a MOT so that can be sorted at the same time)

[Rockster]

BillTheButcher said:

Is this part of a minor/major service or something that needs to be specifically requested?

If you are using the right shop the tech should inspect the coils -- and other things -- as a matter of course.

However, I don't think it would hurt anything to mention it, in a diplomatic way, and ask if the tech would have a look around.

I encourage the tech to give my cars a good going over and everyone knows me and obliges. Most of the time they find everything ok but once in a while they spot something. In the Turbo one spotted what looks to be an RMS leak. Now before you think he was up selling me on an RMS repair we talked and agreed the leak was not bad and decided to keep an eye on this. Several services later the leak has not gotten any worse and in fact appears to be going away. (Briefly, that oil change the oil was in the engine for 10K miles -- 5K miles more than ever before or after (family issues had me quite distracted) -- and I suspect the 10K mile oil played a role in the leak. And I think getting back on a 5K mile oil/filter service played a role in the RMS leak diminishing.)

[BillTheButcher]

Thanks very much for the info.

It needs the brake fluid doing as well.

I think I'll just get a major service done (minus plugs) just to be on the safe side.