992 S Break In Recommendations

[992_S]

Howdy Folks,

Recently took delivery of a 992 S Cabrio and curious what owners have done and recommend as far as motor break-in; so far Ive logged 300 miles after 5 weeks.

Happy Holidays!
M

[Tom]

Howdy Folks,

Recently took delivery of a 992 S Cabrio and curious what owners have done and recommend as far as motor break-in; so far Ive logged 300 miles after 5 weeks.

Happy Holidays!
M

I just followed the manual -- kept it under 4k rpms and varied the rpms for the first 2k miles. If my motor blows up, I figure this way I won't need to wonder. Takes a lot of restraint though.

2k miles seems excessive, and it's one of those topics that generates nasty "here we go again" posts on the big boards -- usually split between those who say: (a) you're an insane moron to follow the manual, and (b) you're an insane moron not to follow the manual.

Lots of very strong opinions all over the internet, and some compelling logical arguments --e.g., what does Porsche have to gain by creating an unnecessary break-in recommendation? If it's so important, why doesn't the manual in Europe say the same thing? Porsche does not void the warranty if you don't follow the book, nor protect the motor with the ECU during break-in, so how important could it be?

With all the opinions and arguments floating around, however, I've never seen any real facts or data to support either position. I suspect more people don't follow the book than do, and motors aren't blowing up left and right, but are they lasting as long and making the same power as long? Not sure anyone outside of Porsche really knows....

[992_S]

Thanks Tom!
The 4K RPM has most definitely been passed, but only a handful of times and never for long periods, I put her into Sport mode on occasion for about 2 miles on the highway to stretch her legs, I really dont think Im doing so much damage but I guess time will tell. Sport + and Launch Control will wait until we pass the 1500 mile marker.

Its all been in-town driving but I have a 160 mile round-trip coming up at the end of the week and Id like to do it in the 992. Thoughts? Average speed would be 80mph, little blips of extra accelerating here and there.

M

[Tom]

Thanks Tom!
The 4K RPM has most definitely been passed, but only a handful of times and never for long periods, I put her into Sport mode on occasion for about 2 miles on the highway to stretch her legs, I really dont think Im doing so much damage but I guess time will tell. Sport + and Launch Control will wait until we pass the 1500 mile marker.

Its all been in-town driving but I have a 160 mile round-trip coming up at the end of the week and Id like to do it in the 992. Thoughts? Average speed would be 80mph, little blips of extra accelerating here and there.

M

Thoughts on a 160 mph trip in a brand new 992 S? Go for it and enjoy the ride! It's actually better to take long rides than lots of short ones. Cold starts are harder on a motor, so the fewer of those during break-in, the better. I took my car on plenty of longer trips during break-in just to get to 2k miles. Just keep your hands on the shifters so you can shift down and up to keep the rpms varied the whole way. Not the best for mileage, but you can keep your speed fairly constant that way while still varying the rpms.

[992_S]

Ahh yes, something I forgot to mention, I most definitely turn off the auto start/stop everytime I drive. That has to be just awful for the motor, especially in the beginning.

[mmikhail]

What do people think about when the first oil change should be done?

[Tom]

I'm kind of a broken record with my story, but I always change the oil after the first 1k miles. On my Turbo S, the tech let me watch and kibitz while he changed the oil. He was very much in favor of an initial break-in oil change like that and showed me why. He opened up the used oil filter for me and it looked like someone sprinkled silver glitter in there. I know that's why the filter is there, but I'm still very glad I got all those shavings out of my car.... Here's a sentence that's never been said: "I'm sorry Sir, your motor failed because the oil was too clean and fresh."

Also -- Welcome to Carpokes! Super glad you joined us. Tell your friends.

[mmikhail]

Those are my thoughts exactly. I have read that some shops wont even do an oil change if you are not in the oil change window. I haven't even asked my local dealership yet, but when I get near the 1000 mile mark, I will be asking.

[992_S]

Thanks everyone! Im going to go ahead with a 1K oil change - do you guys use Porsche dealer for this, or could I use my tech? Im asking due to an un-traditional reason but curious in general what you guys think.

Im at 600 miles right now, bad weather in the NE so not really driving because of all the salt on the road, I hate having her sit in the garage.

[Tom]

Thanks everyone! Im going to go ahead with a 1K oil change - do you guys use Porsche dealer for this, or could I use my tech? Im asking due to an un-traditional reason but curious in general what you guys think.

Im at 600 miles right now, bad weather in the NE so not really driving because of all the salt on the road, I hate having her sit in the garage.

The only issue with a non-dealer is that there's no dip stick or reliable way to know how much oil you need to refill without the dealer's computer. The dash gauge isn't really made for that. The process itself was very straightforward on my Turbo S (easier than my GMC truck) and I'm sure an indy could guesstimate how much it needs and fine tune over time if needed, based on dash meter, but on a brand new car under warranty, my vote would be for the dealer.