Porsche 718 Oil consumption

[alan718]

Hi

New to Porsche ownership so apologies in advance for what might be a newbie question.

Car is a 2020 Cayman 2.0L PDK bought a few months ago from a Porsche OPC with 19K miles on the clock.

I have a question about oil consumption. I have done a search on the new forum (nice clean and readable look by the way) but most of the threads I have found are not really helpful.

The question is – I’ve now put 1,200 miles on the clock and it looks like about 500ml of oil have been used according to the electronic gauge. This gives a consumption of about 2,500 miles per litre of oil. The car has been driven gently because I am still at the stage of getting used to it.

Is that oil consumption considered to be normal? The reason I ask is that the Merc sports cars I’ve owned previously consumed zero oil between 12month/12,000 mile services.

My understanding is that excessive oil counsumption can damage the GPF which Porsche refuse to cover under warranty.

Any comments gratefully received.

 

[Greenman986S]

Might be worth raising your concerns with the OPC and getting them to confirm, in writing, that any issues will be covered under warranty.

Remember that Consumer Rights Act 2015 protects you for 6 months from purchase regardless of what the dealer tries to BS you with.

if its been less than 6 months after purchase the law will assume the fault was there when purchaesed....so they are obliged to correct it for you. Bare in mind that the warranty they give you is in addition to your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015....and don't be fooled into thinking its there to cover you......oh no....its to cover them and keep any warranty repairs cost to a minimum FOR THEM!!

 

[AngieS]

Hi Alan. 500ml for that mileage sounds too much unless you ragged it silly. Electronic oil measurement has to be the most backward modern replacement in maintaining a car. Correct temp, very level ground and very inconvenient.

 

[AngieS]

Well I was a member but now only a guest

 

[carnaby35]

Hello, 718S here, owned since 8k on the clock, now has 25k, never had to put any oil in. Don’t know if the 2.0 is different but seems excessive.

 

[Motorhead]

Alan,

Somewhere in your Driver’s Manual** I think you’ll find a reference to what Porsche considers to be an acceptable oil consumption … 1,000 miles/litre maybe? Your Porsche dealer should be able to advise. I seem to recall that it’s higher than I would have thought but suspect that there’s a high level of variation among owners, depending upon usage.

Accepting that my 987.2 CS is a very low mileage car, I don’t recall having to add any oil in more than 14-years of ownership.

Jeff

Edit: **If you look under Technical Data: Engine Data you should see a figure for engine oil consumption. For my 987.2 CS it’s “up to 1.5L/1,000 km.” It sounds as though your 718 is well inside that figure, although it could be different for your F-4T.

 

[Scrounger]

Just be mindful that the electronic oil gauge can be a bit hit and miss so I would only put oil in when it gets close to the bottom of the reading or when it flashes up and from min to max is only ~1ltr.

When checking your oil you should make sure the oil is up to operating temp, on a level surface and the engine is off for at least 1 minute. Also, if you open the rear hatch for a couple of minutes, this resets the oil reading.

If you're really concerned, your OPC or Indie can plug the car into PIWIS to give you an accurate oil level reading.

Dan

 

[AngieS]

I apologise. I can see from the paperwork that consumption can be that high. That’s the problem with forums and I wouldn’t normally comment unless I had specific experience. My experience is that I have not had that kind of consumption on any car unless it was high mileage. Still stand by view of electronic measuring.

 

[Motorhead]

I reckon we all regret the passing of the good old [reliable!] dipstick, but unfortunately on modern cars we are where we are … in the hands of the electronic sensors!

Having said that, the dipstick on my GR Yaris is incredibly long and also the oil is so thin [0W-20] that it’s almost like water, which makes it difficult to make out the oil level.

Jeff

 

[JohnCRS]

Just a thought - how confident are you that the oil was at max when you purchased the car? There have been recommendations on here and from specialists that it is best to add oil to one segment below max, not right to the top. This has been the case after my last two services.

John

 

[alan718]

Many thanks for all your comments which I have taken on board.

I am beginning to suspect that the electronic gauge may be ropey and may be misleading. My previous car (Mercedes) had an electronic gauge (and no disptick) and that was also very hit and miss and would often only provide a reading at all when it felt like it. I wish there was an old fashioned disptick to provide reassurance!

I will continue to keep my eye on it.

BTW - My manual does not provide any figures for acceptable consumption but the 1 litre per 1,000 miles figure seems to be quoted fairly often on other forums.

 

[Motorhead]

Alan,

If you’re really concerned, as Dan has said you could ask your dealer to check the level accurately using the Porsche diagnostic system, PIWIS.

Oil consumption will very much be dependent upon use and driving style, but I think the most important thing is to make sure that you adhere rigidly to the recommended procedure for measuring the oil level for your particular car. To maintain consistency I always measure the level on my [flat] drive after a run-out and would recommend that you do the same.

Please keep us posted on progress.

Jeff

 

[JohnCRS]

In support of Jeff's post, above, this was a paragraph from Porsche Post earlier this year.

'Looking at the inbox, oil levels featured this month. One member reported a very low level following a service with an OPC, requiring nearly a litre to fill to the top marker. This is being resolved with the OPC concerned, but I wonder if some confusion is caused by the different oil level check procedures. I believe that the early cars are measured cold, the 987.2 are read hot with the engine running, whilst the later 981’s are read hot, but with the engine off. The point is, do double-check the procedure for your specific car, and perhaps run the check after servicing to be sure. (Bring back the dip-stick!)'

I certainly got caught out going from a 987 to a 981.

John