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2005 997 engine oil type

guigui917

PCGB Member
Member
Hello,
I joined the club two months ago and this is my first post :)

I hope this question is not redundant, the only relevant oil thread I found in this forum is from 2004.
My 997.1 oil level gauge is blinking, indicating I should fill up some oil. The previous owner has left an open bottle of Shell Helix Ultra AV-L 5W-30 (it says Shell's unique formulation for Volkswagen), though the internet seems to think that 997s should get 0W-40 or 5W-40.
Should I stick to what's already inside and use the 5W-30, or buy 5W-40 oil and thus create a mix?

I use the car as a daily driver, with a yearly mileage of around 5000 miles, and the car is staying outside due to a missing double garage. Also, I live south of Manchester, so there's rarely extremely cold temperatures.

Best regards,
Guillaume

 
Never assume an open oil bottle contains what's on the label. Buy a litre of the recommended Mobil 1 and top up.
Then if the car is new to you I would get the oil and filter changed. If you are not in to DIY then seek out a local independent who would use the correct oil and supply a top up of what they used. Then you are set to go.

Welcome to the club by the way.
 
Hi Guillaume
Welcome to the club. You didn't mention how long you have had the car or the mileage. Totally agree with above comments re open bottle. In short top up with Mobil 1, but I would question how it got to the stage where you are getting a warning. As a matter of habit, I keep a check on the oil level at each start - obviously only from cold starts with the 997.1. I occasionally take a picture with my phone of gauge and mileage, and that allows me to go back and check on oil consumption. Some use more oil than others - oil usage is to be expected according to handbook, but some owners experience no significant usage between oil changes and others do.
I have noticed that my gauge has a mind of its own! So I take a view of it over several days, and be careful not to overfill because of what the gauge is telling you. I have 5 litre containers of oil, so I fill a 2 pint bottle and use that to top up.
I have just changed my oil and filter - very easy DIY and no need to jack up car. I don't have a garage, so you have to pick the right dry day! There is an oil filter tool for our cars which is worth the £25 if you are going to do it yourself. My car is a 2006 with 42K miles. I'm changing the oil every 5K. That is not the recommended change but I would rather go over the top and give the engine the best chance to stay in tip-top condition. I'm also sending away the oil for analysis to Miller's. You can monitor changes that may have a detrimental effect on your engine - think bore scoring. That is about £35 for the kit and analysis. I also bought a magnetic sump plug.
Lastly I switched to Millers Oils NanoDrive CFS 5w40 NT+, which is recommended by Hartech and others.
Chris
 
Hi Chris,
Thanks for your helpful reply! I've had the car for 6 weeks and I've probably driven around 400 miles since (currently mileage around 78k). Unfortunately I've only started looking at the oil level this week so I can't say how it developed.
I'm currently away from home but I'll have a look at the documentation history when I come back to see when the oil was changed the last time and what was used.
Nevertheless, I'll get some Millers oil to follow the specialist recommendation!
Do you have a recommendation for the oil filter tool and the magnetic sump plug?
Guillaume
 
These are what I bought from 911design - PCGB members get a discount. Use the bold numbers to search on 911design.
9P-P990 Oil drain plug magnetic. Porsche 996 / 986 / 987 / 987C / 997
99610722560/2 OIL FILTER 986 1997-04/987 05>>/996 02>> /996>>01/GT3/996T/997/955 V8 "OEM BRAND"
99611013152/2 AIR FILTER 996/997 ENGINE "OEM BRAND" 1 1 1 FULL
00072192040 OIL FILTER WRENCH 996
Also recommend using Opie oils for oil and oil test kit.
 

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