13th July, 2000 - I have a 1987 944 with 112,000 miles on the clock and have to say I never loose oil. I use Mobil 1. I change oil and filter every 6 months (about 3000 miles). Maybe I don't drive hard enough. However, I have a really annnoying drip from the diff. Not enough to need refilling between services, just enough to make a mess on the drive. Mick C

13th July, 2000 - Synthetic oils are fine in new/low mileage modern engines but in higher mileage cars you burn, more oil, can have lower oil pressure,and synthetic oils tend to "creep" like antifreeze finding any weak spots . I would much prefer a good quality multigrade any day. Because of the price difference it can be changed more regularly, its not the oil that's the problem, its the sh-t going round with it (I hope Iv'e not opened a hornets nest) Bert G

13th July, 2000 - I have a 91 Cabrio (hence S2) I'm burning oil at the rate of about a pint per 1000 miles. While not good I suppose it's not bad for a 16 valve engine (which always seem to me to be oil burners) with 70K on the clock - Anton B

13th July, 2000 - My 1990 S2 (16v) has 70,000 miles, does about 6,000 a year and doesn't use any at all. It's got Mobil 1 and does all sorts of trips. The oil is changed annually at a service - Alex D

14th July, 2000 - I am afraid I had to comment on this subject, as I work for Castrol, Firstly, most modern automotive lubricants are multigrade, this means that the oil has been modified so that its viscosity does not change in a linear fashion with temperature, for example, better protection when hot, or easier starting when cold. (e.g. 15W40) Secondly there are three types of lubricant base fluid, Synthetic, Semi-synthetic and Mineral. The advantage of a synthetic or semi-synthetic lubricant over a mineral is the performance of the oil in extreme conditions, for example a highly stressed engine such as a 911 engine (which uses the oil for cooling and lubricating) requires a synthetic oil to stop the oil from degrading quickly, a mineral oil could be used but the drain interval would be ridiculously low. For a Porsche 944 it is not necessary to use a synthetic lubricant, or semi synthetic lubricant unless you are planning to use it very hard, or drain every 10-12,000 miles, as due to the excellent engineering from Porsche the lubricant is comparatively un-stressed. Finally, we have done an enormous amount of work on testing engines of all types and found that there is little to support the view that synthetic lubricants produce higher oil consumption than mineral, Synthetics do tend to have more extreme viscosity's e,g, 0W30, and the oil consumption will react according with viscosity. My advise would be to use a reputable brand of mineral oil and change relatively frequently (approx 4 - 5,000miles) I hope this is useful, the advise is mine not Castrol's. Steve G

17th July, 2000 - Magnatec is either mineral (for basic engines) or part synthetic (for advanced engines), if you are going to use the car quite hard, and drain the oil every 6,000miles then I would use the part synthetic magnatec. This will give you start up protection for your short drives, and the ability to extend the drain interval comfortably to over 6,000 miles. Steve G

17th July, 2000 - My 1989 S2 with 114,000 miles on the clock does not use any oil between services, and I use Castrol GTX magnatec (for advanced engines). This is the recommended oil by Official Porsche Centres, and they also advise it only needs changing once per year or every 12,000 miles - yes I said 12,000!!!! despite what the Handbook says. I do 10,000 miles a year (mostly at motorway speeds), and admit I have it changed every 5,000 miles - because I'm a 'fraidy cat. Cheers, Paul S

26th July, 2000 - I would agree there is little point in purchasing a high performance full synthetic productive you intend to change it every 3,000 miles, money down the drain. The ability to withstand higher temperatures is one of the benefits of a synthetic product, however the temperatures generated in the turbo are well within the capabilities of a mineral oil. When oils are exposed to high temperatures in a turbo they tend to thicken, rather than form deposits, and the tests which are required to gain API specification screen for this. I hope I have not further confused you. Steve G

5th July, 2001 - I believe that there are two types of Castrol GTX Magnatec. The first is SAE10w40 and on the bottle it says "for advanced modern engines" it also say on the back "Porsche Approval" but it does not say what is meant by an advanced modern engine. The second is a little cheaper and is SAE15w40 and says on the bottle "for basic engines". Both labels say that the oil is "synthetically engineered and protects up to 4 times better that conventional oils" whatever that means. I use the Magnatec SAE15w40 in my 1985 944Lux and it seems fine and does not appear to fall between the cracks in my older lower tech engine - Barry A

5th July, 2001 - I use Shell Helix Plus 10W-40. As Bob Watson looks after my car, and that the oil they use in older racing 911's and 944's, that what I use. Although Bob will let you supply the oil, e.g. take along your favourite. I have used Mobil 1, and like others found that its not cost effective. Shell Helix oils, there is a range, Helix Ultra 5W-30, Helix Plus 10W-40, Super 15W-40, plus two for Diesel engines. The shell WEB page has basic information on what types should be used in what cars, e.g. older sports engines etc. http://www.shell.co.uk/uk-en/ Shell oils are a right pain to buy over the counter. It seems that only Shell garages have them in stock, hence the price for Helix Plus is circa 21:00 GBP for 4 litres. However, as with most things, there is an obscure alternative from paying Shell garages UK prices. In French supermarkets, like Carrefour at the French side of the Tunnel, cost is circa 10:00 GBP for 4 litres. Same colour container, same 10W-40 etc, but half the price. So, when buying beer/wine/spirit, and a weeks shopping, as in 'lets have a french food week', leave room in the car for a few containers of oil. I have found that the above applies to all oil names. The price that you pay in France is buckets loads cheaper than UK prices. Pays for the days ferry/tunnel fare - Pete C