Re: Could be. I know it is a theory that is bandied about some...

bearings cleaned and repacked with grease.

Labor was $950 (last I checked the labor rate was $150/hour) and parts/materials came to a bit over $500. Boots were $54.03/each (times 4). there were 4 73mm CV clamps ($4.49/each) and 4 34mm CV clamps ($6.74/each) and some quantity of NR-Optimoly Grease-1 (at $57.74 times 4 (WTH?!)) and a set of socket head cap screws (8x50) at $2.68/each (times 12) to replace the ones that appeared to have been damaged the only time I can think this happened was when I had the car in for its RMS back in '02 at around 25K miles. This is the only time the inner flanges of the half-shafts would have been unbolted from the transmission.

A bit expensive a job, to be sure, but as I pointed out in an earlier post new (at least factory new) half-shafts were $908/each and this cost coupled with the labor would have pushed the job's total cost to over $2K. (Someone supplied me with a link to a company that offers I guess cheaper half-shafts but I have not yet had a chance to look into this as a possible source but will consider it the next time, if there is a next time.)

Anyhow, a bit expensive a job, to be sure, but remember these boots were original and lasted over 240K miles. The need to replace the bolts damaged during the RMS repair was unexpected but fortunately not too big a hit dollar-wise.

Oh, I had the engine oil/filter service done while the car was in for this CV boot/bearing service. The oil/filter service was not part of the above charges and a bit pricy since I had the dealer supply the oil not having any of the oil I usually have on hand.

I elected to try Mobil 1 0w-40 in the Boxster engine with just over 241.6K miles just to see if the engine made any scary noises. A bit of chain dragging noise upon startup the other night after the car had sat over a week undriven (on the parking lot of the dealer). But my experience with this car is this noise is normal if the car sits unused for say 5 or more days. The other starts (cold, warm and hot) since have been without any drama. Still, I think the next oil change I'll revert to using Mobil 1 5w-50 oil, which it just so happens the Turbo is getting today. I dropped the Turbo off to get its oil/filter service done having put around 5K miles (a bit over but not by much) on it in the last month or so, with 4K miles being added just this last week when I took the car out on a road trip to my folks and back.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

which is considerably more difficult to get at and out as i recall.

Lobro kits are $15-20, depending on where you get them, include a new axle bolt.

The dealer achieves good margin, IMO.

Grant

Double ouch. My axle boot kits were $20 each including grease, clamps and boots.

No axle nuts?

holding the hub to the axle.

Either 17mm allen or 20-something mm regular depending on the kit. Real Lobro is an allen (hex).

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(see part #9)

[strictlyeuropeanparts.com]

(closer up)

Grant

I thought with older cars, it was better to use a heavier weight oil?

but I do know of any way to know unless one does an oil pressure test and finds the older engine's oil pressure under some conditions warrants a heavier oil, say instead of using a 0w-40 to use a 5w-40 or a 5w-50 or even a 10w-40 oil (though I note no 10w-xx oil is Porsche approved, but if the engine *needs* this viscosity grade of oil I think that counts for something over and beyond what is Porsche approved.) But there would have to be some clear indication the engine needed this oil and as I mentioned above I'm not sure how one could know unless it was through charting the engine's oil pressure vs. oil temp. vs. rpm.

I've tried running a 10w-40 oil in the engine but decided to switch to using a 5w-50 oil (save this one time) which is the same oil I use in the Turbo. Using the same oil in both engines makes it less trouble for me having to 'stock' two different oils.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Could a thinner oil actually be better for a turbo engine/the turbo itself?

of the area in which one drives the car. If below -25C then 0W-XX is recommended/advised. If above -25C then either 0W-xx or 5W-xx can be used.

Furtheremore, Porsche makes no distinction between any of its sports car models regarding using 0w-40 or 5w-40 or 5w-50 oil. Any of the approved brands/types of oils is ok. (Porsche has approved various 0w-30 and 5w-30 oils for the Cayenne, both the gasoline engine version and the diesel engine version. Look for A30 on the oil bottle for an oil approved for use in one of these Cayenne models.)

The only thing I have found different between the NA cars vs. the turbo charged cars (at least the modern 911s) is Porsche recommends a 2 minute cooldown consisting of idling the engine before shutting off the engine to give the turbos a chance to shed their considerable heat load.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

I just wondered in a counter-intuitive way. Sometimes that leads to valid concepts. I think Porsche recommended the cool down right after people took delivery of the 930 and baked the turbo bearings by immediately shutting down after a hard run.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/18/2011 01:53PM by Laz. (view changes)

turbo-charged engines should receive some consideration for this turbo heat load.

Thus, even before I got the 911 Turbo when I owned a VW Golf TDI and even though a diesel engine runs cooler (has lower exhaust temps) than a gasoline engine I always allowed the TDI engine some idling time to give the engine and the turbo time to cool down a bit before shutting the engine off.

But I know many owners didn't bother with this. And I know many Subaru owners don't bother with any engine/turbo cool down either.

This is a problem for these more exotic engines. If they are too exotic and require special handling they're not likely to get it. I know a co-worker was considering buying a VW TDi car about the same time I bought my VW and we talked and I told him about the cool down thing. He reported back after talking this over with his wife, 'no way'. She objected to owning any car that required extraordinary treatment even treatment as mild (imho) as this idling cool down treatment. She is not alone in this thinking and frankly I can't fault her or others for their way of thinking.

Anyhow, the cooldown business may be an artifact from a bygone era and a Porsche vehicle from that era but I still try to adhere to it (well, maybe not the whole two minutes every time) just to be safe.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

As a helicopter pilot, we allow two minutes at idle before shutting down the turbine engines. This is to prevent uneven cooling on the compressor fins, which could cause scoring on subsequent starts.
In Japan I had an RX-7 (twin-turbo) which had an after market turbo-timer on it. It required you to bypass the system if you wanted to shut down less than a minute after driving. I understood the reasoning to be the same. Idle time will allow the extremely hot rotors to cool evenly, saving wear on the bearings and preventing coking (carbon residue) on the compressor fins.

Glad to hear you've got the Boxster back; hopefully, you'll be able to put some mileage on it without investing more $.

Those labor rates are pretty steep; locally, I think P dealers usually charge around $130/hr and that has gone up significantly in the past 2 years. With rates as high as that, I can't help but think that dealers will see less service work on cars that are out of warranty as people opt for independent shops or learn the DIY basics.

labor rates and $150/hour is not an hourly labor rate solely in the domain of Porsche service departments.

Dealers will see less service work because of it to be sure.

To add to this drop off in service, auto makers are lengthening the time between services. In fact the increase in dealership hourly labor rates may be in response to that to help buck up the dealership's service department bottom line. And as dealer hourly service rates go up indy shop service rates can't help but follow along.

Sincerely,

MarcW.

Now go drive the thing. Put some miles on it.