Car is about to go in for the 3 year service, but has very low miles (11,500). I know that the books state that you should get the vehicle serviced every x miles or x time, whichever comes first, but is it really necessary to get it serviced if the car has such low mileage? What are your thoughts?

and i know...i need to drive it more

 

Yes, oil change once per year and brake fluid every two years as per the manual. That's what I do.

 

+1. Oil changes are good insurance to prevent future engine problems.

 

+2, couple of hundreds a year is good insurance, brake flush every 2 years as suggested.

 

Good deal, thanks for the responses

 

hmm...interesting thing just popped up.

for the 3 year service, one dealer said it was a major service and ran about $1495. Another dealer said it was minor (oil change, filters, checks, etc.) and it was about $600. Seems a little strange. Anyone have an answer on that?

 

For me an oil change runs about $225 before my 10% PCA discount. A brake flush is roughly the same. I have not done a 3 year service yet but perhaps an air filter and cabin filter?

 

Let me guess, the dealer that quoted $1495 was on PCH in Orange County, right?

 

my car has 11800 miles and my dealer wanted me to put new plugs in last year As i recall 2 filters and a set of plugs 800.00. This was after I shelled out 1100 for the bilstein install......i think they called it a common courtesy reach-around

 

A lot depends on how the car was driven . There have been a few discussions in the Turbo section where some guys replaced the plugs at 15K and they were worn out while others at the same mileage found them like new .

My guess is that the price disparity might be related to the differences in the actual service .

I think most like to think there is one set standard for all of the same cars but the facts are that everyone drives them differently and lives in different types of climate and terrain . I never understood how a car manufacturer figured out how to establish a guide .

 

In addition to oil & filters: Change All The Fluids! Brake, coolant, tranny/clutch/rear. These are on 2-3 year timetable regardless of milage (don't believe lifetime coolant stuff). Should of had brake fluid done last year. Leave the plugs alone. Check for leaks. Not a cheap service but shop it and you tell them what needs to be done.

 

Thats right! How'd you know?

 

Any pointers on how to tell if they are worn out? My car hasn't been driven all that rough. Never tracked, just street and freeway cruising with the occasional fun-ccelerations


Dealer did brake fluid last year when the car had 8500 miles. Don't see anything about other fluids being changed on my last service order, so I'll check on that. You suggest getting that changed on year 3 too?

 

My car has 11,500 miles, its an 08. I took it in for an oil change last week and the dealer offered the $650 service which included Oil Change, Inspection, Cabin Filter, Air Filter. I declined and went with the oil change only. They quoted me at $240 but I ended up paying only about $170 after PCNA membership discount.

Last night I ordered the OEM cabin filter and air filter from Pelican Parts for a total of $52.25 shipped. It is going to take me about 30 min to install.

Saved my self about $400. Add that on top of the $1,000/year that I saved by switching my car insurance away from Geico last week as well.

 

1) The plugs which were worn out were on modded cars . It showed up most on high Hp Turbos . The search will pull up threads like these . (Not every owner found worn out plugs) . It doesn't get discussed as much in the 997 section.
https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...s-problem.html

It sounds by the type of driving which yoiu describe that the 11K miles was somewhat pampered . I have 11800 somewhat pampered miles on my Turbo and I am waiting to until 15K . I'll post what mine look like when I get them replaced but it may take a year or more to reach 15K .

2) Brake fluids are another huge disparity . I do feel it ought to be changed every 2 years but guys who track the car have to change it frequently. Guys who spend the majority of time in stop and go traffic might opt to change it more too.