Did you know that metal shavings can end up in your Porsche’s oil? They can — and what’s worse, that oil is going to be circulating and moving those bits of metal debris and carbon deposits around in your engine. It’s definitely not ideal, to say the very least!
Today we’re going to talk about how this can happen so that you’ll have a better understanding of this issue and what you can do to remediate or even avoid this. Let’s talk about factors leading to metal shavings in your Porsche’s oil!
How do metal shavings end up in Porsche oil?
Those metal shavings certainly didn’t come in the oil that you purchased for your Porsche, so how did they get there? Below you’ll find the most common 4 reasons.
Contaminated oil
Sometimes your oil can get contaminated by dust, metal shavings, or actual little chunks of dirt. This may come from a cheap oil filter, poor maintenance factors, or even a little wind and some bad luck while you’re topping off the oil.
Regular oil changes will typically keep this kind of contamination at bay, but if you don’t have some sort of preventative maintenance schedule in play then those contaminants are going to be doing a lot of travel in the meantime!
Worn-down components
Sometimes the source of metal shavings in your oil is just a product of natural wear and tear. Components like your camshaft, pistons, and various valves can degrade and as a result, little bits of those parts end up in your oil.
In a case like this, a lack of regular preventative maintenance can really come back to bite you, as parts that are already degraded now have the added factor of circulating debris wearing them down as well!
Heat stress
Your engine is engineered so that temperatures are kept within specific operating ranges. When a problem develops with a cooling system, for instance, then the resulting excess heat can cause parts to expand when overheated, and contract at a different rate than expected.
This puts enormous stress on those parts and depending on the part, this may result in unanticipated friction, so that shavings of these parts will ultimately end up in your oil!
Regular checkups can help to prevent this and it’s also a good idea to keep an eye on your engine temperature. If the light is coming on or even if it simply seems to be operating hotter than usual lately, then it’s probably time to get it checked out by someone who knows Porsche vehicles!
Machining irregularities
The rarest reason for metal shavings, sometimes there may be irregularities in engineered parts that won’t be noticeable until the eventual friction from using them starts shaving them down. This may also occur if there was a problem during assembly that didn’t get detected in testing or even if the materials for a part have changed (or a non-standard part was incorporated into the vehicle).
Understandably, this sort of issue is going to be one of the hardest to detect. It’s also a very good reason why it’s a good idea to have a mechanic who knows Porsche and your specific model well enough to notice things like this.
If you happen to live in San Rafael, CA, then Heynneman European can make this happen!
Heynneman European – Specializing in European Automotive Repair and Preventative Maintenance
Serving Rafael, CA, as well as the surrounding 
areas of Larkspur, Kentfield, Corte, Mill Valley, San Anselmo, and Fairfax, Heynneman European has been providing professional European automotive repair since 1979.
Aside from Porsche, we can also take care of other European models such as Audi, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, and Volvo, and all of our mechanics are ASE certified so you’ll be getting the very best! Along with our excellent customer service, we also offer perks like complimentary loaner cars and a 24 month/24,000 mile warranty on our service to show you that we stand by our work.
Call or stop by today to learn more about how we can get your Porsche running at its best.
