Porsche Approved Engine Oil

My (newish) Boxster still has that sticker (Porsche recommends Mobil 1) and the dealer tells me that Mobil 1 is in the car when it arrives.
I guess there could be a difference between "approved" and "recommended".

(I approve of any tart apples for apple pie, but there are only one or two tasty enough that I would recommend them.:laugh

When the car is not used in winter, I recommend using Mobil 1 5W50. It has Porsche A40 approval and it is far better protecting the engine as the normaly used 0W40, which is good but not as good as the 5W50.

From the Porsche Owner's Manual... "Porsche recommends Mobil 1" .

Page 107 | 2017 718 Cayman Manual | Porsche iManuals

Does anyone have a more current listing of A40 approved oils list for Porsche (Cayman) than the Jan 19, 2016 list provided in the previous listing?

What one should be looking for in Porsche approved oils is "Porsche A40 approved." A40 is Porsche's requirement. There are other oils that meet Porsche requirements versus "recommended." After speaking to several dealerships some use Castrol in addition to Mobil 1. Check the specs of the oil before making any decision to use any particular oil.

Personally, I've changed my oil twice because of track days and have used Mobile 1. If I were looking to use another oil, I'd chose a synthetic with the recommended weight and one which meets or exceeds the requirements of: API SN, SM, SL, SJ

The "Porsche Recommends Mobil 1" is purely a marketing thing.

Mobil 1 is a great oil, maybe not the best oil, but definitely one that's simple to find.

However there are many other great oils out there that meet Porsche A40. I can say Liqui-Moly, Elf, and Castrol Edge are great choices.

A couple of other oils that are worth considering that are Porsche A40 manufacture approved are:
AMSOIL
European Car Formula 5W-40 Improved ESP Synthetic Motor Oil
European Car Formula 0W-40 Classic ESP Synthetic Motor Oil

AMSOIL makes high quality products which have been around for a long time that are tested/proven in the industry.
I use the 5W-40 in my turbo Volkswagen Jetta.

Another vote for AMSOIL. I use it in all my vehicles, and plan to use it when I get my 718.

Interesting that Porsche has created a new oil certification standard for the vehicles with GPFs: C40. A40 remains the standard for those vehicles without GPFs. What's not clear to me is whether C40 or A40 is required for vehicles with inert GPFs (North America, Australia, Middle East markets).

I wonder how much Mobil pays Porsche to recommend their oil.

Just sayin'. That's typically how these things work...

With all the tests I have watched on YouTube AMSOIL had the best results. I have only changed my oil once and I used Mobil 1 but on the next oil change I think I will go with AMSOIL unless someone tells me why not to.

AMSOIL and Mobil make a few good oils, but it's hard to make a blanket statement about what oil works best because people treat their cars very differently. Some oils that work well in one application (say, lots of DEs) could work very badly in a different application (garage queen).

Having said that, my tribologist is seeing good results with the Mobil 1 ESP 0W-40 (not the Porsche-recommended FS) in several different Porsches.

Any A40 approved oil will sufficiently protect your engine. M1, Amsoil, Castrol, etc all good choices as long as they carry the A40 approval.

That said, i have been using Castrol 0w40 for years in my previous BMWs and plan to do so in my 718 as well.

Looks like Porsche A40 spec should be used up to MY2019, and C40 from MY2019-on on the 718.

Richard Hamilton said:

Looks like Porsche A40 spec should be used up to MY2019, and C40 from MY2019-on on the 718.

Click to expand...

I just wanted to point out that "model years" are not always equivalent world wide.

This post might confuse some of the USA owners. My USA 2019 model requires the use of A40 oil.

I think referring to the vehicle's owner's manual is the best way to confirm the use of A40 or C40 oil.

The C40 documentation attached above appears to have been issued on 1/13/20 which would be after all the USA 2019 model cars were built.

Surely the 10th digit of a 17 digit VIN is an international convention for the model year.

The Allocations List is the latest version, as are the A40 and C40 list. I downloaded them from PIWIS TSI. Make of them what you will.

Richard Hamilton said:

The Allocations List is the latest version, as are the A40 and C40 list. I downloaded them from PIWIS TSI. Make of them what you will.

Click to expand...

Does anyone know what the correct oil for a GTS4.0 is? This allocation list isn't much help as it doesn't list any models with the N/A 4.0 litre engine (GTS4.0, GT4 or Spyder), My handbook is no use either, it doesn't actually cover the GTS4.0 - it dates from over a year ago.

Porsche Hull tried to sell me the A40 Mobil 0W-40, a local (very good) indy offered Mobil I 0w-30 ESP, Porsche Leeds say Mobil 1 ESP 0W-40. which is correct?

As a general trend, engines past 2018 with particulate filter (GPF) are recommended to use spec C40.

For the 718s with, or without GPF it is recommended to use oil with spec C40.

At least as a trend, it appears that the GT4/GTS 6-cyl should follow with oils with spec C40.

Currently, these are:

Mobil 1™ ESP X3 0W-40...!

Source: PdsDetailsPage