The 3 Main Factors Leading to Metal Shavings in Your Porsche’s Oil

Your Porsche is a high-end luxury car. So why does it have metal shavings in its oil? To have some amount of metal shavings or metallic debris in your Porsche’s oil is nothing extraordinary. It is an expected phenomenon because there are many moving and abrading metal parts in your car, and under high heat and pressure some minute parts can shave off and get deposited into the engine oil system. It becomes a problem and sometimes a severe one, when this amount exceeds its acceptable limit.

In this article we will explore why metal shavings can get into the oil, what are the symptoms that this has happened, and how to correct this situation, or better yet prevent it.

3 Main Reasons There Are Metal Shavings in the Engine Oil

There are a few reasons why you may find metal shavings in your Porsche’s engine oil. Here are the top three:

• Normal Wear and Tear or Faulty Parts: Your Porsche’s engine has many moving metal parts like the pistons, valves, bearings, and more, that are constantly under heat and friction. This constant grating can cause parts of the metal components to erode or even chip away. If the metal parts are defective in any way, this degradation can happen faster and cause increased amounts of metal shavings and bigger pieces of metal chips to be present in the oil.
• Contaminated or Inferior Quality Oil: Sometimes external components like dirt and grime can carry metal particulates and introduce them into the engine oil. Using low-quality engine oil and subpar oil filters simply make the problem worse because the bad filter is unable to stop the particles from circulating through the engine. The purpose of the engine oil is to lubricate the engine and make all the parts move smoothly. The introduction of metal shavings not only hinders this process but can permanently damage the engine.
• Stress and Heat: Every component in the engine is subjected to high stress, pressure and heat. When the engine is on, the metal parts are continually moving and rubbing against each other and wearing away. Aggressive driving and inadequate cooling only exacerbates the situation. Eventually, erosion and chipping lead to metal particles to be deposited in the engine oil.

What are Some Symptoms Of Metal Shavings in Oil?

If you notice some of these signs, make sure to bring your Porsche in for a check up. These symptoms could be mimicking any number of causes, metal shavings in the oil being only one of them. The only way to be certain is to run a professional diagnostic on your Porsche.

• CIL (Check Engine Light): If you see this light turn on on your dashboard, do not ignore it! Your Porsche is telling you there is something wrong with the engine. What is wrong, can only be determined by professionally diagnosing the problem.
• Rough Idling: When there is debris in the engine, there is increased friction in the engine, which results in rough idling.
• Sluggish Engine: You may notice reduced engine performance because the metal shavings are hampering the lubrication process.
• Engine Overheats: The engine oil lubricates the engine for it to run smoothly. Debris in the oil obstructs this function and can cause the engine to overheat.
• Engine Knocking: Buildup of metallic or other debris leads to the fuel to burn unevenly in the cylinders, which manifests as knocking.
• Weird Noises: Inadequate lubrication resulting in increased heat and friction can cause ticking noises.
• White Exhaust Fumes: When oil gets into the exhaust system, you may see white smoke coming out of the tailpipe, which is a severe issue.
• Catastrophic Engine Failure: Needless to say, lack of proper lubrication, high heat, and friction can eventually trigger a cascade of failures, which may end in the destruction of your engine.

Regular Maintenance

Don’t be guilty of poor maintenance! You have an incredibly engineered, luxury car. Your Porsche deserves nothing but the best. Following the recommended, scheduled maintenance, specifically oil changes, can save you from some major headaches. In case we do find metal shavings in your engine oil, there are ways of mitigating it. We can definitely do an oil flush. The key is to catch the problem early—before it turns into a major issue.

Visit Integrity Motorcar Today!

At Integrity Motorcar, we are trained and certified mechanics who have years of experience working on European luxury cars. Give us a call or schedule an appointment with us, so that we can take care of your car. Stop by any of our locations in California. We’re in Anaheim Hills, Brea, Fullerton, Tustin, and Yorba Linda.