I just bought a brand new Porsche Panamera 4 and the manual calls for Mobile 1 oil…5W 40 or OW 40 and all they had was 5W 20…the mechanic said it would be fine so I used the 5W 20, but now I’m worried…what should I do? Get an immediate oil change and put in the recommended? Or is it really OK? What are the risks? I’m in NY so the weather is between 70 and 75 degrees now.
Was this a Porsche mechanic? I certainly wouldn’t be running non-specified oil in my brand new car because if the engine develops a problem, they’d just love to blame it on that instead of paying for the warranty work . . .
Why did a brand new Panamera need oil, and how much oil?
Are you talking about adding one quart, or are you talking about a complete oil change?
Who was “the mechanic?”
I suggest use of the incorrect oil in this car could possibly void the warranty. I don’t think I’d gamble with this.
Did they use synthetic oil?
What oil change interval does your Owner’s Manual recommend?
I would drive it for a shorter distance/time than the Manual calls for,
maybe 5000 miles or 6 months, then replace the oil with one that fits Porsche’s recommendation.
Look at the Manual carefully. It probably says Mobile 1 etc. or equivalent.
Unless I miss my guess this engine is turbocharged. If that’s the case the oil is subjected to heat stresses (and heated up to levels) beyond those of nonturbocharged engines. the turbos spin at a few hundred thousand RPM and the oil as it lubricates the bearings is subjected to the heat from the exhaust, which heats up the turbocharger.
Oil is cheap. I’d change it to the correct rating ASAP. The top number represents the oil’s performance when hot, and I’m not an advocate of compromising that on turbocharged motors.
Using the wrong oil in the engine can void the warranty on the engine should an engine issue arise. Read it here. http://autos.aol.com/article/5-things-will-void-car-warranty/
Tester
The 5W or 0W40 oil Mobil 1 synthetic is generally available, so the shop should have obtained it, rather than provide this substitute. Like several others have said, this is not an area to compromise on, with your car.
Which mechanic? Porsche dealer? Oil change or topoff? If change you must get the right oil in there to protect your warranty.
I would drain the incorrect oil and replace it with the correct oil. It wants #40 at operating temperature, NOT #20…Just do it…
I think you should take it back to the shop that used the incorrect oil and tell them to replace it with the correct oil. Give them an opportunity to correct the error. If they won’t do it, don’t go there again.
Your vehicle was designed to run on an0-40W oil at maximum operating temperatures, not 0-20W sewing machine oil…get it changed ASAP
If this was top off oil leave it be.
If this was a full oil change I would be inclined to change it. Not tomorrow but sooner rather than latter.